Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Applying a conventional VNA to nonlinear measurements without using frequency converting standards

A novel approach is presented for a measurement system which is able to investigate the most relevant specifications of microwave circuits and components. This unique test stand is configured for on wafer measurements up to 60 GHz, but can also be used for connectorized device measurements. The main measurement capabilities of the system are: Two and three port scattering parameters, noise figure and noise parameters of two port devices, power and gain measurements including harmonic power and harmonic impedances, all mixer parameters including conversion noise and the complete conversion matrix, active load pulling and the spectrum and phase noise of oscillators. Furthermore, a new calibration method has been developed which allows the measurement of absolute values of up to three port power waves at the device under test without frequency converting standards in the calibration The system operates in combination with an automatic wafer probe station. In the future the control software for the prober will be integrated in the measurement system software giving the capability of performing wafer mapping of MMIC's e.g.
Measurements of NO and NO2 exchange between the atmosphere and Quercus agrifolia

Abstract. NO2 foliar deposition through the stomata of leaves has been identified as a significant sink of NOx within a forest canopy. In this study, we investigated NO2 and NO exchange between the atmosphere and the leaves of the native California oak tree Quercus agrifolia using a branch enclosure system. NO2 detection was performed with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), which excludes biases from other reactive nitrogen compounds and has a low detection limit of 5–50 ppt. We performed both light and dark experiments with concentrations between 0.5 and 10 ppb NO2 and NO under constant ambient conditions. Deposition velocities for NO2 during light and dark experiments were 0.123±0.009 and 0.015±0.001 cm s−1, respectively. Much slower deposition was seen for NO, with deposition velocities of 0.012±0.002 and 0.005±0.002 cm s−1 measured during light and dark experiments, respectively. This corresponded to a summed resistance of the stomata and mesophyll of 6.9±0.9 s cm−1 for NO2 and 140±40 s cm−1 for NO. No significant compensation point was detected for NO2 uptake, but compensation points ranging from 0.74 to 3.8 ppb were observed for NO. NO2 and NO deposition velocities reported here are comparable both with previous leaf-level chamber studies and inferences from canopy-level field measurements. In parallel with these laboratory experiments, we have constructed a detailed 1-D atmospheric model to assess the contribution of leaf-level NOx deposition to the total NOx loss and NOx canopy fluxes. Using the leaf uptake rates measured in the laboratory, these modeling studies suggest that loss of NOx to deposition in a California oak woodland competes with the pathways of HNO3 and RONO2 formation, with deposition making up 3 %–22 % of the total NOx loss. Additionally, foliar uptake of NOx at these rates could account for ∼15 %–30 % canopy reduction of soil NOx emissions.
Measuring Effects of Warm-Mix Additives

An emphasis on environmental stewardship has prompted the use of warm-mix technologies aimed at allowing for production of conventional asphalt mixtures at reduced temperatures. Successful use of warm-mix asphalt (WMA) in field demonstrations has created a need for development of mix design procedures. A major impediment in development of these procedures is the evaluation of the effect of WMA technologies on asphalt binder and mixture workability. The objective of this study was to introduce a new test methodology for estimating asphalt binder workability by measuring the lubricity effects of a surfactant-based additive as well as binder foaming processes through novel use of the dynamic shear rheometer with a new testing fixture. The new test allows measuring the coefficient of friction of binders at various temperatures, loading rates, and normal force. Asphalt binder lubricity measurements were correlated mixture to workability tests defined by the compactive effort required to densify a mixture to 8% air voids. Mixture testing was conducted at temperatures ranging from 90°C to 135°C. Results of asphalt binder workability testing demonstrated a significant reduction in coefficient of friction due to the use of a surfactant-based WMA additive and identified a need for revised procedures for evaluation of foamed asphalts. Both warm-mix processes demonstrated enhanced mixture workability relative to the hot-mix asphalt; however, significant differences were not realized until compaction temperatures were below those normally used in production.
Association of IL-1β, NLRP3, and COX-2 Gene Polymorphisms with Autoimmune Thyroid Disease Risk and Clinical Features in the Iranian Population

Background Grave's disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) are autoimmune diseases of the thyroid gland in which genetic predisposition plays a major role in their development. Currently, the role of NLRP3 inflammasome and COX-2 has been documented in many autoimmune diseases. The purpose of the study is to delineate the impact of IL-1β (rs1143634), NLRP3 (rs3806265), and COX-2 (rs2745557) gene polymorphisms in the development of GD and HT. Methods A total of 256 newly diagnosed patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (135 patients with HT and 121 GD patients) as case groups and 145 controls were included in the study. Results Recessive and overdominant models showed a significant association between IL-1β rs1143634 SNP and HT development risk. The frequency of TT genotype and T allele of IL-1β rs1143634 SNP in the control group was significantly higher than the GD group. There was no significant association between NLRP3 rs3806265 polymorphism and HT and GD development. The frequency of GA genotype of COX-2 (rs2745557) in the control group was significantly higher than that in the HT group. There was no significant association between COX-2 rs2745557 genotypic and allelic distribution and GD development risk. The results revealed a significant relationship between some clinical features of HT and GD groups and SNPs studied. Conclusion The results manifest the significant impact of IL-1β rs1143634 and COX-2 (rs2745557) SNPs and HT development and IL-1β rs1143634 SNP on GD occurrence risk. Furthermore, a significant relationship was observed between some clinical features of HT and GD groups and studied SNPs.
RUV-III-NB: normalization of single cell RNA-seq data

Despite numerous methodological advances, the normalization of single cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) data remains a challenging task and the performance of different methods can vary greatly across datasets. Part of the reason for this is the different kinds of unwanted variation, including library size, batch and cell cycle effects, and the association of these with the biology embodied in the cells. A normalization method that does not explicitly take into account cell biology risks removing some of the signal of interest. Furthermore, most normalization methods remove the effects of unwanted variation for the cell embedding used for clustering-based analysis but not from gene-level data typically used for differential expression (DE) analysis to identify marker genes. Here we propose RUV-III-NB, a statistical method that can be used to remove unwanted variation from both the cell embedding and gene-level counts. RUV-III-NB explicitly takes into account its potential association with biology when removing unwanted variation via the use of pseudo-replicates. The method can be used for both UMI or sequence read counts and returns adjusted counts that can be used for downstream analyses such as clustering, DE and pseudotime analyses. Using five publicly available datasets that encompass different technological platforms, kinds of biology and levels of association between biology and unwanted variation, we show that RUV-III-NB manages to remove library size and batch effects, strengthen biological signals, improve differential expression analyses, and lead to results exhibiting greater concordance with independent datasets of the same kind. The performance of RUV-III-NB is consistent across the five datasets and is not sensitive to the number of factors assumed to contribute to the unwanted variation. It also shows promise for removing other kinds of unwanted variation such as platform effects. The method is implemented as a publicly available R package available from https://github.com/limfuxing/ruvIIInb.
An Observational Study on Comparison of Non Contact Tonometer with The Goldmann Applanation Tonometer (GAT) to determine the Intraocular Pressure Readings in Healthy and Glaucomatous Population at a tertiary care centre of Banaskantha and Patan district of Gujarat (India)

Background: Glaucoma has been declared to be the second most common cause of blindness in adults in India. Glaucoma was undetected in more than 90 % of individuals identified in the population studies. Aim& Objective: The aim of this study is to compare the non contact tonometer (the NIDEK NT 510) with the Goldmann applanation tonometer (GAT) and to determine the intraocular pressure readi ngs in healthy and glaucomatous population. Methodology: This is a Hospital based conducted at tertiary care centre of banaskantha and patan district of Gujarat Results: Demographic profile of the study showed that males 157 (54%) were more than the females 132 (45.67%) in the normal individual. In glaucoma patients males 91 (67.91%) were more than the females 43 (32.08%). In our study there was linear correlation between age and IOP in both eyes. Higher IOP was found in both > 50 years age group depending on the instrument used. In our study, in normal patients the IOP mean±SD values of both NCT and GAT was 16.15±4.46 and 15.87±4.58. From these results, IOP readings taken by NCT and GAT readings were found to be in 12-20 mm Hg in normal group. From the above results, these studies revealed that there were no significant differences in IOP readings taken by both NCT and GAT in normal and glaucoma individual. In the present study, intraocular (IOP) recorded by NCT is slightly higher than the GAT. Conclusion: From these studies we conclude that both the instruments important for measurement of IOP readings for early diagnosis of Glaucoma. There was a significant difference between the two tonometers if the IOP readings more than 21 mmHg. There was no significant variation in readings of IOP were taken NCT and GAT at <10 and 10-20 mmHg.
Potential Use of Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) as Natural Colorant and Antioxidant in the Food Industry. A Review

The food industry, in response to current consumer demand for natural and functional foods, is constantly evolving and reformulating traditional products formulations. Thus, during the last decades, multiple natural sources have been investigated to replace the need to add synthetic additives. In addition, the use of natural sources can also increase the nutritional quality of the food. With this in mind, elderberry is used in the food industry for certain purposes. However, its potential is much higher than the number of applications it currently has. Its high content of anthocyanins, as well as other polyphenols and vitamins, means that it can be used by the food industry both as a colorant and as an antioxidant. In addition, the incorporation of these bioactive compounds results in functional foods, with a high antioxidant capacity. Moreover, the inclusion of elderberry products in foods formulation increases their shelf-life, but the correct amount and strategy for adding elderberry to food should be studied to ensure a positive effect on nutritional and technological properties without affecting (or improving) the sensory quality of foods. Therefore, this manuscript aims to review the main bioactive compounds present in elderberries, as well as their potential uses in the food industry.
PROBLEMS FACING PARTIES INVOLVED IN BUILD, OPERATE, AND TRANSPORT PROJECTS IN EGYPT

One of the newest financial schemes for environmental projects is the Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) concept, which is being used increasingly worldwide as a project delivery system by which governments obtain the infrastructure projects by private sector after a concession period free of charge. In the Egyptian environment up to now, promoters and investors have had many fears toward declared projects. This study aims to investigate the potential for implementing the BOT system in the Egyptian environment. This can be achieved by giving a clear view of BOT and of its problems, risk areas, and features, pertaining to the Egyptian environment, in order to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks as much as possible. The collected data was analyzed based on actual implementation in Egypt. This involved the following: (1) An overview of the critical success factors in order to achieve a BOT project; (2) an analysis of results obtained from questionnaires seeking to determine the possibility of occurr.
Thermal Analysis of Noncircular Bearings

The present work is on prediction of temperature distribution in noncircular journal bearings and the surrounding solids. Three forms are studied, viz. two-lobe, elliptical and orthogonally displaced bearings. For comparison purposes, a circular bearing with two different groove locations is analyzed. The investigation includes the effects of recirculation and oil mixing at the grooves. The cavitation zone has also been investigated. The work is based on a two-dimensional treatment following Mc-Callion's approach. The results are presented for various geometries of journal bearing configuration, including the conventional circular bearing.
MEML: a deep data augmentation method by mean extrapolation in middle layers

Data augmentation, generating new data that are similar but not same with the original data by making a series of transformations to the original data, is one of the mainstream methods to alleviate the problem of insufficient data. Instead of augmenting input data, this paper proposes a method for augmenting features in the middle layers of deep models, called MEML (Mean Extrapolation in Middle Layers). It gets the features outputted by any middle layer of deep models and then creates new features by extrapolating some randomly selected features with their corresponding class mean. After that, it replaces these selected features with the new ones, and then let the new composed output continue to propagate forward. Experiments on two classic deep neural network models and three image datasets show that our MEML method can significantly improve the model classification accuracy and outperform the state-of-the-art feature space augmentation methods such as dropout and K Nearest Neighbors extrapolation in most experiments. Interestingly, when coupled with some input space augmentation methods, e.g., rotation and horizontal flip, MEML could further improve the performance of deep models, implying that the input space augmentation methods and MEML could complement each other.
Multistage Coupling of Mistuned Aircraft Engine Bladed Discs in a Forced Vibration Analysis

Considered here is the effect of multistage coupling on the dynamics of an aircraft engine rotor with eight mistuned bladed discs on a drum-disc shaft. Each disc had a different number of rotor blades. Free and forced vibrations were examined using finite element models of single rotating blades, bladed discs, and an entire rotor. Calculations of the global rotating mode shapes of flexible mistuned bladed discs-shaft assemblies took into account the excitation of the turbine bladed disc with 0EO, 1EO and 2EO forces. The thus obtained maximal stress values of all of the rotor blades were carefully examined and compared with a tuned system to discover resonance conditions and coupling effects. Mistuning changes the stress distribution in individual rotor blades and the level of maximum stress increases or decreases as compared to bladed discs which are analyzed without the shaft.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Tanshinone IIA potentiates the efficacy of imatinib by regulating the AKT-MDM2-P53 signaling pathway in Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) is triggered by breakpoint cluster region-abelson leukemia virus (BCR/ABL) kinase. Targeting BCR/ABL kinase with tyrosine kinase inhibitors combined with chemotherapy is the standard first-line therapy for Ph+ ALL. Imatinib and dasatinib are the preferred agents for the treatment of Ph+ ALL. Dasatinib treatment can induce a faster and deeper remission than imatinib treatment; however, the side effects of dasatinib, especially the cardiovascular side effects, are markedly greater than those of imatinib. Patients will benefit from treatments that improve the efficacy of imatinib without increasing its side effects. The present study revealed that tanshinone IIA markedly potentiated the cytotoxic and apoptotic induction effects of imatinib by regulating the AKT-MDM2-P53 signaling pathway and inhibiting the anti-apoptotic proteins BCL2 and MCL1 apoptosis regulator, BCL2 family member in Ph+ ALL cell lines. In vitro studies, MTT assay, flow cytometry, western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR were performed in the present study to detect cell viability, cell apoptosis, protein expression and gene expression, respectively. In a Ph+ ALL mouse model, imatinib combined with tanshinone IIA also exhibited a synergistic effect on the reduction in leukemia burden without increasing the toxic side effects of imatinib. These results demonstrated that imatinib combined with tanshinone IIA might be a promising treatment strategy for patients with Ph+ ALL.
Design of a 2-finger hand exoskeleton for finger stiffness measurements

Recent studies of human arm movements have suggested that the control of stiffness may be important both for maintaining stability and for achieving differences in movement accuracy. Several studies in the robotic field demonstrated that grasp stiffness is useful for modelling and controlling manipulators but, even though it is accredited that having models of the human finger impedance would be very desirable for the control of anthropomorphous robot's hands, relatively few studies have focused on finger and hand stiffness. To allow the measurement of such entities at the finger level, an appropriate device capable of applying fast force transients while at the same time be able to monitor the finger movements is required. The work presented in this paper is a very detailed report about the design of a new hand exoskeleton system that will be used in our future works to investigate the finger stiffness range in different grasping postures and conditions.
THE IMPACT OF TURF COLORANTS AND OVERSEEDING PRACTICES ON THE DORMANT BERMUDA GRASS (Cynodon dactylon L.)

This research was carried out between May 2016 and February 2018 on the experimental field of Bayindir Vocational Training School at Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. The research study was a pioneer attempt in a Mediterranean area, conducted in two consecutive steps. In the first step, turf color performances of five different turf colorants were tested on a dormant Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon L.) stand. Dormant Bermuda grass was overseeded with eleven different varieties of cool-season turf grasses in the second step of the study and color, texture and turf quality traits together with the rate of weed invasion and cover were determined. As the results of the study, SP Green, Ecolor Koyu and Ecolor Acik were identified as the brands demonstrating the greatest visual impact on the plots where the turf colorants were applied. Additionally, Poa pratensis cultivars were found to be completely inadequate among the tested varieties to compete with Bermuda grass during the summer months, Agrostis stolonifera demonstrated the most successful performance in the second year compared to other cool-season turf cultivars tested in the research.
The influence of gender-diverse boards on post-audit practices: A UK SME study

Abstract This article extends the project-engineering management/post-audit literature into the field of business ethics and board gender diversity. As a result, it fills an important gap in the literature. Board gender diversity is an important issue with ramifications on corporate decision-making. Based on a sample of 163 UK small-medium enterprises (SMEs), our research shows differences between gender diverse (GD) boards and male-only boards in post-audit (P-A) practices. GD boards conduct more post-audits and adopt a more formal approach to post-audit procedures. There are significant differences between the two board types concerning the reasons for undertaking post-audits and the non-adoption of post-audits (P-As). An interesting observation is in the area of risk aversion, as we find an inconsistency between those SMEs that conduct P-As and those that do not. This inconsistency may reflect the earlier literature, which is inconclusive in its findings concerning females’ attitudes to risk. A further interesting observation from the data analysis shows that GD Boards appear to be more focused, while male boards are more diverse in their responses. This article is of relevance and general interest to engineering economists in an investment appraisal, P-A, project management, and governance environment, fostering diversity and equality in regulating corporate activities, assisting practitioners and policy-makers in understanding the importance of monitoring capital projects, and the role played by gender-diverse boards.
The impact of evaporative cooling on the thermoregulation and sensible heat loss of sows during farrowing

Em comparacao com outras especies de animais de criacao comercial, os suinos sao mais sensiveis a temperatura ambiente elevada, pois sao incapazes de suar, e a respiracao ofegante nao e eficiente. O sistema de resfriamento evaporativo pode favorecer o conforto termico dos animais durante a exposicao a altas temperaturas e reduzir os efeitos prejudiciais do estresse termico. Objetivou-se com este estudo avaliar a troca de calor sensivel e os parâmetros de termorregulacao de porcas em lactacao submetidas a dois sistemas de climatizacao: natural e resfriamento evaporativo, durante o verao. O experimento foi conduzido em uma granja comercial com 72 porcas em lactacao, no qual foram monitoradas as variaveis ambientais (temperatura, umidade relativa do ar e velocidade do ar), os parâmetros fisiologicos das porcas (temperatura retal, temperatura superficial e frequencia respiratoria) e, assim, foi calculada a troca de calor sensivel no periodo de 21 dias de lactacao. Os resultados nao indicaram efeito significativo dos sistemas de climatizacao sobre a temperatura retal. Porem, o resfriamento evaporativo proporcionou reducao significativa na temperatura superficial e na frequencia respiratoria, alem do aumento significativo na troca de calor sensivel das porcas. A utilizacao do resfriamento evaporativo contribuiu para aumentar a perda de calor sensivel, e, portanto, este sistema pode amenizar os efeitos negativos do calor na termorregulacao das porcas lactantes durante o verao.