Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Convective Instability Induced by Nonlocality in Nonlinear Diffusive Systems

We consider a large class of nonlinear diffusive systems with nonlocal coupling. By using a nonperturbative analytical approach we are able to determine the convective and absolute instabilities of all the uniform states of these systems. We find a huge window of convective instability that should provide a great opportunity to study experimentally and theoretically noise sustained patterns.
Resonant Switched Capacitor DC-DC Converter with Stackable Conversion Ratios

As the demand for fully integrated power management system has increased in recent years, the switched-capacitor (SC) converter has shown exceptional promise due to the favorable energy density of capacitors, but its limited output range and its intrinsic charge-sharing loss have limited its range of applications. In this paper, a resonant switched-capacitor (ResSC) topology is presented as a way to improve on the SC methodology. The topology can be stacked to any N-to1 conversion ratio with only a single inductor. A phase shift operation is adopted to enable a wide output range while maintaining high efficiency. The load regulation is maintained with frequency modulation. The controller is designed with the aid of current phase compensation in addition to the voltage mode control. A prototype of a nominal 4-to-1 ResSC has been built and tested. The control and the regulation of the output voltage are verified through experiment.
Modeling and Control of a New Three-Input DC–DC Boost Converter for Hybrid PV/FC/Battery Power System

A new three-input dc-dc boost converter is proposed in this paper. The proposed converter interfaces two unidirectional input power ports and a bidirectional port for a storage element in a unified structure. This converter is interesting for hybridizing alternative energy sources such as photovoltaic (PV) source, fuel cell (FC) source, and battery. Supplying the output load, charging or discharging the battery can be made by the PV and the FC power sources individually or simultaneously. The proposed structure utilizes only four power switches that are independently controlled with four different duty ratios. Utilizing these duty ratios, tracking the maximum power of the PV source, setting the FC power, controlling the battery power, and regulating the output voltage are provided. Depending on utilization state of the battery, three different power operation modes are defined for the converter. In order to design the converter control system, small-signal model is obtained in each operation mode. Due to interactions of converter control loops, decoupling network is used to design separate closed-loop controllers. The validity of the proposed converter and its control performance are verified by simulation and experimental results for different operation conditions.
Substrate Integrated Circuits (SICs) for low-cost high-density integration of millimeter-wave wireless systems

The attractiveness and popularity of substrate integrated circuits (SICs) now become more and more apparent in our microwave and millimeter-wave community with numerous academic publications and industrial developments. This paper reviews the progress and the state-of- the-art of SICs-related research for developing low-cost high- density integration of microwave and millimeter-wave wireless devices and systems as well as microwave photonic applications. It is found that SICs may well be regarded as the next generation of high-frequency integrated circuits on the basis of their historical development path starting from the hollow rectangular waveguide. Challenging issues and future directions are discussed for research and developments, suggesting that SICs would be able to offer a potentially cost- effective and performance-promising solution for mass commercial applications.
DINER (Data Into Nutrients for Epidemiological Research) – a new data-entry program for nutritional analysis in the EPIC–Norfolk cohort and the 7-day diary method

Abstract Background and objective: A new data-entry system (DINER – Data Into Nutrients for Epidemiological Research) for food record methods has been devised for the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) cohort study of 25 000 men and women in Norfolk. DINER has been developed to address the problems of efficiency and consistency of data entry, comparability of data, maximising information and future flexibility in large long-term population studies of diet and disease that use record methods to assess dietary intakes. DINER captures more detail than traditional systems and enables provision of new variables for specific food types or groups. The system has been designed to be fully flexible and easy to update. Analysis of consistency of data entry was tested in a group of 3525 participants entered by 25 coders. Results: A food list of 9000 food items and values for 24 000 portion sizes have been incorporated into the database, using information from the 5979 diaries coded since 1995. Analysis of consistency of entry indicated that this has largely been achieved. The effect of coders in a multivariate regression model was significant only if the three coders involved in early use of the program were included (P<0.013). Conclusions: The development of DINER has facilitated the use of more accurate record methods in large-scale epidemiological studies of diet and disease. Furthermore, the retention of original information as an extensive food list allows greater flexibility in later analyses of data of multiple dietary hypotheses.
Facial Recognition Enabled Smart Door Using Microsoft Face API

Privacy and Security are two universal rights and, to ensure that in our daily life we are secure, a lot of research is going on in the field of home security, and IoT is the turning point for the industry, where we connect everyday objects to share data for our betterment. Facial recognition is a well-established process in which the face is detected and identified out of the image. We aim to create a smart door, which secures the gateway on the basis of who we are. In our proof of concept of a smart door we have used a live HD camera on the front side of setup attached to a display monitor connected to the camera to show who is standing in front of the door, also the whole system will be able to give voice outputs by processing text them on the Raspberry Pi ARM processor used and show the answers as output on the screen. We are using a set of electromagnets controlled by the microcontroller, which will act as a lock. So a person can open the smart door with the help of facial recognition and at the same time also be able to interact with it. The facial recognition is done by Microsoft face API but our state of the art desktop application operating over Microsoft Visual Studio IDE reduces the computational time by detecting the face out of the photo and giving that as the output to Microsoft Face API, which is hosted over Microsoft Azure cloud support.
Three-Level NPC Converter-Based Predictive Direct Power Control of the Doubly Fed Induction Machine at Low Constant Switching Frequency

This paper presents a new application of the predictive direct power control (P-DPC) for the doubly fed induction machine. The P-DPC deals with several main characteristics which makes it very suitable for high power-medium voltage generation systems where total harmonic distortion of the generating power is relevant: a three-level NPC converter presenting low and constant switching frequency feeds the rotor by means of an intermediate inductive filter. The developed P-DPC takes into account the inductive filter in the prediction stage as a part of the plant model, deals with the different sectors and regions of converter available voltage vectors and the balancing of the bus capacitors voltages. This way, it creates a sequence of 3 + 3 vectors that generates an active and reactive power trajectory which minimizes the next sample time predicted error. In addition, the P-DPC is specially designed to maintain the real-time implementation structure and simplicity of the ldquoclassicrdquo direct control strategies. Experimental results in a 15-kW test bench for the overall speed and power range are shown including synchronous speed, demonstrating that it is an attractive alternative to the conventional field-oriented control techniques.
Type D Personality and All-Cause Mortality in Cardiac Patients-Data From a German Cohort Study

Objective: Type D personality has been established as a predictor of adverse clinical events in patients with cardiovascular diseases. To date, all studies except one have been conducted by a single research group. Thus, the aim of our study was to provide an independent replication of the results regarding the prognostic validity of Type D personality in a German sample of cardiac patients. Methods: Cardiac patients (n = 1040) were recruited from cardiac rehabilitation centers (n = 484), an outpatient clinic (n = 249), and a university hospital (n = 307). Main analyses were based on the combined data from these three subsamples. Cardiac health status, medical risk factors, sociodemographic characteristics, psychological symptoms, and Type D personality were assessed at baseline. The primary end point was all-cause mortality. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate the relative risk of death. Results: Vital status was known for 977 patients (22.5% women; mean [standard deviation] = 63.3 [10.7] years). Within the follow-up time (mean [standard deviation] = 71.5 [3.6] months), 172 patients died. Type D personality was found in 25.2% of survivors and in 22.2% of nonsurvivors (&khgr;2= 0.78, p =.38). Depressive symptoms (p =.13) and anxiety (p =.27) were also not predictive of mortality. In the multivariate analyses, neither Type D (p =.95) nor negative affectivity (p =.71) and social inhibition (p =.59), as well as their interaction (p =.88), were associated with all-cause mortality. Conclusions: In the present study, Type D personality and its constituents are not associated with increased mortality in patients with heart disease. The discrepancies with previous results deserve further investigation.BMI = body mass index; CAD = coronary artery disease; CHF = chronic heart failure; DS14 = Type D scale (14-item version); HADS = Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HD = heart disease; HR = Cox proportional hazard ratio; NA = negative affectivity; SI = social inhibition
Performance comparison of fractional slot concentrated winding spoke type synchronous motors with different slot-pole combinations

Fractional Slot Concentrated Winding (FSCW) Interior Permanent Magnet (IPM) synchronous motors are nowadays an attractive solution in automotive applications due to their important advantages in terms of high performance and manufacturing simplicity. Among the different topologies, the spoke type is an effective configuration when high torque density is required. On the other hand, the motor performance are heavily related to the selected slot-pole combination. This is a critical issue when there are high constraints in terms of torque quality, flux weakening performance and noise/vibration/harshness. This paper deals with the design and analysis of FSCW IPM spoke type motors, comparing eight optimal slot-pole combinations. Two different low cost PM typologies are considered. Design and optimization procedures, based upon a finite element analysis, are presented. The torque density, torque quality, electromechanical performance and deformation of the machines are compared, highlighting the advantages and the differences among the solutions.
RF Tunable Bandstop Filters With Constant Bandwidth Based on a Doublet Configuration

This paper presents a novel approach to design RF tunable bandstop filters with constant absolute bandwidth. The filters are based on a doublet configuration which is attractive for high-order filter designs. In the doublet, two varactor-tuned resonators, arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner, are coupled to a main transmission line. A novel coupling scheme is utilized between the resonators and the main line. Theoretical analysis indicates that, as the resonant frequency varies, the coupling coefficient within the fixed coupling region can be inherently changed to desirable values to meet the requirement of constant absolute bandwidth. Using the coupling scheme, constant absolute bandwidth can be obtained without extra circuits to control the coupling strengths. For demonstration, first-order and high-order filters are designed. Comparisons of experimental and simulated results are presented to verify the theoretical predications.
Hybrid navigation for a climbing robot by fuzzy neural network and trajectory planning

In this paper, a hybrid navigation method for the autonomous control of a miniature climbing robot is presented. The method of navigation blends the optimality of the trajectory planning algorithm with the capabilities in expressing knowledge and learning of the fuzzy neural network. The actual task environment of the climbing robot is both known and dynamic. Therefore the trajectory planning is used to search roughly the optimal trajectories towards the goal based the priori data. Meanwhile, by the multi-sensor data fusion process, the fuzzy neural network is employed in dealing properly with the uncertain and dynamic situations. The experiment platform of the miniature climbing robot is also described in the paper. The properties of the hybrid navigation method are verified by the computer simulation.
Flow-diverting stents allow efficient treatment of unruptured, intradural dissecting aneurysms of the vertebral artery: An explanatory approach using in vivo flow analysis

Object Our study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of flow-diverting stents (FDS) in treating unruptured, intradural dissecting aneurysms of the vertebral artery (VADAs). Additionally, the effect of FDS on the aneurysmal flow pattern was investigated by performing in vivo flow analysis using parametric color coding (PCC). Methods We evaluated 11 patients with unruptured, intradural VADAs, treated with FDS. Pre- and postinterventional DSA-series were postprocessed by PCC, and time-density curves were calculated. The parameters aneurysmal inflow-velocity, outflow-velocity and relative time-to-peak (rTTP) were calculated. Pre- and postinterventional values were compared and correlated with the occlusion rate after six months. Results Follow-up DSA detected 10 aneurysms occluded, meaning an occlusion rate of 91%. No procedure-related morbidity and mortality was found. Flow analyses revealed a significant reduction of aneurysmal inflow- velocity and prolongation of rTTP after FDS deployment. Concerning aneurysm occlusion, the postinterventional outflow-velocity turned out to be a marginally statistically significant predictor. A definite threshold value (–0.7 density change/s) could be determined for the outflow-velocity that allows prediction of complete aneurysm occlusion with high sensitivity and specificity (100%). Conclusions Using FDS can be considered an efficient and safe therapy option in treating unruptured, intradural VADA. From in vivo flow analyses the postinterventional aneurysmal outflow-velocity turned out to be a potential predictor for later complete aneurysm occlusion. Here, it might be possible to determine a threshold value that allows prediction of aneurysm occlusion with high specificity and sensitivity. As fast, applicable and easy-to-handle tool, PCC could be used for procedural monitoring and might contribute to further treatment optimization.
Activation of the Drosophila C 3 G leads to cell fate changes and overproliferation during development , mediated by the RAS – MAPK pathway and RAP 1

The cellular signal transduction pathways by which C3G, a RAS family guanine nucleotide exchange factor, mediates v-crk transformation are not well understood. Here we report the identification of Drosophila C3G, which, like its human cognate, specifically binds to CRK but not DRK/GRB2 adaptor molecules. During Drosophila development, constitutive membrane binding of C3G, which also occurs during v-crk transformation, results in cell fate changes and overproliferation, mimicking overactivity of the RAS–MAPK pathway. The effects of C3G overactivity can be suppressed by reducing the gene dose of components of the RAS– MAPK pathway and of RAP1. These findings provide the first in vivo evidence that membrane localization of C3G can trigger activation of RAP1 and RAS resulting in the activation of MAPK, one of the hallmarks of v-crk transformation previously thought to be mediated through activation of SOS.
Livetrapping is not Biased by the Endocrine Stress Response: A Preliminary Study in the Degu (Octodon degus)

While livetrapping is a vital field research tool, it is not a completely unbiased method of sampling. Biased trapping arises during field endocrinological studies whenever hormone levels or response influence the probability of capture of a subject. We repeatedly captured wild, free-living adult degus (Octodon degus) from the same location over 12 days to determine whether individuals with a certain endocrine stress profile were more likely to be captured repeatedly than others. We measured baseline cortisol (CORT), stress-induced CORT, and negative feedback efficacy via a dexamethasone suppression test in adult male and lactating and nonlactating female degus upon initial capture. We successfully recaptured approximately half of the degus. None of the 3 indices of the stress response at initial capture predicted whether a degu would be recaptured. However, baseline CORT levels at 1st capture had a weak, negative relationship with the number of days between 1st and 2nd capture. Because most animals interpret capture and restraint as an acute stressor, we also analyzed the effect of recapture on the endocrine stress response. Baseline and stress-induced CORT concentrations were measured upon each subsequent recapture for up to 5 total captures. Upon subsequent recaptures, neither stress-induced CORT nor baseline CORT changed significantly. Additionally, individual stress-induced and baseline CORT titers were repeatable within our sample population. These findings suggest that livetrapping does not select for animals with certain endocrine stress profiles, and that degus fail to habituate to repeated capture and restraint stress.
A Capacitor Voltage-Balancing Method for Nested Neutral Point Clamped (NNPC) Inverter

A capacitor voltage-balancing method for a nested neutral point clamped (NNPC) inverter is proposed in this paper. The NNPC inverter is a newly developed four-level voltage-source inverter for medium-voltage applications with properties such as operating over a wide range of voltages (2.4-7.2 kV) without the need for connecting power semiconductor in series and high-quality output voltage. The NNPC topology has two flying capacitors in each leg. In order to ensure that the inverter can operate normally and all switching devices share identical voltage stress, the voltage across each capacitor should be controlled and maintained at one-third of dc bus voltage. The proposed capacitor voltage-balancing method takes advantage of redundancy in phase switching states to control and balance flying capacitor voltages. Simple and effective logic tables are developed for the balancing control. The proposed method is easy to implement and needs very few computations. Moreover, the method is suitable for and easy to integrate with different pulse width modulation schemes. The effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method is verified by simulation and experiment.
Generation of F0 contours for Vietnamese speech synthesis

This paper describes the analysis results about the influence of coarticulation effect and syllable duration on variations of Vietnamese tones in continuous speech. Based on these results a new method for generating F0 contours is proposed. Firstly the contour of tonal register, which is calculated from relative register ratios between two adjacent tones, is produced. And then the tone patterns are superimposed on it. The first results based on a perceptual test show that the coarticulation effect plays an important role for generating a high quality synthetic speech in Vietnamese.
Filtering dirty data in DRAM to reduce PRAM writes

Phase-change RAM (PRAM) is a promising candidate of emerging memory technologies which provides large capacity and low leakage power to compensate for the limitations of DRAM in the hybrid DRAM/PRAM memory subsystem. However, for practical applications of PRAM in the hybrid main memory, we need to reduce write traffics to PRAM in order to overcome the write-related limitations in PRAM such as write endurance. In our work, we propose a concept called in-DRAM write buffer for the hybrid main memory to reduce PRAM write traffics. The cache line-level dirty data are filtered out from the evicted DRAM row and stored in the write buffer which occupies a portion of DRAM by sacrificing the capacity of DRAM cache. In order to reduce PRAM writes, the write buffer tries to maximize write coalescing by avoiding the PRAM write-back of soon-to-be-accessed dirty data. In order to adapt to the dynamically changing program behavior in PRAM writes, we also propose a method to adjust the write buffer size dynamically during runtime. Experimental results show that the proposed dynamic method offers up to 91.92% reduction in PRAM writes and gives results (average 14.81% and 9.47% reduction in PRAM writes and program runtime, respectively) comparable to the best of static write buffer size cases.
Dynamic thresholds in robust event-triggered control for discrete-time linear systems

We propose a model-based event-triggered control scheme where state measurements are transmitted to the controller only if the deviation between the real system state and the state of a nominal closed-loop model crosses a certain threshold. In contrast to earlier results, the size of the thresholds is dynamically adapted to the unknown magnitude of the disturbances acting on the system. The closed-loop system is shown to be input-to-state stable. For a particular choice of the parameters, the guaranteed asymptotic bound on the system state is the same as for a periodically triggered scheme while still allowing a reduction in communication.