Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recent advances in understanding the reinforcing ability and mechanism of carbon nanotubes in ceramic matrix composites

Abstract Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), commonly referred to as ultimate reinforcement, the main purpose for fabricating CNT–ceramic matrix composites has been mainly to improve the fracture toughness and strength of the ceramic matrix materials. However, there have been many studies reporting marginal improvements or even the degradation of mechanical properties. On the other hand, those studies claiming noticeable toughening measured using indentation, which is an indirect/unreliable characterization method, have not demonstrated the responsible mechanisms applicable to the nanoscale, flexible CNTs; instead, those studies proposed those classical methods applicable to microscale fiber/whisker reinforced ceramics without showing any convincing evidence of load transfer to the CNTs. Therefore, the ability of CNTs to directly improve the macroscopic mechanical properties of structural ceramics has been strongly questioned and debated in the last ten years. In order to properly discuss the reinforcing ability (and possible mechanisms) of CNTs in a ceramic host material, there are three fundamental questions to our knowledge at both the nanoscale and macroscale levels that need to be addressed: (1) does the intrinsic load-bearing ability of CNTs change when embedded in a ceramic host matrix? ; (2) when there is an intimate atomic-level interface without any chemical reaction with the matrix, could one expect any load transfer to the CNTs along with effective load bearing by them during crack propagation? ; and (3) considering their nanometer-scale dimensions, flexibility and radial softness, are the CNTs able to improve the mechanical properties of the host ceramic matrix at the macroscale when individually, intimately and uniformly dispersed? If so, how? Also, what is the effect of CNT concentration in such a defect-free composite system? Here, we briefly review the recent studies addressing the above fundamental questions. In particular, we discuss the new reinforcing mechanism at the nanoscale responsible for unprecedented, simultaneous mechanical improvements and highlight the scalable processing method enabling the fabrication of defect-free CNT-concentered ceramics and CNT-graded composites with unprecedented properties. Finally, possible future directions will be briefly presented.
Distribution of cycles in supersingular $\ell$-isogeny graphs

Recent work by Arpin, Chen, Lauter, Scheidler, Stange, and Tran counted the number of cycles of length $r$ in supersingular $\ell$-isogeny graphs. In this paper, we extend this work to count the number of cycles that occur along the spine. We provide formulas for both the number of such cycles, and the average number as $p \to \infty$, with $\ell$ and $r$ fixed. In particular, we show that when $r$ is not a power of $2$, cycles of length $r$ are disproportionately likely to occur along the spine. We provide experimental evidence that this result holds in the case that $r$ is a power of $2$ as well.
PVT variations aware low leakage DOIND approach for nanoscale domino logic circuits

For high system performance in VLSI chips dynamic CMOS logic circuit techniques are used. As continue scaling down the dimension of transistors parameter variation becomes a serious issue in very deep sub-micron regime. The overall performance of any logic circuit reduces by increasing leakage current and variability of parameters in scaled device. To overcome the variability issue in sub-micron regime the design must be aware of variations. In this paper DOIND logic approach is proposed for domino logic to analyze the variability issue. This approach reduces leakage current as well as it reduces the variability issue with minimum delay penalty. Various process, voltage and temperature (PVT) variations are analyzed at 70 nm technology node for a domino logic and DOIND logic buffer using tanner EDA tool. Simulation result shows that DOIND approach has less affect of PVT variations as compare to domino logic circuit.
Ontology-based Recommender System of Economic Articles

Decision makers need economical information to drive their decisions. The Company Actualis SARL is specialized in the production and distribution of a press review about French regional economic actors. This economic review represents for a client a prospecting tool on partners and competitors. To reduce the overload of useless information, the company is moving towards a customized review for each customer. Three issues appear to achieve this goal. First, how to identify the elements in the text in order to extract objects that match with the recommendation's criteria presented? Second, How to define the structure of these objects, relationships and articles in order to provide a source of knowledge usable by the extraction process to produce new knowledge from articles? The latter issue is the feedback on customer experience to identify the quality of distributed information in real-time and to improve the relevance of the recommendations. This paper presents a new type of recommendation based on the semantic description of both articles and user profile.
Toward Tiny and High-quality Facial Makeup with Data Amplify Learning

Contemporary makeup approaches primarily hinge on unpaired learning paradigms, yet they grapple with the challenges of inaccurate supervision (e.g., face misalignment) and sophisticated facial prompts (including face parsing, and landmark detection). These challenges prohibit low-cost deployment of facial makeup models, especially on mobile devices. To solve above problems, we propose a brand-new learning paradigm, termed"Data Amplify Learning (DAL),"alongside a compact makeup model named"TinyBeauty. "The core idea of DAL lies in employing a Diffusion-based Data Amplifier (DDA) to"amplify"limited images for the model training, thereby enabling accurate pixel-to-pixel supervision with merely a handful of annotations. Two pivotal innovations in DDA facilitate the above training approach: (1) A Residual Diffusion Model (RDM) is designed to generate high-fidelity detail and circumvent the detail vanishing problem in the vanilla diffusion models; (2) A Fine-Grained Makeup Module (FGMM) is proposed to achieve precise makeup control and combination while retaining face identity. Coupled with DAL, TinyBeauty necessitates merely 80K parameters to achieve a state-of-the-art performance without intricate face prompts. Meanwhile, TinyBeauty achieves a remarkable inference speed of up to 460 fps on the iPhone 13. Extensive experiments show that DAL can produce highly competitive makeup models using only 5 image pairs.
A Hybrid Modified Semantic Matching Algorithm Based on Instances Detection With Case Study on Renewable Energy

This Matching input keywords with historical or information domain is an important point in modern computations in order to find the best match information domain for specific input queries. Matching algorithms represents hot area of researches in computer science and artificial intelligence. In the area of text matching, it is more reliable to study semantics of the pattern and query in terms of semantic matching. This paper improves the semantic matching results between input queries and information ontology domain. The contributed algorithm is a hybrid technique that is based on matching extracted instances from booth, the queries and in information domain. The instances extraction algorithm that is presented in this paper are contributed which is based on mathematical and statistical analysis of objects with respect to each other and also with respect to marked objects. The instances that are instances from the queries and information domain are subjected to semantic matching to find the best match, match percentage, and to improve the decision making process. An application case was studied in this paper which is related to renewable energy, where the input queries represents the customer requirements input and the knowledge domain is renewable energy vendors profiles. The comparison was made with most known recent matching researches.
Toward new understandings of human–animal relationships in sport: a study of Australian jumps racing

The importance of studying human–animal relationships and animal subjectivity is increasingly recognised by social and cultural geographers, particularly in agricultural pursuits. Little research, however, has been undertaken on animals in sport, resulting in a limited understanding of the perceptions and treatment of animals in society. To address this concern, we interrogate print media coverage of the construction and positioning of horses and humans in the controversial activity of jumps racing (National Hunt) in Australia between February 2008 and December 2009. We highlight the importance of seemingly contradictory human–animal relationships involving close frequent contact of some jumps racing advocates in contrast to the distanced, mediated relationships of jumps racing opponents. This paper highlights how the particular activity of jumps racing generates specific human–animal relationships and emphasises the need to reflect on the attitudes that shape and constrain human–animal relationships in varying contexts, including how these attitudes are mediated and the potential consequences for humans and other animals. These findings form the basis for a suggested research agenda that recognises the importance and articulation of proximity and mediation in human–animal relationships, particularly those focused on activities labelled ‘sport’.
Correlation between two physical activity programs in the gait of sedentary elderly subjects.

OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of exercise on gait using two different programs: a group of aerobic exercises (Group A, n = 18) and a group of flexibility and balance exercises (Group B, n = 19). METHODS A casualized controlled study, in which each sample controlled itself, was undertaken. The sample comprised 37 male and female subjects, aged from 60 to 90 years, from the outpatient clinic of the Geriatrics Unit of Hospital das Clínicas of Faculdade de Medicina of Universidade de São Paulo; the patients were sedentary and had not exercised regularly during the past six months. RESULTS Improvement of gait was seen mainly in the group that did specific exercises. CONCLUSION The results of this study underline the importance of physical exercises in sedentary elderly subjects, but show the need for programming the exercises towards specific goals, which can optimize the results of this tool of health promotion for the elderly.
Overview of the Characteristics of Micro- and Nano-Structured Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors

The performance of bio-chemical sensing devices has been greatly improved by the development of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based sensors. Advancements in micro- and nano-fabrication technologies have led to a variety of structures in SPR sensing systems being proposed. In this review, SPR sensors (from typical Kretschmann prism configurations to fiber sensor schemes) with micro- or nano-structures for local light field enhancement, extraordinary optical transmission, interference of surface plasmon waves, plasmonic cavities, etc. are discussed. We summarize and compare their performances and present guidelines for the design of SPR sensors.
Molecular Epidemiology of Multi-Drug Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Isolated in Shandong, China

Acinetobacter baumannii is an emerging nosocomial pathogen prevalent in hospitals worldwide. In order to understand the molecular epidemiology of multi-drug resistant (MDR) A. baumannii, we investigated the genotypes of A. baumannii isolated from 10 hospitals in Shandong, China, from August 2013 to December 2013, by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Antimicrobial resistance genes were analyzed by PCR and DNA sequencing. By PFGE analysis, we discovered 11 PFGE types in these 10 hospitals. By MLST, we assigned these isolates to 12 sequence types (STs), 10 of which belong to the cloning complex CC92, including the prevalent ST369, ST208, ST195, and ST368. Two new STs, namely ST794 and ST809, were detected only in one hospital. All isolates of the MDR A. baumannii were resistant to carbapenem, except 2 isolates, which did not express the blaOXA-23 carbapenemase gene, indicating blaOXA-23 is the major player for carbapenem resistance. We also discovered armA is likely to be responsible for amikacin resistance, and may play a role in gentamicin and tobramycin resistance. aac(3)-I is another gene responsible for gentamicin and tobramycin resistance. In summary, we discovered that the majority of the isolates in Shandong, China, were the STs belonging to the CC92. Besides, two new STs were detected in one hospital. These new STs should be further investigated for prevention of outbreaks caused by A. baumannii.
Long-term follow up of patients with dilated heart muscle disease treated with human leucocytic interferon alpha or thymic hormones initial results.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether giving interferon-alpha or thymomodulin in addition to conventional treatment improves cardiac function in patients with idiopathic myocarditis and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. DESIGN: Single-centre, randomised, open label, parallel group comparison of conventional treatment plus interferon-alpha, conventional treatment plus thymomodulin, and conventional treatment alone. PATIENTS: 38 patients aged 19-54 years (23 men) with biopsy-proven myocarditis or dilated cardiomyopathy. 12 were treated with conventional treatment alone, 13 were treated with interferon-alpha and conventional treatment, and 13 with thymomodulin and conventional treatment. SETTING: Tertiary cardiac referral centre. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical evaluation, echocardiography, and Holter monitoring at baseline, 6 months, and 1 and 2 years. Radionuclide ventriculography at rest and during exercise after 2 years. Endomyocardial biopsy at baseline and after a year if the initial diagnosis was myocarditis. RESULTS: Left ventricular ejection fraction was improved in 21 (81%) of 26 patients after interferon-alpha or thymomodulin administration and in 8 (66%) of 12 conventionally treated patients (P < 0.05) at 2 year follow up. The maximum exercise time was significantly longer at 2-year follow up in patients treated with immunomodulators (mean (SEM) 5.1 (0.6) minutes for interferon-alpha and 5.0 (0.4) minutes for thymomodulin) than in conventionally treated patients (3.3 (0.4) minutes). Left ventricular ejection fraction during exercise (assessed by radionuclide ventriculography) improved in 9 of 12 patients treated with interferon-alpha, 10 of 12 patients treated with thymomodulin, and 3 of 9 conventionally treated patients at 2 year follow up. The electrocardiogram was normal in 21 (88%) of 24 patients after interferon-alpha or thymomodulin treatment and 2 (22%) of 9 conventionally treated patients. At 2 year follow up, 19 (73%) of 26 patients treated with immunomodulators and 4 (25%) of 12 conventionally treated patients had improved their functional class. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that treatment of idiopathic myocarditis and/or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy with interferon-alpha or thymomodulin induces an earlier and significantly superior clinical improvement than conventional treatment alone.
HortiBot: An Adaptive Multi-Arm System for Robotic Horticulture of Sweet Peppers

Horticultural tasks such as pruning and selective harvesting are labor intensive and horticultural staff are hard to find. Automating these tasks is challenging due to the semi-structured greenhouse workspaces, changing environmental conditions such as lighting, dense plant growth with many occlusions, and the need for gentle manipulation of non-rigid plant organs. In this work, we present the three-armed system HortiBot, with two arms for manipulation and a third arm as an articulated head for active perception using stereo cameras. Its perception system detects not only peppers, but also peduncles and stems in real time, and performs online data association to build a world model of pepper plants. Collision-aware online trajectory generation allows all three arms to safely track their respective targets for observation, grasping, and cutting. We integrated perception and manipulation to perform selective harvesting of peppers and evaluated the system in lab experiments. Using active perception coupled with end-effector force torque sensing for compliant manipulation, HortiBot achieves high success rates.
Design charts to maximize the gain-bandwidth product of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers

In this work we define a performance measure for capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (cMUT) in the form of a gain-bandwidth product to investigate the conditions that optimize the gain and bandwidth with respect to device di- mensions, electrode size and electrical termination resistance. For the transmit mode, we define the figure of merit as the pressure- bandwidth product. Fully-metallized membranes achieve a higher pressure-bandwidth product compared to partially metallized ones. It is shown that the bandwidth is not affected by the electrode size in the transmit mode. In the receive mode, we define the figure of merit as the gain-bandwidth product. We show in this case that the figure of merit can be maximized by optimizing the electrode radius. We present normalized charts for designing an optimum cMUT cell at the desired frequency with a given bandwidth for transmit or receive modes. The effect of spurious capacitance and liquid loading effect are considered. Design examples are given to clarify the use of these charts. I. INTRODUCTION It is shown that a large bandwidth is possible with an untuned cMUT immersed in water (1), (2). For such a cMUT, the operation frequency range may extend from very low fre- quencies to the antiresonance of the membrane (3). However, those cMUTs have small conversion efficiencies and are not as sensitive as piezoelectric transducers. In this work, we explore the limits of a cMUT operating in different regimes using the Mason model corrected with finite element method (FEM) simulations. We try to maximize the bandwidth of a cMUT while keeping the output pressure or the conversion efficiency at a reasonable value. For this purpose, we define performance measures in the form of a pressure-bandwidth product or a gain-bandwidth product. We try to maximize this figure of merit by optimizing various geometrical parameters of the cMUT.
On the Use of Temporal Landmarks for Planning with Deadlines

In this paper we present a temporal planning approach for handling problems with deadlines. The model relies on the extraction of temporal landmarks from the problem and the construction of a landmarks graph as a skeleton of the solution plan. A temporal landmark is a proposition that must be achieved in a solution plan to satisfy the problem deadline constraints. Each temporal landmark is associated to three temporal intervals, which are updated and propagated according to the landmarks orders and the deadline constraints. Then, the partial plans in the search tree that are not compliant with the information comprised in this graph are pruned. The experimental results will show that this approach is helpful to quickly detect unsolvable problems and it is also very effective to solve problems with deadlines in comparison to other state-of-the-art planners.
Novel Dipole-Lattice coupling in the Quantum-Spin-Liquid Material $\kappa$-(BEDT-TTF)$_2$Cu$_2$(CN)$_3$

A family of molecular Mott insulators on triangular lattice provided a few S=1/2 triangular quantum spin liquid candidates, with $\kappa$-(BEDT-TTF)$_2$Cu$_2$(CN)$_3$ being the most studied material of this group. The large number experimental works present a conflicting set of evidence, with some suggesting spin liquid behavior, while others point towards a valence bond solid with orphan spins. In this work we use Raman scattering spectroscopy to probe both local charge on molecular sites and lattice phonons as a function of temperature down to 6~K. Based on the analysis of the line shape of the BEDT-TTF charge sensitive vibration $\nu_2$ on cooling below 40 K, we suggest a development of disordered fluctuating charge disproportionation on (BEDT-TTF)$_2$ dimers of amplitude as small as 0.06$e$. The lattice phonons show strong anomalous broadening on cooling only in the (c,c) scattering channel, associated with the developing charge disproportionation. We suggest an interpretation, where the coupling of disordered charge dipoles on dimers to the lattice results in anisotropic modulation of charge transfer integrals between dimer lattice sites. Such fluctuations would result in modulation of magnetic coupling between spins which can produce fluctuating charge ordered spin-singlet pairs.
KTbench: A Novel Data Leakage-Free Framework for Knowledge Tracing

Knowledge Tracing (KT) is concerned with predicting students' future performance on learning items in intelligent tutoring systems. Learning items are tagged with skill labels called knowledge concepts (KCs). Many KT models expand the sequence of item-student interactions into KC-student interactions by replacing learning items with their constituting KCs. This often results in a longer sequence length. This approach addresses the issue of sparse item-student interactions and minimises model parameters. However, two problems have been identified with such models. The first problem is the model's ability to learn correlations between KCs belonging to the same item, which can result in the leakage of ground truth labels and hinder performance. This problem can lead to a significant decrease in performance on datasets with a higher number of KCs per item. The second problem is that the available benchmark implementations ignore accounting for changes in sequence length when expanding KCs, leading to different models being tested with varying sequence lengths but still compared against the same benchmark. To address these problems, we introduce a general masking framework that mitigates the first problem and enhances the performance of such KT models while preserving the original model architecture without significant alterations. Additionally, we introduce KTbench, an open-source benchmark library designed to ensure the reproducibility of this work while mitigating the second problem.
Two new flavonoids and other constituents in licorice root: their relative astringency and radical scavenging effects.

Four compounds, including two new flavonoids, were isolated from Si-pei licorice (licorice from the north-western region of China). The structures of the two new flavonoids, named glycyrrhisoflavanone and glycyrrhisoflavone, were (S)-7, 8'-dihydroxy-2', 2'-dimethyl-5-methoxy-[3, 6'-bi-2H-1-benzopyran]-4(3H)-one (6) and 3-[3, 4-dihydroxy-5-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)phenyl]-5, 7-dihydroxy-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one (9). Glycyrrhisoflavone was found to be one of the tannic substances by the measurement of the binding activity to hemoglobin (relative astringency). Licochalcone B (1) was isolated from the fraction which showed the highest binding activity to hemoglobin among the fractions obtained by centrifugal partition chromatography of the extract of Sinkiang licorice (licorice from Sinkiang in China). Licochalcone B also showed the highest activity as a radical scavenger in the experiment using 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical, among ten tested compounds obtained from several licorices. The order of the radical scavenging effects was the same as the order of the inhibitory effects on the 5-lipoxygenase-dependent peroxidation in arachidonate metabolism [licochalcone B (1)>licochalcone A (3)>>isoliquiritigenin (14)>liquiritigenin (13)].