Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE SMOOTH CYCLOTRON LINE IN HER X-1 AS SEEN WITH NUCLEAR SPECTROSCOPIC TELESCOPE ARRAY

Her X-1, one of the brightest and best studied X-ray binaries, shows a cyclotron resonant scattering feature (CRSF) near 37 keV. This makes it an ideal target for a detailed study with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), taking advantage of its excellent hard X-ray spectral resolution. We observed Her X-1 three times, coordinated with Suzaku, during one of the high flux intervals of its 35 day superorbital period. This paper focuses on the shape and evolution of the hard X-ray spectrum. The broadband spectra can be fitted with a power law with a high-energy cutoff, an iron line, and a CRSF. We find that the CRSF has a very smooth and symmetric shape in all observations and at all pulse phases. We compare the residuals of a line with a Gaussian optical-depth profile to a Lorentzian optical-depth profile and find no significant differences, strongly constraining the very smooth shape of the line. Even though the line energy changes dramatically with pulse phase, we find that its smooth shape does not. Additionally, our data show that the continuum only changes marginally between the three observations. These changes can be explained with varying amounts of Thomson scattering in the hot corona of the accretion disk. The average, luminosity-corrected CRSF energy is lower than in past observations and follows a secular decline. The excellent data quality of NuSTAR provides the best constraint on the CRSF energy to date.
Emission source localization using the method of auxiliary sources

This paper presents the utilization of the Method of Auxiliary Sources (MAS) to localize active source positions of radiation by a desired predefined pattern or measured near-field distribution. The active sources position is based on the uniqueness of the wave field's analytical continuation along its propagation and, by means of the converging and diverging wave's function, localizes the positions of the field's singularities. Determining the coordinates of these active source locations with appropriate polarization and placing in these locations the field sources as a corresponding current, we can restore complete near-field distribution or a desired field pattern. The objective of this paper is to study the nature of the near-field regions (reactive and radiative zones), as well as transition zones in some particular cases. This paper presents the source localization methodology along with simulation and measurement results. The proposed methodology is used for directive antenna synthesis to realize a desired pattern with minimal side lobes and reactive fields, and also could be used efficiently for far-field prediction or EMI source localization by near-field scanning.
Improved utilization of grid connected voltage source converters in smart grid through local VAR compensation

In Smart Grid there are abundant number of grid connected Voltage Source Converters (VSC) in the form of Electric Vehicle (EV) battery chargers, Renewable Energy Source (RES) fed grid connected inverters etc., that can be used for active and reactive power support to the grid. The VSCs remain idle when the load in case of EV charger or the energy source in case of RES fed grid connected inverters is not available. This work presents a single-phase PQ theory based control strategy to improve the utilization factor of such converters by using them to support the reactive power to the local loads when they are idle. The proposed control scheme is implementable with less computational effort. The system is further analyzed by calculating appropriate minimum DC bus voltage for a given amount of reactive power to be supported. The analysis for the designed system is validated using MATLAB-Simulink based simulation and a scaled down laboratory based experimental setup. The results are in good agreement with the analysis.
HASC2011corpus: towards the common ground of human activity recognition

Human activity recognition through the wearable sensor will enable a next-generation human-oriented ubiquitous computing. However, most of research on human activity recognition so far is based on small number of subjects, and non-public data. To overcome the situation, we have gathered 4897 accelerometer data with 116 subjects and compose them as HASC2011corpus. In the field of pattern recognition, it is very important to evaluate and to improve the recognition methods by using the same dataset as a common ground. We make the HASC2011corpus into public for the research community to use it as a common ground of the Human Activity Recognition. We also show several facts and results of obtained from the corpus.
Edge detection based on morphological amoebas

Abstract Detecting the edges of objects within images is critical for quality image processing. We present an edge-detection technique that uses morphological amoebas that adjust their shape based on variation in image contours. We evaluate the method both quantitatively and qualitatively for edge detection of images, and compare it to classic morphological methods. Our amoeba-based edge-detection system performed better than the classic edge detectors.
Ultrashort-pulse laser microablation of aluminum oxide ceramics

The ablation of the aluminum oxide ceramics is theoretically investigated using the femtosecond laser in this paper. There is now a growing interest in laser micromachining using pulses of femtosecond duration. Among its advantages is the possibility machining hard and brittle materials that can be easily damaged by conventional drilling and cutting procedures. Femtosecond laser micromachining of ceramics can produce nanoscale patterns due to the laser pulse duration shorter than the relaxation time of heat transport among phonons. Laser ceramics ablation possesses another features, which include the phase transition from solid to vapor occurs without melt, the strong dependence of the thermophysical parameters and the volumetric absorption. The thermal process of femtosecond laser ceramics ablation is modeled by the heat conduction equation considering material evaporation and plasma plume absorption. The predicted ablation depth per pulse is compared with the available experimental data.
Effects of perfluorooctane sulfonate on rat thyroid hormone biosynthesis and metabolism

The potential toxicity of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), an environmentally persistent organic pollutant, is of great concern. The present study examines the ability of PFOS to disturb thyroid function and the possible mechanisms involved in PFOS‐induced thyroid hormone alteration. Male Sprague‐Dawley rats were exposed to 1.7, 5.0, and 15.0 mg/L of PFOS in drinking water for 91 consecutive days. Serum was collected for analysis of total and free thyroxine (T4), total triiodothyronine (T3), and thyrotrophin (TSH). Thyroid and liver were removed for the measurement of endpoints closely related to thyroid hormone biosynthesis and metabolism following PFOS exposure. Determined endpoints were the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels for two isoforms of uridine diphosphoglucuronosyl transferases (UGT1A6 and UGT1A1) and type 1 deiodinase (DIO1) in liver, sodium iodide symporter (NIS), TSH receptor (TSHR), and DIO1 in thyroid as well as the activity of thyroid peroxidase (TPO). Serum total T4 level decreased significantly at all applied dosages, whereas total T3 level increased markedly only at 1.7 mg/L of PFOS. No statistically significant toxic effects of PFOS on serum TSH were observed. Hepatic UGT1A1, but not UGT1A6, mRNA was up‐regulated at 5.0 and 15.0 mg/L of PFOS. Treatment with PFOS lowered hepatic DIO1 mRNA at 15.0 mg/L but increased thyroidal DIO1 mRNA dose dependently. The activity of TPO, NIS, and TSHR mRNA in thyroid were unaffected by PFOS treatment. These results indicate that increased hepatic T4 glucuronidation via UGT1A1 and increased thyroidal conversion of T4 to T3 via DIO1 were responsible in part for PFOS‐induced hypothyroxinemia in rats.
A luneburg lens designed by using a variable artificial surface

This paper presents an innovative method for the design of planar lens inside parallel waveguide using Fakir's bed of nails substrate (FB) [1]. The FB is used to modulate the surface impedance on a boundary of the waveguide in order to obtain the desired refraction index for the guided wave. The method is general and can be used to design any kind of planar lens
Un modèle neuronal pour la régression et la discrimination sur données fonctionnelles

L'objectif de cet article est de presenter un nouveau modele neuronal adapte a la regression sur variables explicatives fonctionnelles. Nous decrivons le perceptron multi-couches (PMC) fonctionnel et resumons les proprietes theoriques de celui-ci, en terme de puissance de calcul et d'estimation des parametres. Nous proposons ensuite deux techniques de mise en oeuvre informatique que nous illustrons dans deux applications, l'une sur des donnees artificielles, l'autre en spectrometrie. Le PMC fonctionnel est ainsi compare au PMC classique ainsi qu'a des methodes plus classiques adaptees elles aussi aux donnees fonctionnelles. Dans les exemples choisis, les PMC fonctionnels obtiennent de meilleures performances que les autres techniques et representent la fonction de regression de facon tres parcimonieuse.
A Semi-discrete Scheme for Computing Two-Dimensional Electromagnetic Field in Time Domain

This paper applies an unconditionally stable semi-discrete (SD) scheme to compute the two-dimensional electromagnetic field in time domain. Numerical dispersion of this scheme is derived and compared with the alternate-direction-implicit (ADI) FDTD and the Crank-Nicolson (CN) FDTD methods. The dispersion curve of the proposed scheme is found to be the lower and the upper limits of those of the explicit and the implicit FDTD methods, respectively. As a numerical example, the adaptive Runge-Kutta method is adopted to solve the semi-discrete Maxwell equations for the fields in a 2D TM PEC cavity. Numerical results reveal that the SD scheme is much accurate than the ADI FDTD method. The computation speed, however, still has to be improved
Mobile Technology Usage in Business Relationships

Business relationships have been studied for decades (Wilkinson, 2001). However, the literature has been criticized of the lack of focus on information technology (IT) usage within business relationships (Reid & Plank, 2000). As managers have started to employ digital tools such as the Internet, intranets, and extranets, buyer-seller relationship scholars have realized the need to focus on IT deployment within relationships. There is a growing body of research that focuses on the different types of technologies being employed such as electronic data interchange (EDI) (Naudé, Holland, & Sudbury, 2000), Internet-based EDI (Angeles, 2000), and extranet (Vlosky, Fontenot, & Blalock, 2000) and their influence on business relationships. Nevertheless, mobile technology usage within business relationships is a nascent field of scientific inquiry. Besides buyer-seller relationship literature, mobile commerce (MC) (conducting commercial activities via mobile networks) literature also noticeably lacks academic research on business usage of mobile technology (Okazaki, 2005; Scornavacca, Barnes, & Huff, 2005). By combining these indications for further research from the buyer-seller relationship and MC fields it can be argued that there is a clear call for research in this area. Hence, I aim to bridge some aspects of the identified research gap. The research gap is filled in by discussing bonding within buyer-seller relationships to illustrate how mobile technologies create a novel bond in business relationships. It is acknowledged that some research on the adoption of mobile technology in the business context exists (see e.g., Kadyté, 2005). The paper is organized as follows: First, a brief discussion of the background of business relationships, mobile technologies, and bonding is provided. Then, I highlight how mobile technologies are used within relationships with a case study. After that, future trends in this pertinent area are presented. The paper finishes with a concluding discussion.
Hybrid magnetic suspension actuator for motion control apparatus

This paper presents a new MS actuator design for vibration absorption in motion control. In the hybrid magnetic configuration, two permanent magnets are embedded into the stationary base and the motion support to result in a spring effect in the mechanical system, together with an electromagnet to exert controllable force onto the motion support. To achieve the expected performance, appropriate feedback control system design for this MS system is applied. In this paper, the verification dynamic characteristics of MS actuator, as well as its applications are described.
An improved multi-objective memetic algorithm for bi-objective permutation flow shop scheduling

A permutation flowshop scheduling problem of optimizing the makespan and the total flow time, which can be expressed as Fm|prum|(Cmax, ΣCi), is considered in this paper. An improved multi-objective memetic algorithm (IMOMA) is proposed due to the NP-hardness of the problem. In order to effectively trade-off between two objectives, we propose a NEH and LR heuristic based initialization strategy and a powerful local search strategy, in the searching framework of memetic algorithm. Finally, we perform computational experiments by solving ten largest scale instances of Taillard benchmarks, with 500 jobs and 20 machines. The results demonstrate that the proposed IMOMA outperforms the NEHFF heuristic and two state-of-the-art evolutionary multi-objective algorithms, NSGA-II and MOEA/D with respect to convergence and diversity.
Social influence on continuation of adopted agricultural technologies: a case of HIMA project Kilolo district

This study was set to investigate social influence on continuation of adopted agricultural technologies in Ukwega and Mtitu wards of Kilolo District, Iringa Region. Specifically the study aimed at identifying innovations currently used after HIMA project, determining whether social influence was responsible for continued use of agricultural technologies and assessing socio-economic characteristics of household influencing adoption and continued use of adopted agricultural technologies. A total of 120 respondents (84 males and 36 females) who were involved in HIMA project interventions were interviewed. Quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) whereby content and structural functional analysis was used for qualitative data. The study revealed that HIMA project interventions that were extended to farmers included terraces, agroforestry; contour ploughing, crop rotation, use of improved seeds, multiple cropping system, mulching and tree planting on woodlots and boundaries. The average number of trees owned by households before HIMA has tremendously increased from 377 to 4155 after HIMA which was more than ten times. The finding from binary logistic regression revealed that of all the seven factors loaded into the model only three factors (farm size, farming experience and number of farms owned by the household) were statistically significant (p<0.05) in influencing continued use of adopted agricultural technologies. Farm size had highest Wald statistics of 6.286 implying that had big impact on influencing continuation of adopted technologies. This was followed by number of farms owned (p=0.015) with Wald statistics of 5.912 and farming experience (p=0.021) with Wald statistics of 5.337. Social influence had no effects towards influencing continuation of adopted agricultural technologies (p<0.05) and had very small Wald statistics of 0.150. The study thus concluded that the continuation of adopted agricultural technologies was not because of social influence but was because of other factors as pointed out above. ii
Vaccine-Induced Protection from Egg Production Losses in Commercial Turkey Breeder Hens Following Experimental Challenge With A Triple-Reassortant H3N2 Avian Influenza Virus

Abstract Infections of avian influenza virus (AIV) in turkey breeder hens can cause a decrease in both egg production and quality, resulting in significant production losses. In North Carolina in 2003, a triple-reassortant H3N2 AIV containing human, swine, and avian gene segments was isolated from turkey breeder hens (A/turkey/NC/16108/03). This viral subtype was subsequently isolated from both turkeys and swine in Ohio in 2004, and in Minnesota in 2005, and was responsible for significant losses in turkey production. The objective of this study was to determine if currently available commercial, inactivated avian influenza H3 subtype oil-emulsion vaccines would protect laying turkey hens from egg production losses following challenge with the 2003 H3N2 field virus isolate from North Carolina. Laying turkey hens were vaccinated in the field with two injections of either a commercial monovalent (A/duck/Minnesota/79/79 [H3N4]) or autogenous bivalent (A/turkey/North Carolina/05 (H3N2)–A/turkey/North Carolina/88 [H1N1]) vaccine, at 26 and 30 wk of age, and subsequently challenged under BSL 3-Ag conditions at 32 wk of age. Vaccine-induced efficacy was determined as protection from a 50% decrease in egg production and from a decrease in egg quality within 21 days postchallenge. Results indicate that, following a natural route of challenge (eye drop and intranasal), birds vaccinated with the 2005 North Carolina H3N2 subtype were significantly protected from the drop in egg production observed in both the H3N4 vaccinated and sham-vaccinated hens. The results demonstrate that groups receiving vaccines containing either H3 subtype had a decreased number of unsettable eggs, increased hemagglutination inhibition titers following challenge, and decreased virus isolations from cloacal swabs as compared to the sham-vaccinated group. Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the HA1 gene segment from the three H3 viruses used in these studies indicated that the two North Carolina turkey isolates had 90.4 % similarity in HA1 nucleotide sequence, but had only 77.4% and 76.1% sequence similarity to the HA1 of the H3N4 duck isolate. This study provides the first detailed description of the clinical protection afforded to laying turkey hens by vaccination against challenge with a circulating field isolate of a H3N2 triple-reassortant AIV.
Real-Time Quantification of Xeroderma pigmentosum mRNA From the Mammalian Cochlea

Objective: Human mutations in the DNA repair genes, Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP)-C and XPA result in hearing loss, which has fueled the hypothesis that there is a significant demand for these genes in protecting cochlear genetic material. Therefore, we quantified the level of XPC and XPA mRNA in the mammalian cochlea. Design: XPC and XPA mRNAs were purified from the cochlea of 15 Fischer344 rats and quantified using SYBR Green chemistry. Another 15 Fischer344 rats were sacrificed for immunolocalization of XPC and XPA polypeptides in the cochlea and kidney (control organ). Results: XP mRNA levels were up to 95% (XPA) and 69% (XPC) of the respective maximum expression capacity of each gene. In addition, these cochlear levels were up to sixfold (XPC) and threefold (XPA) greater than that of the kidney, which is known to exhibit XP-DNA repair activity that is greater than most organs of the body. Immunohistochemistry revealed that most kidney and cochlear cells were immunopositive. Conclusion: These data suggest that under normal conditions the cochlea is experiencing persistent genomic stress that helps to explain the hypersensitivity of the cochlea to exogenous stressors (ototoxic xenobiotics and/or acoustic-overexposure) as well as provide a basis to interpret hearing loss among patients with XP.
Diaquabis(2,2′-biimidazole)cobalt(II) 4,4′-dicarboxybiphenyl-3,3′-dicarboxylate

In the title compound, [Co(C6H6N4)2(H2O)2](C16H8O8), the CoII cation and the organic anion occupy different crystallographic inversion centres and, as a consequence, the asymmetric unit comprises two half-molecules. The benzene groups are coplanar. The four coordinating N atoms of the two bidentate biimidazole ligands define the equatorial plane of a slightly distorted octahedral CoO2N4 geometry, and the water O atoms lie in the axial coordination sites. Translational (a,) and inversion-related symmetry operations link the Co complex molecules and the negatively charged carboxylate anions via intermolecular N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into sheets parallel to (01). The coordinated water molecules connect the sheets through O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional framework. In addition, two intramolecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds are observed between the carboxyl and carboxylate groups.
Ultrastructural Studies and Na+,K+-ATPase Immunolocalization in the Antennal Urinary Glands of the Lobster Homarus gammarus (Crustacea, Decapoda)

Unlike in crustacean freshwater species, the structure and ultrastructure of the excretory antennal gland is poorly documented in marine species. The general organization and ultrastructure of the cells and the localization of Na+,K+-ATPase were examined in the antennal gland of the adult lobster Homarus gammarus. Each gland is composed of a centrally located coelomosac surrounded ventrally by a labyrinth divided into two parts (I and II) and dorsally by a voluminous bladder. There is no differentiated nephridal tubule between them. The labyrinth and bladder cells have in common a number of ultrastructural cytological features, including basal membrane infoldings associated with mitochondria, apical microvilli, and cytoplasmic extrusions, and a cytoplasm packed with numerous vacuoles, vesicles, lysosome-like bodies, and swollen mitochondria. Each type of cell also presents distinctive characters. Na+,K+-ATPase was detected through immunofluorescence in the basal part of the cells of the labyrinth and in the bladder cells with an increasing immunostaining from labyrinth I to the bladder. No immunoreactivity was detected in the coelomosac. The cells of the labyrinth and of the bladder present morphological and enzymatic features of ionocytes. The antennal glands of the lobster thus possess active ion exchanges capabilities.
Seasonal Variations of Current Symptoms in a Healthy Population

Among a large workplace population interviewed over a year, current symptoms were assessed using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL). Variation in symptoms by date of assessment was observed among the 314 women but not the 1556 men. Among women, symptoms were greatest during late autumn and winter, and significant inverse correlations were found between available daylight at the time of assessment and standard symptom dimensions of anxiety and somatisation, as well as an expanded mood scale more inclusive of depressive symptoms within the check-list. The amplitude of the seasonal effect was such that the prevalence of female ‘cases', as defined by HSCL criteria, was twice as high during winter than during the rest of the year. The data are consistent with a role for light-dark exposure in eliciting or synchronising annual mood rhythms. The sex-by-season interactions may contribute to the sex differences in overall prevalence of depression.