Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New Dynamic Battery Model for Hybrid Vehicles

Battery storage (BS) systems are static energy conversion units that convert the chemical energy directly into electrical energy. They exist in our cars, laptops, electronic appliances, micro electricity generation systems and in many other mobile to stationary power supply systems. The economic advantages, partial sustainability and the portability of these units pose promising substitutes for backup power systems for hybrid vehicles and hybrid electricity generation systems. Dynamic behaviour of these systems can be analysed by using mathematical modeling and simulation software programs. Though, there have been many mathematical models presented in the literature and proved to be successful, dynamic simulation of these systems are still very exhaustive and time consuming as they do not behave according to specific mathematical models or functions. The charging and discharging of battery functions are a combination of exponential and non-linear nature. The aim of this research paper is to present a suitable convenient, dynamic battery model that can be used to model a general BS system. Proposed model is a new modified dynamic Lead-Acid battery model considering the effect of temperature and cyclic charging and discharging effects. Simulink has been used to study the characteristics of the system and the proposed system has proved to be very successful as the simulation results have been very good.
The experimental principle of Nano Indenter II and its applications

As a new system for determining the mechanical properties of materials, Nano Indenter II mechanical properties microprobe (MPM) is introduced.The MPM is an indentation system controlled by computer. Its displacement accuracy of indenter can reach +/-0.04nm. Therefore, it can be used to study mechanical properties of materials in micro scale. Because of its high accuracy of indenter displacement, it has the advantage of studying thin foil materials, ion implanted materials and surface modified materials. The major difference between the MPM and the conventional hardness tester is that the MPM can record continually the load displacement data and then figure out the hardness and elastic modulus from the data. In this way the measurement of indent area is not needed. Therefore, the error of the measurement is avoided. The experimental principle of the MPM and the calculations for hardness and elastic modulus are stated.Its applications in materials science are demonstrated.
Conversion to seronegative status after abatacept treatment in patients with early and poor prognostic rheumatoid arthritis is associated with better radiographic outcomes and sustained remission: post hoc analysis of the AGREE study

Objective To evaluate the effects of the T-cell costimulation blocker abatacept on anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) and rheumatoid factor (RF) in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and associations between changes in serological status and clinical response. Methods Post hoc analysis of the phase III AGREE study in methotrexate (MTX)-naïve patients with early RA and poor prognostic factors. Patients were randomised to abatacept (~10 mg/kg intravenously according to weight range) or placebo, plus MTX over 12 months followed by open-label abatacept plus MTX for 12 months. Autoantibody titres were determined by ELISA at baseline and months 6 and 12 (double-blind phase). Conversion to seronegative status and its association with clinical response were assessed at months 6 and 12. Results Abatacept plus MTX was associated with a greater decrease in ACPA (but not RF) titres and higher rates of both ACPA and RF conversion to seronegative status versus MTX alone. More patients converting to ACPA seronegative status receiving abatacept plus MTX achieved remission according to Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (C-reactive protein) or Clinical Disease Activity Index than patients who remained ACPA seropositive. Patients who converted to ACPA seronegative status treated with abatacept plus MTX had a greater probability of achieving sustained remission and less radiographic progression than MTX alone or patients who remained ACPA seropositive (either treatment). Conclusions Treatment with abatacept plus MTX was more likely to induce conversion to ACPA/RF seronegative status in patients with early, erosive RA. Conversion to ACPA seronegative status was associated with better clinical and radiographic outcomes. Trial registration number NCT00122382
Synergistic Effect of Hybrid PbS Quantum Dots/2D‐WSe2 Toward High Performance and Broadband Phototransistors

The transitionmetal dichalcogenides‐based phototransistors have demonstrated high transport mobility but are limited to poor photoresponse, which greatly blocks their applications in optoelectronic fields. Here, light sensitive PbS colloidal quantum dots (QDs) combined with 2D WSe2 to develop hybrid QDs/2D‐WSe2 phototransistors for high performance and broadband photodetection are utilized. The device shows a responsivity up to 2 × 105 A W–1, which is orders of magnitude higher than the counterpart of individual material‐based devices. The detection spectra of hybrid devices can be extended to near infrared similar to QDs' response. The high performance of hybrid 0D‐2D phototransistor is ascribed to the synergistic function of photogating effect. PbS QDs can efficiently absorb the input illumination and 2D WSe2 supports a transport expressway for injected photocarriers. The hybrid phototransistors obtain a specific detectivity over 1013 Jones in both ON and OFF state in contrast to the depleted working state (OFF) for other reported QDs/2D phototransistors. The present device construction strategy, photogating enhanced performance, and robust device working conditions contain high potential for future optoelectronic devices.
Sedentary behavior associated with reduced medial temporal lobe thickness in middle-aged and older adults

Atrophy of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) occurs with aging, resulting in impaired episodic memory. Aerobic fitness is positively correlated with total hippocampal volume, a heavily studied memory-critical region within the MTL. However, research on associations between sedentary behavior and MTL subregion integrity is limited. Here we explore associations between thickness of the MTL and its subregions (namely CA1, CA23DG, fusiform gyrus, subiculum, parahippocampal, perirhinal and entorhinal cortex,), physical activity, and sedentary behavior. We assessed 35 non-demented middle-aged and older adults (25 women, 10 men; 45–75 years) using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire for older adults, which quantifies physical activity levels in MET-equivalent units and asks about the average number of hours spent sitting per day. All participants had high resolution MRI scans performed on a Siemens Allegra 3T MRI scanner, which allows for detailed investigation of the MTL. Controlling for age, total MTL thickness correlated inversely with hours of sitting/day (r = -0.37, p = 0.03). In MTL subregion analysis, parahippocampal (r = -0.45, p = 0.007), entorhinal (r = -0.33, p = 0.05) cortical and subiculum (r = -0.36, p = .04) thicknesses correlated inversely with hours of sitting/day. No significant correlations were observed between physical activity levels and MTL thickness. Though preliminary, our results suggest that more sedentary non-demented individuals have less MTL thickness. Future studies should include longitudinal analyses and explore mechanisms, as well as the efficacy of decreasing sedentary behaviors to reverse this association.
Numerical analysis of temperature profiles during thermal modification of wood: chemical reactions and experimental verification

Abstract Numerical analysis of temperature profiles during thermal modification of wood was carried out. The numerical solution – based on finite element analysis, FEA – of the 3D problem of transient nonlinear heat transfer model is presented for wood as a typical anisotropic material. The numerical model was enhanced for describing chemical reactions of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin (pyrolysis model), which takes into account the exothermic reactions as an internal source of heat energy. Experimental as well as theoretical process schedules were applied and the influence of sample dimensions (sample geometry) and wood species was studied. The influence of wood species was negligible on heating time to reach the highest temperature, i.e., the temperature differences were about 2°C during the drying phase. A expected, the sample size played an important role in the heating duration and in terms of the exothermic reactions of wood. The experimental and numerical data are generally in good agreement. The numerical error increased in the range of higher temperatures. The results can be improved by consideration of wood species (mass of wood compounds) and boundary conditions in the pyrolysis model, thus, better insight into details of thermal modification of wood could be reached.
IFN-λ prevents influenza virus spread from the upper airways to the lungs and limits virus transmission

Host factors restricting the transmission of respiratory viruses are poorly characterized. We analyzed the contribution of type I and type III interferon (IFN) using a mouse model in which the virus is selectively administered to the upper airways, mimicking a natural respiratory virus infection. Mice lacking functional IFN-λ receptors (Ifnlr1−/−) no longer restricted virus dissemination from the upper airways to the lungs. Ifnlr1−/− mice shed significantly more infectious virus particles via the nostrils and transmitted the virus much more efficiently to naïve contacts compared with wild-type mice or mice lacking functional type I IFN receptors. Prophylactic treatment with IFN-α or IFN-λ inhibited initial virus replication in all parts of the respiratory tract, but only IFN-λ conferred long-lasting antiviral protection in the upper airways and blocked virus transmission. Thus, IFN-λ has a decisive and non-redundant function in the upper airways that greatly limits transmission of respiratory viruses to naïve contacts.
Land Cover Classification Using Integrated Spectral, Temporal, and Spatial Features Derived from Remotely Sensed Images

Obtaining accurate and timely land cover information is an important topic in many remote sensing applications. Using satellite image time series data should achieve high-accuracy land cover classification. However, most satellite image time-series classification methods do not fully exploit the available data for mining the effective features to identify different land cover types. Therefore, a classification method that can take full advantage of the rich information provided by time-series data to improve the accuracy of land cover classification is needed. In this paper, a novel method for time-series land cover classification using spectral, temporal, and spatial information at an annual scale was introduced. Based on all the available data from time-series remote sensing images, a refined nonlinear dimensionality reduction method was used to extract the spectral and temporal features, and a modified graph segmentation method was used to extract the spatial features. The proposed classification method was applied in three study areas with land cover complexity, including Illinois, South Dakota, and Texas. All the Landsat time series data in 2014 were used, and different study areas have different amounts of invalid data. A series of comparative experiments were conducted on the annual time-series images using training data generated from Cropland Data Layer. The results demonstrated higher overall and per-class classification accuracies and kappa index values using the proposed spectral-temporal-spatial method compared to spectral-temporal classification methods. We also discuss the implications of this study and possibilities for future applications and developments of the method.
Control strategies for modular multilevel converters driving cage machines

The Modular Multilevel Converter has emerged as a suitable topology for high power drive applications. However, high voltage fluctuations could appear in the converter capacitors depending on the operating drive point. Then, mitigating signals, which lead to oversized dimensioning, are required to keep the capacitor voltages within an acceptable range. In this paper, a new control scheme is proposed to regulate the capacitor voltages within a desired margin reducing the mitigating signals as the machine frequency increases. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy is validated with a laboratory-based prototype composed of eighteen power cells, feeding a vector-controlled induction machine.
Digestibility, ruminal fermentation, and nitrogen balance with various feeding levels of oil palm fronds treated with Lentinus sajor-caju in goats

Objective This study was an attempt to investigate the effect of levels of fungal (Lentinus sajor-caju) treated oil palm fronds (FTOPF) on digestibility, rumen fermentation, and nitrogen balance in goats. Methods Four 16 month old male crossbred (Thai Native×Anglo Nubian) goats with initial body weights of 33.5±1.7 kg were randomly assigned according to a 4×4 Latin square design. Four levels of FTOPF were assigned for feed intake. The experimental treatments consisted of 0%, 33%, 67%, and 100% of oil palm fronds (OPF) being replaced by FTOPF. Results The results revealed that total dry matter intake and nutrient intake were not influenced (p>0.05) by the inclusion of FTOPF. However, the efficiency values of the digestibility of the dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and acid detergent lignin on FTOPF were higher (p<0.05) in treatments with 33%, 67%, and 100% of FTOPF compared with 0% of FTOPF. FTOPF feeding did not change the rumen pH, temperature, and NH3-N. However, the FTOPF levels did affect the total volatile fatty acid (VFA), molar proportion of acetate, propionate, butyrate, ratio of acetic (propionic acid and acetic) plus butyric (propionic acid), and production of CH4. The totals of VFA and propionate was lower in goat fed with 0% of FTOPF than in those of the other groups (p<0.05). The amount of nitrogen retention based on g/d/animal or the percentage of nitrogen retained was the lowest the goat fed with 0% of FTOPF (p<0.05), whereas nitrogen intake, excretion, and absorption were not changed among treatments. Conclusion Based on this study, FTOPF could be effectively used as an alternative roughage source in total mixed ration diets, constituting at least up to 100% of OPF.
Transcatheter Versus Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients With Prior Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Trends in Utilization and Propensity-Matched Analysis of In-Hospital Outcomes

Background— A significant proportion of patients requiring aortic valve replacement (AVR) have undergone prior coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Reoperative heart surgery is associated with increased risk. Data on relative utilization and comparative outcomes of transcatheter (TAVR) versus surgical AVR (SAVR) in patients with prior CABG are limited. Methods and Results— We queried the 2012 to 2014 National Inpatient Sample databases to identify isolated AVR hospitalizations in adults with prior CABG. In-hospital outcomes of TAVR versus SAVR were compared using propensity-matched analysis. Of 147 395 AVRs, 15 055 (10.2%) were in patients with prior CABG. The number of TAVRs in patients with prior CABG increased from 1615 in 2012 to 4400 in 2014, whereas the number of SAVRs decreased from 2285 to 1895 (Ptrend<0.001). There were 3880 records in each group in the matched cohort. Compared with SAVR, TAVR was associated with similar in-hospital mortality (2.3% versus 2.4%; P=0.71) but lower incidence of myocardial infarction (1.5% versus 3.4%; P<0.001), stroke (1.4% versus 2.7%; P<0.001), bleeding complications (10.6% versus 24.6%; P<0.001), and acute kidney injury (16.2% versus 19.3%; P<0.001). Requirement for prior permanent pacemaker was higher in the TAVR cohort, whereas the incidence of vascular complications and acute kidney injury requiring dialysis was similar in the 2 groups. Average length of stay was shorter in patients undergoing TAVR. Conclusions— TAVR is being increasingly used as the preferred modality of AVR in patients with prior CABG. Compared with SAVR, TAVR is associated with similar in-hospital mortality but lower rates of in-hospital complications in this important subset of patients.
A Logistics Reference Model for Mass Customization

Logistics management is often considered as a support process but it can significantly contribute to reach core-business targets of companies because of its relevant impact on costs and performances. As Mass Customization asks organizations to radically change their production processes, logistics should be able to handle small quantities, personalized products and variable demand rates, keeping at the same time the desired service levels.
Should total calcium be adjusted for albumin? A retrospective observational study of laboratory data from central Norway

Objectives Albumin-adjusted total calcium is often used as a surrogate marker for free calcium to evaluate hypocalcaemia or hypercalcaemia. Many adjustment formulas based on simple linear regression models have been published, and continue to be used in spite of questionable diagnostic accuracy. In the hope of finding a more pure albumin effect on total calcium, we used multiple linear regression models to adjust for other relevant variables. The regression coefficients of albumin were used to construct local adjustment formulas, and we tested whether the diagnostic accuracy was improved compared with previously published formulas and unadjusted calcium. Design A retrospective hospital laboratory data study. Data sources The local hospital laboratory data system. Setting Norway, 2006–2015. Participants 6549 patients above 2 years of age, where free calcium standardised at pH 7.40, total calcium, creatinine, albumin and phosphate had been analysed in a single blood draw, including hospitalised patients and patients from outpatient clinics and general practice. Main outcome measures Diagnostic accuracy by Harrell’s c and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, using free calcium standardised at pH 7.40 as a gold standard, in subgroups with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥60 or <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Results In the subgroup with eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, the Harrell’s c of unadjusted total calcium (0.801) was significantly larger than those of the local formulas (0.790, p=0.002) and the best formula taken from literature (0.791, p=0.004). In the subgroup with eGFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2, no significant differences were found between these three formulas. Conclusions Our study shows that the diagnostic accuracy of unadjusted total calcium is superior to several commonly used adjustment formulas, and we suggest that the use of such formulas should be abandoned in clinical practice. If the clinician does not trust total calcium to reflect the calcium status of the patient, free calcium should be measured.
Rate of adherence to urate-lowering therapy among patients with gout: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Reported adherence to urate-lowering therapy (ULT) in gout varies widely (17%–83.5%). Variability may partly be due to different adherence measurement methods. This review aimed to quantify ULT adherence in adult patients with gout. Methods This analysis examined studies in PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI Scholar and WanFang databases from inception to January 2017. Papers were selected by inclusion and exclusion criteria in the context. Random-effect meta-analysis estimated adherence. Results 22 studies were found by the inclusion criteria, which involved 1 37 699 patients with gout. Four ways to define adherence were reported. Meta-analysis revealed that the overall adherence rate was 47% (95% CI 42% to 52%, I2=99.7%). Adherence rate to ULT was 42% (95% CI 37% to 47%, I2=99.8%) for prescription claims, 71% (95% CI 63% to 79%) for pill count, 66% (95% CI 50% to 81%, I2=86.3%) for self-report and 63% (95% CI 42% to 83%, I2=82.9%) for interview, respectively. The influential factor on adherence rate was country of origin. Conclusions Among adult patients with gout, overall adherence rate to ULT was as low as 47%, which suggested that clinicians should pay more attention to medication adherence in patients with gout to effectively improve adherence to ULT.
Graphene-based broadband terahertz detector integrated with a square-spiral antenna.

Raising interest in terahertz radiation (loosely defined as the 0.1∼10 THz frequency range) for the application-oriented issues in everyday life requires progressive development of fast, sensitive, and portable photodetectors. In this Letter, a broadband graphene-based terahertz detector with good integrability and sensitivity at room temperature is proposed. It is based on the chemical vapor deposited-grown graphene integrated with a square-spiral metal antenna which, on one hand, improves the efficiency for electromagnetic coupling and, on the other hand, facilitates the hot-electron photo-thermoelectric process for photodetection. Sensitivity over 28 V/W at room temperature and noise-equivalent power of less than 0.35 nW/Hz0.5 are demonstrated in reference to the incident power. The presented results appealingly open an alternative way to realize chip-level graphene-based terahertz optoelectronics with good scalability and expected performance for targeted terahertz applications.
Disjunctive normal shape models

A novel implicit parametric shape model is proposed for segmentation and analysis of medical images. Functions representing the shape of an object can be approximated as a union of N polytopes. Each polytope is obtained by the intersection of M half-spaces. The shape function can be approximated as a disjunction of conjunctions, using the disjunctive normal form. The shape model is initialized using seed points defined by the user. We define a cost function based on the Chan-Vese energy functional. The model is differentiable, hence, gradient based optimization algorithms are used to find the model parameters.
The Joint Stock and Capacity Rationings of a Make-To-Stock System with Flexible Demand

This paper studies the joint stock and production capacity rationing polices for a make-to-stock system with two partially substitutable products manufactured at two factories, respectively. Customers are classified into three types with each type further segmented into multiple classes. Type I and Type II customers are selective and accept their favorite products only. Type III accepts either of the two products and hence its demand is regarded as the flexible demand. The management has to decide whether to run or stop production and whether the various classes of demand for each type of customers have to be satisfied from available inventory or not — in which case demand is lost — in order to minimize the firm’s inventory and production costs. We formulate the problem as a make-to-stock queue system and characterize the optimal joint stock and production rationing policies as monotone switching curves. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the optimal policies and demonstrate the value of flexible demand. Moreover, we develop a simple heuristic policy and compare the costs associated with the optimal and heuristic policies for different parameters.
Capacitated Arc Routing Problem over Sparse Underlying Graph under Travel Costs Uncertainty

In this paper, we study the capacitated arc routing problem over sparse underlying graphs under travel costs uncertainty. In particular, we work with Multiple-Scenario Min-Max CARP over sparse underlying graphs. We present a mathematical formulation of the problem. A greedy heuristic algorithm and an adapted tabusearch algorithm are developed to solve the problem. The computational experiments show the effectiveness of these two algorithms for different sizes of instances as well for different number of scenarios.