Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dimensionnement en fatigue multiaxiale des toiles de roues ferroviaires sous sollicitations multi-paramètres à amplitude variable

L’objectif principal de cette these est de developper une methodologie qui permette de definir des sollicitations simplifiees representatives des sollicitations reelles rencontrees en exploitation, c’est-a-dire equivalentes en severite vis-a-vis du phenomene d’amorcage de fissure par fatigue mecanique. Cette methodologie doit etre adaptee aux problemes multi-parametres car les sollicitations subies par les roues ferroviaires sont multidimensionnelles (chargement vertical et lateral) et independantes. Enfin, la these vise aussi a proposer une approche fiabiliste globale du probleme de fatigue des roues, qui pourra etre une extension de la methode Contrainte-Resistance aux cas des sollicitations multi-entree. Un critere de fatigue pour l’acier des roues est identifie a partir des nouveaux essais.
The Serine Protease HhoA from Synechocystis sp . PCC 6803 : 1 Substrate Specificity and Formation of a Hexameric Complex 2 are Regulated by the PDZ Domain 3 4 Running title : Synechocystis serine protease

4 Running title: Synechocystis serine protease HhoA 5 6 Pitter F. Huesgen, Philipp Scholz and Iwona Adamska* 7 8 Department of Physiology and Plant Biochemistry, University of Konstanz, 9 Universitätsstrasse 10, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 * Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Physiology and Plant 19 Biochemistry, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, D-78457 Konstanz, 20 Germany. Phone: +49 7531 88 2561. Fax +49 7531 88 3042. E-mail: 21 Iwona.Adamska@uni-konstanz.de. 22 AC CE PT ED Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved. J. Bacteriol. doi:10.1128/JB.00883-07 JB Accepts, published online ahead of print on 6 July 2007
An Insight into the Rotational Augmentation on HAWTs by means of CFD Simulations – Part I : State of the Art and Numerical Results

The scientific debate about the rotational augmentation is currently quite open as there is no consensus on the rise and development of this phenomenon. Centrifugal forces, Coriolis effects and spanwise pressure distribution are recognized as being responsible for the rise of the rotational augmentation but, at present, their specific relevance has not been physically demonstrated. Tens of empirical equations were in fact proposed by several authors in order to take into account the aforementioned phenomena inside simplified 1D design codes. The results are quite different amongst each other and seem to be related to particular conditions instead of giving a generalized vision of the problem. The present paper starts from the aforementioned assumptions and attempts to provide a new global physical view of the phenomenon. Through the use of validated CFD models, an experimental micro HAWT was extensively analyzed. The model was based on a calibrated RANS transition turbulence model, particularly suitable for low Reynolds applications. In this first part, a review of the CFD modeling strategy and validation is presented. Sectional data of 3D lift and drag coefficients were extrapolated depending on radial position, wind speed, rotational speed and finally compared to 2D data. Furthermore, 3D CFD simulations of a single fixed wing, with a velocity profile equal to the one generated by rotation and a momentum equal to that due to rotation was implemented. This was done in order to try to separate the effect of centrifugal and Coriolis forces from that caused by the spanwise pressure distribution.
New methods to improve the pixel domain steganography, steganalysis, and simplify the assessment of steganalysis tools

Unlike other security methods, steganography hides the very existence of secret messages rather than their content only. Both steganography and steganalysis are strongly related to each other, the new steganographic methods should be evaluated with current steganalysis methods and vice-versa. Since steganography is considered broken when the stego object is recognised, undetectability would be the most important property of any steganographic system. Digital image files are excellent media for steganography, as they have redundancy in their representation. Also, the most widely used method of image steganography is the least significant bit (LSB) embedding. This thesis investigates the latest methods of pixel domain steganography and provides new efficient approaches to improve them in three perspectives: embedding, detection, and the digital forensics investigation process. Firstly, the probability of detection is considered for non-adaptive LSB and 2LSB image steganography even for the embedding rate of 1. The proposed method noticeably reduced the probability of detection for different detection methods via improving the embedding efficiency of both LSB and 2LSB methods, which is not restricted to a specific steganalysis attack. The extensions to LSB steganography methods have received great attention from steganographers, especially 2LSB, because it is easy to implement, has a higher capacity, is visually imperceptible, brings complex changes to the image pixel values and is harder to detect. The proposed method improves the detection accuracy of the current state of the art targeted 2LSB steganalysis methods via a novel approach pixel value grouping and statistical analysis of the image pixel values histogram. Moreover, a discrete classifier version of the proposed method is developed which gives a label (‘Stego’ or ‘Clean’) to the analysed image and avoids the overhead of setting a right threshold value. The last perspective of this research considers the evaluation process of the steganalysis tools and simplifying the digital forensics investigation process. Hence, a novel statistical method is proposed to effectively simplify the investigation process by showing the area of differences between the testing image set and the random set of images that is used as a baseline. It also indicates whether the difference is significant or not. All the above mentioned novel approaches included in this thesis are proven, in both theoretical and practical perspectives, to be better than the current state-of-the-art methods and add some value to the knowledge in the field of steganography, steganalysis and its applications.
Les antennes : Théorie, conception et applications

Les antennes constituent un segment indispensable des systemes utilisant le rayonnement electromagnetique (telecommunications, television, RFID, radiodetection.). La variete des antennes est grande du fait de leurs nombreuses applications et aussi des differentes bandes de frequences dans lesquelles elles sont utilisees. L'ouvrage donne les elements essentiels a la comprehension theorique des antennes, propose une classification en fonction de differents aspects (applications, taille du systeme, largeur de bande souhaitee, forme geometrique, etc.) et fournit enfin l'ensemble des informations necessaires a la conception et au dimensionnement des systemes.Les principes de la modelisation numerique sont notamment abordes, illustres par de nombreuses exemples. Un chapitre est consacre aux mesures.
CPCA: A Chebyshev Proxy and Consensus based Algorithm for General Distributed Optimization

We consider a general distributed optimization problem, aiming to optimize the average of a set of local objectives that are Lipschitz continuous univariate functions, with the existence of same local constraint sets. To solve the problem, we propose a Chebyshev Proxy and Consensus-based Algorithm (CPCA). Compared with existing distributed optimization algorithms, CPCA is able to address the problem with non-convex Lipschitz objectives, and has low computational costs since it is free from gradient or projection calculations. These benefits result from i) the idea of optimizing a Chebyshev polynomial approximation (i.e. a proxy) for the global objective to obtain ()-optimal solutions for any given precision (), and ii) the use of average consensus where the local proxies’ coefficient vectors are gossiped to enable every agent to obtain such a global proxy. We provide comprehensive analysis of the accuracy and complexities of the proposed algorithm. Simulations are conducted to illustrate its effectiveness.
Adverbs In Expressions of Disagreement: a Corpus Study

This study examined the occurrences of expressions of disagreement in the textbook and corpora namely Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) and British National Corpus (BNC). Besides, this study scrutinized the concordance lines in which disagreement occur to obtain other language functions that were usually used together in expressions of disagreement. It also studied the used of adverbs in expressions of disagreement. They were categorized based on semantic categories develop by Biber, et al. (1999). Some expressions of disagreement given in the textbook were not found in BNC. The findings from the corpora showed that the speakers tend to give opinions and reasons in stating disagreement. They, moreover, showed direct respect to the interlocutors in order to manage the relationship. These language functions were not found in the expressions of disagreement in the textbook. The adverbs that belonged to the categories of degree and stance were more salient than any other categories. The adverbs intensified the level of disagreement and represent speakers’ certainty. Furthermore, the adverbs indicate speakers’ attitude toward the issues of disagreement. It seemed that adverbs played a role in stating disagreement. However, no expressions of disagreement in the textbook contained adverbs. --- Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengecek kemunculan ungkapan yang digunakan untuk menyatakan tidak setuju di buku teks dan korpus. Korpus tersebut adalah Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) dan British National Corpus (BNC). Selain itu, penelitian ini mengkaji ungkapan lain yang biasanya muncul ketika menyatakan tidak setuju dengan menganalisa baris konkordansi. Lebih dalam lagi, penelitian ini menganalisa adverbial yang muncul dalam ungkapan menyatakan tidak setuju. Adverbia dikategorikan berdasarkan klasifikasi yang dikembangkan oleh Biber, dkk (1999). Beberapa ungkapan yang muncul di buku teks tidak ditemukan di BNC. Penutur cenderung memberikan pendapat dan alasan ketika menyatakan tidak setuju. Mereka juga menunjukan sikap hormat kepada lawan bicaranya untuk menjaga hubungan. Hali seperti ini tidak ditemui di ungkapan menyatakan tidak setuju yang terdapat di buku teks. Adverbia yang berfungsi untuk menunjukan kadar dan kepastian dalam ungkapan tidak setuju merupakan fitur penting. Selain itu, adverbia yang merefleksikan sikap penutur juga menjadi fitur yang menonjol dalam menyatakan tidak setuju. Hal ini menunjukan bahwa adverbia memiliki peranan tersendiri ketika penutur menyatakan tidak setuju. Namun, semua ungkapan menyatakan tidak setuju di buku teks tidak memuat adverbia. DOI : 10.15408/bat.v24i1. 7017
Testing the Imports-as-Market-Discipline Hypothesis

It has long been believed that international competition forces domestic firms to behave more competitively. I term this the imports-as--market-discipline hypothesis. I construct a simple static oligopoly model and estimate the model using panel data from Turkish manufacturing firms. The data span the course of a dramatic trade liberalization. Looking for changes in price-marginal cost markups as trade policy shifts, I test the imports-as-market discipline hypothesis. In all five industries to which the hypothesis is relevant, markups change in the direction predicted by the theory. These changes are statistically significant in all but one of the five industries.
Improving hybrid statistical and physical forcefields through local structure enumeration

Forcefields used in biomolecular simulations are comprised of energetic terms that are physical in nature, based on parameter fitting to quantum mechanical simulation or experimental data, or statistical, drawing off high‐resolution structural data to describe distributions of molecular features. Combining the two in a single forcefield is challenging, since physical terms describe some, but not all, of the observed statistics, leading to double counting. In this manuscript, we develop a general scheme for correcting statistical potentials used in combination with physical terms. We apply these corrections to the sidechain torsional potential used in the Rosetta all‐atom forcefield. We show the approach identifies instances of double‐counted interactions, including electrostatic interactions between sidechain and nearby backbone, and steric interactions between neighboring Cβ atoms within secondary structural elements. Moreover, this scheme allows for the inclusion of intraresidue physical terms, previously turned off to avoid overlap with the statistical potential. Combined, these corrections lead to a forcefield with improved performance on several structure prediction tasks, including rotamer prediction and native structure discrimination.
A randomized trial on folic acid supplementation and risk of recurrent colorectal adenoma.

BACKGROUND Evidence from observational studies suggests that inadequate folate status enhances colorectal carcinogenesis, but results from some randomized trials do not support this hypothesis. OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of folic acid supplementation on recurrent colorectal adenoma, we conducted a cost-efficient, double-blind, randomized trial among participants of 2 large prospective cohorts, the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and the Nurses' Health Study. DESIGN Participants were randomly assigned to receive folic acid (1 mg/d) (n = 338) or placebo (n = 334) for 3-6.5 y. The primary endpoint was any new diagnosis of adenoma during the study period (May 1996-March 2004). Secondary outcomes were adenoma by site and stage and number of recurrent adenomas. Associations were also examined by plasma folate concentrations at baseline. RESULTS Incidence of at least one recurrent adenoma was not significantly associated with folic acid supplementation [relative risk (RR): 0.82; 95% CI: 0.59,1.13; P = 0.22]. Among participants with low plasma folate concentrations at baseline (<or=7.5 ng/mL), those randomly assigned to receive folic acid experienced a significant decrease in adenoma recurrence (RR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.42, 0.90; P = 0.01), whereas for subjects with high folate concentrations at baseline (>7.5 ng/mL), supplemental folic acid had no significant effect (RR: 1.28; 95% CI: 0.82, 1.99; P = 0.27, P(interaction) = 0.01). Contrary to findings from another clinical trial, there was no evidence for an increased risk of advanced or multiple adenomas. CONCLUSIONS Our results do not support an overall protective effect of folic acid supplementation on adenoma recurrence. Folic acid supplementation may be beneficial among those with lower folate concentrations at baseline. This trial was registered at clinical trials.gov as NCT00512850.
A 60 GHz variable-gain low-noise amplifier with low phase variation

A 60 GHz variable-gain low-noise amplifier (VGLNA) with low phase variation performance is developed in 65-nm CMOS process. The variable-gain function is achieved by current-steering architecture. To reduce the phase variation while gain changes, a short stub is added to compensate the phase imbalance and reduce the noise from the cascode devices simultaneously. The measured peak gain is 19.8 dB at 66 GHz, lowest noise figure (NF) is 4.3 dB at 60 GHz, and dc power consumption is 28.8 mW. The phase variation is lower than 8.9° within 18 dB gain control range.
Comparison of different methods for work accidents investigation in hospitals: A Portuguese case study.

BACKGROUND The hospital environment has many occupational health risks that predispose healthcare workers to various kinds of work accidents. OBJECTIVE This study aims to compare different methods for work accidents investigation and to verify their suitability in hospital environment. METHODS For this purpose, we selected three types of accidents that were related with needle stick, worker fall and inadequate effort/movement during the mobilization of patients. A total of thirty accidents were analysed with six different work accidents investigation methods. RESULTS The results showed that organizational factors were the group of causes which had the greatest impact in the three types of work accidents. CONCLUSIONS The methods selected to be compared in this paper are applicable and appropriate for the work accidents investigation in hospitals. However, the Registration, Research and Analysis of Work Accidents method (RIAAT) showed to be an optimal technique to use in this context.
Synchronizable test sequences based on multiple UIO sequences

A test sequence generation method is proposed for testing the conformance of a protocol implementation to its specification in a remote testing system where both external synchronization and input/output operation costs are taken into consideration. The method consists of a set of transformation rules that constructs a duplexU digraph from a given finite state machine (FSM) representation of a protocol specification; and an algorithm that finds a rural postman tour in the duplexU digraph to generate a synchronizable test sequence utilizing multiple UIO sequences. If the protocol satisfies a specific property, namely, the transitions to be tested and the UIO sequences to be employed form a weakly-connected subgraph of the duplexU digraph, the proposed algorithm yields a minimum-cost test sequence. X.25 DTE and ISO Class 0 transport protocols are shown to possess this property. Otherwise, the algorithm yields a test sequence whose cost is within a bound from the cost of the minimum-cost test sequence. The bound for the test sequence generated from the Q.931 network-side protocol is shown to be the cost sum of an input/output operation pair and an external synchronization operation. >
OPA1‐dependent cristae modulation is essential for cellular adaptation to metabolic demand

Cristae, the organized invaginations of the mitochondrial inner membrane, respond structurally to the energetic demands of the cell. The mechanism by which these dynamic changes are regulated and the consequences thereof are largely unknown. Optic atrophy 1 (OPA1) is the mitochondrial GTPase responsible for inner membrane fusion and maintenance of cristae structure. Here, we report that OPA1 responds dynamically to changes in energetic conditions to regulate cristae structure. This cristae regulation is independent of OPA1's role in mitochondrial fusion, since an OPA1 mutant that can still oligomerize but has no fusion activity was able to maintain cristae structure. Importantly, OPA1 was required for resistance to starvation‐induced cell death, for mitochondrial respiration, for growth in galactose media and for maintenance of ATP synthase assembly, independently of its fusion activity. We identified mitochondrial solute carriers (SLC25A) as OPA1 interactors and show that their pharmacological and genetic blockade inhibited OPA1 oligomerization and function. Thus, we propose a novel way in which OPA1 senses energy substrate availability, which modulates its function in the regulation of mitochondrial architecture in a SLC25A protein‐dependent manner.
Repair of Large Chondral Defects of the Knee with Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation in Patients 45 Years or Older

Background Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) has become an accepted option for the treatment of chondral defects in carefully selected patients. Current recommendations limit this procedure to younger patients, as insufficient data are available to conclusively evaluate outcomes in patients older than 45 years. Hypothesis Cartilage repair with ACI in patients older than 45 years results in substantially different outcomes than those previously reported for younger age groups. Study Design Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods This prospective cohort study reviewed patients 45 years of age at the time of treatment with ACI. The clinical evaluation included a patient satisfaction questionnaire and four validated rating scales: Short Form-36, Modified Cincinnati Rating Scale, WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities) Osteoarthritis Index, and the Knee Society Score. Results A total of 56 patients 45 years of age were treated with ACI. The average patient age at index surgery was 48.6 years (range, 45–60 years). The minimum follow-up was 2 years (range, 2–11 years; mean, 4.7 years). The cohort included 36 men and 20 women. The mean transplant size was 4.7 cm2 per defect (range, 1–15.0 cm2) and 9.8 cm2 per knee (range, 2.5–31.6 cm2). Twenty-eight patients (50%) underwent concomitant osteotomies to address malalignment. There were 8 failures (14%); 6 of 15 (40%) in patients receiving workers’ compensation (WC) and 2 of 41 (4.9%) in non-WC patients. Additional arthroscopic surgical procedures were required in 24 patients (43%) for periosteal-related problems and adhesions; 88% of these patients experienced lasting improvement. At their latest available follow-up, 72% of patients rated themselves as good or excellent, 78% felt improved, and 81 % would again choose ACI as a treatment option. Conclusion Our results showed a failure rate of ACI in older patients that is comparable with rates reported in younger patient groups. The procedure is associated with a substantial rate of reoperations, mostly for the arthroscopic treatment of graft hypertrophy, similar to that in younger patients.
Fiber Optic Seismometer Based on π-Phase-Shifted FBG and Swept Optical SSB-SC Interrogation Technique

A fiber optic seismometer based on π-phase-shifted FBG (π-FBG) is proposed. The static wavelength/strain of the π-FBG is measured by swept optical suppressed carrier single sideband (SSB-SC) interrogation technique with a reference FBG resonator. A broadband (DC-50 Hz) wavelength/strain with 0.0006 pm (0.47 nε) resolution is demonstrated. As a reasonable double-diaphragm acceleration model is realized, the seismometer works from 20 s to 50 Hz and reaches a noise level of -130 dB@1 Hz (re: 10×log m2s-4/Hz) which meets the earth’s background noise. The proposed seismometer has the ability to record the close small earthquake with high signal-noise ratio (SNR).
Voltage‐clamp analysis of somatic gamma‐aminobutyric acid responses in adult rat hippocampal CA1 neurones in vitro.

1. The response of CA1 pyramidal neurones to somatic application of gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) was studied in adult hippocampal slices using single‐electrode voltage‐clamp techniques. 2. Small ionophoretic applications of GABA produced a pure outward current at the cell resting potential when recording with potassium‐acetate‐filled microelectrodes. This response reversed at a membrane potential of ‐69 +/‐ 5 mV (mean +/‐ 1 S.D.; n = 20). In recordings made with caesium‐chloride‐filled electrodes the GABA response reversed at ‐24 +/‐ 12 mV (n = 9). 3. The effect of different holding potentials on the size of the GABA response was examined in the range of ‐100 to ‐40 mV in twenty neurones using potassium‐acetate‐filled electrodes. In every case outward rectification of the response was observed. For twelve neurones the mean ratio (+/‐ 1 S.D. of the mean) of the conductance increase produced by GABA at ‐55 mV compared to ‐85 mV was 1.9 +/‐ 0.5. 4. Step changes in holding potential resulted in shifts in chloride equilibrium potential (ECl), as determined by time‐dependent changes in the size of GABA‐induced currents. The new value of ECl was generally reached within a few seconds of altering the membrane potential. Shifts in ECl did not appear to affect the extent of rectification but would cause underestimates of conductance measurements unless these were 'instantaneous'. The mean ratio (+/‐ 1 S.D. of the mean) of the 'instantaneous' conductance increase produced by GABA at 13 mV positive to that at 13 mV negative to ECl was 1.8 +/‐ 0.3. 5. The outward rectification was greater than that predicted by the constant‐field equation. Possible factors that might contribute towards the rectification and its physiological significance are discussed.