Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design of a high-performance buffered crossbar switch fabric using network on chip

High-performance routers constitute the basic building blocks of the Internet. The wide majority of today's high-performance routers are designed using a crossbar fabric switch as interconnect topology. The buffered crossbar (CICQ) switching architecture is known to be the best crossbar-based architecture for routers design. However, CICQs require expensive on-chip buffers whose cost grows quadratically with the router port count. Additionally, they use long wires to connect router inputs to outputs, resulting in non-negligible delays. In this thesis, we propose a novel design for the CICQ switch architecture. We design the whole buffered crossbar fabric as a Network on Chip (NoC). We propose two architectural variants. The first is named the Unidirectional NoC (UDN), where the crossbar core is built using a NoC with input and output ports placed on two opposite sides of the fabric chip. Because of the chip pins layout, we improved the UDN architecture using a Multidirectional NoC (MDN) architecture, by placing the inputs and output around the perimeter (four sides) of the NoC-based crossbar fabric. Both proposed architectures have been analyzed with appropriate routing algorithms for both unicast and multicast traffic conditions. Our results show that the proposed NoC based crossbar switching design outperforms the conventional CICQ architecture. Our designs offers several advantages when compared to traditional CICQ design: 1) Speedup, because short wires allow reliable high-speed signalling, and simple local arbitration per on-chip router. 2) Load balancing, because paths from different input-output port pairs share the same router buffers. 3) Path diversity allows traffic from an input port to follow different paths to its destination output port. 4) Simpler switch design by allowing simple input memory structure such as first-in first-out (FIFO) input queueing, as opposed to traditional design where virtual output queueing (VOQ) is required.
Far-Field Underwater-Blast Injuries Produced by Small Charges

Abstract : Underwater blast injuries, at increasing ranges beyond the lethal zone from small charges, were studied using animals. The study was conducted in an artificial pond that measured 220 by 150 ft at its surface. The pond was 30 ft deep over its 30- by 100-ft center portion. Sheep, dogs, and a few monkeys were exposed to the blast oriented vertically in the water (long axis perpendicular to the surface). Most were exposed to the blast at 1-ft depths, heads above the surface, and a limited number at 2- and 10-ft depths. Explosive charges were mostly bare spheres of Pentolite weighing 0.5, 1, 3, and 8 lb. All charges were detonated at 10-ft depths. The immersion-blast injuries were of minor severity and consisted mainly of lung hemorrhages and small areas of contusions in the gastrointestinal tract. The incidence and severity of the injuries were correlated with the impulse in the underwater blast wave. Based on the results of the study, a safe impulse level of 2 to 3 psi.msec for unprotected swimmers, head above the surface, was proposed. This safe impulse level was discussed in relation to the underwater blast-wave parameters in the test pond and existing response data for personnel.
Space-mapping optimization applied to the design of a novel electromagnetic actuator for active suspension

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Predicting and Comparing Infiltration Rates Through Various Landfill Cap Systems Using Water-Balance Models-A Case Study

Liner systems are important elements which safeguard landfills and other contaminated sites. The main task of surface cover systems is to minimize the infiltration of water into underlying wastes, promoting surface water runoff, evapotranspiration and lateral drainage, and thus reducing leachate production and contaminants mobility. An important aspect of the effectiveness of a surface cover system is its water balance under the climate conditions of a particular site (Berger 2000). In this context, predictive models of the infiltration rate through a landfill cap system can be used as screening tools to support planning and aftercare management of a landfill, in order to estimate the efficacy of a liner system or compare altemative designs and/or optimize particular system with regard to cost-benefit consideration. ill this paper, the performances of two water balance models to predict the effective infiltration and leakage rate for different capping systems are discussed. These models are the well-known US EPA HELP Model (Schroeder et a! . 1994) and a new simplified screening model called LWB Model (Pantini eta! . 2013) that were used for assessing the infiltration rate over a period of 30 years through three different cover options for a US project site in Howard County, Maryland. The obtained results, have shown that both HELP and LWB Models, even though they use different computational approaches, provide very similar values in tenns of infiltration rate through the different capping systems. This only confirms that water balance models can be used as a great tool for comparing alternative options to liner systems. However, more effort is still needed to assess the accuracy of these approaches to quantitative predict the infiltration and leakage rates through different cover layers. We believe that the combination of a simplified approach (such as the L WB Model) with a more detailed one (such as the HELP Model) could partially address this problem. In this view, we believe that a simplified L WB Model, which required a limited number of input data, could provide a first screening value of the expected leakage rates that can be used as a starting point in the calibration step of a more detailed model (such as e.g. HELP Model) and also additional insights about the significance and influence of the different input parameters required.
Series Resonant Switched Capacitor Converter for Electric Vehicle Lithium-Ion Battery Cell Voltage Equalization

Extending the lifetime of the battery system of the Electric Vehicles will affect the economic feasibility of the vehicle. Connecting the battery cells in series raise the problem of imbalance voltages of the cells caused by Difference of internal resistance, imbalanced SoC, gradients of ambient temperature of the battery pack during charging and discharging. The commercial solution for this problem is shunting the cell with extra charge to a dissipative resistor and gets rid of the extra charge as heat. This thesis proposes the use of Serial Resonant Switched Capacitor Converter for battery Cell Voltage equalization, which allows the extra charge to be transferred to other cell instead of dissipated it as heat. The thesis can be divided into five parts: the first part is introduction to the lithium-ion battery system, estimation of the State of Charge and battery modeling; the second part is a review for the switching topologies that used for battery cell equalization; the third part is the modes of operation of the proposed converter, modeling and simulation. And also introducing the new concept of controlled switching which allow the use of current sharing technique to reduce the equalization time. The fourth part is building the prototype circuit and allows the microcontroller to tune the circuit to achieve the zero current switching and the last part is the conclusion and the future work
Infrared Nondestructive Testing of Laminated Structures and Electrical Circuits

Abstract : Infrared nondestructive testing (IRNDT) techniques and instrumentation were used successfully to detect unbonded areas in laminated structures. A high-speed infrared camera was used to monitor the thermal signature of the samples while they were being heated. Two methods of external sample heating were used in the IRNDT investigations, a 35 watt, continuous wave, CO2 laser and a 250 watt infrared lamp. The results obtained with each heat source were compared to determine the relative merits of each, and results are presented. The infrared camera was also used to detect an incipient failure in the electrical circuit board of a digital voltmeter.
Boosting CO Production in Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction on Highly Porous Zn Catalysts

Earth-abundant electrocatalysts are desirable for the efficient and selective reduction of CO2 to value-added chemicals. Here, a low-cost porous Zn electrocatalyst is synthesized using a facile electrodeposition method to boost the performance of CO2 electrocatalytic reaction (CO2RR). In an H-cell reactor, the porous Zn catalyst can convert CO2 to CO at a remarkably high faradaic efficiency (FE, ∼95%) and current density (27 mA cm–2) at −0.95 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. Detailed electrokinetic studies demonstrate that instead of the enhanced intrinsic activity, the dramatically increased active sites play a decisive role in improving the catalytic activity. In addition, the high local pH induced by the highly porous structure of Zn results in enhanced CO selectivity because of the suppressed H2 evolution. Furthermore, we present a straightforward strategy to transform the porous Zn electrode into a gas diffusion electrode. This way, the CO2RR current density can be boosted to 200 mA cm–2 w.
Making the Economic Case for Small-Scale Distributed Wind -- A Screening for Distributed Generation Wind Opportunities: Preprint

This study was an offshoot of a previous assessment, which examined the potential for large-scale, greater than 50 MW, wind development on occupied federal agency lands. The study did not find significant commercial wind development opportunities, primarily because of poor wind resource on available and appropriately sized land areas or land use or aesthetic concerns. The few sites that could accommodate a large wind farm failed to have transmission lines in optimum locations required to generate power at competitive wholesale prices. The study did identify a promising but less common distributed generation (DG) development option. This follow-up study documents the NREL/Global Energy Concepts team efforts to identify economic DG wind projects at a select group of occupied federal sites. It employs a screening strategy based on project economics that go beyond quantity of windy land to include state and utility incentives as well as the value of avoided power purchases. It attempts to account for the extra costs and difficulties associated with small projects through the use of project scenarios that are more compatible with federal facilities and existing land uses. These benefits and barriers of DG are discussed, and the screening methodology and results are included. The report concludes with generalizations about the screening method and recommendations for improvement and other potential applications for this methodology.
Efficacy of Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy in adult patients with advanced cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: We conducted a PRISMA-compliant systematic review of clinical trials, and a meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials (RCTs) of manualised Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy (MCP) interventions for adult advanced cancer patients. We searched seven databases for trials published in English and Spanish, until March 27, 2021. Results: Seven trials were included in the systematic review, and four in the meta-analysis. The systematic review favoured the effectiveness of MCP for the improvement of spiritual well-being, quality of life (QoL), sense of meaning and psychological distress, although inconsistencies between the trials were found. In pre-post meta-analytic estimates, MCP had a superior therapeutic effect than control conditions for spiritual well-being (d=0.52, p<0.001), QoL (d=0.60, p<0.001), anxiety symptoms (d=-0.47, p<0.001), depressive symptoms (d=-0.50, p<0.001) and desire for hastened death (d=-0.28, p<0.001). No differences were observed in between-group comparisons. MCP was not associated with an increased risk of abandonment at post-treatment (OR=0.86, p=0.57). Conclusion: Manualised MCP interventions are a promising treatment for the improvement of spiritual well-being and quality of life and the reduction of psychological distress in adult patients with advanced cancer. The evidence base is still in an emerging state and should be expanded by higher methodological quality studies.
Investigating (Pseudo)-Heterogeneous Pd-Catalysts for Kraft Lignin Depolymerization under Mild Aqueous Basic Conditions

Lignin is one of the main components of lignocellulosic biomass and corresponds to the first renewable source of aromatic compounds. It is obtained as a by-product in 100 million tons per year, mainly from the paper industry, from which only 2–3% is upgraded for chemistry purposes, with the rest being used as an energy source. The richness of the functional groups in lignin makes it an attractive precursor for a wide variety of aromatic compounds. With this aim, we investigated the Pd-catalyzed depolymerization of lignin under mild oxidizing conditions (air, 150 °C, and aqueous NaOH) producing oxygenated aromatic compounds, such as vanillin, vanillic acid, and acetovanillone. Palladium catalysts were implemented following different strategies, involving nanoparticles stabilized in water, and nanoparticles were supported on TiO2. Significant conversion of lignin was observed in all cases; however, depending on the catalyst nature and the synthetic methods, differences were observed in terms of selectivity in aromatic monomers, mainly vanillin. All these aspects are discussed in detail in this report, which also provides new insights into the role that Pd-catalysts can play for the lignin depolymerization mechanism.
Study and Development of Blind Equalization for Demodulation of DICE Satellite Data

Study and Development of Blind Equalization for Demodulation of Dynamic Ionosphere Cubesat Experiment Satellite Data by Ravi Kant, Master of Science Utah State University, 2013 Major Professor: Dr. Jacob Gunther Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering The project presented in this report is for combating the narrowband interference present in the downlink data of Dynamic Ionosphere Cubesat Experiment (DICE) satellites. The interference prevents the Phase Locked Loop (PLL) and timing synchronization loops from performing efficiently and the data is not demodulated properly. The samples are corrupted and correct decisions about the signal constellation cannot be made. Here, blind equalization techniques are used to tackle this problem. In this thesis, Constant Modulus Algorithm (CMA) and Multi-Modulus Algorithm (MMA) algorithms are extended to offsetQuadrature Phase-Shift Keying (QPSK) modulation and then implemented. When applied to simulated and real data from DICE satellites, CMA and MMA perform similarly if no phase offset is present. However, the CMA algorithm requires an external PLL in presence of a phase offset. MMA, however, performs similar or better than CMA without any need for an external PLL. (67 pages)
A Composite Velocity Map Imaging Spectrometer for Ions and 1 keV Electrons at the Shanghai Soft X-ray Free-Electron Laser

Velocity map imaging (VMI) spectrometry is widely used to measure the momentum distribution of charged particles with the kinetic energy of a few tens of electronVolts. With the progress of femtosecond laser and X-ray free-electron laser, it becomes increasingly important to extend the electron kinetic energy to 1 keV. Here, we report on a recently built composite VMI spectrometer at the Shanghai soft X-ray free-electron laser, which can measure ion images and high-energy electron images simultaneously. In the SIMION simulation, we extended the electron kinetic energy to 1 keV with a resolution <2% while measuring the ions with the kinetic energy of 20 eV. The experimental performance is tested by measuring Ar 2p photoelectron spectra at Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, and O+ kinetic energy spectrum from dissociative ionization of O2 by 800 nm femtosecond laser. We reached a resolution of 1.5% at the electron kinetic energy of 500 eV. When the electron arm is set for 100 eV, a resolution of 4% is reached at the ion kinetic energy of 5.6 eV. This composite VMI spectrometer will support the experiment, such as X-ray multi-photon excitation/ionization, Auger electrons emission, attosecond streaking.
Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomic and Lipidomic Analysis of the Effect of High Fat/High Sugar Diet and GreenshellTM Mussel Feeding on Plasma of Ovariectomized Rats

This study aimed to examine the changes in lipid and metabolite profiles of ovariectomized (OVX) rats with diet-induced metabolic syndrome-associated osteoarthritis (MetOA) after supplementation with greenshell mussel (GSM) using an untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomics approach. Ninety-six rats were fed with one of four diets: control, control supplemented with GSM + GSM, high fat/high sugar (HFHS), or high fat/high sugar enriched with GSM (HFHS + GSM). After 8 weeks on experimental diets, half of the rats in each group underwent OVX and the other half were sham operated. After being fed for an additional 28 weeks, blood samples were collected for the metabolomics analysis. Lipid and polar metabolites were extracted from plasma and analysed by LC-MS. We identified 29 lipid species from four lipid subclasses (phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, diacylglycerol, and triacylglycerol) and a set of eight metabolites involved in amino acid metabolism (serine, threonine, lysine, valine, histidine, pipecolic acid, 3-methylcytidine, and cholic acid) as potential biomarkers for the effect of HFHS diet and GSM supplementation. GSM incorporation more specifically in the control diet generated significant alterations in the levels of several lipids and metabolites. Further studies are required to validate these findings that identify potential biomarkers to follow OA progression and to monitor the impact of GSM supplementation.
The Economic Loss Prediction of Flooding Based on Machine Learning and the Input-Output Model

As climate change becomes increasingly widespread, rapid, and intense, the frequency of heavy rainfall and floods continues to increase. This article establishes a prediction system using feature sets with multiple data dimensions, including meteorological data and socio-economic data. Based on data of historical floods in 31 provinces and municipalities in China from 2006 to 2018, five machine learning methods are compared to predict the direct economic losses. Among them, GBR performs the best with a goodness-of-fit of 90%. Combined with the input-output (IO) model, the indirect economic losses of agriculture to other sectors are calculated, and the total economic losses caused by floods can be predicted effectively by using the GBR-IO model. The model has a strong generalization ability with a minimum requirement of 80 pieces of data. The results of the data show that in China, provinces heavily reliant on agriculture suffered the most with the proportion of direct economic losses to provincial GDP exceeding 1‰. Therefore, some policy implications are provided to assist the government to take timely pre-disaster preventive measures and conduct post-disaster risk management, thereby reducing the economic losses caused by floods.
Direct and Indirect Effect of TGFβ on Treg Transendothelial Recruitment in HCC Tissue Microenvironment

The balance between anti-tumor and tumor-promoting immune cells, such as CD4+ Th1 and regulatory T cells (Tregs), respectively, is assumed to dictate the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) markedly shapes the HCC microenvironment, regulating the activation state of multiple leukocyte subsets and driving the differentiation of cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs). The fibrotic (desmoplastic) reaction in HCC tissue strongly depends on CAFs activity. In this study, we attempted to assess the role of TGFβ on transendothelial migration of Th1-oriented and Treg-oriented CD4+ T cells via a direct or indirect, CAF-mediated mechanisms, respectively. We found that the blockage of TGFβ receptor I-dependent signaling in Tregs resulted in impaired transendothelial migration (TEM) of these cells. Interestingly, the secretome of TGFβ-treated CAFs inhibited the TEM of Tregs but not Th1 cells, in comparison to the secretome of untreated CAFs. In addition, we found a significant inverse correlation between alpha-SMA and FoxP3 (marker of Tregs) mRNA expression in a microarray analysis involving 78 HCCs, thus suggesting that TGFβ-activated stromal cells may counteract the trafficking of Tregs into the tumor. The apparent dual behavior of TGFβ as both pro- and anti-tumorigenic cytokines may add a further level of complexity to the mechanisms that regulate the interactions among cancerous, stromal, and immune cells within HCC, as well as other solid tumors, and contribute to better manipulation of the TGFβ signaling as a therapeutic target in HCC patients.
Punicalagin, a pomegranate compound, induces apoptosis and autophagy in acute leukemia

Background Punicalagin is the major phenolic compound found in pomegranate peels. It has several reported medical benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. The present study investigated the anti-leukemic effects and the molecular mechanism of punicalagin on NB4 and MOLT-4 leukemic cell lines. Methods Leukemic cells were treated with punicalagin and cell viability was determined using MTS assay. Apoptosis and autophagy were analyzed by flow cytometry using Annexin V-FITC/PI and anti-LC3/FITC antibodies staining, respectively. Apoptotic and autophagic mRNA expression were determined using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. STITCH bioinformatics tools were used to predict the interaction between punicalagin and its proposed target proteins. Results Results indicated that punicalagin decreased NB4 and MOLT-4 cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. Punicalagin, in combination with daunorubicin, exhibited synergistic cytotoxic effects. Punicalagin induced apoptosis through the upregulation of caspase-3/-8/-9, Bax and the downregulation of Bcl-2 expression. Punicalagin also promoted autophagy via the downregulation of mTOR and the upregulation of ULK1 expression. Cyclooxygenase-2 and toll-like receptor 4 were found to be involved in punicalagin-induced cell death in punicalagin-targeted protein interactions. Conclusions These results suggest that punicalagin exerts cytotoxic activities by suppressing proliferation and promoting apoptosis and autophagy by activating the caspase cascade, altering Bax and Bcl-2, and regulating autophagy via mTOR/ULK1 signaling.