Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk adjusted multicriteria supplier selection models with applications

Most manufacturers are continuously seeking their supplier base around the world and look for an opportunity to significantly reduce supply chain costs. Singular emphasis on supply chain cost, however, can make the supply chain brittle and more susceptible to the risk of disruptions. The objective of this paper is to develop multicriteria supplier selection models incorporating supplier risk and apply them to a real company. We develop two different types of risk models, value-at-risk (VaR) and miss-the-target (MtT). We model the risk-adjusted supplier selection problem as a multicriteria optimisation problem and solve it in two phases. Phase 1 is the pre-qualification step, where a large set of initial suppliers is reduced to a smaller set of manageable suppliers using various multi-objective ranking methods. In Phase 2, order quantities are allocated among the short listed suppliers using a multi-objective optimisation model. In the multi-objective formulation, price, lead-time, VaR type risk of disruption due to natural event and MtT type risk of quality are explicitly considered as four conflicting objectives that have to be minimised simultaneously. We solve the multi-objective optimisation problem using four different variants of goal programming. The models are illustrated with an actual application to a global IT company.
A Hybrid MPI-OpenMP Parallel Algorithm for the Assessment of the Multifractal Spectrum of River Networks

The possibility to create a flood wave in a river network depends on the geometric properties of the river basin. Among the models that try to forecast the Instantaneous Unit Hydrograph (IUH) of rainfall precipitation, the so-called Multifractal Instantaneous Unit Hydrograph (MIUH) rather successfully connects the multifractal properties of the river basin to the observed IUH. Such properties can be assessed through different types of analysis (fixed-size algorithm, correlation integral, fixed-mass algorithm, sandbox algorithm, and so on). The fixed-mass algorithm is the one that produces the most precise estimate of the properties of the multifractal spectrum that are relevant for the MIUH model. However, a disadvantage of this method is that it requires very long computational times to produce the best possible results. In a previous work, we proposed a parallel version of the fixed-mass algorithm, which drastically reduced the computational times almost proportionally to the number of Central Processing Unit (CPU) cores available on the computational machine by using the Message Passing Interface (MPI), which is a standard for distributed memory clusters. In the present work, we further improved the code in order to include the use of the Open Multi-Processing (OpenMP) paradigm to facilitate the execution and improve the computational speed-up on single processor, multi-core workstations, which are much more common than multi-node clusters. Moreover, the assessment of the multifractal spectrum has also been improved through a direct computation method. Currently, to the best of our knowledge, this code represents the state-of-the-art for a fast evaluation of the multifractal properties of a river basin, and it opens up a new scenario for an effective flood forecast in reasonable computational times.
Built-in Self-Test Design for Fault Detection of MUXFXs in SRAM-Based FPGAs

This paper proposes a built-in self-test (BIST) design for MUXFXs in SRAM-based FPGAs. This approach can test both the interconnect resources and MUXFXs in the configurable logic blocks (CLBs). Because the test pattern generator (TPG) and output response analyzer (ORA)are configured by existing CLBs in FPGAs, no extra area overhead is needed for the proposed BIST structure. Open/short , stuck on/off faults in PSs, and stuck-at-0/1 faults in MUXFXs will be detected through the target fault detection/diagnosis of the proposed BIST structure.
R&D of a Pulsatile Rotary Heart Pump Imitating the Native Ventricle

It is evident that a pulsatile flow is important for blood circulation because the flow pulsatility can reduce the resistance of peripheral vessels. It is difficult, however, to produce a pulsatile flow with an impeller pump, since blood damage will occur when a pulsatile flow is produced. Further investigation has revealed that the main factor for blood damage is turbulence shear, which tears the membranes of red blood cells, resulting in free release of haemoglobin into the plasma, and consequently lead to haemolysis. Therefore, the question for producing a pulsatile flow with low haemolysis becomes how to develop a pulsatile impeller pump with less turbulence The authors have successively developed a pulsatile axial pump and a pulsatile centrifugal pump. In the pulsatile axial pump, the impeller reciprocates axially and rotates simultaneously. The reciprocation is driven by a pneumatic device and the rotation by a DC motor. For a pressure of 40mm Hg pulsatility, about 50mm axially reciprocation amplitude of the impeller is desirable. In order to reduce the axial amplitude, the pump inlet and the impeller both have cone-shaped heads, thus the gap between the impeller and the inlet pipe changes by only 2mm, that is, the impeller reciprocates up to 2mm, a pressure pulsatility of 40mmHg can be produced. As the impeller rotates with a constant speed, low turbulence in the pump can be expected. In the centrifugal pulsatile pump, the impeller changes its rotating speed periodically; the turbulence is reduced by designing an impeller with twisted vanes which enable the blood flow to change its direction rather than its magnitude during the periodic change of the rotating speed. In this way, a pulsatile flow is produced and the turbulence is minimized. Compared to the axial pulsatile pump, the centrifugal pulsatile pump needs only one driver and thus has more application possibilities. The centrifugal pulsatile pump has been used in animal experiments. The pump assisted the circulation of calves for several months without harm to the blood elements and the organ functions of the experimental animal. The experiments demonstrated that the pulsatile impeller is the most efficient pump for assisting heart recovery, because it can produce a pulsatile flow like a diaphragm pump and has no back flow as what occurs in a non-pulsatile rotary pump; the former reduces the circulatory resistance and the later increases the diastole pressure in aorta, and thus increase the perfusion of coronary arteries of the natural heart.
On the accuracy of the addition theorem for a scalar Green's function used in the FMM

The addition theorem for a free‐space scalar Green's function plays an important role in the fast multipole method (FMM). Therefore, both the accuracy and convergence are issues of concern in the code implementation of the FMM. In this paper, the addition theorem, when used in an unbounded Green's function, is numerically analyzed, and its accuracy is thus addressed and discussed. Specifically, the number of terms kept in the multipole expansion L is discussed in detail, and comparisons are made among the cases where difference parameters are used. A simple example applying the FMM to compute RCSs by a rectangular plate is given. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 31: 439–442, 2001.
Mediterranean White Lupin Landraces as a Valuable Genetic Reserve for Breeding

Legumes crops are important for sustainable agriculture and global food security. Among them white lupin (Lupinus albus L.), is characterized by exceptional protein content of high nutritional value, competitive to that of soybean (Glycine max) and is well adapted to rainfed agriculture. However, its high seed-quinolizidine alkaloid (QA) content impedes its direct integration to human diet and animal feed. Additionally, its cultivation is not yet intensive, remains confined to local communities and marginal lands in Mediterranean agriculture, while adaptation to local microclimates restrains its cultivation from expanding globally. Hence, modern white lupin breeding aims to exploit genetic resources for the development of “sweet” elite cultivars, resilient to biotic adversities and well adapted for cultivation on a global level. Towards this aim, we evaluated white lupin local landrace germplasm from Greece, since the country is considered a center of white lupin diversity, along with cultivars and breeding lines for comparison. Seed morphological diversity and molecular genetic relationships were investigated. Most of the landraces were distinct from cultivars, indicating the uniqueness of their genetic make-up. The presence of pauper “sweet” marker allele linked to low seed QA content in some varieties was detected in one landrace, two breeding lines, and the cultivars. However, QA content in the examined genotypes did not relate with the marker profile, indicating that the marker’s predictive power is limited in this material. Marker alleles for vernalization unresponsiveness were detected in eight landraces and alleles for anthracnose resistance were found in two landraces, pointing to the presence of promising germplasm for utilization in white lupin breeding. The rich lupin local germplasm genetic diversity and the distinct genotypic composition compared to elite cultivars, highlights its potential use as a source of important agronomic traits to support current breeding efforts and assist its integration to modern sustainable agriculture.
Cold protection allows local cryotherapy in a clinical-relevant model of traumatic optic neuropathy

Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is potentially an important therapy for central nervous system (CNS) trauma. However, its clinical application remains controversial, hampered by two major factors: 1) Many of the CNS injury sites, such as the optic nerve (ON), are deeply buried, preventing access for local TH. The alternative is to apply TH systemically, which significantly limits the applicable temperature range. 2) Even with possible access for “local refrigeration”, cold-induced cellular damage offsets the benefit of TH. Here we present a clinically translatable model of traumatic optic neuropathy (TON) by applying clinical trans-nasal endoscopic surgery to goats and non-human primates. This model faithfully recapitulates clinical features of TON such as the injury site (pre-chiasmatic ON), the spatiotemporal pattern of neural degeneration, and the accessibility of local treatments with large operating space. We also developed a computer program to simplify the endoscopic procedure and expand this model to other large animal species. Moreover, applying a cold-protective treatment, inspired by our previous hibernation research, enables us to deliver deep hypothermia (4°C) locally to mitigate inflammation and metabolic stress (indicated by the transcriptomic changes after injury) without cold-induced cellular damage, and confers prominent neuroprotection both structurally and functionally. Intriguingly, neither treatment alone was effective, demonstrating that in situ deep hypothermia combined with hibernation-mimicking cold protection constitutes a breakthrough for TH as a therapy for TON and other CNS traumas.
Exploring the Chemical Space of Antiparasitic Peptides and Discovery of New Promising Leads through a Novel Approach based on Network Science and Similarity Searching

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small bioactive chemicals that have appeared as promising compounds to treat a wide range of diseases. The effectiveness of AMPs resides in the wide range of mechanisms they can use for both killing microbes and modulating immune responses. However, the AMPs’ chemical space (AMPCS) is huge, it is estimated that there exist more than 1065 unique sequences of peptides with 50 residues or fewer, which represent a big challenge for the discovery of new promising sequences and the identification of common features, motifs, or relevant biological functions shared by these peptides. Therefore, we present a new approach based on network science and similarity searching to discover new potential AMPs, specifically antiparasitic peptides (APPs). We have taken advantage of network-based representation of APPs’ chemical space (APPCS) to retrieve valuable information, using three types of networks: chemical space (CSN), half-space proximal (HSPN), and metadata (METN). Some centrality measures were applied to identify the most important and non-redundant nodes, and these peptides were taken as queries (Qs) against the graph database starPepDB to discover new potential APPs with similarity searching by group fusion (MAX-SIM rule) models. We evaluated the multi-query similarity searching models (mQSSMs) performance with five benchmarking data sets of APP/non-APPs. It can be stated that the predictions performed by the best mQSSMs present a strong-to-very strong predictive agreement since their external Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) values ranged from 0.834 to 0.965. Outstanding outcomes were attained by the mQSSM with 219 Qs from both networks CSN and HSPN (219Q_0.5_HB-HC-Singletons_CSN-HSPN) and by using 0.5 as similarity threshold, with MCC values greater than 0.85 in external datasets. Then, we compared the performance metrics of our mQSSMs with APPs prediction servers AMPDiscover and AMPFun. The model proposed in this report outperformed the machine learning approaches with statistically significant differences, showing the enormous potential of this method. After applying our method and additional filters, we proposed 95 repurposed leads as potential APPs, which have not been associated with this activity until now. In addition, we explored sequence similarities and motifs shared by these peptides, which can serve as templates for searching and designing new promising APPs. The analyses show that the similarity models proposed in this study could contribute to identifying APPs with high effectivity and reliability. Our models and pipeline are freely available through the starPep toolbox software at http://mobiosd-hub.com/starpep.
COMPARISON OF CONTROL STRATEGIES TO MINIMIZE THE TORQUE RIPPLE OF A SWITCHED RELUCTANCE MACHINE

ABSTRACT The Switched Reluctance Machine (SRM) presents simple structure with passive rotor without windings nor any magnets. That enables applications in mass production (low production and material costs) or in harsh environments (high temperature.). Unfortunately, its polyphase torque is naturally pulsed because of the highly nonlinear electromagnetic characteristics and because the phases have to be successively commutated in order to maintain a continuous rotation. A torque control associated with an appropriate strategy for the phase commutation is thus sought in order to reduce the torque ripple. Initially, the limits of the classical linear control (Proportional Integral controller) are determined. Then, the performances of the PI controller are improved by means of electromotive forces compensation. Nevertheless, the torque ripple remains significant. In order to compensate for SRM nonlinearities, we propose a nonlinear torque control associated with a suitable commutation strategy. This contro.
Technique for reduction of noise resistance in a balanced low-noise amplifier for beam-steering applications

This paper, following up on the previous work, investigates the effect of the input coupler's load termination of a balanced amplifier in a beam-steering system. The noise generated in this load termination deteriorates the amplifier noise resistance, which increases the noise temperature due to a varying active reflection coefficient at the antenna ports as a function of scan angle. In reducing this effect, the balanced configuration is made more favorable for radio astronomy applications. By lowering the value of the impedance termination on the fourth port of the quadrature coupler an improvement in noise temperature sensitivity is achieved at the cost of reduced power matching.
Characterization and analysis of highly diagonal Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers

The as yet unattained milestone of room-temperature operation is essential for establishing Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers (THz QCLs) as practical sources of THz radiation. Temperature performance is hypothesized to be limited by upper laser level lifetime reduction due to non-radiative scattering, particularly by longitudinal optical phonons. To address this issue, this work studies highly "diagonal" QCLs, where the upper and lower laser level wave functions are spatially separated to preserve upper laser level lifetime, as well as several other issues relevant to high temperature performance. The highly diagonal devices of this work performed poorly, but the analysis herein nevertheless suggest that diagonality as a design strategy cannot yet be ruled out. Other causes of poor performance in the lasers are identified, and suggestions for future designs are made.
Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) in the management of male infertility

Withania sominifera roots improve semen quality by increasing sperm count and motility, regulating reproductive hormone levels and inhibiting lipid peroxidation. Proposed mechanisms underlying these effects are direct alleviation of oxidative stress and enhancement of hormonal balance via the gamma-aminobutyric acid-like mimetic pathway. Withaniasominiferacould potentially supplement routine treatment of male infertility. manage caused infections and multifarious strategies are emerging worldwide. Contemporary treatments, such as assisted reproductive techniques, are costly with low success rates of only 10–30%; however, herbal remedies are gaining more attention as an alternative or supplementary therapeutic modality for male infertility. The beneﬁcial effects induced by oral intake of the roots of a small evergreen shrub, Withaniasominifera(Ashwagandha) on semen quality of infertile men have previously been studied. Oral intake of Ashwagandha roots has been found to inhibit lipid peroxidation, improve sperm count and motility, and regulate reproductive hormone levels. The molecular mechanisms of these effects, however, are yet to be unveiled. In this review, we will discuss the role of herbal medicines in male infertility; provide a detailed analysis of various human and animal studies involving Withaniasomnifera;describe a proposed direct oxidative mechanism involving mitigation of oxidative stress as well as an indirect mechanism consisting of a gamma-aminobutyric acid-like-mimetic pathway ameliorating hormonal balance through crosstalk among different endocrine glands to improve male fertility; and how Withaniasomniferasupplementation mitigates risk factor-induced male infertility as well as ameliorates male fertility. protease-activated receptor 4 (PAR-4), tumour suppressor proteins (p53 and p21) and major caspases (−3, −8 and −9). Withanoides prevent cellular proliferation by regulating cellular division through cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2), heat shock protein 90) (Hsp90), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), inhibitor of nuclear factor κ B kinase subunit β (I κ K β ), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and survivin. and Dhir, 2008); however, we have not carried out any dose–response relationship or toxicological study. Therefore, this review is unable to declare Withania somnifera as ‘safe’ or ‘toxic’ drug. Yet, from the results of available reports, it can be appraised thatWithaniasomnifera is beneﬁcial for male fertility in various aspects. As treatment of patients with Withania somnifera in a clinical trial showed effective enhancement of male fertility, it can be used as a treatment in future.
Composite amplitude-modulated phase-only filter-based detection and tracking of the back-reflection of KDP images

An algorithm for determining the position of the KDP back-reflection image was developed. It was compared to a centroid-based algorithm. While the algorithm based on centroiding exhibited a radial standard deviation of 9 pixels, the newly proposed algorithm based on classical matched filtering (CMF) and a Gaussian fit to correlation peak provided a radial standard deviation of less than 1 pixel. The speed of the peak detection was improved from an average of 5.5 seconds for Gaussian fit to 0.022 seconds by using a polynomial fit. The performance was enhanced even further by utilizing a composite amplitude modulated phase only filter; producing a radial standard deviation of 0.27 pixels. The proposed technique was evaluated on 900+ images with varying degrees of noise and image amplitude as well as real National Ignition Facility (NIF) images.
A Method for Objective Assessment of Mental Work

A quantitative method to analyze mental work such as programming or CAD operation is discussed. The authors are proposing to define an index, named 'RRV', which is a variance of intervals between successive R-spikes in E.C. G. (Electro Cardio Graph). In order to increase the measurement efficiency of RRV and to extend the time range of the measurement, a simple and handy-sized measuring unit is developed. From the results of experiments, it is proved that RRV is closely connected with the conditions of mental work. Under such intensive mental work load as repetitive calculation for a long time, values of RRV of the worker become lower than those under usual mental work load. In addition, other basic characters of RRV, for example, time scale of its dynamic behaviour, are studied. Lastly, as a practical application, RRV is measured during computer programming, and several interesting phenomena are observed.
Positive and Negative Spanwise Flow Development on an Insect-Like Rotating Wing

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the spanwise flow development on an impulsively started rotating rectangular wing at 45 deg angle of attack. Reynolds numbers of 500 and 15,000 were studied, which correspond to insect and flapping-wing micro-air-vehicle scales, respectively. Stereoscopic particle image velocimetry flowfield measurements were taken at various spanwise locations and sweep angles (angle of rotation from start) on a motor-driven rectangular wing immersed in a seeded water tank. At both Reynolds numbers, the development of the flow was characterized by the formation of strong positive (root-to-tip) and negative (tip-to-root) spanwise flows, which lost strength toward the tip and root, respectively. The negative spanwise flow appeared to be created by the tip vortex, which accelerated fluid from beyond the tip to the root and turned a portion of the positive spanwise flow back on itself, inducing a secondary vortex inboard of the tip vortex and rotating in the opposite sense.
Self‐assembly: a review of recent developments

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of recent progress in self‐assembly technology, principally in the microelectronics context.Design/methodology/approach – First, the paper discusses the application of nanoscale self‐assembly techniques to microelectronic and related components and then considers research involving larger devices.Findings – The paper shows that a range of self‐assembly techniques is being used to fabricate both production and experimental microelectronic devices, often with the aim of developing alternatives to copper wire interconnects. Other, experimental self‐assembly techniques are being developed for the packaging and mounting of microelectronic components on substrates.Originality/value – Provides a useful, detailed review of the use of self‐assembly techniques at the nanoscale, microscale and macroscale.