Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Compact reflective-type phase-shifter MMIC for C-band using a lumped-element coupler

The design and results of an ultra-compact single-load reflective-type monolithic-microwave integrated-circuit phase shifter at 6.2 GHz for a satellite radar system is presented in this paper, which has been fabricated using a commercial 0.6-/spl mu/m GaAs MESFET process. A 3-dB 90/spl deg/ coupler with lumped elements enables significant circuit size reduction in comparison to former approaches applying microstrip branch line or Lange couplers. Phase control is enabled using MESFET varactors with capacitance control ratios (C/sub max//C/sub min/) of only four. Equations are derived to precisely describe the phase control ranges versus capacitance control ratios for different load configurations to allow efficient optimizations. Furthermore, the design tradeoff between low loss and high phase control range is discussed. Within a phase control range of 210/spl deg/, a loss of 4.9 dB/spl plusmn/0.9 dB and a 1-dB input compression point of higher than 5 dBm was measured for the designed phase shifter. The circuit size is less than 0.5 mm/sup 2/, which, to our knowledge, is the smallest reflective-type phase-shifter size reported to date.
A facile method for integrating direct-write devices into three-dimensional printed parts

Integrating direct-write (DW) devices into three-dimensional (3D) printed parts is key to continuing innovation in engineering applications such as smart material systems and structural health monitoring. However, this integration is challenging because: (1) most 3D printing techniques leave rough or porous surfaces if they are untreated; (2) the thermal sintering process required for most conductive inks could degrade the polymeric materials of 3D printed parts; and (3) the extensive pause needed for the DW process during layer-by-layer fabrication may cause weaker interlayer bonding and create structural weak points. These challenges are rather common during the insertion of conductive patterns inside 3D printed structures. As an avoidance tactic, we developed a simple ‘print-stick-peel’ method to transfer the DW device from the polytetrafluoroethylene or perfluoroalkoxy alkanes film onto any layer of a 3D printed object. This transfer can be achieved using the self-adhesion of 3D printing materials or applying additional adhesive. We demonstrated this method by transferring Aerosol Jet® printed strain sensors into parts fabricated by PolyJet™ printing. This report provides an investigation and discussion on the sensitivity, reliability, and influence embedding the sensor has on mechanical properties.
An electrode model for ionic polymer–metal composites

In this study, we geometrically modeled an electroless-plated platinum electrode of the IPMC and performed parametric studies to estimate the electrical properties (resistance and capacitance) of the electrode. We conducted experiments to control the change of the electrode characteristics (electrode thickness, particle size, particle gap, etc.). We measured the electrical properties of the electrodes in an aqueous environment and compared these findings with the modeling results to verify the model. The model’s estimations of the effects of the parameters were well conceived; however, it was also found that there were limits of the estimations of the curved electrode’s properties.
The behavior of cambered belts transiting cylindrical rollers

The lateral deformations of webs in roll-to-roll process machines can affect the quality of the manufactured products. Webs with simple nonuniform length variation across their width (camber) will steer toward the long side, leading to the steady state lateral deformation and hence registration. Most previous studies have focused on a cambered web in a free span between two rollers. These studies assume some displacement and slope boundary conditions are known and seek the remaining conditions that would dictate the steady state lateral deformation of the web. This article focuses on the lateral behavior of a cambered web belt transiting between two aligned rollers as the simplest case of multiple span cambered web. Dynamic simulation has been conducted to better understand the response of a cambered web under tension that has been witnessed in tests. There are no boundary conditions enforced and no steady state deformation of the cambered webs. Thus there is no closed-form solution to the lateral movement of a cambered web transits over multiple rollers. This explained why the previous research focused more on the experimental exploration without few theoretical validations. The web travels toward the long side continually from one span to the next until a web guide attempts to return the web to an acceptable lateral location in the process machine.
Cyperus rotundus cyperaceae: a study of phytochemistry, total polyphenol content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity

Cyperus rotundus is a folk medicine with many benefits such as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antioxidant, etc. It is widely used in many parts of the world. This study provided data on the phytochemical composition of Cyperus rotundus rhizome, including the active groups of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, and triterpenoids. The polyphenols content in the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Cyperus rotundus were 26.89 ± 4.33 (mgGAE/g) and 51.84 ± 6.46 (mgGAE/g), respectively. While, the flavonoids content in the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Cyperus rotundus were 78.03 ± 3.11 (mgQE/g) and 20.28 ± 2.25 (mgQE/g), respectively. According to the ABTS assay, the IC50 values of the aqueous and ethanolic extracts were 117.8 ± 19.85 (μg/ml) and 162.02 ± 11.43 (μg/ml), respectively. According to the DPPH assay, the IC50 values of Cyperus rotundus extracted by water and alcohol were 337.42 ± 22.84 (μg/ml) and 447.53 ± 33.8 (μg/ml), respectively. With the rich presence of secondary compounds, antioxidant activity confirmed in many studies, Cyperus rotundus is evaluated as having potential applications in many different fields such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and functional foods.
Detecting and Characterizing Sea Ice Pressure Ridges with ICESat-2

Since its launch, in September 2018, ICESat-2’s Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) has collected highresolution measurements of Arctic sea ice by sampling the surface every 70 cm along-track. We utilize the high-resolution capabilities of ATLAS with a novel algorithm called the University of Maryland-Ridge Detection Algorithm (UMD-RDA) to investigate sea ice topography across a range of scales. Applying the UMD-RDA to the ATL03 Global Geolocated Photon product we measure surface roughness and derive the frequency, height, width, and angle of individual pressure ridge sails. Aggregating data from multiple orbit crossings per day we investigate ridge characteristics at length-scales varying from 1 km (individual floes) to the pan-Arctic scale (central Arctic Ocean). Here, we present an evaluation of pressure ridge characteristics during the winter seasons of 2018/19, 2019/20, and 2020/21, comparing results from distinct regions with varying ice conditions. Near-coincident, independent observations of pressure ridges with Operation IceBridge (OIB) Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) lidar data, OIB near-coincident Continuous Airborne Mapping By Optical Translator (CAMBOT) high-resolution ( ̃15 cm) optical imagery, and WorldView high-resolution ( ̃30 cm) panchromatic satellite imagery are used to evaluate the accuracy of our ICESat-2 ridge detection scheme. There are many potential use-cases for a high-resolution sea ice topography data product within the community, ranging from navigational hazard mitigation to ecological studies of marine mammal habitats. We discuss plans for releasing these data products and discuss the improvements such data would make within high-resolution sea ice models.
How fern and fern allies respond to heterogeneous habitat — a case in Yuanjiang dry-hot valley

ABSTRACT The Yuanjiang dry-hot valley features hot and dry climate, low vegetation and soil degradation. It had lush vegetation in the past, but has become degraded in recent decades. Understanding the interrelationship between species and the habitat is necessary to explain this change. In this study, a link between fern and fern allies – a group that is hypersensitive to environmental factors and their circumstances is constructed. Intensive transects and plots were designed to be proxies for extant fern and fern allies, and their habitats. Fifty years of meteorological records of precipitation and temperature along altitude and river running direction (latitudinal) were employed. Alpha and beta diversity are used to access diversity. Species_estimated, Singletons, Uniques, ACE, ICE, and Chao2, which associate to abundance and rarity, are subscribed to the correlation between fern and fern allies, and their ecosystem. Eight species, Selaginella pseudopaleifera, Aleuritopteris squamosa, Adiantum malesianum, Pteris vittata, Davallia trichomanoides, Sinephropteris delavayi, Selaginella jugorum, and Lygodium japonicum are used as indicators of a typical xeric and sun-drying habitat. The results indicate (1) accompanied by dramatically shrinking habitats, fern and fern allies are in very low diversity and abundance, whereas the rarity is relatively high; (2) for fern and fern allies, environmental factors are positive when altitude goes up; and (3) eight indicator species are latitudinally correlated with fern and fern allies along the river running direction.
Type and Intensity as Key Variable of Exercise in Metainflammation diseases: A Review

Monocyte and lymphocyte subpopulations exhibit functions that vary between the anti- and pro-inflammatory spectrum, such as classic CD16- and non-classical CD16+ monocytes, as well as T helper 2 lymphocytes (Th2), the Th1/Th17 lymphocytes ratio, and T regulatory lymphocytes (Treg). Metabolic disease-associated inflammation is accompanied by an imbalance in monocyte and lymphocyte phenotypes and functionality, as well as a stronger proportion of inflammatory subpopulations. These changes appear to be important for the development and progression of diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, the regular practice of physical exercise is an important tool to restore the functionality of monocytes and lymphocytes, and to balance the subtypes ratio. However, key variables regarding exercise prescription, such as the type of exercise, intensity, and volume differentially impact on the acute and chronic immune response in individuals diagnosed with meta inflammation diseases. Here, we discuss the impact of different physical exercise protocols, acutely and chronically, on monocytes and lymphocytes of individuals with metabolic disease-associated inflammation. In this review, we focus on the best effects of different exercise protocols to dose the “exercise pill” in different inflammatory status.
Systematic investigation of the clinical significance and prognostic value of the CBXs in esophageal cancer

Esophageal cancer (ESCA), one of the most aggressive malignant tumors, has been announced to be the ninth most common cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer-related death in the world. Chromobox family members (CBXs) are important epigenetic regulators which are related with the transcription of target genes. The role of CBXs in carcinomas has been reported in many studies. However, the function and prognostic value of different CBXs in ESCA are still largely unknown. In this article, we first performed differential expression analysis through several methods including Oncomine and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis. The results led us to determine the differential expression of CBXs in pan-cancer, especially ESCA. Then we evaluated the prognostic value of different CBX messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in patients with ESCA through the Kaplan–Meier plotter and the Human Protein Atlas database. In addition, we used cBioPortal to explore all genetic alterations and mutations in the CBXs in ESCA. Simultaneously, the correlation between its expression and the level of immune infiltration of ESCA was visualized by TIMER. Finally, the biological function of CBXs in ESCA is obtained through Biological Enrichment Analysis including gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. The expression levels of CBX3/4/5 and CBX8 in ESCA tissues increased significantly and the expression level of CBX7 decreased through differential expression analysis. Additionally, CBX1 is significantly related to the clinical cancer stage and disease-free survival of ESCA patients. The high mRNA expression of CBX4 is related to the short overall survival of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and the high mRNA expression of CBX3/7/8 is related to the short overall survival of patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma, indicating that CBX1/3/4/7/8 may be a potential prognostic biomarker for the survival of ESCA patients. Besides, the expression of CBXs is significantly related to the infiltration of a variety of immune cells, including six types of CD4-positive T-lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, bursindependentlymphocyte, CD8-positive T-lymphocytes cells and dendritic cells in ESCA. Moreover, we found that CBXs are mainly associated with the inhibition of cell cycle and apoptosis pathway. Further, enrichment analysis indicated that CBXs and correlated genes were enriched in mismatch repair, DNA replication, cancer pathways, and spliceosomes. Our research may provide new insights into the choice of prognosis biomarkers of the CBXs in ESCA.
A VaR-Based Methodology for Assessing Carbon Price Risk across European Union Economic Sectors

The latest European Union measures for combating climate adopted in the “Fit for 55 package” envisage the extension of the Emissions Trading System, the first “cap-and-trade” system in the world created for achieving climate targets, which limits the amount of greenhouse gas emissions by imposing a price on carbon. In this context, our study provides an integrated assessment of carbon price risk exposure of all economic sectors in the European Union Member States, thus supporting decision making in determining the energy transition risk. We propose a novel approach in assessing carbon risk exposure using the Value at Risk methodology to compute the carbon price under the EU ETS, based on historical price simulation for January–August 2021 and ARMA-GARCH models for the October 2012–August 2021 period. We further built a value erosion metric, which allowed us to establish each sector’s exposure to risk and to identify differences between Eastern and Western EU countries. We find that the refining sector appears to be highly vulnerable, whereas there is higher potential for large losses in the energy supply and chemical sectors in Eastern EU Member States, given a different pace of industry restructuring.
The Maximum Efficiency Driving in IPMSM by Precise Estimation of Current Phase Angle

In this paper, the equivalent circuit for the efficiency calculation by precise estimation of the linkage flux, inductance and iron loss resistance was calculated accurately. In addition, the driving characteristics according to the current phase angle are analyzed and the maximum efficiency point is calculated. And then, analyzed and experimental values of the efficiency were compared. So, causes of error were expected to be vibration and noise by harmonic distortion of the voltage and current, and mechanical loss of dynamometer. In addition, the driving characteristics according to the current phase angle are analyzed and the maximum efficiency point is calculated.
Consensus positive position feedback control for vibration attenuation of smart structures

This paper presents a new network-based approach for active vibration control in smart structures. In this approach, a network with known topology connects collocated actuator/sensor elements of the smart structure to one another. Each of these actuators/sensors, i.e., agent or node, is enhanced by a separate multi-mode positive position feedback (PPF) controller. The decentralized PPF controlled agents collaborate with each other in the designed network, under a certain consensus dynamics. The consensus constraint forces neighboring agents to cooperate with each other such that the disagreement between the time-domain actuation of the agents is driven to zero. The controller output of each agent is calculated using state-space variables; hence, optimal state estimators are designed first for the proposed observer-based consensus PPF control. The consensus controller is numerically investigated for a flexible smart structure, i.e., a thin aluminum beam that is clamped at its both ends. Results demonstrate that the consensus law successfully imposes synchronization between the independently controlled agents, as the disagreements between the decentralized PPF controller variables converge to zero in a short time. The new consensus PPF controller brings extra robustness to vibration suppression in smart structures, where malfunctions of an agent can be compensated for by referencing the neighboring agents’ performance. This is demonstrated in the results by comparing the new controller with former centralized PPF approach.
Grape Pomace Extracted Tannin for Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles: Assessment of Their Antidiabetic, Antioxidant Potential and Antimicrobial Activity

In nanoscience, the “green” synthesis approach has received great interest as an eco-friendly and sustainable method for the fabrication of a wide array of nanoparticles. The present study accounts for an expeditious technique for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) utilizing fruit waste grape pomace extracted tannin. Grape pomace tannin (Ta) involved in the reduction and capping of AgNPs and leads to the formation of stable Ta-AgNPs. Various conditions were attempted to optimize the particle size and morphology of Ta-AgNPs which was further analyzed using various analytical tools for different characteristic motives. UV-visible spectroscopy showed a characteristic peak at 420 nm, indicating successful synthesis of AgNPs. Energy disperses spectroscopy (EDS) analysis proved the purity of the produced Ta-AgNPs and manifested a strong signal at −2.98 keV, while Fourier-transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) spectra of the Ta-AgNPs displayed the existence of functional groups of tannin. Zeta potential measurements (−28.48 mV) showed that the Ta-AgNPs have reasonably good stability. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) analysis confirmed the average dimension of the synthesized NPs was estimated about 15–20 nm. Ta-AgNPs potentials were confirmed by in vitro antidiabetic activity to constrain carbohydrate digesting enzymes, mainly α-amylase and α-glucosidase, with a definite concentration of sample displaying 50% inhibition (IC50), which is about 43.94 and 48.5 μg/mL, respectively. Synthesized Ta-AgNPs exhibited significant antioxidant potential with respect to its 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothi-azoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) (IC50 of 40.98 µg/mL) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (IC50 of 53.98 µg/mL) free radical scavenging activities. Ta-AgNPs exhibited extraordinary antibacterial activity against selected pathogenic strains and showed comparable antimicrobial index against ampicillin as a positive control.
A causal skin-effect model of microstrip lines

A complete transmission line model including skin effect is derived to show the effects of conductor skin loss on the attenuation and phase factors. The frequency-dependent behavior of a microstrip line is included in the model. Distortions of a short pulse due to the skin effect, including attenuation dispersion, and propagation delay, are investigated. Simulation results indicate that the skin effect cannot be neglected in the phase factor in low-conductivity transmission lines. <<ETX>>
AN E-LEARNING COURSE ON E-LEARNING FOR STAFF IN HIGHER EDUCATION

In this paper we report on the development, delivery and evaluation of an e-learning course. Aimed at university staff undertaking a mandatory post-graduate qualification in higher education teaching, the course was designed to develop understanding of the concept of e-learning. We describe, with reference to the literature, how the course was designed and delivered via the institution’s virtual learning environment and facilitated using an online learning moderation model based on Salmon (2004). Also discussed is how a cycle of evaluation has lead to improvements in subsequent presentations of the course and general considerations for other institutions seeking to achieve similar aims.
Modelling of bracing in a multi-body active human model

The severity of occupant injuries sustained during automotive collisions can increase when an occupant is out‐of‐position prior to the crash. Several studies have shown that muscle activation significantly affects human kinematics in low severity impacts or pre‐crash car movements. As such, it is important to quantify the influence of this behaviour to effectively design safety systems. Reactive behaviour can be simulated with a recently developed computer human model that stabilises to a predefined position. The objective of this study was to adapt this model to simulate realistic bracing behaviour during braking. A new neck model was developed as well as a new arm model. In an anterior‐posterior frequency perturbation test the new neck model showed a more comparable response to that of a volunteer than the previous model. In arm pulse perturbation tests the new arm model showed comparable behaviour to a volunteer in relaxed as well as in braced conditions. Finally, a simulation of a braking event with the new active human model showed that bracing has a substantial effect on the head and thorax displacement. It is concluded that the new neck and new arm model improved the active human model for the development of active safety systems.
Robust torque- and torque-per-inertia optimization of a switched reluctance motor using the Taguchi methods

This paper presents the use of Taguchi methods for optimizing a switched reluctance motor (SRM) for applications requiring fast actuation. In these applications, the SRM is designed to provide a high electromagnetic torque to inertia ratio required for high rates of mechanical acceleration. This is accomplished through two simultaneous robust optimizations of a switched reluctance motor; that is, an optimization of the motor torque and an optimization of the torque-per-inertia (mechanical acceleration). The Taguchi two-step optimization method as well as the zero-point-proportional dynamic response were used successfully in the double optimization. Two orthogonal arrays (OA) were used to lead the design of experiments (DOE). Finite element analysis (FEA) was used to compute the performance of the motor designs generated by the Taguchi DOE