Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design of decoupled PI controllers for two-by-two systems

The design of PI controllers for systems with interacting loops is discussed. It is advantageous to deal with the interaction at the loop level, because supervisory control seldom has sufficient bandwidth. A new scheme based on modified scalar PI design and static decoupling is developed, in which the frequency characteristic of the coupling between the lower-level loops is taken into account. This leads to a design method emphasising the trade-off between the individual loop performances and the interaction indices introduced in the paper. The controller is easily implemented, due to its simple configuration based on standard components. A useful observation is that the interaction can be reduced substantially by using set-point weighting. The method is applied to three examples, including a model of a new laboratory system called the quadruple-tank process.
Multi-donor Fecal Microbial Transplantation for Critically Ill Patients: Rationale and Standard Operating Procedure

Patients in intensive care unit often lose a considerable fraction of their gut microbiome due to exposure of broad-spectrum antibiotics and other reasons. Dysbiosis often results in prolonged diarrhea and increase occurrence of multi-drug resistant pathogens in the colon with clinical consequences not yet well understood. Restoring the microbioma by faecal microbial transplantation (FMT) is a plausible therapeutic possibility, so far only documented in case reports and case series using very heterogeneous methodologies. Before FMT in critically ill can be tested in randomised controlled trials, there is a burning need to describe a standardized operating procedure (SOP) of the whole process, respecting the specifics of critically ill population, such as the risk of disrubted intestinal barrier and time critical nature of the procedure. We describe the SOP that has been developed for experimental use in critically ill patients by a multidisciplinary team of intensivists, gastroenterologist and microbiologist based on feedback from regulatory authority (State Institue of Drug Control of the Czech Republic). The hallmarks of these SOPs are multi-donor freshly frozen transplantate quaranteeded for 3 months consisting of 7 aliqutes from 7 unrelated healthy donors, and administered by rectal tube. In this paper we discuss the rationale for this SOP and the process of its development in details and release the full proposed SOP is in the form of online appendix.
Fundamentals Of Engineering Energy

Three new Fundamentals of Engineering courses, entitled Energy, Materials and Systems are presented in the sophomore year of the Drexel University E4 program. The first focuses on the concept, manifestations, uses, conservation, storage, transformation, and transfer of energy. The second focuses on materials to establish, interpret and utilize the relationships that exist between processing/synthesis, microstructure, properties, and performance-for metals, ceramics, polymers and composites. The third focuses on systems, capitalizing on the up-front-engineering theme of the E4 curriculum and the extensive use of computer methods to equip students with concepts and methods of analysis which are common to all branches of engineering. All courses integrate mathematics, science, and engineering as a central theme. The subject matter builds upon the freshman courses to prepare a common strong foundation in the fundamentals of engineering for all students regardless of major. Faculty from science and engineering collaborate in preparing and presenting these courses. This interdisciplinary communication, frequently lacking in the traditional program, is an important feature of the E4 program. Student performance in these and upper-division courses indicates that the educational objectives are being achieved. Surveys of student opinions show a high degree of interest in the subject matter and satisfaction with the methodologies adopted.
ComboTree: A Persistent Indexing Structure with Universal Operational Efficiency and Scalability

To leverage the larger-than-DRAM capacity and close-to-DRAM performance of persistent memory (PM) to build future memory systems, more scalable and efficient indexing structures are of paramount importance. However, as we evaluate existing PM indexing structures, we find that (1) both ordered and unordered indexing structures cannot support efficiently all KV operation types, i.e., Put, Get, Delete and Scan, and (2) the majority of indexes scale poorly as the PM capacity and dataset increases, i.e., the decreasing throughput of ordered indexes with the growth of dataset and the blocking of foreground requests by costly hash resizing of unordered indexes. To provide better operational efficiency on both point accesses and range queries for persistent memory in the ever-increasing volume of data, this paper proposes ComboTree, a three-tiered indexing structure with a sorted key space. In ComboTree, we break the global B+Tree into multiple low height B+Trees (Tier C) and arrange them with a sorted array (Tier B). Further, we accelerate the lookup of the sorted array by cumulative distribution function (Tier A). Last but not least, a background resizing policy is proposed to avoid performance degradation when the capacity of the ComboTree grows. We implement and evaluate ComboTree on Intels Optane DCPMM. Test results show that ComboTree delivers 2.1 - 3.6 put throughput and 1.5 - 2.1 get throughput of the state-of-art sorted indexes. Furthermore, ComboTree is 1.27 faster than the efficient B+Tree variant in various scan granularities, and it is open-sourced.
Networked Control System Based on RBF Neural Network

In the networked control system, the control interference, measurement noise and time delay make traditional digital PID algorithm not reach stable state. On the basis of simple digital PID algorithm, Kalman filter is first introduced, the effect of the interference and noise is decreased, and stability is improved. Then RBF (Radial Basis Function) neural network is used, Jacobian array is computed, the three parameters of PID algorithm are adjusted. Furthermore, the resistance integral saturation is used to limit the size of control quantity. Finally the simulation research on a DC (Direct Current) motor is done, and the simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm when time delay, noise and interference are all large.
Phish: A Novel Hyper-Optimizable Activation Function

Deep-learning models estimate values using backpropagation. The activation function within hidden layers is a critical component to minimizing loss in deep neural-networks. Rectified Linear (ReLU) has been the dominant activation function for the past decade. Swish and Mish are newer activation functions that have shown to yield better results than ReLU given specific circumstances. Phish is a novel activation function proposed here. It is a composite function defined as f(x) = xTanH(GELU(x)), where no discontinuities are apparent in the differentiated graph on the domain observed. Four generalized networks were constructed using Phish, Swish, Sigmoid, and TanH. SoftMax was the output function. Using images from MNIST and CIFAR-10 databanks, these networks were trained to minimize sparse categorical crossentropy. A large scale cross-validation was simulated using stochastic Markov chains to account for the law of large numbers for the probability values. Statistical tests support the research hypothesis stating Phish could outperform other activation functions in classification. Future experiments would involve testing Phish in unsupervised learning algorithms and comparing it to more activation functions.
Design of Sound Bird-Scared Device Based on MP3

Agricultural bird damage problem has been a hot issue trouble all the time, how to not only protect the birds but also put the economic-threat to birds under economic threshold at the same time has become the focus to the current research. The system on the basis of Intelligent Voice--driving Bird Dispeller, puts forward the STC89C58RC/RD and single-chip microcomputer as the core, including SMS module, photosensitive module, AD convert module and MP3 audio module which is composing of a portable intelligent voice anti-Bird Device. The system detects the outside light intensity by the photosensitive module, and the GSM module receives the remote control signal which is from the GSM mobile phone, the MP3 module will be controlled by the power relay, the MP3 module receives the command, then PLAY/STOP the voice on U disk, which can achieve the driving field vermin. It is proved that the system is not only easy to operate, saving costs, but also make a profound difference to drive birds with good results by the field experiment. Meanwhile, as long as changing the sound file, the device can be applied to drive rats, drive wolves and other occasions.
GridIQ - A Test Bed for Smart Grid Agents

The power industry is facing new challenges due to escalating demand and environmental issues such as climate change. The application of information technology to power systems to create intelligent electricity networks, labelled smart grids, has been proposed as a means to address these issues. Agent-based systems have been identified as a suitable paradigm for developing software for smart grids. Tools used by researchers and practitioners developing smart grid systems include agent platforms and power system simulations tools, yet no open source tool currently exists which enables these tools to inter-operate. This research describes the development of GridIQ, an open source software system which enables agents executing in an agent platform to interact with devices in a power simulation tool during simulation, providing a test bed for smart grid agents. The JADE agent platform and the PSAT power simulation tool were selected as the external tools supported by GridIQ. The architecture and behaviour of the system are presented, as well as the management and development processes adopted. An example scenario is also described which demonstrates the GridIQ system successfully enabling JADE agents to monitor and control devices in a PSAT network during simulation.
A German Adaptation of the Prosociality Scale

Abstract. Introduction: This paper presents a German translation of the 16-item Prosociality Scale. We analyzed its factor structure based on theoretical assumptions regarding the inclusion of empathy as one element of prosociality or as its underlying construct. Methods and Results: We translated the items into German taking into account both the English and the Italian item wordings. The scale's factor structure was analyzed with three models testing (1) unidimensionality, (2) a four-factor structure with four items on each factor, and (3) a variant of a bifactor model with a general factor including all items and three residual factors with four items each. We analyzed construct validity using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Finally, we identified two 13-item versions with good model fit. Conclusion: The German Prosociality Scale is not unidimensional. Empathy seems to be the underlying construct of prosociality, but it can also be considered an element of prosociality.
On the positive temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of a diamond-based heat sink paste

The strongly positive temperature dependence of literature thermal conductivity data for n-decane/diamond pastes is suggested to be largely due to the corresponding strongly positive temperature dependence of the finite interfacial thermal conductance resulting from phonon scattering at the n-decane/diamond interface. It is suggested that increases in the diamond particle size will create corresponding increases in the thermal conductivity, coupled with a decrease in the positive temperature dependence.
International Visitors' Aesthetic Preferences for Hawaiian Printed Fabrics

The diversity of Hawai'i's visitors and unexamined assumptions about their preferences for features of the Islands' distinctive apparel products led to a study of the impact of national culture on visitors' assessments of design elements typical in aloha shirt fabrics. Computer technology was used to manipulate design variables of representative fabrics, and a questionnaire based on these variables was administered to an intercept sample of 231 Hawai'i visitors from Australia, China, Japan, Korea, and the mainland United States. Subjects responded to thirty statements about print characteristics by indicating agreement on 5-point Likert-type scales. Significant differences existed among national groups' preferences for print features, including aesthetic character, motifs, colors, and size of print elements. Marketers of regionally distinctive apparel products are urged to approach visitor markets as heterogeneous national groups. Apparel scholars are encouraged to develop modes of research that accommodate the diversity of consumers' aesthetic responses with the complexity of visual stimuli.
Competence and timing dilemma in construction planning

Who should be assigned the task of planning a construction project and within what time-frame poses serious problems. Choosing between the likely candidates — manager or staff specialist and their respective strengths and weaknesses — is fraught with pitfalls. The awards and penalties linked to long lead-time planning as against short-term planning befog the decision process. Many companies are vexed by the dilemmas resulting from any solution to the ‘who’ and ‘when’ questions but by sidestepping or overlooking them they invite deficiencies with dire consequences. After an analysis of these issues the article proposes a new approach for the design of the construction planning process.
The relationship between brand experience and word-of-mouth in the TV-series sector: The moderating effect of culture and gender

ABSTRACT Omni-channel management is an increasingly popular strategy that involves creating multiple forms of contact between brands and customers to maximise interaction and thereby generate global brand experiences, which can constitute a competitive advantage. The television-series sector is no exception to this phenomenon. The aim of the present research is to examine the effect of television-drama-series brand experience on the generation of word-of-mouth communication among viewers. The study analyses the moderating effect of viewers’ gender and culture – specifically, the individualism/collectivism variable proposed by Geert Hofstede, – in the context of series with high vs. low levels of sexual and violent content. The results indicate that these variables exert a moderating effect on the relationship between brand experience and word-of-mouth only in the case of TV drama series with a low level of such content. Women and culturally-individualistic audiences will be more prone to the experience-based generation of word-of-mouth for this type of television series.
Polarization‐insensitive polymer waveguide Bragg gratings

We report the design and fabrication of Bragg gratings in benzocyclobutene (BCB) channel waveguides with emphasis on the demonstration of their polarization dependence. The effects of the stress‐induced birefringence in the waveguide on the polarization dependence of the Bragg gratings are characterized and discussed. Our results show the possibility of realizing tunable polarization‐insensitive Bragg‐grating filters with simple polymer waveguide structures. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 334–338, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21342
Iterative learning control of the electrical discharge machining process

This paper presents a new method for the control of the gap distance between the electrode and the work-piece in electrical discharge machines. The method exploits the cyclic behaviour of electrical discharge machining and makes use of an iterative learning control approach with an additional adaptation of the initial point of iteration. The result is a gap behaviour less sensitive with respect to the typical strong stochastic noise, which affects the electrical discharge machining process.
Limitations and Challenges in the Stability of Cysteamine Eye Drop Compounded Formulations

Accumulation of cystine crystals in the cornea of patients suffering from cystinosis is considered pathognomonic and can lead to severe ocular complications. Cysteamine eye drop compounded formulations, commonly prepared by hospital pharmacy services, are meant to diminish the build-up of corneal cystine crystals. The objective of this work was to analyze whether the shelf life proposed for six formulations prepared following different protocols used in hospital pharmacies is adequate to guarantee the quality and efficacy of cysteamine eye drops. The long-term and in-use stabilities of these preparations were studied using different parameters: content of cysteamine and its main degradation product cystamine; appearance, color and odor; pH and viscosity; and microbiological analysis. The results obtained show that degradation of cysteamine was between 20% and 50% after one month of storage in the long-term stability study and between 35% and 60% in the in-use study. These data confirm that cysteamine is a very unstable molecule in aqueous solution, the presence of oxygen being the main degradation factor. Saturation with nitrogen gas of the solutions offers a means of reducing cysteamine degradation. Overall, all the formulae studied presented high instability at the end of their shelf life, suggesting that their clinical efficacy might be dramatically compromised.
Power System Voltage Stability Assessment Using Enhanced Power Flow Models

This paper presents an enhanced method for power system voltage stability assessment. Key features of this method are the inclusion of the characteristics of key dynamic devices and an efficient method to solve the associated algebraic and differential equation sets in steady-state conditions. It offers an accurate representation of equipment operating characteristics for voltage stability margin calculation. The importance of the proposed modeling approach is demonstrated with simulation results.
Placental transcriptome sequencing combined with bioinformatics predicts potential genes and circular RNAs associated with hemoglobin Bart's hydrops fetalis syndrome

Hemoglobin Bart's hydrops fetalis syndrome (BHFS) is the most severe form of α‐thalassemia. Histological alternations can be observed in placenta, but placental transcriptome profile and circular RNAs have not been studied in this disease. The aim of this study was to define the placental transcriptional changes and find relevant circular RNAs in BHFS.
SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant: ACE2 Binding, Cryo-EM Structure of Spike Protein-ACE2 Complex and Antibody Evasion

The newly reported Omicron variant is poised to replace Delta as the most rapidly spread SARS-CoV-2 variant across the world. Cryo-EM structural analysis of the Omicron variant spike protein in complex with human ACE2 reveals new salt bridges and hydrogen bonds formed by mutated residues R493, S496 and R498 in the RBD with ACE2. These interactions appear to compensate for other Omicron mutations such as K417N known to reduce ACE2 binding affinity, explaining our finding of similar biochemical ACE2 binding affinities for Delta and Omicron variants. Neutralization assays show that pseudoviruses displaying the Omicron spike protein exhibit increased antibody evasion, with greater evasion observed in sera obtained from unvaccinated convalescent patients as compared to doubly vaccinated individuals (8-vs 3-fold). The retention of strong interactions at the ACE2 interface and the increase in antibody evasion are molecular factors that likely contribute to the increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant.
Experimental and Numerical Investigation of a Combustor Model

Fluid flow behaviour is studied both experimentally and numerically in a combustor model which is recently designed at Siemens Turbomachinery AB at Finspong. The model consists of a full size combustor sector that is surrounded by two half size combustor sectors. The half size sectors provide the pressure drop equal to a full scale combustor sector to guarantee the correct air mass flow distribution through the system. Measurements are performed at atmospheric condition and therefore the boundary conditions are scaled based on the Mach number. This means that the Mach number in different parts of the combustor under the test condition is equal to the Mach number of the flow at full load condition. Pitot tubes and pressure taps are employed to measure the dynamic and static pressures at different cross sections of the model. From the measured pressure, the velocity is calculated. The pressure distributions along the diffusers are compared and the pressure recovery factor is calculated for different cases. The computations are performed using RANS (SST k-ω model) and LES (Smagorinsky sub-grid scale model) methods. The computed and measured results show similar trends although there are rather large discrepancies between the results.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Using outage data to improve reliability

This paper illustrates how an electric utility can use a sophisticated outage management system (OMS) to improve power system performance by: establishing accurate failure rates and outage times; identifying specific areas that contribute to poor system reliability indexes; using actual data to improve the accuracy of predictive reliability studies; and establishing system performance without the use of costly monitoring systems.
Cervical Cancer Image Classification Using CNN Transfer Learning

Cervical cancer is a major global public health problem, Indonesia is among top 3 countries in the world with the highest number of cervical cancer incidents. An early diagnosis for cervical cancer is one of the key approaches to prolong patient’s life expectancy. The Papanicolaou (Pap smear) test is a cervical cancer screening test that has been widely utilized. Pap smear test is a tedious, labour-intensive, and time-consuming task, which leads to high inter operator’s variability. A computer-based classification algorithm to assist the task has been proposed. In this paper we focus on the approaches using Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to handle the classification task. Moreover, our proposal employs a parameter efficient model. Thus, the computational cost is greatly reduced. We use a transfer learning method for model adaptation. We trained the pre-trained SqueezeNet architecture with the three class of pap smear images dataset in caffe. The fine-tuning process was started with the initialization of the model’s features to the object’s broader spectrum. Then, the last layer output number was changed to fit the number of labels for cervical cancer class.