Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrated Magnetic Components for RF Applications

Sheena Hussaini. Ph.D., Engineering Ph.D. Program, Wright State University, 2015. Integrated Magnetic Components for RF Applications. Integrated r-f passive components such as inductors, transmission lines, transformers etc, form the basic building blocks in r-f integrated circuits (RFICs) such as matching networks, low noise amplifiers (LNAs), synthesizers and r-f mixers. One main challenge faced by current technology developers in integrating r-f components on integrated chip (IC) are related to operation and size. Tremendous efforts were made for overcoming challenges of r-f integrated circuits to meet growing technology demands. In general, r-f devices utilize magnetic materials such as ferrites for their operation for improving device performance and scaling. However, due to material properties and size ferrite materials are poor choices when attempting to scale r-f components. The main focus of this work has been to explore new material properties and investigate applications of ferromagnetic (FM) films as potential solution for device scaling. One attractive property of ferromagnetic materials is low processing temperature and high magnetic saturation which eliminates the need for continuous application of magnetic (d-c) field and are compatible with CMOS technology. The disadvantage of ferromagnetic films is high conductivity which induces ohmic losses and affects r-f device performance. In this work a novel concept of low-loss conductor has been introduced whose conductivity can be modeled by utilizing multilayered superlattice structure. The low-loss conductor is made of artificial layered metamaterial (ARLYM) consisting Ni80Fe20/Cu superlattice. By modeling thickness ratio between superlattice layers the skin effect has been suppressed by increasing skin depth at r-f frequencies. The experimental results presented in this work indicates significant improvement in r-f
Pharmacological Treatment of Pain and Agitation in Severe Dementia and Responsiveness to Change of the Italian Mobilization–Observation–Behavior–Intensity–Dementia (I-MOBID2) Pain Scale: Study Protocol

Up to 80% of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients in nursing homes experiences chronic pain and 97% develops fluctuant neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS). Agitation, associated with unrelieved pain, is managed through antipsychotics and may increase the risk of death. Evidence is accumulating in favor of analgesia for a safer, effective therapy of agitation. The Italian version of Mobilization–Observation–Behavior–Intensity–Dementia, I-MOBID2, recently validated in the Italian setting, shows: good scale content validity index (0.89), high construct validity (Spearman rank-order correlation Rho = 0.748), reliable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α coefficient = 0.751), good-excellent inter-rater (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC = 0.778) and test-retest (ICC = 0.902) reliability, and good inter-rater and test-retest agreement (Cohen’s K = 0.744) with 5.8 min completion time. This study intends to identify the responsiveness of the I-MOBID2 based on COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) recommendations, assessing the a priori hypotheses of (1) the efficacy of painkillers administered to severe AD patients after proper pain assessment and (2) the effect of reduction of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) score and of agitation rescue medications. This protocol is approved by Calabria Region Ethics Committee protocol No. 31/2017 and follows the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guidelines.
Detecting Differences in Gait Initiation between Older Adult Fallers and Non-Fallers Through Time-Series Principal Component Analysis (PCA)

Gait initiation (GI) is an important locomotor transition task that includes anticipatory postural adjustments and the joint propulsion necessary for the first step of walking. Metrics associated with this task are known to change across the lifespan and may provide valuable information for fall risk indication, as falls often occur during transitional tasks. Assessments of discrete variables between fallers and non-fallers at GI have provided insight into differences between groups. However, more complex approaches such as time-series principal component analysis (PCA) may allow the examination of changes in magnitude, pattern, and timing not detectable using discrete comparisons alone. Therefore, this thesis aims to characterize differences between fallers and non-fallers by examining the kinematics and kinetics of gait initiation using time-series PCA. A sample of 56 community-dwelling older adults was recruited for this study and completed five walking trials where GI was measured by two force platforms. PCA of centre of pressure kinematics and kinetics time-series data were used to identify the critical features of the signal, and multivariate analysis of covariance was used to compare the individual loading scores of each principal component for each phase between groups. It was revealed that fallers demonstrated differences in the range of mediolateral movement during weight transfer and forward progression, a greater range of anteroposterior movement in forward progression, and a more gradual rise in vertical forces in the first step, associated with a shorter first step length. These findings point to a tendency for fallers to prioritize stability over forward progression performance, and differences in postural control strategies, compared to non-fallers. Further, the use of time-series PCA helped to highlight differences not detectable using discrete analysis alone.
Tracking Environmental Change Using Low-Cost Instruments during the Winter-Spring Transition Season

Abstract The winter-spring shoulder season, or vernal window, is a key period for ecosystem carbon, water, and energy cycling. Sometimes referred to as mud season, in temperate forests, this transitional season opens with the melting of snowpack in seasonally snow-covered forests and closes when the canopy fills out. Sunlight pours onto the forest floor, soils thaw and warm, and there is an uptick in soil respiration. Scientists hypothesize that this window of ecological opportunity will lengthen in the future; these changes could have implications across all levels of the ecosystem, including the availability of food and water in human systems. Yet, there remains a dearth of observations that track both winter and spring indicators at the same location. Here, we present an inquiry-based, low-cost approach for elementary to high school classrooms to track environmental changes in the winter-spring shoulder season. Engagement in hypothesis generation and the use of claim, evidence, and reasoning practices are coupled with field measurement protocols, which provides teachers and students an authentic research experience that allows for a place-based understanding of local ecosystems and their connection to climate change.
EXPERIENCE THE EFFICIENCY OF NEW FORCE MOLTING PROGRAMS IN LAYER HENS USING SOME PRODUCTIVE INDICATORS

This experiment was conducted at Al-Amer Poultry Company (Private Sector) in Babil Governorate for the period 6/14/2020 - 10/14/2020 in order to test new, efficient molting methods that are compatible with animal welfare. Four hundred and eighty Lohman red laying hens, 85 weeks old, were randomly divided into five treatment groups, each treatment 6 replicates.The experimental treatments included: the first treatment (T1), the second treatment (T2), the third treatment (T3), the fourth treatment (T4) and the fifth treatment (T5) which means a control treatment without molting process, the California method, a new method, adding 20 gm/kg feed Nano zinc oxide and 25 gm zinc oxide/kg feed, respectively. The results showed a cessation of egg production and a loss of about 25-26% of the chicken's body weight, as well as a significant decrease in the weights of the liver, pancreas, ovary and oviduct at the end of the molting process in all molting treatments. Egg production increased significantly in the period of egg production post molting (13 weeks) in all molting treatments compared to the control treatment. It is concluded that the new method and the two methods of adding zinc oxide and nano zinc oxide to the feed are effective and merciful as it does not deprive the birds of eating the feed compared to the traditional California method.
Evaluating the impact of future memory technologies in the design of multicore processors

"It’s the Memory, Stupid! " In 1996, Richard Sites, one of the fathers of Computer Architecture and lead designer of the DEC alpha, wrote a paper [36] with the title above. In that paper he realized that the only important design issue for microprocessors in the next decade would be the memory subsystems design. After more than a decade later, the community of researchers started to digest and internalize this quote. Now, after more than two decades, it can be said that a lot of progress has been done since 1996 but the expectations of the enormous data sets that software is going to handle in the followings years tells that more aggressive designs are needed. Another reason new memory technologies are needed is because of the multicore architecture which has increased the required memory bandwidth. This architecture completely extended across the main computer sectors was the result of continuing the Moore’s law in exchange of adding more difficulties for software and hardware developers. All of this has promoted this project. First, it has been decided to create a bridge of the state of the art DRAM simulator Ramulator [30] with the micro-architecture simulator TaskSim [34]. Once the bridge has been completed, the second goal of this project has been to make an evaluation of the impact of the current and future memory technologies in multicore architectures. As a first approach, this new infrastructure has been used to evaluate the behavior of several parallel applications concluding that the execution time of the applications varies significantly across different memory technologies which even increase the differences while simulating different processors. The doubtless winner among all the memory technologies evaluated has been HBM which in some cases has achieved the best expected memory cycle response time.
Morphological Characterization and Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of Kudoa iwatai from Large Yellow Croaker (Larimichthys crocea) as a New Host in China

Simple Summary Larimichthys crocea is the most important economic marine cultured fish in China. Kudoa parasites are critical pathogens that infect a wide range of marine and freshwater fish. Compared to the hundred marine Kudoa species recognized in wild and cultured fish worldwide, records of Kudoa are relatively few in China. In this report, large yellow croakers were found to be infected with Kudoa for the first time in China. Morphological observations and molecular techniques were combined for the final identification of Kudoa iwatai. Additionally, the morphological characterization and phylogenetic status of Kudoa iwatai have been described in detail. This study enriches knowledge about Kudoa iwatai and provides a direction for early disease prevention and monitoring of large yellow croakers. Abstract Kudoa (Myxosporea: Multivalvulida) parasites are critical pathogens in marine and freshwater fish associated with significant economic losses and reduced market prices caused by post-mortem myoliquefaction or numerous cysts on muscles. In the present study, large yellow croakers infected by Kudoa were found during fish disease surveillance in China in November 2020 and used for morphological observation and characterization using light DIC microscopy and electron microscopy. Numerous creamy-white oval plasmodia were observed in muscles and on the surface of brain cartilage, gill arches, and serosal surfaces. The spores were considerably longer and thicker than previously reported Kudoa, with protruding polar filaments (PFs) in the mature spores, fingertip-shaped apical projections (APs), and polar capsules. Phylogenetic analyses with SSU rDNA, LSU rDNA, and mitochondrial DNA showed that the Kudoa-infected sample (LcK-2020) had the highest similarity to Kudoa iwatai reported in Japan. Based on the morphological characterization and phylogenetic analysis, it could be concluded that the sample LcK-2020 was infected by Kudoa iwatai, which would be the first report of Kudoa iwatai infection in large yellow croaker in China.
The Influence of Daily Living Skill Profiles in Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorder on Early Intervention Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Educational Placement

Research on early intervention (EI) teachers’ perceptions toward the educational placement of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been limited. This study examined the influence of daily living skills (DLS) profiles on EI teachers’ perception of educational placement in preschool students with ASD using vignettes featuring students with varying DLS profiles but with average academic abilities and motor skills. It also examined the influence of a child’s age on teachers’ perceptions and the teacher-related factors influencing these perceptions. Sample consisted of 118 participants (mean age = 31.9 years, SD = 8.48) randomly assigned to one of three conditions, where they were told that the students in the vignettes needed (1) full assistance, or (2) partial assistance, or (3) no assistance in DLS. They then rated whether the students would be suitable for entry into a mainstream primary school. Results indicated that teachers perceived children needing full or partial assistance in DLS to be less suitable for mainstream education. The child’s age also influenced the teachers’ perceptions. No association between teacher-related factors and teachers’ perception was found. Importance of DLS in EI was implied.
Utilizing the Enhanced Risk Assessment Equation to Determine the Apparent Risk due to User Datagram Protocol (UDP) Flooding Attack

Escalation of Internet-of-Thing (IoT) may cause internet users being exposed to IPv6 security issues. End-to-end connection feature in IPv6 can be misused by attackers to flood targeted host. Using User Datagram Protocol (UDP), attackers can certainly congest the network by injecting UDP packets during network communication. This will introduce risk if there is no precaution step taken. Enhanced risk assessment equation can be adopted to mitigate the perils. Thus, this paper presents the use of enhanced risk assessment equation to identify risk value that is caused by UDP flooding attack. The attack was simulated using OMNeT++ simulation software. The inputs that were considered in the enhanced equation are based on the features of the tested network scenarios. The obtained risk value can be used in determining appropriate mitigation techniques that help the organization in maintaining and strengthening their network. It also offers organization to secure their network resources and assets. Furthermore, this paper also reveals that the enhanced risk assessment equation is flexible to be used in any situation. Hereafter, more IPv6 based protocols will be tested to measure the capability of using the enhanced equation.
Exploiting cooperative diversity with non-orthogonal multiple access over slow fading channel

ABSTRACT Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has attracted a significant attention to the research community as a potential candidate for 5G or future radio access. This article presents a NOMA-based cooperative network where a transmitter considered as a base station communicates simultaneously with two users treating as a far user and a near user via the help of a half-duplex decode-and-forward relay. We investigate the outage probability and the outage capacity of the proposed network over independent Rayleigh slow fading channels. Closed-form expressions of the outage probabilities are derived for both users. Approximate outage capacity of the users are also investigated at high signal to noise ratio regime. It has been shown that the proposed cooperative NOMA can achieve superior performance compared to the non-cooperative NOMA in terms of outage probability. The tightness between the simulation and theoretical results confirms the efficiency of the proposed protocol.
Are the Interactions between Oaks and Pre-Dispersal Seed Predators Retained in Urban Environments? An Analysis of Two Quercus Species in Southern Mexico City

As urbanization proceeds, natural ecosystems surrounding cities are transformed, but usually some elements persist, notably trees from forest ecosystems. However, it is still unknown the extent to which isolated trees, immersed in an urban matrix, maintain their interactions with insects that feed on their seeds. In this work we analyzed pre-dispersal seed predation by the two main groups of insects, weevils (Coleoptera; Curculionidae) and moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), whose larvae feed on the acorns of two oak species (Quercus rugosa and Q. castanea). We compared these interactions between trees located in a protected forested area and trees isolated in an urban matrix. Our hypothesis was that, since pre-dispersal seed predation depends on insect dispersal, acorns from isolated trees would have lower predation levels than acorns from trees in the forest. A second hypothesis, based on reports that moths exhibit larger dispersal distances than weevils, was that isolated trees would have higher predation levels from moths than from weevils compared to their respective proportions in forest trees. Finally, we expected that moth predation would increase with seed size, as it does in weevils. We collected 1200 acorns of the two oak species (ten trees per species) in a protected oak forest and a nearby highway in southern Mexico City. From the whole sample, 17.3% of the acorns were predated by weevils and 3.8% by moths. The probability of predation was larger in acorns from trees in the forest (0.30) than in those from isolated trees (0.07), which confirmed the first hypothesis; tree species identity did not have a significant effect on the proportion of predated acorns. When only predated acorns were analyzed, predation by weevil larvae was larger than predation by moths in both oak species, although the probability of predation by weevils was higher in the oak species having large acorns (Q. rugosa, 0.93), than in the species with small acorns (Q. castanea, 0.63). Inversely, predation by moths was higher in Q. castanea (0.37) than in Q. rugosa (0.07). Seed predation decreased similarly for weevils and moths in isolated trees, so we failed to find support for our second hypothesis. A positive relationship between seed predation by weevils and seed size was found in Q. rugosa but not in Q. castanea; seed size did not affect predation by moth larvae. Therefore, although isolated trees in the urban matrix harbor smaller populations of pre-dispersal seed predators than forest trees, their interactions with the two main groups of insects feeding on acorns are maintained, which points to their importance for the conservation of urban biodiversity.
Orbits of the Irregular Satellites of Uranus and Neptune

We report on an ephemerides update for the irregular satellites of Uranus and Neptune, including Nereid. Our data set contains ground-based and Voyager 2 position measurements of the satellites. Some of the new observations were reduced with respect to the GAIA star catalog and represent high-quality, modern astrometry. The orbital fits are based on the numerically integrated equations of motion. We summarized results in terms of state vectors, orbital uncertainties, and mean elements. A large number of the irregulars have not been followed up in over a decade, and our study shows that their orbits still contain significant uncertainties.
A parallel algorithm for computing Voronoi diagram of a set of spheres using restricted lower envelope approach and topology matching

We present a parallel algorithm for computing the Voronoi diagram of a set of spheres, S in R 3 . The spheres have varying radii and do not intersect. We compute each Voronoi cell independently using a two-stage iterative procedure, assuming the input spheres are in general position. In the first stage, an initial Voronoi cell for a sphere s i is computed using an iterative lower envelope approach restricted to a subset of spheres L i ⊂ S . This helps to avoid defining the bisectors between all pairs of input spheres and develop a distributed memory parallel algorithm. We use the Delaunay graph of sample points from the input spheres to select the subset L i for computing each Voronoi cell. In the second stage, Voronoi cells obtained from the first stage are matched for updating the subsets. If additional spheres are added to a subset L i , the correctness of the computed vertices is verified with the bisectors of spheres newly added to L i . Results and performance of the algorithm show robustness and speed of the algorithm in handling a large set of spheres.
Study on Preparation of Low Heat High Belite Clinker from Waste Mortar and Its Modification

In order to realize low energy consumption in cement and the recycling of solid waste, the phase composition and structure of waste mortar used to prepare a high belite cement clinker, instead of some other raw materials, have here been investigated, and the belite was activated by doping with SO3. The results show that a good high belite cement clinker can be obtained using waste mortar, limestone, coal gangue, iron powder, or iron correction raw materials combined at 1350 °C for half an hour. The addition of SO3 greatly increased the strength of the clinker in the early phase, and overall, the ratio of calcium to silicon in belite became higher, and more Al2O3 entered the belite; however, the generation of C3S was inhibited somewhat, and the content of C4AF also increased. This study offers guidance for the application of waste mortar and the activation of belite, which offers huge environmental and economic benefits.
Malonyl/Acetyltransferase (MAT) Knockout Decreases Triacylglycerol and Medium-Chain Fatty Acid Contents in Goat Mammary Epithelial Cells

Malonyl/acetyltransferase (MAT) is a crucial functional domain of fatty acid synthase (FASN), which plays a vital role in the de novo synthesis of fatty acids in vivo. Milk fatty acids are secreted by mammary epithelial cells. Mammary epithelial cells are the units of mammary gland development and function, and it is a common model for the study of mammary gland tissue development and lactation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of MAT deletion on the synthesis of triacylglycerol and medium-chain fatty acids. The MAT domain was knocked out by CRISPR/Cas9 in the goat mammary epithelial cells (GMECs), and in MAT knockout GMECs, the mRNA level of FASN was decreased by approximately 91.19% and the protein level decreased by 51.83%. The results showed that MAT deletion downregulated the contents of triacylglycerol and medium-chain fatty acids (p < 0.05) and increased the content of acetyl-Coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) (p < 0.001). Explicit deletion of MAT resulted in significant drop of FASN, which resulted in downregulation of LPL, GPAM, DGAT2, PLIN2, XDH, ATGL, LXRα, and PPARγ genes in GMECs (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, mRNA expression levels of ACC, FASN, DGAT2, SREBP1, and LXRα decreased following treatment with acetyl-CoA (p < 0.05). Our data reveals that FASN plays critical roles in the synthesis of medium-chain fatty acids and triacylglycerol in GMECs.