Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wireless power transfer for implantable biomedical devices using adjustable magnetic resonance

Supervisory Committee Prof. Nikolai Dechev, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Victoria Supervisor Prof. Kerry R. Delaney, Dept. of Biology, University of Victoria Co-Supervisor Prof. Yang Shi, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Victoria Departmental Member Prof. Jens Bornemann, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Victoria Outside Member Rodents are essential models for research on fundamental neurological processing and for testing of therapeutic manipulations including drug efficacy studies. Telemetry acquisition from rodents is important in biomedical research and requires a long-term powering method. A wireless power transfer (WPT) scheme is desirable to power the telemetric devices for rodents. This dissertation investigates a WPT system to deliver power from a stationary source (primary coil) to a moving telemetric device (secondary coil) via magnetic resonant coupling. The continuously changing orientation of the rodent leads to coupling loss/problems between the primary and secondary coils, presenting a major challenge. We designed a novel secondary circuit employing ferrite rods placed at specific locations and orientations within the coil. The simulation and experimental results show a significant increase of power transfer using our ferrite arrangement, with improved coupling at most orientations. The use of a medium-ferriteangled (4MFA) configuration further improved power transfer. Initially, we designed a piezoelectric-based device to harvest the kinetic energy available from the natural movement of the rodent; however, the harvested power was insufficient to power the telemetric devices for the rodents. After designing our 4MFA device, we designed a novel wireless measurement system (WMS) to collect real-time performance data from the secondary circuit while testing WPT systems. This prevents the measurement errors associated with voltage/current probes or coaxial cables placed directly into the primary magnetic field. The maximum total efficiency of our novel WPT is 14.1% when the orientation of the 4MFA is parallel to the primary electromagnetic field, and a current of 2.0 A (peak-to-peak) is applied to the primary coil. We design a novel controllable WPT system to facilitate the use of multiple secondary circuits (telemetric devices) to operate within a single primary coil. Each telemetric device can tune or detune its resonant frequency independently of the others using its internal control algorithm.
“Abusers are Using COVID to Enhance Abuse”: Domestic Abuse Helpline Workers’ Perspectives on the Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions on those Living with Domestic Abuse

Background: Mobility restrictions enforced by the UK Government in March 2020 as a response to COVID-19 resulted in those vulnerable to domestic abuse being confined in isolation with their abusers, deprived of safe spaces and many of their usual sources of support. Domestic abuse helplines therefore became an increasingly vital avenue for victim support, seeing a substantial increase in service demand during lockdown periods. Purpose: This project examined the nature and frequency of calls received by domestic abuse helplines since the first COVID-19 lockdown period. Design and Sample: Through semi-structured interviews with 11 domestic abuse helpline workers across UK services dedicated to a diverse range of populations. Results: Key themes identified through thematic analysis were: (1) Abusers weaponising government guidelines to justify and intensify abuse, and restrictions acting as both a barrier and facilitator to leaving an abusive relationship; (2) A loss of previously accessed support, with users uncertain about what help was available and issues around engaging with new forms of support; and (3) Isolation from social support networks, with callers reporting a loss of respite, lack of emotional and practical support, removal of third-party abuse monitoring opportunities, and subsequent mental health implications. Conclusions: These findings will act as a crucial guide for policy decision-making regarding support needs emerging from the pandemic and beyond, highlighting the importance of multi-agency partnerships and clear referral pathways to share the increasing financial burden of domestic abuse amongst services. The longer-term integration of more diverse options for remote support to reduce the risk of detection will be paramount as we emerge from the pandemic, but these should serve to offer a wider range of support routes for abuse victims rather than a replacement for face-to-face provision.
Adaptive Robust Control for Pointing Tracking of Marching Turret-Barrel Systems: Coupling, Nonlinearity and Uncertainty

Pointing tracking control of marching turret-barrel system is one of the important topics in exploration of intelligent ground combat platform. This paper focuses on an adaptive robust control scheme for pointing tracking of marching turret-barrel system driven by a motor and an electric cylinder. Three types of possibly fast time-varying but bounded uncertainty are considered: system modeling error, external disturbance and road excitation. The uncertainty bounds are not necessary to be known. First, the pointing tracking system is constructed as a coupled, nonlinear and uncertain dynamical system with two interconnected (horizontal and vertical) subsystems. Second, a tracking error <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$e$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is defined as a gauge of control objective, and then the dynamical equation of the pointing tracking system is built in state-space form. Third, for uncertainty control, a comprehensive uncertainty bound <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\alpha $ </tex-math></inline-formula> is derived to measure the most conservative influence of the uncertainty, and then an adaptive law is proposed to evaluate it in real time. Finally, for pointing tracking control, an adaptive robust control is proposed to render the pointing tracking system to be practically stable; thereout, the objective of pointing tracking is achieved. This work should be among the first ever endeavours to cast all the <italic>coupling</italic>, <italic>nonlinearity</italic> and <italic>bound-unknown uncertainty</italic> into the pointing tracking framework of marching turret-barrel system.
Possibilities for Sociological Research to Reduce Inequalities: Observations from the Immigration Scholarship

This commentary brings immigration research to the conversation on sociology’s possibilities to respond to inequality. It argues that legal status today has become an important dimension of inequality given its enduring impact across most areas of life and effects that extend laterally to all members of a family and across generations. The piece highlights the possibilities for sociologists to contribute to policy discussions but also the limitations of research in policy spaces given the antiscience resistance in the sociopolitical context today.
Maintenance Scheduling of Power Transmission Equipment Considering Equipment Condition and System Risk

Aiming at the perfect maintenance with the lowest system risk based on equipment condition,the scoring system for transmission and substation equipment state evaluation is referenced to establish a least squares model for estimating the equipment failure rate.By analyzing the sensitivity index,the risk increment index is introduced for assessing equipment importance.Taking sequential changes of system operation state and equipment condition into account,a transmission equipment maintenance scheduling model is proposed,which minimizes the total risk in the planning period.The risk increment index and the maintenance scheduling are verified by analyzing the IEEE RTS-79 standard system.
Hetero-core fiber optic LSPR sensor based on TiO2 and Au island films for refractive index measurement

In this paper, we propose a hetero-core optical fiber with a high refractive index material, TiO2, deposited on the inner layer of the Au island films, which is fabricated by sputtering method and annealing. It was confirmed that this structure of TiO2 deposited on the inner of the Au island films strongly excites the absorption peak in the visible light region and detects the refractive index change in the near-infrared region compared to the conventional hetero-core optical fiber sensor using Au island structure.
Neural Network-based Human Motion Smoother

: Recording real life human motion as a skinned mesh animation with an acceptable quality is usually difﬁcult. Even though recent advances in pose estimation have enabled motion capture from off-the-shelf webcams, the low quality makes it infeasible for use in production quality animation. This work proposes to use recent advances in the prediction of human motion through neural networks to augment low quality human motion, in an effort to bridge the gap between cheap recording methods and high quality recording. First, a model, competitive with prior work in short-term human motion prediction, is constructed. Then, the model is trained to clean up motion from two low quality input sources, mimicking a real world scenario of recording human motion through two webcams. Experiments on simulated data show that the model is capable of signiﬁcantly reducing noise, and it opens the way for future work to test the model on annotated data.
LncRNA GAS5 rs145204276 Polymorphism Reduces Renal Cell Carcinoma Susceptibility in Southern Chinese Population

Objective Recent studies have demonstrated that the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) GAS5 is closely associated with the onset and progression of several tumor types, including renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This study sought to evaluate the relationship between two functional GAS5 polymorphisms (rs145204276 and rs55829688) and the risk for RCC in the Han Chinese population. Methods The rs145204276 and rs55829688 polymorphisms in the GAS5 promoter region were genotyped in 624 RCC patients and 655 age/sex-matched healthy participants. The association between these polymorphisms and RCC risk was then evaluated using odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Additionally, quantitative RT-PCR was used to determine whether these polymorphisms were associated with changes in the levels of expression of GAS5 in 58 RCC patients. Results There were significant differences in the GAS5 rs145204276 polymorphism genotype and allele frequencies between the RCC patients and controls (adjusted OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.61- 0.87, P = 1.8×10−3). When the study participants were stratified based on age, sex, BMI index, and smoking and drinking history, we found that the rs145204276 del allele was associated with a reduced risk for RCC in nondrinkers (P = 3.3×10−3), nonsmokers (P = 3.3×10−3), females (P = 3.8×10−3), and those who were less than 60 years old (P = 3.3×10−3). There was also a significant association between the rs145204276 del allele and elevated expression of GAS5 in RCC patients (P = 0.030). Conclusions The results of this study revealed an association between the rs145204276 polymorphism in the GAS5 lncRNA and the risk for the development of RCC, thus representing a potentially viable biomarker for identifying individuals at risk of developing this form of cancer.
MONITORING, MODELING AND DECISION MAKING: MAKING IT WORK

If done properly, the integration of monitoring and modeling for decision making has the potential to increase the effectiveness of most watershed management projects. Several examples from section 319 and other watershed-based projects will be presented documenting failures and success associated with decisions made based on results generated from effective or ineffective integration of monitoring and modeling. Recommendations concerning program and technical aspects for monitoring and modeling to support decision making will also be presented.
Reflow soldering optimization by using adaptive Kriging-HDMR method

Purpose Reflow soldering process is an important step of the Surface Mount Technology (SMT). The purpose of this work is to minimize the maximum warpage of shielding frame by controlling reflow soldering control parameters. Design/methodology/approach Compared with other reflow related design methods, both time and temperate of each extracted time region are considered. Therefore, the number of design variable is increased. To solve the high dimensional problem, a Surrogate Assisted Optimization (SAO) called adaptive Kriging High Dimensional Representation Modal (HDMR) is employed. Findings Therefore, the number of design variable is increased. To solve the high dimensional problem, a Surrogate Assisted Optimization (SAO) called adaptive Kriging High Dimensional Representation Modal (HDMR) is employed. The warpage of shield frame is significantly reduced. Moreover, the correlations of design variables are also disclosed. Originality/value Compared with the original Kriging HDMR, the Expected Improvement (.
Research on an improved roberts algorithms used in welding line identification

An accurate and rapid algorithms to identify the welding line picture with the arc irradiation is the key problem that the intelligent tracking welding-line system for arc welding robot based the arc reflection run successfully or not.The Roberts algorithms is the most efficient to execute code in the all algorithms of edge identification.But it is very sensitive to noise.The traditional Roberts algorithms is effected by the noise seriously under the complexity of welding condition.So we put forward an improved Roberts algorithms which used in our system.The result proved that the improved roberts algorithm in a complex welding conditions,it can be achieved efficient and accurate edge detection and extraction of weld line feature information to improve our system in validity,realtime and environmental adaptability.
Dimensions of Tinnitus-Related Distress

Objectives: (1) To determine which psychosocial aspects predict tinnitus-related distress in a large self-reported dataset of patients with chronic tinnitus, and (2) to identify underlying constructs by means of factor analysis. Methods: A cohort of 1958 patients of the Charité Tinnitus Center, Berlin completed a large questionnaire battery that comprised sociodemographic data, tinnitus-related distress, general psychological stress experience, emotional symptoms, and somatic complaints. To identify a construct of “tinnitus-related distress”, significant predictive items were grouped using factor analysis. Results: For the prediction of tinnitus-related distress (linear regression model with R2 = 0.7), depressive fatigue symptoms (concentration, sleep, rumination, joy decreased), the experience of emotional strain, somatization tendencies (pain experience, doctor contacts), and age appeared to play a role. The factor analysis revealed five factors: “stress”, “pain experience”, “fatigue”, “autonomy”, and low “educational level”. Conclusions: Tinnitus-related distress is predicted by psychological and sociodemographic indices. Relevant factors seem to be depressive exhaustion with somatic expressions such as sleep and concentration problems, somatization, general psychological stress, and reduced activity, in addition to higher age.
Determinants Of Cloud Accounting Adoption Intention: The T.O.E, D.O.I and T.A.M. Models

Objective – Nowadays, Cloud Computing is a necessity and more than a trend for all or-ganizations, given the sensitive nature of financial information. This paper aims to determine the factors that impact the adoption intention of Cloud Accounting.Design/methodology – The approach adopted in this research is a quantitative method. It is based on a research model developed on the basis of three theoretical frameworks (TOE, DOI, and TAM) used to investigate the factors impacting the adoption intention of Cloud Ac-counting solutions by accounting professionals (with a total number of respondents of 96 and composed by chartered accountant, certified public accountant, and accountant). Results – The results of this study show that some variables have an impact on the inten-tion to adopt Cloud Accounting, such as the purpose of usage, motivation, remote reporting, and size of the firm, while other variables have no influence such as professional category and flexibility.Limitation/Suggestion – The major contributions of this work are: (1) The combina-tion of several theoretical frameworks; (2) The application in the field of organizational fi-nance which is very important in terms of business and sensitivity, and finally the highlight-ing of the factors leading to the adoption of Cloud Accounting.
Organizational Competencies and Project Performance Tool (OCPPT©): Evaluating Construction Project Competencies and Performance

Construction projects are completed in a constantly changing environment as a result of merging many interactions, known as project competencies, with varying processes. Many project competencies can be quantified and then used to differentiate superior from average performance. Construction organizations lack a tool that is capable of evaluating project competencies and performance measures, which would allow them to capture and anticipate continuous changes after project execution. In this paper, an overview of previous research regarding organizational competencies and project performance is presented to illustrate the need in the construction domain for a resource with these capabilities. To remedy these limitations, the Organizational Competencies and Project Performance Tool (OCPPT c ©) is presented. The OCPPT c © has a user interface and database to evaluate project competencies and project key performance indicators, which will provide construction organizations with a means to better quantify trends of improvement throughout the life cycle of construction projects.
A semi-active control suspension system for railway vehicles with magnetorheological fluid dampers

ABSTRACT The high-speed train has achieved great progress in the last decades. It is one of the most important modes of transportation between cities. With the rapid development of the high-speed train, its safety issue is paid much more attention than ever before. To improve the stability of the vehicle with high speed, extra dampers (i.e. anti-hunting damper) are used in the traditional bogies with passive suspension system. However, the curving performance of the vehicle is undermined due to the extra lateral force generated by the dampers. The active suspension systems proposed in the last decades attempt to solve the vehicle steering issue. However, the active suspension systems need extra actuators driven by electrical power or hydraulic power. There are some implementation and even safety issues which are not easy to be overcome. In this paper, an innovative semi-active controlled lateral suspension system for railway vehicles is proposed. Four magnetorheological fluid dampers are fixed to the primary suspension system of each bogie. They are controlled by online controllers for enhancing the running stability on the straight track line on the one hand and further improving the curving performance by controlling the damper force on the other hand. Two control strategies are proposed in the light of the pure rolling concept. The effectiveness of the proposed strategies is demonstrated by SIMPACK and Matlab co-simulation for a full railway vehicle with two conventional bogies.
Targeting the DNA Damage Response for Cancer Therapy by Inhibiting the Kinase Wee1

Cancer cells typically heavily rely on the G2/M checkpoint to survive endogenous and exogenous DNA damage, such as genotoxic stress due to genome instability or radiation and chemotherapy. The key regulator of the G2/M checkpoint, the cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), is tightly controlled, including by its phosphorylation state. This posttranslational modification, which is determined by the opposing activities of the phosphatase cdc25 and the kinase Wee1, allows for a more rapid response to cellular stress than via the synthesis or degradation of modulatory interacting proteins, such as p21 or cyclin B. Reducing Wee1 activity results in ectopic activation of CDK1 activity and drives premature entry into mitosis with unrepaired or under-replicated DNA and causing mitotic catastrophe. Here, we review efforts to use small molecule inhibitors of Wee1 for therapeutic purposes, including strategies to combine Wee1 inhibition with genotoxic agents, such as radiation therapy or drugs inducing replication stress, or inhibitors of pathways that show synthetic lethality with Wee1. Furthermore, it become increasingly clear that Wee1 inhibition can also modulate therapeutic immune responses. We will discuss the mechanisms underlying combination treatments identifying both cell intrinsic and systemic anti-tumor activities.
Foaming with scCO2 and Impregnation with Cinnamaldehyde of PLA Nanocomposites for Food Packaging

Microcellular nanocomposite foams functionalized with cinnamaldehyde (Ci) were obtained through two-step supercritical foaming and impregnation processing. PLA nanocomposite foams with different C30B concentrations (1, 2, and 3 wt.%) were obtained by foaming with scCO2 at 25 MPa and 135 °C and impregnated with Ci at 12 MPa and 40 °C. The effect of the C30B content and Ci incorporation on the morphological, structural, thermal, and release properties of the developed foams were investigated. The incorporation of Ci was not influenced by C30B’s addition. The presence of C30B and Ci incorporation reduced the average pore diameter slightly and the crystallinity degree of the foams extensively. Simultaneously, the experimental and theoretical characterization of the Ci release from the PLA nanocomposite foams in EtOH 50% was analyzed. The mechanism of Ci release from the foams was defined as a quasi-Fickian diffusion process that could be successfully described using the Korsmeyer–Peppas model. The active PLA foams presented a higher potential of migration and faster release when compared with that reported in commonly used PLA films, showing that biopolymeric foams could be potentially used as active food packaging to improve the migration of active compounds with low migration potentials in order to improve their biological activity in foods.
IDNetwork: A deep illness‐death network based on multi‐state event history process for disease prognostication

Multi‐state models can capture the different patterns of disease evolution. In particular, the illness‐death model is used to follow disease progression from a healthy state to an intermediate state of the disease and to a death‐related final state. We aim to use those models in order to adapt treatment decisions according to the evolution of the disease. In state‐of‐the art methods, the risks of transition between the states are modeled via (semi‐) Markov processes and transition‐specific Cox proportional hazard (P.H.) models. The Cox P.H. model assumes that each variable makes a linear contribution to the model, but the relationship between covariates and risks can be more complex in clinical situations. To address this challenge, we propose a neural network architecture called illness‐death network (IDNetwork) that relaxes the linear Cox P.H. assumption within an illness‐death process. IDNetwork employs a multi‐task architecture and uses a set of fully connected subnetworks in order to learn the probabilities of transition. Through simulations, we explore different configurations of the architecture and demonstrate the added value of our model. IDNetwork significantly improves the predictive performance compared to state‐of‐the‐art methods on a simulated data set, on two clinical trials for patients with colon cancer and on a real‐world data set in breast cancer.