Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design of an asymmetric gold-coated photonic crystal fiber (PCF) polarization filter based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR)

Abstract To obtain better filtering characteristics and transmission performance, an asymmetric gold-coated photonic crystal fiber (PCF) polarization filter based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was designed and investigated. The surface plasmon mode is generated by coating gold film to the inner walls of two liquid-filled holes along the y polarization direction. Three air holes with different diameters are introduced near the core which break the symmetry of the primary fiber structure and make the resonance wavelengths of the x polarization and y polarization of the core mode well separated. The filtering performances are evaluated with the finite element method (FEM) based software. The numerical simulation shows that the confinement loss of y polarization is as high as 1375.94 dB/cm at 1.55 µm, while the x polarization loss is only 10.45 dB/cm. Furthermore, the crosstalk (CT) has a maximum of 1186.06 dB in the communication bands when the length of the fiber is 1000 µm. In the range from 1.1 µm to 2 µm, the bandwidth of the filter is approximately 900 nm. The asymmetry of the structure and liquid filling of gold-coated holes enhance the coupling strength of the filter. Meanwhile, the higher confinement loss, crosstalk and wider bandwidth may have useful applications for polarization filters with significance for the design of other filters.
Assessing the Operational Risk in the Health Care Sector: A Loss Distribution Approach

Clinical risks include any undesirable situation or factor that can have negative consequences for the patient, the fact that we in the medical field known as adverse effects (AEs). The purpose of this study is to test the application of the binomial Operational Value at Risk (OpVaR) and Loss Distribution Approach (LDA) as a proactive management tool in HC organizations. The analysis in this study highlights the importance of operational risk in outcomes of HC secto; therefore, the utility of OpVaR as estimation approach such loss. Similarly, the study indicates a relationship between the frequency of this loss and the evolution of macroeconomic variables; with respect to the severity reflects a poor significance.
Internal-node waveform probing of MMIC power amplifiers

A novel internal-node waveform probing technique has been demonstrated on a MMIC. The error of the measurement and its perturbance to circuit operation was estimated and verified to be less than 20%. Valuable insight was obtained from the variation of waveforms as a function of frequency, drive and location. <<ETX>>
Trust in the Nonprofit Domain: Towards an Understanding of Public’s Trust in Nonprofit Organizations

Trust in the nonprofit domain has been subject to a large interest both among scholars and practitioners over the past few years. Today, we differentiate between a range of different forms of trust, namely, organizational and sectoral trust as well as more generalized and institutional trust. Another differentiation in nonprofit literature relates to the subject that forms trust towards a nonprofit organization, reflected by the strength of the individual-organizational-relationship. In that, two forms of trust, namely, a narrow form of relational trust and broader trust among the public have evolved. While previous research provides varying conceptual approaches for explaining public’s trust in the nonprofit sector, most scholars, however, approach public trust from a rather narrow relationship management perspective. This chapter conceptualizes and operationalizes public trust from a broader perspective and emphasizes that to get public support to ultimately further their missions, nonprofit organizations should strive for building, maintaining, and restoring public’s trust. This chapter accordingly presents five mechanisms that are associated with public’s trust in nonprofit organizations: 1) promise of mission and values, 2) organizational reputation, 3) transparency and accountability, 4) performance and social impact, and 5) use of contributions. Thereby, recent trends in academic literature are identified—nonprofit branding and nonprofit accountability—that have great ability to address these mechanisms to successfully improve public trust. Results from this chapter provide nonprofit scholars with insights into a broader conceptualization and operationalization of public trust in nonprofit organizations, and with future research ideas. Nonprofit managers may benefit by gaining insights into how to sustainably improve trust among the general public by focusing on nonprofit branding and accountability strategies.
Simulation study and performance evaluation of T-wave alternans detector

Several methods for T-wave alternans (TWA) detection have been proposed so far. Here, a simulation study of T-wave alternans is proposed in order to compare the performance of TWA detectors, as well as to quantify the performance characteristics in terms of sensitivity, positive predictivity and beat-to-beat amplitude estimation accuracy. The FFT-based approach is the most extended TWA detection method, although it does not provide any beat-to-beat amplitude estimation. Complex Demodulation (CD) and Correlation Method (CM) were applied and also two new methods, Capon filtering (CF) (which is a variant of CD) and another approach based on Karhunen-Loeve Transform which also includes CF. In this study, ECG signals are simulated repeating a single beat, and adding noise from 4 different noise sources at different levels. TWA episodes with different amplitudes and waveforms were added to the signals. One can conclude from this study that the CM obtained much lower detection rates than the other methods, especially in sensitivity for low amplitude TWA. The amplitude accuracy in the detected episodes was also found to be the worst with CM. The Alter-based approaches (CD, CF and KLT+Capon) have shown a similar behavior. However, the KLT+Capon method needs a much higher computational complexity. In general, alternans are detected with rates near 100% for SNR greater than 10 dB for physiological noise sources. A new TWA information is introduced: TWA waveform along the ST-T complex that could be related to the alternans source localization inside the heart.
Genetic analysis of ear development and tassel architecture in maize (Zea mays L. ssp. mays)

xii CHAPTER 1: GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 LITERATURE REVIEW 2 Shoot branching: prolificacy and tassel architecture 2 Environmental effects and hormonal regulation 3 Quantitative Trait Loci studies on prolificacy and tassel architecture 4 Candidate genes 5 Genetic designs and population structures for QTL mapping 6 DISSERTATION ORGANIZATION 7 CHAPTER 2: GENETIC ANALYSIS OF PROLIFICACY AND RELATED TRAITS IN A NEAR-ISOGENIC POPULATION OF MAIZE RECOMBINANT INBRED LINES . 10 ABSTRACT 10 INTRODUCTION 11 MATERIALS AND METHODS 13 Plant material 13 Population development and phenotypic evaluation 14 Statistical analyses of phenotypic data 15 Genotypic evaluation 17 Genotypic analysis and genetic map construction 18 QTL detection 19 Assessment of pleiotropy and linkage for QTL 22 RESULTS 23 Phenotypic analysis 23 Genotypic analysis and genetic map construction 24 QTL detection 25 Assessment of pleiotropy and linkage for QTL 27 DISCUSSION 28 REFERENCES 34 APPENDIX 55
Effect of intra-hippocampal lead injection on affective and cognitive disorders in male WISTAR rats: Possible involvement of oxidative stress

This paper is focused on affective and cognitive disorders induced by direct exposure to lead chloride (Pb) and the possible implication of oxidative stress in male WISTAR rats. Using stereotaxic surgery, a group of male wistar rats received an intracerebral injection of 3 μL of lead chloride (1 mg / L) into the right hippocampus or 3 μL of 0.9% Nacl for shame operated controls groups. After 4 days of rest, a series of benchmark neurobehavioral tests were made to evaluate affective and cognitive behaviors, such as open field test (OFT) and Elevated plus maze (EPM) for anxiety like behavior; Forced swim test (FST) for depressive like behavior; finally Y maze (Y-Maze) and Morris maze (MWM) tests for working memory, spatial learning and spatial memory. The data showed that Pb induces anxiogenic and depressogenic effects but does not induce a significant effect in memory. Then by measuring oxidative stress markers using the hippocampal assay of lead-treated rats, it’s appears that Pb can increase nitrogen monoxide, lipid peroxidation and reduces significantly the activity of superoxide dismutase. Therefore, our results showed that Pb is able to induce affective disorders and increase highly oxidative stress but has an insignificant effect on cognitive impairment.
MIMO multiband antenna system combining resonant and nonresonant elements

Multi‐input and multi‐output (MIMO) technology will enable high‐data rates in wireless devices to allow speech and video calls to streaming media and web browsing all over a common platform. MIMO technology needs M antennas both in transmission and reception. Because the space in a wireless device is limited, including M antennas is a challenge. To face such challenge, a MIMO antenna system is proposed, which comprises a multiband monopole antenna (35 × 15 mm2) and two small nonresonant elements, each one operating in a particular frequency region: 824–960 and 1710–2170 MHz. The size of each of the nonresonant elements is only 5 × 5 × 5 mm3. The proposed MIMO system is analyzed in terms of bandwidth, efficiency, correlation, and multiplexing efficiency. MIMO capacity is measured in a reverberation chamber considering a free‐space Rayleigh scenario and also including the effect of a phantom‐head and hand. The results reveal that the proposed MIMO system provides capacity close to the ideal bound, whereas having a small size and able to operate at several 2G, 3G, and 4G (long‐term evolution) standards. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:1076–1084, 2014
Underexposed Vision-Based Sensors’ Image Enhancement for Feature Identification in Close-Range Photogrammetry and Structural Health Monitoring

This paper describes an alternative structural health monitoring (SHM) framework for low-light settings or dark environments using underexposed images from vision-based sensors based on the practical implementation of image enhancement algorithms. The proposed framework was validated by two experimental works monitored by two vision systems under ambient lights without assistance from additional lightings. The first experiment monitored six artificial templates attached to a sliding bar that was displaced by a standard one-inch steel block. The effect of image enhancement in the feature identification and bundle adjustment integrated into the close-range photogrammetry were evaluated. The second validation was from a seismic shake table test of a full-scale three-story building tested at E-Defense in Japan. Overall, this study demonstrated the efficiency and robustness of the proposed image enhancement framework in (i) modifying the original image characteristics so the feature identification algorithm is capable of accurately detecting, locating and registering the existing features on the object; (ii) integrating the identified features into the automatic bundle adjustment in the close-range photogrammetry process; and (iii) assessing the measurement of identified features in static and dynamic SHM, and in structural system identification, with high accuracy.
Theoretical investigation of energy levels and transition for Ce IV

We present extensive energy levels (1110 levels) and transition data for the Pr IV. We also show the effect of such atomic data on opacity for neutron star merger. We performed energy spectra and transition data calculations using the GRASP2018 package, which is based on the multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock and relativistic configuration interaction methods. Using the GRASP2018 data, the opacities in the neutron star merger ejecta containing pure Pr are calculated. Energy levels are compared with recommended values from the NIST Atomic Spectra Database and other available works. Furthermore, electric dipole (E1) transition data, line strengths, weighted oscillator strengths, and transition rates are computed between the above levels. We estimate the uncertainties of the computed line strengths giving the accuracy class. The computed line strengths are also compared with other theoretical computations. We proposed few ways to estimate the uncertainties of the line strengths of the E1 transitions. Our calculation for opacity for a typical condition of neutron star merger ejecta at t ∼ 1 day shows that the Planck mean opacity of Pr3 + reaches $\sim 1\, \rm cm^{2}\, g^{-1}$ at T ∼ 15000 K. The opacity is higher than that by the previous studies, thanks to the higher completeness of the atomic data. We also highlight the importance of accurate atomic data for the opacity by comparing it with the opacity using the atomic calculation from HULLAC. Moreover, we identify the important configurations, especially for the transitions between the high-lying levels for the opacity of 3+ ionized lanthanides.
Evaluation of value stream mapping in manufacturing system redesign

The value stream mapping (VSM) technique, developed within the lean production paradigm, was presented as an innovative graphic technique to help practitioners redesign production systems. This paper presents the results of a project whose main purpose is to evaluate the real applicability of VSM to redesign disconnected flow lines based on manufacturing environments with a diversity of logistical problems. The research was developed using multiple case study methodology in six industrial companies. The experiences have served to highlight the following results: (1) the validity of VSM as a redesign tool is confirmed; (2) resources required for the application process are established; and (3) the differences between theoretical concepts proposed by VSM and their real-world practical applications are indicated and analyzed. These results have led to conclusions relating to: (1) communication solutions for practitioners to obtain maximum efficiency when using VSM; and (2) definitions of theoretical development points for VSM to become a reference among redesign techniques.
GaInAs junction FET fully dry etched by metal organic reactive ion etching technique

The metal organic reactive ion etching technique, which uses a mixture of methane, hydrogen and argon, has been applied for the first time to the fabrication of a device. This etching technique is used to define the gate of a GaInAs junction FET. Results shows that it permits good control of etching depth with low surface damage.
A combined snowmelt and rainfall runoff model

An outline description is given of the University of British Columbia (U.B.C.) watershed and flow models, which are a set of computer programs for the calculation of hydrologic behaviour of watershed and river systems. The U.B.C. watershed model calculates snowmelt and rain runoff from meteorological data for mountainous watersheds. The model can be operated continuously for any number of years without reinitialization. The watershed model can be interfaced with the U.B.C. flow model which routes and combines the flows from a complex network of watersheds through downstream channels, lakes, or reservoirs.A revised temperature index for the calculation of snowmelt is presented and illustrated. In addition to using the mean daily air temperature, use is made of the diurnal temperature range to describe additional radiant energy input and the minimum temperature is used to approximate dewpoint and vapour exchange.The enhanced watershed response resulting from high intensity rainfall is examined and it is sho.
Design Comparison of Fractional-Slot IPM Machine Types for an Electric Power Steering Application

This paper deals with the design comparison of interior permanent magnet (IPM) motors with fractional-slot winding configurations for an electric power steering (EPS) application. By making comparisons of these configurations based on cogging torque, torque ripple, average torque, and efficiency, an IPM rotor configuration has been chosen for use as a prototype motor. The Taguchi parameter method coupled with the finite element analysis (FEA) is employed to achieve the desired performance requirements within a reasonable geometry. To assess the rated current and thermal behavior of the motor, the lumped circuit models are conducted.
Nonlinearstateestimationforrigid-bodymotion withlow-passsensors (

In this paper, we consider the state estimation problem for the nonlinear kinematic equations of a rigid body observed under low-pass sensors. The problem is motivated from a walking robot application where inclinometers and gyros are the sensors used. We show that a non-local high gain observer exists for the nonlinear rigid-body kinematic equations and that it under a small angle assumption is possible to use one inclinometer only to estimate two angles. c 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Gender-Specific Behaviour in Obesity Stages I-II: Imbalance of Aminothiol Status and Adipomyokine Profile in Subjects with Different Insulin Resistance Severity

The hyperproduction of oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers, which is paralleled by decreased levels of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mediators, is part of cellular mechanisms that contribute to the disruption of metabolic homeostasis in obesity. Whether gender-specific alterations and gender-restricted associations in these biomarkers underlie the increased cardiometabolic risk in men compared to women is unclear. We enrolled 31 women and 29 men, aged ≥50 and ≤70 years and with body mass index ≥ 30 and <40 kg/m2. We assessed the concentrations of aminothiols (cysteine, homocysteine, and glutathione), expression of oxidant/antioxidant balance, adipomyokines (leptin, adiponectin, myostatin, and interleukin-6), markers of chronic inflammation, and vitamin D, an index of nutritional state, in plasma and serum samples by using HPLC, ELISA, and chemiluminescent immunoassay methods. We measured insulin resistance (IR) by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index. Despite comparable levels of visceral adiposity, IR, and a similar dietary regimen, men showed, with respect to women, higher oxidant concentrations and lower antioxidant levels, which paralleled IR severity. Myostatin levels correlated with prooxidant aminothiols among men only. Gender-specific alterations in aminothiol status and adipomyokine profile and the gender-restricted association between these biomarkers and metabolic derangement are consistent with an increased cardiometabolic risk in men compared to age-matched women with stage I-II obesity. Strict control of redox and inflammatory status, even addressing gender-specific nutritional targets, may be useful to prevent obesity-related metabolic alterations and comorbidities.
Compact wideband and dual‐band antenna with directional patterns

A compact wideband and dual‐band antenna with directional patterns is proposed. The antenna is mainly composed of three substrates, a rectangular radiation patch, a slotted ground, a microstrip feed line, and an L‐shaped feeding structure that consists of a rectangular patch and a cuboid metal. Using the L‐shaped feeding structure, the antenna can operate in a high‐order mode, and a wideband and dual‐band antenna is achieved. The measured impedance bandwidths are 10.0% (12.3–13.6 GHz) for the lower frequency band, and 22.3% (16.7–20.9 GHz) for the higher frequency band. The radiation patterns at two pass‐bands are stable, and the average gains at lower and higher frequency are 7.0 dBi and 5.7 dBi, respectively. The details of the antenna design, the operation mechanism, and the simulated and measured results are presented. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2742–2745, 2015
Novel design of photonic crystal dense wavelength multiplexer based on nonlinear effect

Using a two-dimensional Finite-difference time-domain method (2D FDTD), we present an extensive study of a new type of the wavelength multiplexer system. The self focusing and defocusing of the light beam are considered in this paper. The coupling between different kinds of components integrated in the same chip, in terms of coupling efficiency, is evaluated. Ultra-Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing system (UDWDM) is of increasing demand since it provides large broad spectra that satisfy large number of users world-wide. This system can be used in the high-capacity optical fibre communication systems. The UDWDM plays a central role in optical interconnection required for high-dense integrated systems, in terms of light coupling between various optical chips.
Quantum Feedback and Traveling-wave Parametric Amplification in Superconducting Circuits

Author(s): Macklin, Christopher Stewart | Advisor(s): Siddiqi, Irfan | Abstract: Feedback control in classical systems is an indispensable, ubiquitous tool. The theoretical basis for achieving optimal classical control is well understood, and crucially relies on a very classical assumption: that measurements of the state of a system under control need not perturb that state. In a quantum context this assumption is fundamentally invalid. Although many aspects of the theory of quantum feedback control are relatively well developed, the technological basis for feedback control of a single quantum system has only very recently matured. We demonstrate the experimental realization of a quantum feedback control protocol, perpetually stabilizing the coherent Rabi oscillations of a superconducting qubit. This is the first utilization of quantum feedback control for stabilizing a dynamical process, and the first application of quantum feedback in a solid-state system of any kind. This demonstration comprises the first half of this thesis. The feedback protocol is predicated on the ability to make high-fidelity quantum measurements, which are enabled by quantum-limited Josephson parametric amplifiers (JPAs). The design and realization of the novel Josephson traveling-wave parametric amplifier (JTWPA) comprises the second half of this thesis. The JTWPA achieves order-of-magnitude improvements over state of the art JPAs in bandwidth and signal power handling while providing quantum-limited noise performance, potentially enabling the simultaneous readout of dozens of superconducting qubits and the generation of broadband multi-mode squeezing in the microwave domain.
Spatio-Temporal Consistency in Depth Video Enhancement

In recent years, new active range sensors have been developed for 3D data acquirement, such as time-of-ﬂight cameras. These sensors enable acquiring of range data at video rate and are suited for dynamic environment. Unfortunately, the resolution of the range data is quite limited and the captured data are typically contaminated by noise. In this paper, we propose a novel method for depth video enhancement. Using high resolution color video as guidance reference, we iteratively reﬁne the input depth map based on a newly presented linear ﬁlter model, in terms of both its spatial resolution and depth precision. The linear ﬁlter has a good edge-preserving property and a run-time independent of ﬁlter size, which fulﬁlls both accuracy and speed requirements. For temporally consistent estimate on depth video, we extend the method into temporally neighboring frames. Simple optical ﬂow and patch-based similarity measure are used to obtain accurate depth in an e ﬃ cient manner. Experimental results show that the proposed method greatly improves the quality and boosts the resolution of range data while achieving high computational e ﬃ ciency. We also show that the temporally consistent constraint addresses a ﬂickering problem and improves the accuracy of depth video.