Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Statistical investigation of a field coupling to random twisted pair using Design of Experiment

In this paper, the theory of non-uniform multiconductors transmission lines (NUMTL) is used to calculate the radiated susceptibility (RS) in a random differential twisted wire pair (TWP) located above a ground plane. To model the random variations in the geometry of the twisted pair, a predictive statistical approach based on the Design of Experiment (DoE) is proposed. Unlike other stochastic methods such as Monte Carlo method, the advantage of DoE is its efficiency in terms of computation and storage resources. Indeed, it allows with limited number of simulations to interpret concretely the relationship between the output (induced current or voltage) and inputs (randomly varying geometric factors) through the response surface model. The robustness of the model is validated by a statistical test based on analysis of variance ANOVA.
A compact eigth-terminal piezotransducer for stress measurements in silicon

Mechanical stress compromise the performance and structural integrity of Integrated Circuits (ICs). Stress-sensing devices are becoming important tools to detect and correct stress related problems, improving the performance and yield of ICs. This works introduces a new Eight Terminals Silicon Piezotransducer (8TSP) fabricated using a commercial CMOS process, designed to measure the stress state on the (100) silicon surface. Each sensor integrates a resistor rosette in a single octagonal plate, and the complete stress state can be estimated by the relation between the resistance change in different directions, since the change of resistivity in silicon can be related to mechanical stress by the piezoresistive effect. In order to characterize the device, a four-point-bending apparatus using a circular substrate was designed to have control of both magnitude and direction of the applied uniaxial stress. The device was attached to a disk and stress was applied in the main crystallographic directions to observe the piezoresistance characteristics and calibrate the sensor. We applied stress in some other directions and the stress behavior fit the predicted by the theory. Those results confirm that the 8TPS can be used to find the stress state over the surface of a silicon chip.
Soluble L‐selectin in the connective tissue diseases

Plasma levels of the leucocyte adhesion molecule L‐selectin were measured by ELISA in 41 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 18 with ankylosing spondylitis, 18 with systemic sclerosis and 27 with vasculitis together with 42 age‐ and sex‐matched controls. Low levels of soluble L‐selectin were found in systemic sclerosis (797 ± 302 ng/ml, P < 0.05) and vasculitis (941 ± 329 ng/ml, P < 0.05) relative to controls (1244 ± 269 ng/ml). The exact reasons for low levels of soluble L‐selectin are unclear, but may reflect reduced shedding from leucocytes and/or strong binding to its cell membrane ligand(s). An approximate inverse relationship between soluble L‐selectin and disease severity may have clinical relevance.
Control Systems on Automata and Grammars

This work is primarily inspired by the observation that supervisory control and regulated rewriting have the same nature. Indeed, both of them model a system using some formalism, and use a certain formalized control structure to restrict the behavior of the system via some designated control mechanism. In this paper, we propose the theory of Control Systems (C Systems), which provides a more generic framework to integrate the automaton and grammar representations of control in supervisory control and regulated rewriting. The C system contains two components: the controlled component and the controlling component. The two components are expressed using the same formalism, e.g., automata or grammars. More specifically, we define three types of control systems based on the automaton or grammar representation, namely Automaton Control Systems (AC Systems), Grammar Control Systems (GC Systems) and Leftmostderivation-based Grammar Control Systems (LGC Systems). We formally study their key theoretical characterizations, such as generative power, equivalence and translation techniques, as well as their connections with supervisory control and regulated rewriting, including the relationships between AC systems and supervisory control, and between GC/LGC systems and regulated rewriting. We also discuss some applications of C systems, and finally propose some open questions.
A Wall-Clutter Rejection Technique Using Two PLLs and a Phase Controller for Wall-Penetrating FMCW Radar

This letter proposes a novel frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar to achieve high wall-clutter rejection with a low-order high-pass filter (HPF). The proposed radar has two phase-locked loops (PLLs) and a phase controller. One transmitter PLL generates a chirp signal for transmitting (TX chirp) signal, the other a local-oscillator (LO) PLL generates a chirp signal for mixing (LO chirp), and the phase controller controls a phase of a reference clock entering the transmitter PLL. When the phase controller advances by a half-period of the reference clock, the PLL tracks and locks onto the advanced reference clock, and the TX chirp signal is advanced by a half-period of the reference clock. If longer advanced time is needed, the above-mentioned process (advance, track, and lock) is repeated after PLL locking. In this manner, long advanced time can be achieved with a fine time-resolution. The use of appropriate advanced time decreases the time gap between a wall-reflection signal and the LO chirp signal, and increases the ratio of target beat-frequency to wall beat-frequency. This enables a low-order HPF to fully attenuate wall-clutter. Moreover, this technique decouples the relationship between the wall’s distance and the HPF’s cut-off frequency. The radar was implemented and measured. The wall was located at 1.5 m and the target was located at 3 m. The measured results show that a second-order HPF attenuates by more than 20 dB for the wall beat-frequency signal, while it does not attenuate the target beat-frequency signal.
Denitrification in the River Estuaries of the Northern Baltic Sea

Abstract Estuaries have been suggested to have an important role in reducing the nitrogen load transported to the sea. We measured denitrification rates in six estuaries of the northern Baltic Sea. Four of them were river mouths in the Bothnian Bay (northern Gulf of Bothnia), and two were estuary bays, one in the Archipelago Sea (southern Gulf of Bothnia) and the other in the Gulf of Finland. Denitrification rates in the four river mouths varied between 330 and 905 μmol N m−2 d−1. The estuary bays at the Archipelago Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia had denitrification rates from 90 μmol N m−2 d−1 to 910 μmol N m−2 d−1 and from 230 μmol N m−2 d−1 to 320 μmol N m−2 d−1, respectively. Denitrification removed 3.6–9.0% of the total nitrogen loading in the river mouths and in the estuary bay in the Gulf of Finland, where the residence times were short. In the estuary bay with a long residence time, in the Archipelago Sea, up to 4.5% of nitrate loading and 19% of nitrogen loading were removed before entering the sea. According to our results, the sediments of the fast-flowing rivers and the estuary areas with short residence times have a limited capacity to reduce the nitrogen load to the Baltic Sea.
Complete Activation of Autophagic Process Attenuates Liver Injury and Improves Survival in Septic Mice

ABSTRACT The accumulation of autophagosomes in the terminal step of the autophagic process has recently emerged as a potentially maladaptive process in the septic heart and lung. However, the role of autophagy in the septic liver has not been ascertained. This study was investigated by first examining the entire sequence of the autophagic process in the liver of septic mice. Second, a novel pharmacotherapeutic approach was utilized to treat sepsis with autophagy enhancer/inhibitor. Sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). C57BL/6 mice received autophagy enhancer carbamazepine (CBZ), autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (inhibition of autophagosomal formation), or chloroquine (impairment of autophagosomal clearance). We found that the whole autophagic process was activated at 4 h after CLP; however, it did not proceed to completion during the 4- to 24-h time period, as indicated by accumulated autophagosomes and decreased autophagic flux. Carbamazepine, which induced complete activation of the autophagic process, improved CLP survival. This protective effect was also associated with decreased cell death, inflammatory responses, and hepatic injury. However, disruption of autophagosomal clearance with chloroquine abolished the above protective effects in CBZ-treated CLP mice. 3-Methyladenine, which resulted in inhibition of the autophagosomal formation, did not show any above beneficial effects in CLP mice. Impaired autophagosome-lysome fusion resulting in incomplete activation of autophagy may contribute to sepsis-induced liver injury. Treatment with CBZ may serve a protective role in the septic liver, possibly through the effect of complete activation of autophagic process.
A Survey on Opportunistic Routing in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Opportunistic Routing (OR) increases the transmission reliability and network throughput. Traditional routing protocols preselects one or more predetermined nodes before transmission starts and uses a predetermined neighbor to forward a packet in each hop. The opportunistic routing overcomes the drawback of unreliable wireless transmission by broadcasting one transmission can be overheard by manifold neighbors. The first cooperation-optimal protocol for Multirate OR (COMO) used to achieve social efficiency and prevent the selfish behavior of the nodes. The novel link-correlation-aware OR improves the performance by exploiting the miscellaneous low correlated forward links. Context aware Adaptive OR (CAOR) uses active suppression mechanism to reduce packet duplication. The Context-aware OR (COR) can provide efficient routing in mobile networks. By using Cooperative Opportunistic Routing in Mobile Ad hoc Networks (CORMAN), the problem of opportunistic data transfer can be tackled. While comparing to all the protocols, COMO is the best as it achieves social efficiency and prevents the selfish behavior of the nodes. Keywords—CAOR, COMO, COR, CORMAN, MANET, Opportunistic Routing, Reliability, Throughput.
A Vehicle Speed Estimation Algorithm Based on Dynamic Time Warping Approach

At present, the research of vehicle speed estimation algorithm based on wireless magnetic sensor networks has made great progress. The general idea of the existing algorithms is to calculate the similarity of two magnetic signatures by Euclidean distance or cross correlation function. However, these methods are not well suitable for the time distorted waveforms. This paper adopts the dynamic time warping (DTW) approach to measure the similarity, and then a speedup version of DTW is proposed. Experimental results are presented from a large number of vehicles to show that the proposed speedup DTW reduces the runtime and improves the accuracy of speed estimation.
How Measuring Glomerular Filtration Rate? Comparison of Reference Methods

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is considered as the best way to assess global renal function (Gaspari et al., 1997; Stevens & Levey, 2009). Even if GFR estimations (based on creatinineor cystatin C-based equations) are most often used (see Table 1)(Cockcroft & Gault, 1976; Levey et al., 1999; Levey et al., 2006; Levey et al., 2009), measuring “true” GFR is still important in clinical practice, especially in particular patients (Delanaye et al., 2011a; Delanaye & Cohen, 2008; Stevens & Levey, 2009). In this chapter, we will review the different markers which can be considered as reference methods to measure GFR. Before moving to clinical trials, we have to recall the physiological characteristics of an ideal GFR marker.
IEEE 802.11s: The WLAN Mesh Standard

The wireless local area network standard IEEE 802.11 is the preferred solution for lowcost data services. Key to its success are the 2.4 and 5 GHz unlicensed bands. The transmit power limitations imposed due to regulatory requirements limit the range (coverage) that can be achieved by WLANs in these bands. However, the demand for "larger" wireless infrastructure is emerging, ranging from office/university campuses to city-wide deployments. To overcome the limitations of singlehop communication, data packets need to traverse over multiple wireless hops, and wireless mesh networks are called for. Since 2004 Task Group S has been developing an amendment to the 802.11 standard to exactly address the aforementioned need for multihop communication. Besides introducing wireless frame forwarding and routing capabilities at the MAC layer, the 802.11s amendment brings new interworking and security. In this article, we provide insights into the latest developments in 802.11s and explain how the overall mesh concept fits into the 802 set of networking standards.
Cryptographic Currencies Crash Course (C4): Tutorial

"Bitcoin is a rare case where practice seems to be ahead of theory. " Joseph Bonneau et al.[15] This tutorial aims to further close the gap between IT security research and the area of cryptographic currencies and block chains. We will describe and refer to Bitcoin as an example throughout the tutorial, as it is the most prominent representative of a such a system. It also is a good reference to discuss the underlying block chain mechanics which are the foundation of various altcoins (e.g. Namecoin) and other derived systems. In this tutorial, the topic of cryptographic currencies is solely addressed from a technical IT security point-of-view. Therefore we do not cover any legal, sociological, financial and economical aspects. The tutorial is designed for participants with a solid IT security background but will not assume any prior knowledge on cryptographic currencies. Thus, we will quickly advance our discussion into core aspects of this field.
Production Systems

This technical note covers the fundamental issues that deal with production systems. This includes providing a definition of a production system, explaining how production systems work, and reviewing a few examples of production systems. The note also provides definitions and examples of efficiency, productivity, and effectiveness. Excerpt UVA-OM-1586 Dec. 7, 2017 What Is Operations Management? In this note, we are going to outline some basic concepts in operations management. This includes defining exactly what operations management is all about, explaining the key components of operations management, and understanding the types of decisions that are typically taken in operations management settings. Operations Management: Definition Operations management is the design, management, and improvement of the systems that create and deliver products and services to customers. Why is operations management important? Operations is a core function in almost every organization, whether manufacturing or service oriented, profit or nonprofit. In addition, operations management provides a systematic way of looking at any organization. The decisions taken by operations managers, or general managers, with respect to operations interact with every other functional area of the organization from finance, to marketing, to strategy.
Comparison of the action of calcium antagonists on basophil histamine release

The inhibitory capacity of calcium antagonists on basophil histamine release was examined in allergic patients and in controls. All dihydropyridines tested (nifedipine, nimodipine, nitrendipine, nicardipine, felodipine) dose‐dependently inhibited anti‐IgE‐ and A23187‐induced release with an order of potency of felodipine > nicardipine > nifedipine = nimodipine = nitrendipine. Only the inhibition induced by felodipine and nicardipine on anti‐IgE‐induced release could be counteracted by increasing extracellular calcium. Diltiazem, not belonging to the dihydropyridines, was a weak inhibitor. A combination of felodipine and verapamil in low concentrations exerted a synergistic inhibitory effect on histamine release, whereas this was not the case with other combinations of antagonists. The results suggest differences in the mode of action of the 1.4‐dihydropyridines. This might be of significance in the search for calcium antagonists suitable in the treatment of allergic diseases.
Design of MEMS cylindrical gyroscope integrated with piezoelectric thin film

In this study, we proposed a new Si-based cylindrical MEMS (microelectromechanical system) gyroscope integrated with piezoelectric thin-film for sensing/driving elements. The cylindrical-resonator based gyroscope has several advantages by using the symmetrical structure; (1) sensitivity can be improved due to high Q-factor by fixing at a vibration node easily. (2) An initial bias signal can be reduced by setting the sensing elements at the vibration nodes. To further improve the sensitivity the proposed gyroscope, we evaluated the efficiency of the thickness ratio between a disk and a cylinder sidewall by using FEM (finite element method) analysis. Also, we numerically confirmed that the sensitivity of the cylindrical gyroscope can be improved by forming the holes on the disk. These simulation results might contribute to design guide for developing a novel MEMS cylindrical gyroscope.
Categorization Constructionist Assessment with Software-Based Affinity Diagramming

Affinity diagramming is a cheap and widely used knowledge elicitation technique in human–computer interaction (HCI). However, empirical methods for evaluating user performance in conducting affinity diagrams have remained relatively static. Despite the fact that often the main value of such affinity diagramming sessions lies in the group-based discussions and debates that take place during their construction, what is being captured is often only the final categorizations (the affinity diagram) rather than the process of constructing them. In this article, we propose the concept of categorization constructionism, which we describe as optimized when affinity diagrams are facilitated in groups that have a considerate input of activity in categorization decision-making. We describe how we used this rule to model the temporal nature found within affinity diagram categorizations as they are constructed. To help us test our approach, we utilized participatory design (PD) sessions in developing three TabletPC-based software tools (CATERINE, SAW, and MATE) that would record, allow manipulation of, and evaluate the organization of affinity constructs over time programmatically with digital inking processes. We then used these tools to conduct an experiment that would explore our concept of measuring constructionistic activity over time in practice through the use of our tools.
Effect of Pretransplant Dialysis Modality and Duration on Long-Term Outcomes of Children Receiving Renal Transplants

Background. Adults receiving preemptive renal transplants have better allograft survival. Our study investigated differences in graft and patient survival based on need for, and duration of, pretransplant dialysis in pediatric renal transplant recipients. Methods. Data on pediatric kidney transplants from January 1995 to December 2000 from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network were included. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to determine the effect of pretransplant dialysis on graft and patient survival. Results. Of 3606 transplants, 28% were preemptive, 38% followed pretransplant hemodialysis (HD), and 34% peritoneal dialysis (PD). The 1-year acute rejection rate was lowest for the preemptive group (36%) compared with the HD (45.5%; P=0.0002) and PD (44.2%; P=0.0008) groups. On multivariable analysis, an increased relative risk of graft failure was seen with, among other variables, deceased donor transplantation and acute rejection within the first year, but not with pretransplant dialysis. When analyzed separately by donor source, pretransplant dialysis had no effect on graft survival for deceased donor graft recipients, whereas for living donor recipients, the use and duration of pretransplant HD adversely affected pediatric renal graft survival in a linear manner. No such effect was seen with pretransplant PD. Conclusions. There is a linear increase in the risk of graft failure with the use of and increasing duration of pretransplant HD for living donor grafts. This indicates another reason to minimize the need for and duration of pretransplant HD in children with chronic kidney disease.
Experimental antitumor activity and pharmacokinetics of the camptothecin analog irinotecan (CPT-11) in mice

Irinotecan (CPT-11) is a semi-synthetic derivative of camptothecin currently in clinical trials. In vitro, CPT-11 presented preferential cytotoxicity toward some solid tumor cells (mouse colon 38 and pancreas 03; human pancreas MIA PaCa-2) as compared to leukemia cells (L1210), whereas SN-38, a metabolite of CPT-11, was not solid tumor selective. In vivo, schedule of administration studies in P388 leukemia and mammary adenocarcinoma 16/C (MA16/C) showed that CPT-11 was not markedly schedule dependent. In order to determine its spectrum of anticancer activity, CPT-11 was evaluated against a variety of mouse and human tumors. The end points used were total log cell kill (Lck) for solid tumors and increase in life span (% ILS) for leukemia. Intravenous CPT-11 was found highly active against both early and advanced stage pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma 03 (P03), with 60% long-term survivors and 100% complete regressions, respectively. Other responsive tumors included: colon adenocarcinomas 38 and 51 (both 1.0 Lck); MA16/C (3.4 Lck); MA13/C (1.0 Lck); human Calc18 breast adenocarcinoma (2.8 Lck); Glasgow osteogenic sarcoma (1.8 Lck); Lewis lung carcinoma (1.4 Lck); B16 melanoma (1.4 Lck); P388 leukemia (170% ILS) and L1210 leukemia (64% ILS). Of interest, CPT-11 was active against tumors with acquired resistance to vincristine (P388/Vcr), to doxorubicin (P388/Dox) and to docetaxel (Calc18/TXT). CPT-11 was also found highly active after oral administration in mice bearing P03 and MA16/C tumors. Pharmacokinetic evaluations performed i.v. at the highest non-toxic dosage in mice bearing P03 tumors revealed CPT-11 peak plasma concentrations (Cmax) of 8.9 μg/ml and a terminal half-life of 0.6 h. The metabolite SN-38 plasma concentrations presented a Cmax of 1.6 μg/ml and a terminal half-life of 7.4 h. Although the CPT-11 tumor levels were similar to the plasma concentrations for early time points, drug levels decreased more slowly in the tumor compared to plasma (half-life, 5.0 h). SN-38 tumor levels reached concentrations in the range of 0.32–0.34 μg/g and decayed with a half-life of 6.9 h. No significant difference in plasma or tumor pharmacokinetics of either CPT-11 or SN-38 were noted after one or five daily i.v. injections. Overall, these data show that CPT-11 has good activity in experimental models, when administered both by the i.v. and the oral routes. Compared to humans, a similar schedule of administration independence was observed and similar CPT-11 levels could be reached at efficacious dosages although metabolite SN-38 levels were found higher in mice.
Polymorphisms in BACE 2 may affect the age of onset Alzheimer ’ s dementia in Down syndrome q

It is known that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) presents at an early age in people with Down syndrome (DS). The trisomy 21 in DS provides an opportunity to study the effect of duplicated genes in AD. APP and BACE2 are 2 genes located in chromosome 21 and related to AD. We looked into our cohort of 67 DS cases with dementia for the effect of BACE2 variants in age of onset of dementia. Of the 83 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 6 were associated with age of onset and another 8 SNPs were borderline associated. Our finding also replicated a previous study showing association of rs2252576 with AD. 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.