Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pattern-Reconfigurable Dielectric Resonator Antenna With Endfire Beam-Scanning Feature

A novel pattern-reconfigurable dielectric resonator (DR) antenna with endfire beam-scanning feature is proposed in this letter. The proposed antenna consists of a DR, a switchable director with 10 p-i-n diodes, and a differential feeding structure. The differential-fed DR operating in TE01δ mode can provide a primary endfire pattern with wide beam. Based on this, a large-coverage beam-scanning performance can be obtained by introducing a switchable director placed in front of the DR. A prototype is fabricated and measured to verify the proposed design. By switching the p-i-n diodes of the switchable director, the proposed antenna enables a near-continuous beam scanning from −48° to +48° in the azimuth plane with a gain fluctuation of less than 0.5 dB. Besides, the 3 dB scanning coverage is up to 164° (from −82° to +82°), which shows good beam-scanning performance.
Building A Natural Language Query And Control Interface For IoT Platforms

The rapid development and popularity of IoT technology has reshaped the way people interact with the real world. Many researchers have attempted to build natural language interfaces for IoT platforms, but have not produced much progress in parsing natural language commands that contain multiple operations and more complex logical structures. In this paper, we propose IoT-NLI, a natural language query and control interface for popular IoT platforms, which uses hierarchical semantic parsing algorithms and directed edge-tagged graph structures to efficiently parse natural language commands input by users, enabling them to perform multiple operations contained in one complex natural language command. Experiments in three domains, agriculture, industry, and smart home, show that IoT-NLI has excellent performance and reasonable response time. Finally, a IoT-NLI application was developed on the Android platform and integrated with the AliCloud platform. It enables users to query and control devices on Android phones through chat windows similar to instant messaging software.
Computational of Orthogonal Metal Cutting Process Using Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics

In modern years, simulating metal cutting process used in Finite element method (FEM). The cutting force is used to identify the excessive friction of machining interface and worn out tool. Optimization of machining parameters are used to maintain the precision of the component, power consumption minimized and tool wear reduced. The current project presents the simulated Finite Element SPH Model used for predict the cutting force and associate with experimental confirmation while turning the AA2219-TiB2/ZrB2 metal matrix composites (MMC). Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) machining simulation was carried out using a Lagrangian finite element based machining model to predict the cutting force. The turning simulation operation carried out using ANSYS AUTODYN (SPH) software. Machining parameters are cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut. The results predicted from the SPH analysis virtually close to the results attained from the experimental work. Simulation of machining test using SPH model is preferred over actual cutting test because of it reduce cost and time.
Improved Algorithm X for Subarray Partition With Acceleration and Sidelobe Suppression

Subarray is widely used in array antennas to decrease the system complexity, which would also increase the sidelobes during scanning. To solve this problem, subarray partition solutions with larger coverage and lower sidelobes are selected from a series of results generated by search algorithms. However, searching for an appropriate result of a large array is time-consuming. In this study, to search subarray solutions of full coverage with less time, we introduce two pruning processes in Algorithm X. Additionally, a pair of coefficients associated with the sidelobes is adopted for further pruning and reducing the sidelobes. Numerical experiments have been carried out and verified the effectiveness and the performance of the proposed method.
Adaptive Clustered Federated Learning for Clients with Time-Varying Interests

Clustered Federated Learning (FL) addresses heterogeneous objectives from different client groups, by capturing the intrinsic relationship between data distributions of clients. This work aims to minimize the completion time of clustered FL training while guaranteeing convergence, given the following challenges. First, clients’ data distributions are not static since their interests are usually time-varying. Obsolete data may incur training failures, requiring detection of distribution changes at runtime. Second, even with the same distribution, client datasets may have different contributions to model accuracy. Besides, the training data typically arrive at clients dynamically, which brings uncertainties to assessing the quality of client data. Third, the execution environments of clients and networks are often unstable and stochastic, leading to uncertainties in calculating computation and communication time. Given the above challenges, we propose Acct with two innovations: i) change detection: we first model the time-varying interests of clients as piecewise stationary based on practical observations, then apply generalized likelihood ratio detectors to FL for detecting changes in client distributions; ii) client selection: we adopt the multi-armed bandit (MAB) technique to account for the uncertainties in measuring data quality, computation and communication time. Based on the upper confidence bound (UCB) method, we construct a novel “double UCB” policy to adaptively select clients with high data quality and low computation and communication overhead. We rigorously prove the convergence of Acct and sub-linear regret regarding the proposed client selection policy. Finally, we implement Acct using PyTorch and conduct experiments showing that Acct reduces the completion time by almost 18.2% compared with three state-of-the-art FL frameworks.
Screening of Risk Factors for Poor Prognosis in Patients with Refractory Epilepsy Secondary to Encephalomalacia

Objective The study was aimed at screening the independent prognostic risk factors for refractory epilepsy associated with encephalomalacia (REAE). Methods Patients with REAE treated in the First People's Hospital of Linping District from January 2018 to December 2019 were selected. The prognosis was represented by Engel grading. Clinical data of the patients were collected, including age, sex, BMI, lesion sites, number of lesion sites, lesion size, seizure frequency, epilepsy type, and treatment methods. Independent risk factors for poor prognosis were screened by logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the prognostic efficacy of independent risk factors. Results A total of 48 patients were included in this study, including 31 patients (64.58%) in the good prognosis group and 17 patients (35.42%) in the poor prognosis group. The mean age of the poor prognosis group was higher than that of the good prognosis group (P = 0.002). The proportion of patients with multisite lesions in the poor prognosis group was higher than that in the good prognosis group (P = 0.016). The proportion of patients with cerebral malacia lesion diameter ≥ 3 cm in the poor prognosis group was higher than that in the good prognosis group (P = 0.002). The proportion of patients with attack frequency ≥ 2 times/month in the poor prognosis group was higher than in the good prognosis group (P = 0.002). The proportion of patients receiving surgical treatment in the poor prognosis group was lower than that in the good prognosis group (P < 0.001). Age, number of lesion sites, size of encephalomalacia, and seizure frequency were independent risk factors for the prognosis of patients with REAE (OR > 1, P < 0.05). Surgical treatment was an independent protective factor associated with the prognosis of patients with REAE (OR < 1, P < 0.05). The area under the ROC curve of surgical treatment was 0.83 (P = 0.004). The area under the ROC curve of the size of encephalomalacia was 0.72 (P = 0.008). There was a positive correlation between age and size of encephalomalacia and Engel grade (r > 0, P < 0.05). Surgical treatment was negatively correlated with Engel grade (r < 0, P < 0.05). The number of lesion sites and seizure frequency had no significant correlation with Engel (P > 0.05). The proportion of Engel I patients treated with surgery was higher than that treated with drugs (P = 0.001). The ratio of Engel III and IV patients treated with surgery was lower than that treated with medications (P < 0.05). Conclusion Age, number of lesion sites, size of encephalomalacia, and seizure frequency are independent risk factors for the prognosis of patients with REAE. Surgical treatment is an independent prognostic factor for patients with REAE. Surgical treatment can significantly improve patient outcomes.
Proven Practices for Authentic Instruction and Online Delivery in Higher Education

This paper highlights key lessons presented in Authentic Instruction and Online Delivery: Proven Practices in Higher Education, an edited book compiled and produced by faculty members at City University of Seattle (CityU). Emphasizing the value of experience, the book focuses on strategies for real-world, authentic learning; online and hybrid course design and delivery; and topics related to assessment and program revision. With contributions from more than 30 faculty members from varied disciplines, this book includes specific practices proven to help adult students achieve their learning and professional goals.
Source engineering on Oxygen-Inserted Si channel for gate length scaling of low-voltage switch devices

Source engineering for gate length scaling of low-voltage power switch devices was demonstrated by shrinking baseline 5V analog MOSFETs down to 0.25um, leading to 100% increase in drive current compared to baseline devices and hence significantly lower RSP for both NMOS and PMOS switch devices while maintaining good SOA (safe operating area). The key source engineering concepts consist of 1) implementation of shallow junction process of core logic device; 2) halo optimization; and 3) shallow p-body layer for SOA improvement. The use of an OI (oxygen-inserted) Si channel enhances performance via carrier mobility improvement and precise doping profile control.
Study on the Dynamic Characteristics of a SiC-Based Capacitive Micro-Accelerometer in Rarefied Air

In this study, we investigated the viscosity, squeeze-film damping, and a SiC-based capacitive micro-accelerometer in rarefied air. A specific expression for the effective viscosity coefficient of the air was derived, and when the air pressure drops from the standard atmospheric pressure, the viscosity of the air will decrease accordingly. Decreases in the air pressure and the viscosity of the air lead to the change in the squeeze-film air damping in the micro-accelerometer, and both the viscous damping force and the elastic damping force of the air film between the moving electrode plate and the fixed electrode plate will also decrease. The damping coefficient and relative damping ratio of the micro-accelerometer in rarefied air were calculated, which was also confirmed by simulations. The changes of the damping coefficient and the relative damping ratio of the system will directly affect the dynamic characteristics of the micro-accelerometer. When the air pressure in the working environment is below the standard atmospheric pressure, the micro-accelerometer will be in an underdamping state. With the decrease in the air pressure, the working bandwidth of the micro-accelerometer will decrease significantly, and the resonant phenomenon may appear. However, the decrease in the air pressure will not have a notable impact on the response time of the micro-accelerometer. Therefore, this work provides a theoretical basis for the study of the performance characteristics of a SiC-based capacitive accelerometer in rarefied air.
A composite current-constrained control for permanent magnet synchronous motor with time-varying disturbance

The problem of overlarge current protection of permanent magnet synchronous motor based on a single-loop control structure is discussed in this article. Under this structure, the previous limiting method of amplitude of q-axis current used in field-oriented control is unsuitable, which limits q-axis current by restricting the output of reference current. Conventional controllers (e.g. proportional–integral–derivative controller) usually cannot have a nice balance between satisfaction of current constraint and requirement of fast dynamic performance. Overlarge current may cause the damage of hardware. Aiming at this issue, a composite controller is proposed. Different from previous methods of state constraints, the effects of disturbance is taken into account of controller design. First, a finite-time current-constrained feedback control technique based on homogeneous approach is applied in the feedback design. Compared with conventional finite-time control, a punishment mechanism of over-current is added into the gain of controller. Second, a generalized proportional integral observer is adopted to estimate the uncertainties and disturbances. The estimated value is used in the feed-forward compensation design. Compared with the conventional proportional–integral–derivative controller and proportional–derivative + extended state observer controller, the proposed method not only limits q-axis current to a safe range but also shows a nice dynamic performance and a strong anti-disturbance ability. Both simulations and experiments are carried out, and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
Dispatch Reactive Power Sharing Concept for Power Generating Plants in Medium Voltage Distribution Systems

In the recent years, distributed generation modules are penetrating into the low voltage and medium voltage distribution system. In medium voltage systems, however, the more emphasis is on the coordination of voltage control due to the impact to the low voltage systems, and reactive power over distribution transformer due to the impact to high voltage systems. Throughout the paper, the mechanisms of the coordination are described in detail and examples of reactive power dispatch algorithms reveal the potential of reactive power delivery to high voltage system as a consequence of the reactive power sharing between individual generating modules.
Influence of gel thickness on tooth bleaching efficacy

The aim of the study is to evaluate the influence of different thicknesses of bleaching gel on the efficacy of tooth bleaching. Seventy specimens in the form of standardized bovine enamel-dentin blocks were prepared, sequentially polished, and randomly divided into three groups, according to the bleaching agent used: CT (control-no bleaching; n=10) – Artificial saliva; HP (n=30) – 38% Hydrogen Peroxide and CP (n=30) – 10% Carbamide Peroxide. The HP and CP groups were divided into 3 subgroups according to the bleaching gel thickness: A – 0.5mm; B – 1.0mm and C – 2.0mm. The color was measured before and after (24 hours) of the bleaching treatment. Color difference (DE) and translucency (TP) were calculated. ΔE variations were statistically analyzed with two-way ANOVA. Translucency values were analyzed with the Student's T-test (p£0.05). Regarding, the DE and TP values, there were no significant differences between groups (p³0.05) for different thicknesses of bleaching gel. The thickness of the bleaching gel did not influence the effectiveness of bleaching, regardless of the bleaching agent used.
Implementation of Elliptical Curve Cryptography Based Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange Mechanism in Contiki Operating System for Internet of Things

Wireless Sensor Networks have gradually upgraded to Internet of Things (IoT) of embedded devices wherein the constrained devices have been connected directly onto the Internet. This transformation has not only facilitated the expansion in connectivity and accessibility of the sensor network but has also enabled one sensor network to interact with other through Internet. Security of IoT devices has been researched extensively. The challenge to transform the complex cryptographic algorithms into lighter and faster has kept researchers on their toes. Contiki-OS is one of the purest implementations of 6LoWPAN and IEEE 802.15. 4. That makes Contiki-OS lightest and therefore preferred OS for implementation on ultra-low power sensor nodes. Elliptical Cryptography has proved to be the choice of most of the security researchers for constrained devices. However, there is very limited literature available on implementation of Elliptical Cryptography on Contiki-OS. The open-source libraries available for security implementation have not found to be supporting Cooja simulator of Contiki-OS. In this research work we demonstrate improved results in processing the Elliptical Cryptography Based implementation of Diffie-Hellman Key exchange mechanism in Contiki-OS using Cooja simulator. SECP160K1 curve has been implemented and the results in terms of ECDH computational time have been compared with previously published research works. This research demonstrates improved results in Cooja simulator than previous known results on hardware providing a leap ahead in efficiency of implementation.
Effects of light-emitting diodes on protoplast regeneration from gametophytic cells of the commercial kelp Undaria pinnatifida (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae)

Light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) are a lighting source useful for the precise evaluation of light quality effect on biological systems. Despite the importance of light spectra on the regeneration of land plant protoplasts (“naked cells”), this factor has not been tested yet on protoplasts from multicellular algae. This study reports on the effects of pure primary colors (red, blue, and green), dichromatic (red plus blue, RB, 1 : 2) and white LEDs on protoplast regeneration from male and female Undaria pinnatifida gametophytes. We also evaluated the effect of different light spectra on pigment composition (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll c, and fucoxanthine), and the light intensities under the best condition on the regeneration process. In the early stages, blue or RB LEDs increased the percentage of dividing female protoplasts, whereas red, blue, and RB LEDs enhanced that of dividing male protoplasts. In the later stages, RB LEDs showed a positive effect only on the percentage of multiple rhizoid-like protrusions (male gametophyte). They also increased the final area of both regenerated gametophytes. The LEDs did not affect pigment composition in female gametophytes. In male gametophytes, in contrast, they reduced chlorophyll c, while blue, RB, and green LEDs decreased fucoxanthin. Under RB LEDs, the optimal light intensity was 80 μmol photons m-2 s-1 for female gametophytes and 40 to 60 μmol photons m-2 s-1 for male gametophytes. Our results suggest that dichromatic LED illumination (red–blue) improves regeneration of U. pinnatifida gametophyte-isolated protoplasts. Thus, dichromatic LEDs might a suitable light source for enhancing protoplast regeneration in brown seaweeds.
Direction of Arrival Estimation Applied to Antenna Arrays using Convolutional Neural Networks

In this paper, an effort is made to solve the direction of arrival (DoA) estimation problem by constructing a convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture, which estimates the angles of arrival of the incoming source signals received by a uniform linear array (ULA) antenna. The input of the CNN is the sampled correlation matrix of the signals, while the the output is a pool of the highest probabilities of the network’s estimated values. The problem is modeled as a multi-label classification task, meaning that the space of angles is divided into a grid of multiple classes. To model the problem in this way, we assume that we cannot have two or more signals coming from the same angle. This also allows us to further increase the quality of our predictions, meaning that we can set an a priori minimum distance between each given output. In this way we can filter out duplicate outputs and have the desired result.
Morphologically Similar, but Regionally Distinct: Perdiz Arrow Points from Caddo Burial Contexts in the American Southeast

ABSTRACT Generally considered diagnostic of Late Prehistoric Toyah assemblages, Perdiz arrow points are characteristic of the transition from the Late Prehistoric to the Protohistoric. If larger Perdiz arrow points from Caddo burials are conceived of as products of trade and/or exchange with Toyah groups, then those with longer blade lengths provide inference to shifts in Caddo selective preference, while those with shorter blade lengths evince local approaches to resharpening and/or retouch that were uniquely Caddo. This study asks whether linear shape variables convey discrete regional resharpening strategies, whether morphological trajectories differ between the northern and southern behavioral regions, and whether morphological disparity differs between larger and smaller size classes, as defined by differences in blade length. Results demonstrate distinct regional resharpening strategies and divergent morphological trajectories for Perdiz arrow points included as Caddo mortuary offerings in the northern and southern behavioral regions.
Remediation Capacity of Different Microalgae in Effluents Derived from the Cigarette Butt Cleaning Process

Microalgal-based remediation is an ecofriendly and cost-effective system for wastewater treatment. This study evaluated the capacity of microalgae in the remediation of wastewater from cleaning process of smoked cigarette butts (CB). At laboratory scale, six strains (one from the family Scenedesmaceae, two Chlamydomonas debaryana and three Chlorella sorokiniana) were exposed to different CB wastewater dilutions to identify toxicity levels reflected in the alteration of microalgal physiological status and to determine the optimal conditions for an effective removal of contaminants. CB wastewater could impact on microalgal chlorophyll and carotenoid production in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, the resistance and remediation capacity did not only depend on the microalgal strain, but also on the chemical characteristics of the organic pollutants. In detail, nicotine was the most resistant pollutant to removal by the microalgae tested and its low removal correlated with the inhibition of photosynthetic pigments affecting microalgal growth. Concerning the optimal conditions for an effective bioremediation, this study demonstrated that the Chlamydomonas strain named F2 showed the best removal capacity to organic pollutants at 5% CB wastewater (corresponding to 25 butts L−1 or 5 g CB L−1) maintaining its growth and photosynthetic pigments at control levels.
A Simple Method to Design Wideband Circularly Polarized Spherical Multibeam Luneburg Lens Antenna

This letter presents a simple method to design the wideband circularly polarized spherical multibeam Luneburg lens (LL) antenna by using three-dimensional (3-D)-printing. The conventional 3-D-printed spherical LL is divided into many cells and each cell is filled by the unit cell with different filling ratios, which breaks the circular symmetry of the LL. The proposed method divides the LL into many layers, and the profile surface equation of each layer is calculated by the ordinary least square method to keep the rotation symmetry of the LL. Then, according to the proposed circularly polarized implement method, the transformation of linear polarization to circular polarization can be realized by selecting a proper radius of LL. The simulated and measured results show that the axial ratios of the proposed multibeam LL antenna are less than 3 dB with good impedance performance and more than 13.8 dBi gain in a relative bandwidth of 31.6%, which demonstrates the validity and simplicity of the presented method.