Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Proportional-Derivative and Model-Based Controllers for Control of a Variable Mass Manipulator

In the paper,numerical analysis of dynamics of a variable mass manipulator is presented. A revolute joints composed manipulator is considered. Payload of the gripper is considered as the only element characterized by unknown value of its mass (variable between subsequent operations). As in other cases of the revolute joints composed manipulators, its behaviour dependents significantly on the pose of the manipulator. When the manipulator is driven over a larger operating range, nonlinear terms can be observed in the equations, and linear controller does not ensure satisfactory its performance. Thus, nonlinear control technique is employed. To ensure such non-linear control, nonlinear models of the plant are introduced in the controller. Initially, there is an open-loop feedforward model-based controller used to enforce the manipulator to follow the required paths. Work of the proposed configuration is tested numerically. To deal with it, a numerical model of the manipulator is prepared and rules of multibody modelling are used for it. Two identical models (equations) are implemented in two separate blocks of the model. In the controller block, primary set of parameters of the robot structure is introduced. As the actual gaol is to observe effects of the incorrect identification of the payload masses, the plant (the controlled object) model may not be described by identical values of their masses in the performed tests. As a result, significant path errors are observed during simulations. To eliminate these errors, the controller model is enlarged. A feedback loop is accepted and a proportional-derivative controller is considered in this feedback part. Subsequently, collaboration between these feedforward and feedback blocks is tested. This collaboration runs well (error of the realised path is reduced). However, intensive work of the feedback controller is non-required in the considered application. Possibility of mass identification is tested. Performed tests proofed that signal of the proportional-derivative controller is a useful data base for the required identification process. A short run of a trial path is performed at beginning of the motion. PD signal obtained during such test motion are collected. They allow us to identify the mass of the payload and to improve data in the model-based controller. Thanks of it, the feedback control signal is reduced and realisation of the required path is acceptable.
BitS-Net: Bit-Sparse Deep Neural Network for Energy-Efficient RRAM-Based Compute-In-Memory

The rising popularity of intelligent mobile devices and the computational cost of deep learning-based models call for efficient and accurate on-device inference schemes. We propose a novel model compression scheme that allows inference to be carried out using bit-level sparsity, which can be efficiently implemented using in-memory computing macros. In this paper, we introduce a method called BitS-Net to leverage the benefits of bit-sparsity (where the number of zeros are more than number of ones in binary representation of weight/activation values) when applied to compute-in-memory (CIM) with resistive RAM (RRAM) to develop energy efficient DNN accelerators operating in the inference mode. We demonstrate that BitS-Net improves the energy efficiency by up to 5x for ResNet models on the ImageNet dataset.
Initial Design and Testing of Multiplayer Cooperative Game to Support Physical Activity in Schools

Recent studies have shown that children are not adequately physically active and there is a need to increase children’s physical activity. This study describes new opportunities and solutions for using existing games and gamification to increase physical activity among children in Sweden. We adopted the principles of Tic-Tac-Training to redesign, build, and test a classical multiplayer cooperative game, Battleship, to create a PA game that children experience as fun and engaging. The low fidelity prototype of the game was developed using an iterative game development life cycle and tested with 13 young male children aged 8–11 in a real-world informal setting. A mixed-method research approach was used to understand the users’ experiences and the impact of the Battleship-PA game on behavior change regarding physical activity. Research data were collected through audio recordings of interactions, direct observation, and a user experience questionnaire. The results of this study indicate both positive and negative feedback that can be used to improve the game and user experiences. The results from the unfiltered recordings revealed that both teams were competitive, cooperated within their team, and became excited whenever they destroyed opponent’s ships or were close to winning. However, the children felt bored and exhausted when many gamification tasks were repeated several times in a game session. Direct observation indicated that the children enjoyed the physical activities resulting from playing the game. However, participants who had not previously played the classical version of Battleship were confused about the objectives and concept of the game. The analysis of the user experience questionnaire indicated that most children found the game easy to play, motivating, engaging, interactive, fun, cooperative, competitive, and visually appealing. Furthermore, most children agreed that the game helped them to be physically active and strongly agreed that they enjoyed performing the physical activities in the game. Future work is needed to improve the game user interface, gamification elements, and prepare additional physical activity tasks for a rewarding experience.
Fast sampling DCO for 2.4 GHz wake-up receiver

This Letter reports an active inductor digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) for fast switchable low power wireless wake-up receivers. The LO output is held low when the enable pin is high and it oscillates when the enable pin goes low. The MOS transistor is used to turn on the oscillator for 200 ns (T on) to mitigate the requirement of wake-up receivers (T cycle = 1 µs). To save the die area, a symmetric differential-pair active inductor topology with 4-bit capacitor bank is proposed. The implemented circuit has one tenth of the chip size of LC oscillator.
Low-noise tunable filter design by means of active components

A low-noise tunable filter with high dynamic range and minimum power consumption is presented and addressed with circuit details. It is based on an active solution simulating an inductive behaviour that allows improving the filter quality factor without affecting the noise performance. The low-order bandpass filter is realised with minimum number of components and it is suitable to be integrated in integrated circuit or used in hybrid transceiver and modern reconfigurable radio systems. A prototype board with discrete components has been fabricated and tested with good results.
Contribution to the design of switched-capacitor voltage regulators in 28nm FDSOI CMOS

Mobile and multimedia devices offer more innovations and enhancements to satisfy user requirements. Chip manufacturers thus propose high performances SoC to address these needs. Unfortunately the growth in digital resources inevitably increases the power consumption while battery life-time does not rise as fast. Aggressive power management techniques such as dynamic voltage and frequency scaling have been introduced in order to keep competitive and relevant solutions. Nonetheless continuing in this direction involves more disruptive solutions to meet space and cost constraints. Fully integrated power supply is a promising solution. Switched-capacitor DC-DC converters seem to be a suitable candidate to keep compatibility with the manufacturing process of digital SoCs. This thesis focuses on the design of an embedded power supply architecture using switched-capacitor DC-DC converters.Addressing a large range of output power with significant efficiency leads to consider a multi-ratio power stage. With respect to the typical digital SoC, the input voltage is 1.8 V and the converter is specified to deliver an output voltage in the 0.3-1.2 V range. The reference voltage is varying according to typical DVFS requirements. A modular architecture accommodates the digital design flow where the flying capacitors are situated above the digital block to supply and the power switches are located as an external ring. Such an architecture offers high flexibility. Interleaving strategy is considered to mitigate the output voltage ripple. Such a converter admits the switching frequency as a control variable and linear regulation and hysteretic control are analyzed. A prototype has been fabricated in 28nm FDSOI technology by STMicroelectronics. A power density of 310 mW/mm2 is achieved at 72.5% peak efficiency with a silicon area penalty of 11.5% of the digital block area. The successful design methodology has been also applied to the design of a negative SC converter for body-biasing purpose in FDSOI. Simulation results demonstrate a strong interest for low power application.
DFT study of X‐site ion substitution doping of Cs2PtX6 on its structural and electronic properties

The stability and toxicity of perovskite solar cells are still preventing full industrialization. Therefore, lead‐free all‐inorganic double perovskite materials have become the focus of research in recent years. Our group proposed a new narrow bandgap lead‐free double perovskite solar cell using a high‐quality Cs2PtI6 film. In this paper, for the purpose of exploring the trend in the bandgap and stability of the perovskite‐derived Cs2PtI6 substituted by halogen ions, we performed a first‐principles investigation based on density functional theory to study the structural and electronic properties of Cs2PtI6−yCly, Cs2PtI6−yBry, Cs2PtBr6−yCly (y = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). The calculated structural parameters revealed a good mechanical stability for all these compounds, and the trend in the formation energy indicated that the substitution of I− with Cl− and Br− can significantly reduce the energy and improve the thermodynamic stability. Through a comparative analysis of the electronic properties of Cs2PtX6 (X = Cl, Br, I), we found that the substitutional doping of halogen ions can effectively adjust the bandgap and show an obvious change trend. The present study may demonstrate an effective theoretical guidance for preparing lead‐free all‐inorganic perovskite solar cell materials with appropriate bandgap and excellent stability.
A systematic review of psychosocial interventions for child soldiers: types, length and main findings

ABSTRACT This systematic review was carried out to identify and evaluate psychosocial intervention strategies and procedures addressed to child soldiers. Following an exploration of peer-reviewed articles published between 2004 and 2018 in the PILOTS, Psycnet, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, 28 of them were finally selected. The predominant theme was post-traumatic stress disorder. The intervention techniques used to deal with this and other problems consisted of established therapies (i.e. interpersonal psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy), creative-expressive activities (such as dance, music and drama), and other activities promoting training and social interaction (skills training for leadership, self-regulation and reintegration). The cultural adaptation of the techniques and instruments used for intervention was limited to the translation of the instruments – but without verifying their comprehensibility in the majority of cases, which constitutes a problem when assessing the impact of the interventions carried out in the target population. Given that in most cases the results obtained from the interventions present limitations regarding their explanatory potential and generalisation, this review highlights aspects that can inform and improve psychosocial interventions and research geared towards the recovery of the collective of child soldiers.
Effects of Depth of Fault Slip and Continental Shelf Geometry on the Generation of Anomalously Long‐Period Tsunami by the July 2020 Mw 7.8 Shumagin (Alaska) Earthquake

The July 2020 Mw 7.8 Shumagin earthquake occurred in the seismic gap region along the Aleutian subduction zone. This interplate earthquake generated a small tsunami, but with unusual long‐period waves ranging between 40 and 90 min. We examined the cause of such an anomalous ocean wave through a source modeling inverted from tsunami and geodetic data. Our model indicates that the plate‐boundary rupture area was confined at depths of 20–40 km, although the slip resolvability decreases with depth. The coseismic seafloor displacement predominantly took place on the shallow continental shelf. Therefore, the initial water surface displacement at a mean water depth of ∼200 m is responsible for the long‐period waves, because tsunami period is inversely proportional to the square root of water depth. Furthermore, tsunami modeling implies that slip shallower than 20 km depth in the Aleutians would displace the seafloor beyond the continental shelf and generate shorter tsunami periods.
Repression of HIV-1 Reactivation Mediated By KRAB Fused CRISPR/dCas9 Proteins In Lymphoid And Myeloid Cell Models

Background: Despite antiretroviral treatment efficacy, it does not lead to the complete eradication of HIV infection. In addition, HIV-1 latency reactivation is a major challenge towards cure efforts. Two strategies to cure HIV-1 infection, the “shock and kill” is based on the eradication of the HIV-1 from the patient, and the “block and lock". The “Block and Lock” methodology aims to control HIV-1 latency reactivation, promoting a functional cure. The KRAB fused CRISPR/dCas9 (pdCas9KRAB) system was previously produced to control cell transcription. Based on this construct we developed a CRISPR RNAs (sgRNAs), to guide the pdCas9KRAB up to five different sites in HIV-1 provirus sites to block HIV-1 latency reactivation. This process was mediated by phorbol esters and HDAC inhibitors.Results: We found five sites in the HIV-1 provirus genome (LTR1-LTR5) that minimize CRISPR off-targets and transduced them in the lymphoid and myeloid HIV-1 latency models. One of the five sgRNAs (LTR5) which binds specifically in the HIV-1 LTR NFκB binding site was able to promote a robust repression of reactivation pattern in a HIV-1 latency lymphoid model stimulated with Phorbol 12-Myristate 13-Acetate (PMA) and Ingenol B (IngB), both potent protein kinase C (PKC) stimulators. Reactivation with HDAC inhibitors, such as SAHA and Panobinostat, showed the same strong inhibition of reactivation. Additionally, we observed a reduction of 100 times in HIV-1 RNA molecules, when reactivated IngB in myeloid HIV-1 latently infected U1 cells.Conclusion: Taken together, our results show that the KRAB fused CRISPR/dCas9 system can robustly prevent the HIV-1 latency reactivation process, mediated by PMA or IngB and SAHA or Panobinostat, both in myeloid and lymphoid HIV-1 latency. In addition, we demonstrated that KRAB repressor protein is crucial to reactivation resistance phenotype, and we also have shown some useful hotspots sequences in HIV-1 LTR to design sgRNAs.
Reliability and validity of an observational system to qualify performance indicators in goalball matches: Scal-Go proposal

Which situations compose the success and failure in goalball matches? Our aims were to develop a scale to assess performance indicators in goalball and, to evaluate this proposed scale according to contextual variables (i.e., team level, match outcome and match status). Non-participant match observation method was applied in 24 goalball matches from the Paralympic Games 2016. Firstly, an observational system development was composed by performance indicators (named as Scal-Go). Success and failure from offensive and defensive phases were stratified into a spreadsheet. Following, inter and intra reliability stages were conducted together with content validity, certified by goalball’s experts. Scal-Go achieved high agreement levels for inter(.752 and .919) and intra-observers (.846 and .974) reliability. Also, content validity was certified by goalball experts. The results showed high frequency of standard preceding actions (80.3%), strongly appropriate defences (57.8%), and acceptable attacks (57.4%). In addition, since players’ performance was associated to contextual variables, specific actions and situations are performed differently within team levels, match outcome, and match status. Match interruptions, accurate shots, goal scored first, quick defences, defensive infraction and penalty situations must be included in training process.
Electric fields coupling into a vehicle exposed to lightning electromagnetic pulse waves

Abstract The finite‐difference time‐domain (FDTD) method is used to study the electric fields coupling into a vehicle exposed to lightning electromagnetic pulse (LEMP) waves. From simulation results, it is found that the maximum shielding effectiveness of about 72.5% occurred inside the vehicle. The shielding effectiveness can be highly improved by including a good conducting material in the windshield and auto glass. Inside the vehicle, it is also found that there are various reflections around the vehicle's body due to the influence of the vehicle structure on the incident LEMP waves.
MIDFIELD: A Resource for Longitudinal Student Record Research

Contribution: This work provides evidence of various approaches to studying longitudinal student unit record data in undergraduate education in the USA and the outcomes that can be realized using a large multi-institutional longitudinal dataset, Multiple-Institution Database for Investigating Longitudinal Development (MIDFIELD). Background: Cross-sectional studies introduce a variety of sources of error in estimating student pathways and outcomes. Longitudinal outcomes that ignore pathways also miss important information, and some populations are systematically excluded (such as transfer students). Intended Outcomes: By providing examples of how longitudinal student unit-record data can be analyzed and the results that can be expected, this work aims to deepen the research toolbox in engineering education. Findings: MIDFIELD is being used to support studies of demographic and financial trends among universities in the southeastern USA, required math and science course grades and disciplinary cultures, time to find graduation major, educational data mining, and applications of selected advanced models.
A GIS-BASED MODELLING OF VEHICLES RATIONAL ROUTES

Methods of searching the rational route are dealt with in the presented article, where the main optimality pa- rameters of the route are chosen: the shortest travelling route (1), the fastest travelling route (2) and the alternatively selected route (3), where the optimality criteria are calculated for one-side traffic swath. Based on analysed aspects, GIS tools for transport flow modelling are picked and route search algorithm resulting in evaluation of the road permeability depending on the time of the day designed. Such methodology is based on real adaptability example in one transport area of Vilnius city.
Object Clustering With Dirichlet Process Mixture Model for Data Association in Monocular SLAM

Semantic simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) with a monocular camera is particularly attractive because of the deployment simplicity and economic availability. Data association problem which assigns unique identities for objects shown in multiple frames plays a fundamental role in semantic SLAM. Previous prevalent methods which mainly focused on associating geometric KeyPoints are no longer suitable. Some naive methods that rely on object distance or 2-D/3-D Intersection over Union are also vulnerable when occlusions happen. In this article, we propose a novel data association method for cuboid landmarks based on Dirichlet process mixture model. By jointly considering object class, position, and size, our method can perform data association robustly. We evaluated our method in simulated datasets, public benchmark KITTI, and on a real robot in an office environment. Experimental results show that our method not only associates cuboids robustly but also achieves SOTA pose estimation accuracy in monocular SLAMs.
Computer Aided Design of the Thermal Environment

The use in design, of knowledge and understanding of human thermal comfort, heat stress and cold stress, is often complex and time consuming. A computer based system (IBM-PC) was developed to allow human factors practitioners to assess and manipulate knowledge, data and simulations of human response to thermal environments, thus allowing computer aided design. A description of the system, its design and development and examples of its use are provided. The role of such systems in design and assessment should be considered by human factors practitioners.
Seismic optimization design for uniform damage of reinforced concrete moment-resisting frames using consecutive modal pushover analysis

In this study, a practical optimization procedure is developed for uniform damage design of reinforced concrete moment-resisting frames using consecutive modal pushover analysis based on the framework of performance-based earthquake engineering. Consecutive modal pushover, which can capture the higher-mode effect well, is employed to derive the inelastic seismic demands of structures subjected to considered seismic hazards. Furthermore, the optimization problems are formulated using the profile of inter-story drift ratios and component hinge rotations to redistribute the steel reinforcements from components with low damage to ones that experience high damage under the constant-cost constraint, until a state of uniform damage distribution prevails. By applying the proposed design procedure to two prototype frames with five and eight stories designed using the Chinese Seismic Design Code (GB 50011-2010), the efficiency of the method as well as the variation of steel reinforcements is demonstrated. The seismic performances of final solutions and prototype frames are compared through nonlinear dynamic analysis for scenarios of 22 ground motions matching well with the code-compliant spectrum. The results show that the proposed method allows for a significant reduction of maximum story drifts combined with more evenly distributed story drifts and component hinge rotations, indicating better seismic performance for the optimized structures.
Surface models and true-color sectioned images of hypothalamic nuclei and its neighboring structures

BACKGROUND: Knowledge regarding the hypothalamic nuclei is essential for understanding neuroanatomy and has substantial clinical relevance. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to contribute to elucidate the complex hypothalamic architecture for research and provide an anatomical basis for clinical brain operation. METHODS: In this research, high-resolution and true-color sectioned images from Visible Korean were employed for hypothalamic nuclei and neighboring structures surface modeling, and a high-resolution three-dimensional atlas of the hypothalamus was created. RESULTS: Surface models of 26 structures including the hypothalamic nuclei and its neighboring structures were produced, which contained 5 anterior hypothalamic areas’ nuclei, 4 intermediate hypothalamic areas’ nuclei, 3 lateral hypothalamic areas’ nuclei, and 2 posterior hypothalamic areas’ nuclei, as well as 12 hypothalamic neighboring structures. CONCLUSIONS: The study evaluated the topographical anatomy of the hypothalamic nuclei and its neighboring structures based on true-color and highresolution sectioned images of Visible Korean.