Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative study of short-pitched and fully-pitched SRMs supplied by sine wave currents

This paper comprehensively investigates 3-phase, 12-slot, and 8-pole switched reluctance machines (SRMs) with different winding configurations, e.g. double/single layer, short/fully pitched. Comparisons in terms of self- and mutual inductances, and on-load torques have been carried out using 2-D finite element method (FEM) for conventional and mutually coupled, double layer winding switched reluctance motors (SRMs) as well as fully-pitched and single layer winding SRMs. The numerical results have shown that the fully pitched switched reluctance machine (FPSRM) has the highest inductance variation against rotor position and hence produces the highest on-load torque if the machine is not heavily saturated. However, its significant longer end-winding will leads to higher copper loss. This can eventually jeopardize its torque vs copper loss performance. To boost torque production while maintaining short end-winding and hence low level of copper loss, two short-pitched, single layer winding SRMs with similar winding configurations to those of conventional and mutual coupled, double layer winding SRMs can be employed. It is found that for the same copper loss and without heavy magnetic saturation, both single and double layer mutually coupled SRMs can produce higher on-load torque compared to their conventional counterparts. Moreover, single layer mutually coupled SRM can achieve comparable torque against copper loss performance to the FPSRM but with much shorter end-winding and also smaller volume.
A comparative analysis of AES common modes of operation

With the rapid increase of the Internet users, network security becomes very essential. Cryptography plays a major role in network security. However, cryptographic systems consume considerable amounts of resources, like memory, CPU time, encryption and decryption time. In this paper, we compared the most common block cipher modes of operation on AES according to the recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The comparison is done in terms of encryption time, decryption time, and throughput with variable data packet sizes. The results of the comparison are summarized and our observations are highlighted to help making informative decision when choosing the mode of operations for different applications with symmetric-key ciphers.
Accuracy of sixteen-slice CT scanners in detected coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND The coronary artery disease, now, the incidence is increasing in both developed and developing countries. The investigation is evoluted and non-invasive multislice CT scanners have been used more frequently, although the gold standard is still the coronary angiography. OBJECTIVE To investigate the accuracy in detected coronary artery disease by using 16-slice CT scanners compared to the conventional coronary angiography. MATERIAL AND METHOD Fifty-five patients were 43 males, 12 females, median aged 62 years (43-82 years), and average heart rates 67 beats/minute (46-147 beats/minute) had the ECG-gated CT angiography followed by coronary angiography in 3 months. The ECG-gated CT angiography was performed by using 16-slice MSCT detector (0.42-s rotation time, 16 x 0. 75-mm detector collimation). RESULTS All patients were classified into two major groups; one was significant coronary artery stenosis which was designed by stenosis at least 50% and the other was non-significant stenosis which was designed by normal or stenosis less than 50%. The site having blooming artifact due to calcification that causes complete obliteration of the lumen or having significant motional artifacts was ruled out. There were 285 evaluable sites in 19 patients with high heart rates, more than 70 beats/minute. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in significant stenosis were 72.9%, 99.6%, and 94.0% respectively. In 36 patients with a lower heart rate, there were 563 evaluable sites, the sensitivity was 86.5%, specificity was 98.5%, and accuracy was 96.6%. The overall showed 81.1% of sensitivity, 98.9% of specificity, and 95.8% of accuracy. CONCLUSION The accuracy of the 16-slice CT angiography for patients suspected of having coronary artery disease was high. However, blooming artifacts from the calcium, respiratory artifacts, and small size of the distal and branching artery still caused limited luminal assessment. These problems have challenged the new coming generation of MDCT.
The Effect of Age on Rehabilitation Outcome After Traumatic Brain Injury Assessed by the Functional Independence Measure (FIM)

Background. The impact of age on rehabilitation outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI) as measured by changes in the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) has been addressed in several seemingly conflicting reports. Differences may be explained by different study populations and different ways of analyzing data. Objective. To investigate the role of data analysis in the interpretation of the age effect on rehabilitation outcome after TBI by comparing classical analyses of the total FIM score with a new item-wise analysis that unfolds the comprehensive amount of information contained in the FIM measurement otherwise concealed by the total score. Methods. We analyzed admission and discharge FIM data from 411 consecutive TBI patients admitted to inpatient rehabilitation during 1998-2011 by both methods. Results. The classical analysis indicated similar rehabilitation outcome in the 18 to 39, 40 to 64, and 65+ years age groups, which could be explained by selection of strong elderly patients and/or methodological problems with classical data analyses, whereas the item-wise analysis demonstrated profound age effect on most FIM items throughout the age interval covered. Conclusions. The item-wise analysis meets requirements of proper data analysis, avoids concealing diversity in rehabilitation outcome behind the total FIM score, and provides a flexible, informative, and clinically relevant data analysis.
Impact of Perineural Invasion in the Pathologically N0 Neck in Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective Patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) undergo adjuvant radiation for pathologically high-risk features including positive nodal disease and extracapsular spread (ECS). In the absence of these high-risk features, our objective was to determine if perineural invasion (PNI) is an independent risk factor and if adjuvant radiation (XRT) improves disease control rates. Study Design Historical cohort analysis. Setting Tertiary university hospital. Methods Eighty-eight OCSCC patients (46 males, 42 females; mean age = 56.7 years; median follow-up = 4.6 years) treated surgically with pathologically N0 (pN0) necks were studied. Overall, 23% (20/88) were pN0/PNI+ and of those with PNI, 70% (14/20) underwent XRT. Survival analysis using Kaplan-Meier followed by multivariable Cox models was performed. Results Multivariate analysis verified PNI to be associated with worse disease-free interval (DFI) (P = .012) and local-regional control (LRC) (P = .005) and perivascular invasion (PVI) associated with worse DFI (P = .05). Among pN0/PNI+ patients, those who received XRT demonstrated significantly improved DFI (mean = 6.5 years vs 1.7 years; P = .014) and LRC (mean 6.7 years vs 1.9 years; P = .047). There was no improvement in overall survival (P = .68) or disease-specific survival (P = .8) in those receiving XRT. Conclusions PNI is an independent adverse risk factor in the absence of nodal metastasis and extracapsular spread. We observed a statistically significantly longer DFI and LRC when patients were treated with adjuvant radiation.
Characterization of Bacillus subtilis DSM704 and its production of 1-deoxynojirimycin

A Bacillus subtilis strain, DSM704, was characterized by genetic means, and its production of a human intestinal sucrase inhibitor, 1-deoxynojirimycin, was described. Synthesis of this compound is detected concomitant with the detection of heat-resistant spores. The amount of 1-deoxynojirimycin produced is highly dependent on the carbon source, with growth on substrates metabolized via glycolysis giving the greatest amount of production (up to 1 mg/ml). 1-Deoxynojirimycin appears to be nonmetabolizable by the producing strain in that it cannot serve as a sole carbon or nitrogen source.
Title Olmesartan ameliorates a dietary rat model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitisthrough its pleiotropic effects

Insulin resistance is a major pathological condition associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance and the renin-angiotensin system are intimately linked. We evaluated the role of the renin-angiotensin system in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance-associated, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis by using the angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker olmesartan medoxomil in a diabetic rat model. The effects of olmesartan on methionineand choline-deficient (MCD) diet-induced steatohepatitis were investigated in obese, diabetic Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats and control Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats. Components of the renin-angiotensin system were up-regulated in the livers of OLETF rats, compared with LETO rats. In OLETF, but not LETO, rats, oral administration of olmesartan for 8 weeks ameliorated insulin resistance. Moreover, olmesartan suppressed MCD diet-induced hepatic steatosis and the hepatic expression of lipogenic genes (sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c and fatty acid synthase) in OLETF, but not LETO, rats. In both OLETF and LETO rats, olmesartan inhibited hepatic oxidative stress (4-hydroxy-2-nonenal-modified protein) and expression of NADPH oxidase. Olmesartan also inhibited hepatic fibrosis, stellate cell activation, and expression of fibrogenic genes (transforming growth factor-β, α1 [I] procollagen, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1) in both OLETF and LETO rats. In conclusion, pharmacological blockade of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor slows the development of steatohepatitis in the OLETF rat model. This angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker may exert insulin resistance-associated effects against hepatic steatosis and inflammation as well as direct effects against the generation of reactive oxygen species and fibrogenesis.
The case for chain-based routing in industrial wireless sensor networks

Industrial wireless sensor networks are different from typical WSNs. One of the most notable differences is that in industrial deployments WSNs usually have to be integrated with wired industrial networks, because there are critical data flows that cannot be transmitted over the wireless medium. This paper investigates the use of a chain-based protocol that not only supports the integration with a wired industrial infrastructure, but also takes advantage of such an integration to deliver real-time performance even to nodes that could not be directly covered by a sink.
Real-time K-Means Clustering for Color Images on Reconfigurable Hardware

K-means clustering is a very popular clustering technique, which is used in numerous applications. However, clustering is a time consuming task, particularly for large dataset, and large number of clusters. In this paper, we show that real-time k-means clustering can be realized for large size color images (24-bit full color RGB) and large number of clusters (up to 256) using an off-the-shelf FPGA (field programmable gate arrays) board. In our current implementation with one FPGA, the performance for 512 times 512 and 640 times 480 pixel images is more than 30fps, and 20-30 fps for 756 times 512 pixel images in average when dividing to 256 clusters
Development and validation of mass transfer models for the design of agitated gas-liquid reactors

Mechanical agitation is used commonly in gas-liquid reactors to improve the homogeneity of dispersion and to enhance the transfer of reacting compounds between gas and liquid. The design and scaleup of gas-liquid reactors is problematic due to non-ideal mixing, heat and mass transfer limitations. In this work, phenomenological models were developed and validated against experiments to investigate local gas-liquid mass transfer in agitated tanks. The aim was to develop more generalized and reliable simulation tools for agitated gas-liquid reactors. Gas-liquid hydrodynamics and mass transfer are related complicatedly to bubble size. Local Bubble Size Distributions (BSD) were measured from several systems in agitated laboratory tanks. The measurements revealed a wide range of existing bubble sizes and a significant spatial inhomogeneity of BSDs. The comparison between capillary suction probe, phase Doppler anemometry and photography showed that BSDs are biased due to limitations of experimental techniques. A dynamic multiblock model with a limited number of ideally mixed subregions was developed to investigate the inhomogeneity of dispersion. Mass transfer fluxes were modelled based on the two-film theory and simplified solution of Maxwell-Stefan diffusion. Local BSDs and mass transfer areas were solved from the population balances for bubbles by the method of classes. Unknown parameters in phenomenological bubble breakage, coalescence, turbulent slip and mass transfer models were fitted against experiments. The multiblock model was used to describe macroscopic inhomogeneities of dispersion in the fitting. The results show that multiblock stirred tank model is an excellent tool for the testing and validation of closure models. The adjusted models describe local BSDs, gas holdups and mass transfer rates under varying agitation conditions and physical properties of dispersion in a limited range. Due to complexity of gas-liquid agitation measured local BSDs alone are not however sufficient for the validation of mechanistic closure models. More basic research and isolated experiments are needed for this. A comparison between multiblock and CFD simulations shows that multiblock model is an optimal trade-off between the accuracy and CPU time, when local mass transfer rates are of interest. The simulations with the validated models predict a significant inhomogeneity of mass transfer, which mostly results from the spatially varying gas-liquid interfacial areas. The developed models relate mass transfer to local physical properties and micro-scale turbulence. They are less dependent on vessel size and geometry than traditional kLa-correlations and therefore suitable for detailed reactor scale-up and design studies. The validated population balance and mass transfer closures for aqueous xanthan systems together with the bioreaction kinetics from literature were incorporated to multiblock fermenter model to investigate batch xanthan fermentation. The simulations show the need of population balances for the detailed…
Analysis of Cu Diffusion in ZnTe-Based Contacts for Thin-Film CdS/CdTe Solar Cells

Ohmic contacts to thin-film CdS/CdTe photovoltaic devices have been formed using a two-layer contact interface of undoped ZnTe (ZnTe) and Cu-doped ZnTe (ZnTe:Cu), followed by Ni or Ti as an outer metallization. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) is used to study Cu diffusion within this back-contact structure, and also, to monitor Cu diffusion from the contact into the CdTe. When Ni metallization is used, the ZnTe:Cu layer becomes increasingly depleted of Cu, and Ni diffusion into the ZnTe:Cu increases as the contact deposition temperature increases from 100 C to 300 C. Cu depletion is not observed when Ni is replaced with Ti. Diffusion of Cu from the ZnTe:Cu layer into the ZnTe layer also increases with contact deposition temperature, and produces a buildup of Cu at the ZnTe/CdTe interface. High-mass resolution SIMS indicates that, although Cu levels in the CdTe remain low, Cu diffusion from the contact proceeds into the CdTe layer and toward the CdTe/CdS junction region.
Real-time area efficient and high speed architecture design of Viterbi decoder

An area efficient and high speed architecture design of hard decision Viterbi decoder with encoding rate of 1/2 and constraint length of k = 3 is presented in this paper for the application in satellite communication. The proposed Viterbi decoder is implemented in field programmable gate array (FPGA) and also in application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) using UMC 0.18 μm technology where the maximum frequency of operation is 423.566 MHz in FPGA and 427 MHz in ASIC. The proposed architecture takes 112 Look Up Tables in FPGA and 23842 μm2 in ASIC. The proposed architecture takes less area as well as offers high speed.
A Recursive Cellular Automaton that Reconstructs Transmembrane Voltages with a Range-Adjusted Tikhonov-Method

Tikhonov methods usually lead to solutions of low amplitude that are distributed around zero. When reconstructing transmembrane voltages (TMVs) in the myocardium, the signal is therefore often not in the physiological range of between around -80mV and 10mV. In this article, we propose an adjusted Tikhonov method that reconstructs TMVs in the correct range, given an estimate of one polarized node in the heart and an estimated set of nodes that have depolarized in the preceding time step. It is shown that when feeding the reconstructed TMVs into a simple cellular automaton recursively, and when using the computed excitation propagation as a prior for the Tikhonov method, it is possible to reconstruct the excitation propagation throughout the ventricular myocardium. The method requires an estimate of the region of initial activation.
Combinatorial effect of Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki and Photorhabdus luminescens against Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Spodoptera littoralis, one of the major pests of many important crop plants, is more susceptible to Bacillus thuringiensis aizawai delta‐endotoxins than to those of Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki. Within the framework of the development of efficient bioinsecticides and the prevention against insect resistance, we tested the effect of mixing B. thuringiensis kurstaki delta‐endotoxins and Photorhabdus luminescens cells on S. littoralis growth. The obtained results showed that the growth inhibition of this insect was more effective when B. thuringiensis kurstaki spore‐crystal mixture and Photorhabdus luminescens cells were used in combination. Furthermore, this synergism is mainly due to the presence of Cry1Ac, which is one of the three delta‐endotoxins that form the crystal of B. thuringiensis kurstaki strain BNS3 in addition to Cry1Aa and Cry2Aa. This work shows a possibility to use B. thuringiensis as a delivery means for Photorhabdus bacteria in order to infect the insect hemocoel and to reduce the risk of developing resistance in the target organism.
Helmet use among motorcycle and moped riders injured in Hawaii: Final medical dispositions from a linked database

BACKGROUND Reports regarding helmets in motorcycle crashes have been limited by the lack of data across the spectrum of injury outcomes, generally excluding low-severity injuries that do not require further medical treatment. We hypothesized that the protective effect of helmets may be underestimated in studies that focused only on patients who arrive at a trauma center and that it may differ depending on whether the crash involved a motorcycle or moped. METHODS The emergency medical service reports of 2,553 crash patients treated from 2007 to 2009 were linked to police crash reports, hospital billing data, death certificates, and the Fatal Analysis Reporting System for a more complete description of the crashes throughout the state. RESULTS The number of unhelmeted riders (n = 1,674) was nearly double those who were helmeted (n = 879). Multivariate logistic regression models estimated 45% greater odds of a hospital admission (vs. no hospital treatment or a discharge from the emergency department setting) among unhelmeted riders, compared with helmeted riders. Unhelmeted riders also had an adjusted odds of a fatal injury that was more than double that of helmeted riders (odds ratio, 2.71; 95% confidence interval, 1.68–4.46). Stratified analyses showed that these protective associations between helmet use and medical disposition were apparent only among motorcyclists. CONCLUSION The magnitude of the protective associations between helmets and medical outcomes was generally greater than that reported by other studies. Motorcyclists seem to benefit from helmet use more than moped riders. This data could be used to promote helmet use through education and public policy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic/epidemiologic study, level III.
Extensions of One-Dimensional Gray-level Nonlinear Image Processing Filters to Three-Dimensional Color Space

This paper describes the development of computer simulation models to evaluate the filter algorithms in different color spaces. The objective of this project is to study the extension of filters from a one-dimensional gray-level space to a three-dimensional color space. The principal task of this project was to conduct and evaluate mathematical extensions of filters and determine which combination of filters and color spaces presents the best image quality. Results have shown that the use of the Rank Order filter with the YIQ color spaces provides the highest signal-to-noise-ratio. Therefore, the use of Rank Order filters in YIQ color spaces would be the most effective in the noise smoothing of images.
Stabilization of semiconductor surfaces through bulk dopants

We show by employing density-functional theory calculations (including a hybrid functional) that ZnO surfaces can be stabilized by bulk dopants. As an example, we study the bulk-terminated ZnO (0001¯? >) surface covered with half a monolayer of hydrogen. We demonstrate that deviations from this half-monolayer coverage can be stabilized by electrons or holes from bulk dopants. The electron chemical potential therefore becomes a crucial parameter that cannot be neglected in semiconductor surface studies. As one result, we find that to form the defect-free surface with a half-monolayer coverage of hydrogen for n-type ZnO, ambient hydrogen background pressures are more conducive than high vacuum pressures.
Non‐inferiority trial design for recurrent events

We describe methods for designing non‐inferiority trials with recurrent event responses arising from mixed‐Poisson models. Sample size formulae are derived for trials in which treatment effects are expressed as relative rates and as absolute differences in cumulative mean functions at a particular time. Simulation studies are conducted to provide empirical validation of the frequency properties of the design and testing procedures under the null and alternative hypotheses using both mixed‐Poisson models and robust marginal methods. The robustness of the design to misspecification of the random effect distribution is also studied empirically. Sample size requirements based on the proposed method are contrasted with those from a design based on the time to the first event for a motivating study of patients with bone metastases at risk of skeletal complications. When the between‐patient heterogeneity in the event rate is small, there may be a considerable reduction in sample size with recurrent event outcomes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.