Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The consideration of surrogate model accuracy in single-objective electromagnetic design optimization

The computational cost of evaluating the objective function in electromagnetic optimal design problems necessitates the use of cost-effective techniques. This paper describes how one popular technique, surrogate modelling, has been used in the single-objective optimization of electromagnetic devices. Three different types of surrogate model are considered, namely polynomial approximation, artificial neural networks and kriging. The importance of considering surrogate model accuracy is emphasised, and techniques used to improve accuracy for each type of model are discussed. Developments in this area outside the field of electromagnetic design optimization are also mentioned. It is concluded that surrogate model accuracy is an important factor which should be considered during an optimization search, and that developments have been made elsewhere in this area which are yet to be implemented in electromagnetic design optimization.
The Ism between Endothelial Cilia and Endothelial Nanotubules Is an Evolving Concept in the Genesis of the BBB

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is fundamental in maintaining central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis by regulating the chemical environment of the underlying brain parenchyma. Brain endothelial cells (BECs) constitute the anatomical and functional basis of the BBB. Communication between adjacent BECs is critical for establishing BBB integrity, and knowledge of its nanoscopic landscape will contribute to our understanding of how juxtaposed zones of tight-junction protein interactions between BECs are aligned. The review discusses and critiques types of nanostructures contributing to the process of BBB genesis. We further critically evaluate earlier findings in light of novel high-resolution electron microscopy descriptions of nanoscopic tubules. One such phenotypic structure is BEC cytoplasmic projections, which, early in the literature, is postulated as brain capillary endothelial cilia, and is evaluated and compared to the recently discovered nanotubules (NTs) formed in the paracellular spaces between BECs during barrier-genesis. The review attempts to elucidate a myriad of unique topographical ultrastructures that have been reported to be associated with the development of the BBB, viz., structures ranging from cilia to BEC tunneling nanotubules (TUNTs) and BEC tethering nanotubules (TENTs).
On the Behavior of Self-Triplexing SIW Cavity Backed Antenna With Non-Linear Replicated Hybrid Slot for C and X-Band Applications

In this paper, a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) based self-triplexing antenna (STA) with non-linear replicated hybrid slot (NLR-HS) is presented. To the author’s best knowledge, the concept of NLR is the first of its kind in the literature used for obtaining self-triplexed operation. Initially, the SIW cavity is loaded by a hexagonal slot merged with two rectangular transverse slots that together produce two distinct resonances around 5.23 and 7.50 GHz. The variation in resonant frequencies of both lower and upper frequency bands can be modelled by applying NLR on the hexagonal slot. To achieve the self-triplexing operation, a coaxial probe-fed parasitic hexagonal patch is placed concentrically inside the hexagonal slot. The third resonance is centered around 10.82 GHz and can be modelled with the help of the gap between the hexagonal slot and parasitic patch.To validate the proposed idea, the design is fabricated and experimentally tested. Moreover, the antenna shows a front-to-back ratio (FTBR) better than 25 dB, average isolation of 43 dB and measured gain (efficiency) values of 7.33 (97.39%), 6.66 (95.82%), and 6.28 (97.83%) dBi at three resonances. Good agreement between the simulated and measured results makes the proposed STA a good candidate for practical applications.
A 220–1100 MHz low phase-noise frequency synthesizer with wide-band VCO and selectable I/Q divider

This paper presents a low phase-noise fractional-N frequency synthesizer which provides an in-phase/quadrature-phase (I/Q) signal over a frequency range of 220–1100 MHz for wireless networks of industrial automation (WIA) applications. Two techniques are proposed to achieve the wide range. First, a 1.4–2.2 GHz ultralow gain voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is adopted by using 128 tuning curves. Second, a selectable I/Q divider is employed to divide the VCO frequency by 2 or 3 or 4 or 6. Besides, a phase-switching prescaler is proposed to lower PLL phase noise, a self-calibrated charge pump is used to suppress spur, and a detect-boosting phase frequency detector is adopted to shorten settling time. With a 200 kHz loop bandwidth, lowest measured phase noise is −106 dBc/Hz at a 10 kHz offset and −131 dBc/Hz at a 1 MHz offset. Fabricated in the TSMC 0.18 μm CMOS process, the synthesizer occupies a chip area of 1.2 mm2, consumes only 15 mW from the 1.8 V power supply, and settles within 13.2 μs. The synthesizer is optimized for the WIA applications, but can also be used for other short-range wireless communications, such as 433, 868, 916 MHz ISM band applications.
Carbon nanotube-based nanorelays for low-power circuit applications

The objective of this research is to reduce static power dissipation by developing a vertically-oriented carbon nanotube-based nanoelectromechanical switch that has no offstate leakage current. This switch, called a nanorelay, is a mechanical switch that uses a carbon nanotube as the active component. The device consists of a line of carbon nanotubes grown on a highly-doped silicon substrate between two contacts that are electrically isolated from the substrate by an insulator. The nanorelay is actuated when a control voltage is applied between the substrate and either one of the contacts. This voltage causes the nanotube to be pulled into and eventually make physical contact with one of the contacts, which allows current to flow through the carbon nanotube. During the off state, a physical gap separates the nanotube from the contact which acts as a near-ideal tunneling barrier to virtually eliminate leakage currents. Since the nanorelay has almost no static power dissipation, it has many potential applications in low-power circuit design. This thesis makes three main contributions. First, a fabrication process to construct nanorelays is presented. Second, potential low-power circuit applications of the nanorelay are explored and implemented in a CMOS test chip. Finally, a test system is developed in order to characterize and quantify the static power savings benefits of using the nanorelay for low-power circuit applications. Thesis Supervisor: Anantha P. Chandrakasan Title: Joseph F. and Nancy P. Keithley Professor of Electrical Engineering
TAX-Corpus: Taxonomy based Annotations for Colonoscopy Evaluation

Colonoscopy plays a critical role in screening of colorectal carcinomas (CC). Unfortunately, the data related to this procedure are stored in disparate documents, colonoscopy, pathology, and radiology reports respectively. The lack of integrated standardized documentation is impeding accurate reporting of quality metrics and clinical and translational research. Natural language processing (NLP) has been used as an alternative to manual data abstraction. Performance of Machine Learning (ML) based NLP solutions is heavily dependent on the accuracy of annotated corpora. Availability of large volume annotated corpora is limited due to data privacy laws and the cost and effort required. In addition, the manual annotation process is error-prone, making the lack of quality annotated corpora the largest bottleneck in deploying ML solutions. The objective of this study is to identify clinical entities critical to colonoscopy quality, and build a high-quality annotated corpus using domain specific taxonomies following standardized annotation guidelines. The annotated corpus can be used to train ML models for a variety of downstream tasks.
Modeling Small-Granularity Expressway Traffic Volumes With Quantum Walks

At small granularity (e.g., 10-minutes to hourly), expressway traffic volumes rely heavily on drivers’ driving habits heterogeneity and decision randomness, making it challenging for accurate modeling. In this paper, we propose a small granularity simulation model named Small-Granularity Expressway Traffic Volumes with Quantum Walks (SGETV-QW). The proposed model adopts quantum walks to generate probability patterns of the exiting time of drivers from the expressway. Then, we refine and map the generated probability patterns to empirical traffic-volume data via a stepwise regression and quantify the modeling accuracy in both the time and frequency domain. We validate SGETV-QW for traffic volume data from seven stations along the Nanjing-Changzhou Expressway in China and compare it with Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average Model (ARIMA) and Long and Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks. The results show that SGETV-QW improves the simulation accuracy at small granularity. In addition, traffic volumes simulated by SGETV-QW have almost the same frequency spectrum as observed traffic volumes. Finally, we conduct a sensibility analysis and show that SGETV-QW can adapt its parameters to model traffic volumes at different granularities.
Commande robuste d'un robot d'usinage flexible : analyse de la précision

Résumé : Ce travail 1 cherche à montrer l’intérêt d’utiliser un robot Scara pour l’usinage de composites. Les efforts d’usinage créent des déformations du robot qui sont supposées localisées aux articulations et modélisées par une raideur en torsion linéaire. Pour respecter les tolérances sur la trajectoire, une compensation des effets du procédé par une mesure de l’effort et une commande non linéaire est proposée. Une étude en simulation analyse et compare les erreurs de suivi entre une commande classique par correction PID et une commande par placement de pôles robuste.
Brushless DC Motor Modeling and Simulation in the MATLAB/SIMULINK Software Environment

The brushless DC motors (BLDCM) are capable of maintaining a constant speed in situations where speed and power are controlled at the same time. This motor, compared to DC motors, is able to generate far more power and simultaneously operate. An open-loop BLDCM output with hardware support and a three-segment method on closed-loop BLDCM were both examined in this study. The research provides a brushless DC motor model that considers the motor's commutation behavior. To make sure that the drive system for BLDC motors works properly, it is important to know the exact torque value, which is based on the back-EMF. The BLDC motor is simulated in MATLAB/Simulink after a basic mathematical model is developed. In open-loop circuits, the intensity may be adjusted by varying the pulse width (or duty), and the motor speed can be increased or decreased by altering the input voltage. Pulse widths and speeds are measured and compared to real-world hardware in this study. This paper presents a comparison of the outcomes of the BLDC motors based on the examination of time responses.
Detection and Characterization of TiO2 Nanomaterials in Sludge from Wastewater Treatment Plants of Chihuahua State, Mexico

TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) have a wide range of industrial applications (paintings, sunscreens, food and cosmetics) and is one of the most intensively used nanomaterials worldwide. Leaching from commercial products TiO2-NPs are predicted to significantly accumulate in wastewater sludges, which are then often used as soil amendment. In this work, sludge samples from four wastewater treatment plants of the Chihuahua State in Mexico were obtained during spring and summer (2017). A comprehensive characterization study was performed by X-ray based (laboratory and synchrotron) techniques and electron microscopy. Ti was detected in all sludge samples (1810–2760 mg/kg) mainly as TiO2 particles ranging from 40 nm up to hundreds of nm. Micro-XANES data was analyzed by principal component analysis and linear combination fitting enabling the identification of three predominant Ti species: anatase, rutile and ilmenite. Micro-XANES from the smaller Ti particles was predominantly anatase (68% + 32% rutile), suggesting these TiO2-NPs originate from paintings and cosmetics. TEM imaging confirmed the presence of nanoscale Ti with smooth surface morphologies resembling engineered TiO2-NPs. The size and crystalline phase of TiO2-NPs in the sludge from this region suggest increased reactivity and potential toxicity to agro-systems. Further studies should be dedicated to evaluating this.
Radiomics in Cross-Sectional Adrenal Imaging: A Systematic Review and Quality Assessment Study

In this study, we aimed to systematically review the current literature on radiomics applied to cross-sectional adrenal imaging and assess its methodological quality. Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science were searched to identify original research articles investigating radiomics applications on cross-sectional adrenal imaging (search end date February 2021). For qualitative synthesis, details regarding study design, aim, sample size and imaging modality were recorded as well as those regarding the radiomics pipeline (e.g., segmentation and feature extraction strategy). The methodological quality of each study was evaluated using the radiomics quality score (RQS). After duplicate removal and selection criteria application, 25 full-text articles were included and evaluated. All were retrospective studies, mostly based on CT images (17/25, 68%), with manual (19/25, 76%) and two-dimensional segmentation (13/25, 52%) being preferred. Machine learning was paired to radiomics in about half of the studies (12/25, 48%). The median total and percentage RQS scores were 2 (interquartile range, IQR = −5–8) and 6% (IQR = 0–22%), respectively. The highest and lowest scores registered were 12/36 (33%) and −5/36 (0%). The most critical issues were the absence of proper feature selection, the lack of appropriate model validation and poor data openness. The methodological quality of radiomics studies on adrenal cross-sectional imaging is heterogeneous and lower than desirable. Efforts toward building higher quality evidence are essential to facilitate the future translation into clinical practice.
Physicochemical, Pharmacokinetic and Cytotoxicity of the Compounds Isolated from an Endophyte Fusarium oxysporum: In Vitro and In Silico Approaches

The present study was intended to characterize the secondary metabolites of the endophyte Fusarium oxysporum isolated from the plant Aglaonema hookerianum Schott. And to investigate the cytotoxic and other pharmacological properties of the isolated compounds as part of the drug discovery and development process. Different chromatographic techniques were adopted to isolate the bioactive compounds that were identified by spectroscopic techniques. The cytotoxic properties of the compounds were assessed in the Vero cell line via the trypan blue method. Moreover, physicochemical, pharmacokinetic, bioactivity and toxicity profiles of the compounds were also investigated through in silico approaches. After careful spectral analysis, the isolated compounds were identified as 3β,5α-dihydroxy-ergosta-7,22-dien-6-one (1), 3β,5α,9α-trihydroxy-ergosta-7,22-dien-6-one (2), p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (3), 3-(R)-7-butyl-6,8-dihydroxy-3-pent-11-enylisochroman-1-one (4) and beauvericin (5). An in vitro study in the Vero cell line revealed that the presence of the compounds reduced the number of cells, as well as the percentage of viable cells, in most cases. An in silico cytotoxic analysis revealed that compounds 1, 2 and 5 might be explored as cytotoxic agents. Moreover, compounds 3 and 4 were found to be highly mutagenic. The present study suggested that further thorough investigations are necessary to use these molecules as leads for the cytotoxic drug development process.
Empirical Examination of TOP Management Characteristics and Strategic Decision Making

This study examined top management characteristics and strategic decision making in organizations. The basic question the paper seeks to address is: Do managers’ background characteristics have significant influence on their decision making process? To achieve this, hypotheses were developed and primary data were obtained through structured questionnaire that was validated and pilot tested. The Cronbach alpha test for reliability gave an overall reliability coefficient of 0.9548 for the research instrument. From a population of 250 employees of government constituted boards and commissions in Delta State, Nigeria, a sample size of 158 respondents was obtained. The dependent variable was strategic decision making, while top management characteristics being the independent variable was measured by risk propensity, educational background, age disposition and cognitive complexity. Need for achievement was however introduced as a control variable and the analyses of the primary data were done by means of the inferential and descriptive statistics. Specifically, the ordinary least square regression (OLS) technique was employed to test the hypotheses of the study. Overall, the results from the test of hypotheses suggest that risk propensity, educational background, age disposition and cognitive complexity have significant relationship with strategic decision making. It was therefore concluded that top management characteristics exert significant influence on strategic decision making. In the light of this conclusion, it was recommended amongst others, that top managers must at all times give attention to these characteristics.
Real-Time Detection of Phenylacetaldehyde in Wine: Application of a Microwave Sensor Based on Molecularly Imprinted Silica

Molecularly imprinted sol–gel silica (MIS) coupled to a microwave sensor was designed and used to detect phenylacetaldehyde (PAA), a chemical tracer of wine oxidation. The developed method is fast, cheap and could replace the classical chromatographic methods, which require a tedious sample preparation and are expensive. To reach our objective, five MIS and their control non-imprinted silica (NIS) were synthesized and their extraction capacity toward PAA was studied in hydro alcoholic medium. The selected polymers, based on this first step, were subjected to a selectivity study in the presence of PAA and three other competing molecules. The best polymer was integrated in a microwave sensor and was used to assess PAA in red wine. The developed sensor was able to detect PAA at the µg·L−1 level, which is below the off-flavour threshold.
Development and validation of a novel nomogram for predicting systemic inflammatory response syndrome’s occurrence in patients undertaking flexible ureteroscopy

Background The occurrence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is an early alert for sepsis after flexible ureteroscopy (fURS). Once sepsis occurs, it often leads to severe or fatal consequences. We aimed to identify SIRS patients preoperatively by developing and validating a feasible prognostic nomogram model based on retrospective cohort analysis. Methods A total of 311 patients who underwent fURS in Dongguan Kanghua Hospital (Dongguan, China) between 2016 and 2020 were included and randomly divided into a primary cohort (n=219) and validation cohort (n=92). Single factor regression analysis was used to identify the primary cohort’s meaningful characters between SIRS and non-SIRS groups. Factors of the primary cohort were then identified by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis, and a nomogram was built to execute the subsequent analysis using these factors. Finally, we analyzed and drew the calibration curve, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA) curve to validate the prognostic value of the nomogram in calibration and discrimination. Results Review of the single regression analysis of characters in the primary cohort showed gender, stone burden, diabetes, neutrophil (N), lymphocyte (L), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocytes ratio (LMR), urine-WBC, nitrite (Nit), urine culture, and surgery time as significant factors between the SIRS and non-SIRS groups (P<0.05). The LASSO regression analysis suggested NLR, PLR, and urine culture were substantial factors in predicting SIRS postoperatively, lambda.min and lambda.1se (standard error, SE) were 0.01491 and 0.0796. A nomogram built with the three factors showed good calibration and discrimination, with the Brier values 0.064 and 0.034 and the area under curve (AUC) values 0.897 (95% CI: 0.837–0.957) and 0.976 (95% CI: 0.947–1.000) in the primary and validation cohort, respectively. DCA demonstrated the nomogram was clinically useful, and the predict probability of SIRS’s occurrence was very close to the actual rate as the risk threshold increased by higher than 60% in clinical impact curve analysis. Conclusions NLR, PLR, and urine culture were significantly related to the occurrence of SIRS’s after fURS. The nomogram with these three factors showed excellent calibration, discrimination, and clinical usefulness.
‘Real men’ doing dirty work: implications for change

ABSTRACT Police organisations in Canada and other parts of the world, have recently undertaken efforts to address misconduct arising from high-profile reports of internal discrimination and harassment and/or instances of excessive use of force. However, these actions tend to be pursued through traditional approaches without fully understanding the contextual factors that contribute to these harmful behaviours. Through a sequential, qualitative mixed-methods study involving Canadian police officers, this paper highlights how symbolic meanings attached to police work contribute to perceptions that the work is more suitable for some individuals than others. The findings also illustrate how officers respond to identity threats from stigmatised officers or from external sources. Finally, the findings suggest that the prototypical image of a police officer may be changing with recent criticisms of the police presented as possibilities for change.
Predictive Simulation for Surface Fault Occurrence Using High-Performance Computing

Numerical simulations based on continuum mechanics are promising methods for the estimation of surface fault displacements. We developed a parallel finite element method program to perform such simulations and applied the program to reproduce the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, where surface rupture was observed. We constructed an analysis model of the 5 × 5 × 1 km domain, including primary and secondary faults, and inputted the slip distribution of the primary fault, which was obtained through inversion analysis and the elastic theory of dislocation. The simulated slips on the surface were in good agreement with the observations. We then conducted a predictive simulation by inputting the slip distributions of the primary fault, which were determined using a strong ground motion prediction method for an earthquake with a specified source fault. In this simulation, no surface slip was induced in the sub-faults. A large surface slip area must be established near a sub-fault to induce the occurrence of a slip on the surface.
Partial Discharge Detection with High‐Frequency Band through Resistance–Temperature Sensor of Hydropower Generator Stator Windings

In order to improve the signal to noise ratio for partial discharge (PD) detection using a resistance–temperature detector laid in the stator windings of a hydropower generator, the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) is applied as a kind of time‐frequency analysis. Relying on the combination of frequency resolution and time resolution using an applied power voltage phase angle distribution, PDs occurring in voids of stator windings are expected to be found within a mixed environment of strong noise and confusable noise. Furthermore, we found that the CWT may make it possible to calibrate the PD charge quantity in a band of a few tens of MHz under favorable conditions, where calibration is usually difficult for generator stator windings.