Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Obesity Class on the Energetics and Mechanics of Walking

Higher mass-normalized net energy cost of walking (NetCw/kg) and mechanical pendular recovery are observed in obese compared to lean adults. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different classes of obesity on the energetics and mechanics of walking and to explore the relationships between body mass, NetCw/kg and gait mechanics by using principal component analysis (PCA). NetCw/kg and gait mechanics were computed in severely obese (SOG; n = 18, BMI = 40.1 ± 4.4 kg·m−2), moderately obese (MOG; n = 17, BMI = 32.2 ± 1.5 kg·m−2) and normal-weight (NWG; n = 13, BMI = 22.0 ± 1.5 kg·m−2) adults during five walking trials (0.56, 0.83, 1.11, 1.39, 1.67 m·s−1) on an instrumented treadmill. NetCw/kg was significantly higher in SOG compared to NWG (p = 0.019), with no significant difference between SOG and MOG (p = 0.14), nor between MOG and NWG (p = 0.27). Recovery was significantly higher in SOG than in NWG (p = 0.028), with no significant difference between SOG and MOG (p = 0.13), nor between MOG and NWG (p = 0.35). PCA models explained between 17.0% and 44.2% of the data variance. This study showed that: (1) obesity class influences the gait energetics and mechanics; (2) PCA was able to identify two components, showing that the obesity class is associated with lower walking efficiency and better pendulum-like characteristics.
Analysis of surface generation in the ultraprecision polishing of freeform surfaces

Abstract The use of freeform designs in engineering surfaces has become increasingly popular over the last decade. Applications of freeform shapes range from aesthetics of components to the bending of light rays through advanced optic designs. The fabrication of the components for these applications requires submicrometre form accuracy, in some cases with surface roughness at nanometric levels. Ultraprecision polishing is an emerging technology for the fabrication of high-precision and high-quality freeform surfaces. However, the factors affecting nanosurface generation in ultraprecision polishing have received relatively little attention. Moreover, the quality of the polished surface relies heavily on appropriate selection of process conditions and polishing strategies. This paper presents an analytical study of the factors affecting surface generation in ultraprecision polishing. A series of polishing experiments have been designed and undertaken, allowing the relationships between various factors and the surface quality of the workpiece to be determined. The results of the study provide a better understanding of nanosurface generation, as well as the strategy for optimizing surface quality, in the ultraprecision polishing of freeform surfaces.
A finite-element model with closed-form solutions to workpiece deflections in turning

Simulation models for workpiece deflections play an important role in determining conditions to maximize the part accuracy in machining processes as well as in analysing the dynamic response of the machining system. In this paper, the crosssectional deflection of the workpiece due to all cutting force components (radial, axial and tangential) is determined using the finite-element method. Three workpiece mounting types generally used in industrial practice are considered. The change in the workpiece diameter during machining can easily be taken into account with this model. Furthermore, the finite-element reponses are derived in closed form which enables rapid and continuous solutions along the part length. Numerical examples are treated for which the workpiece deflections calculated from this model are compared with those computed only from the radial cutting force component as usually done by several simplified models. From the results obtained, the proposed model is generally recommended to improve tur.
Overimitation in Dogs: Is There a Link to the Quality of the Relationship with the Caregiver?

Simple Summary Humans, but no other primates, show overimitation: the copying of causally irrelevant or non-functional actions. Recent studies have provided evidence for overimitation in canines, but mainly when their human caregiver—not an unfamiliar person—is demonstrating the irrelevant action. Therefore, we hypothesized that dogs show overimitation as a result of affiliation. Here, we tested if the eagerness to overimitate is influenced by the relationship quality between dog and caregiver by measuring, on the one hand, their relationship and on the other hand, the overimitation tendency. Although our overall results were not significant, our data might suggest that, on average, the dogs who overimitated might also show more referential and affiliative behaviours towards the owner (like gazing, synchronization and greeting) than dogs who showed less or no copying of the irrelevant action. Possible reasons for these negative findings are discussed, together with the implications for dog owners. Abstract Overimitation, the copying of causally irrelevant or non-functional actions, is well-known from humans but completely absent in other primates. Recent studies from our lab have provided evidence for overimitation in canines. Previously, we found that half of tested pet dogs copied their human caregiver’s irrelevant action, while only few did so when the action was demonstrated by an unfamiliar experimenter. Therefore, we hypothesized that dogs show overimitation as a result of socio-motivational grounds. To test this more specifically, here we investigated how the relationship with the caregiver influenced the eagerness to overimitate. Given the high variability in the tendency to overimitate their caregiver, we hypothesized that not only familiarity but also relationship quality influences whether dogs faithfully copy their caregiver. For this purpose, on the one hand we measured the overimitation tendency (with the same test as in the two studies before) and on the other hand the relationship quality between the dogs and their caregivers. Although we found no significant correlation between the two test results, our data might suggest that, on average, dogs who overimitated seemed to show more referential and affiliative behaviours towards the owner than dogs who showed less or no copying of the irrelevant action. Notably, as a group, those dogs that showed the highest level of copying accuracy of the irrelevant action showed the highest level of gazing and synchronization towards the owner.
Potential of fibre optic point and distributed fibre optic sensors for structural monitoring

Two fibre optic based systems with potential for structural monitoring have been presented. One system is capable of multiplexing and demultiplexing up to 32 point temperature or strain sensors which can be Fizeau/Fabry Perot interferometers or Bragg grating sensors or any combination of the two. The second system is a distributed sensor based on Brillouin gain/loss which offers unprecedented sensing range with the capacity of simultaneously measuring temperature and strain.
Reactive Power Sharing Utilizing Low Bandwidth Communication Through Power Lines

To ensure stable operation of a microgrid (MG), active and reactive powers should be shared properly. This is done conventionally with the help of droop control. However, droop control has some limitations specifically in reactive power sharing. In this work, a method for properly sharing reactive power is proposed utilizing low bandwidth communication through power lines. Using these communication signals, virtual impedances of the inverters are adjusted to achieve better reactive power sharing. The viability of the proposed method is verified by simulation in MATLAB/Simulink. Results show that the proposed algorithm is able to accurately achieve reactive power sharing while maintaining the power quality at the load bus.
A Framework of Fit Status of Organizational Innovation: Based on the Typology of Organizational Lag

This paper discusses the fit between different types of organizational innovation (OI) : administrative innovation (AI) and technical innovation (TI). As different type of innovation requires different organizational skills, resource allocation and environment conditions, there always exists organizational lag, which changes inversely with organization performance (OP). Based on the dimensions of OI from different theories, this paper selected the rate and the speed of innovation to describe organizational lag and proposed organizational lag vector to represent the fit status of innovation. Organizational lag vector has two characteristics: absolute value and direction. After comparing the referential organizations with different OP, the absolute value could be divided into three categories, then combined with four directions of organization lag vector, this paper described 12 types of the fit status of OI as well as some targeted strategies and implicated management practice.
Application in casting defect lossless examination based on surf

Based on the study of measures of the algorithm casting defect lossless examination and characteristics of X-ray imaging, a new automatic detection based on SURF is presented. Firstly, the algorithm detects the interested points of specifically component model in the standard image samples by SURF. Then the interested points of inspection produce are detected when the rotary worktable makes one revolution, at the same time, the interested points between model and produce are matched. The number of matched points is the basis for whether the product contains the component. Experimental results show that this method is effective in determining the component model well or not, which provides a novel method for casting defect lossless examination.
Farmland Lease Options in the Rural China: Key Determinants and Policy Implications

The study looks at the factors that influence farmland transfer option in Yunnan province, China. To help achieve this objective, 6,007 households were randomly selected from rural communities. The sample includes households who are engaged in lease-out, lease-in, and those who engage in neither lease-out nor lease-in. The data was analysed using multinomial probit model. The results show that farmland certification and knowledge of land tenure policy have positive impact on both lease-in and lease-out decisions relative to the reference category. Farmland size and years of schooling show negative and positive impact on lease-in and lease-out decisions, respectively, relative to the reference category. The net income of the household and crop insurance have positive and negative effect on lease-in and lease-out decisions, respectively, relative to the base category. The results suggest that price per mu has a positive effect on the lease-out decision relative to the base category. The study broadens the scope of analysis on farmland transfer by considering all the options available to a household in farmland transfer decision taking.
Capacity of a Multiplex IgM Antibody Capture ELISA to Differentiate Zika and Dengue Virus Infections in Areas of Concurrent Endemic Transmission

ABSTRACT. Serological cross-reactivity has proved to be a challenge to diagnose Zika virus (ZIKV) infections in dengue virus (DENV) endemic countries. Confirmatory testing of ZIKV IgM positive results by plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNTs) provides clarification in only a minority of cases because most individuals infected with ZIKV were previously exposed to DENV. The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of a ZIKV/DENV DUO IgM antibody capture ELISA (MAC-ELISA) for discriminating between DENV and ZIKV infections in endemic regions. Our performance evaluation included acute and convalescent specimens from patients with real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed DENV or ZIKV from the Sentinel Enhanced Dengue Surveillance System in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The ZIKV/DENV DUO MAC-ELISA specificity was 100% for DENV (N = 127) and 98.4% for ZIKV (N = 275) when specimens were tested during the optimal testing window (days post-onset of illness [DPO] 6–120). The ZIKV/DENV DUO MAC-ELISA sensitivity of RT-PCR confirmed specimens reached 100% for DENV by DPO 6 and for ZIKV by DPO 9. Our new ZIKV/DENV DUO MAC-ELISA was also able to distinguish ZIKV and DENV regardless of previous DENV exposure. We conclude this novel serologic diagnostic assay can accurately discriminate ZIKV and DENV infections. This can potentially be useful considering that the more labor-intensive and expensive PRNT assay may not be an option for confirmatory diagnosis in areas that lack PRNT capacity, but experience circulation of both DENV and ZIKV.
Mitochondrial DNA mutations are involved in the acquisition of cisplatin resistance in human lung cancer A549 cells

The efficacy of cisplatin (CDDP) has been demonstrated in the treatment of various cancers as monotherapy and combination therapy with immunotherapy. However, acquired CDDP resistance is a major obstacle to successful treatment. In the present study, the mechanisms underlying acquired CDDP resistance were examined using ACR20 cells, which are CDDP-resistant cells derived from A549 lung cancer cells. CDDP induces cytotoxicity by binding nuclear DNA and generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). Contrary to our expectation, ROS levels were elevated in ACR20 cells not treated with CDDP. Pretreatment with an ROS inhibitor enhanced the sensitivity of ACR20 cells to CDDP and prevented the activation of nuclear factor (NF)-кB signaling and upregulation of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs). Notably, evaluation of the mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate and mitochondrial superoxide levels revealed a deterioration of mitochondrial function in ACR20 cells. Mitochondrial DNA PCR-RFLP analysis revealed four mutations with varying percentage levels in ACR20 cells. In addition, in cytoplasmic hybrids with mitochondria from ACR20 cells, intrinsic ROS levels were elevated, expression of IAPs was increased, and complex I activity and sensitivity to CDDP were decreased. Analysis of three-dimensional structure data indicated that a mutation (ND2 F40L) may impact the proton translocation pathway, thereby affecting mitochondrial complex I activity. Together, these findings suggest that intrinsic ROS levels were elevated by mitochondrial DNA mutations, which decreased the sensitivity to CDDP via activation of NF-κB signaling and induction of IAP expression in ACR20 cells. These findings indicate that newly identified mutations in mitochondrial DNA may lead to acquired cisplatin resistance in cancer.
Structural Phase Transition and In-Situ Energy Storage Pathway in Nonpolar Materials: A Review

Benefitting from exceptional energy storage performance, dielectric-based capacitors are playing increasingly important roles in advanced electronics and high-power electrical systems. Nevertheless, a series of unresolved structural puzzles represent obstacles to further improving the energy storage performance. Compared with ferroelectrics and linear dielectrics, antiferroelectric materials have unique advantages in unlocking these puzzles due to the inherent coupling of structural transitions with the energy storage process. In this review, we summarize the most recent studies about in-situ structural phase transitions in PbZrO3-based and NaNbO3-based systems. In the context of the ultrahigh energy storage density of SrTiO3-based capacitors, we highlight the necessity of extending the concept of antiferroelectric-to-ferroelectric (AFE-to-FE) transition to broader antiferrodistortive-to-ferrodistortive (AFD-to-FD) transition for materials that are simultaneously ferroelastic. Combining discussion of the factors driving ferroelectricity, electric-field-driven metal-to-insulator transition in a (La1−xSrx)MnO3 electrode is emphasized to determine the role of ionic migration in improving the storage performance. We believe that this review, aiming at depicting a clearer structure–property relationship, will be of benefit for researchers who wish to carry out cutting-edge structure and energy storage exploration.
Hemosiderin-Laden Macrophages in Bronchoalveolar Lavage: Predictive Role for Acute Exacerbation of Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonias

Background Hemosiderin-laden macrophages (HLMs) have been identified in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). This retrospective study examined the ability of HLMs in BALF to predict the acute exacerbation (AE) of chronic idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs). Methods Two hundred and twenty-one patients with IIP diagnosed by bronchoscopy were enrolled in the study (IPF, n = 87; IIPs other than IPF, n = 134). Giemsa stain was used to detect HLMs in BALF specimens. Prussian blue stain was used to quantify HLMs in BALF, and a hemosiderin score (HS) was given to the specimens containing HLMs. Results Twenty-four patients had a positive HS (range: 7‒132). The receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis identified the cutoff HS value for predicting the AE of IIPs to be 61.5. Seven cases had a higher HS (≥61.5) and 214 had a lower HS. AE occurred significantly earlier in the higher HS group (4/7 cases) than in the lower HS group (41/214 cases) during a median observation period of 1239 days (log-rank test, p = 0.026). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that a higher HS was a significant predictor of AE in addition to IPF, percent predicted forced vital capacity, and modified Medical Research Council score. The C-statistics for the prediction of AE did not significantly improve by all the above parameters with HS as compared without HS. Conclusions A higher HS was a significant predictor of AE in IIPs but did not significantly improve the predictive ability of other parameters.
High performance current control techniques for applications to multilevel high power voltage source inverters

Several high-performance current-control techniques have been developed for applications to multilevel high-power voltage source inverters. The logical sequence of the design choices is described. They result in a very robust and reliable control system that allows an adequate switching optimization and excellent dynamic responses. The advantages of using various accessible DC potentials have been fully exploited. The results obtained by digital simulation refer to five-level voltage waveforms, but the current-control strategies developed can easily be applied to any multilevel inverter structure, even in the case of n-level voltage waveforms. The validity of the proposed schemes has been confirmed by both digital simulations and tests carried out on scale models. <<ETX>>
AdditiveClusterKDE: Um algoritmo para clusterização baseado no estimador de densidade kernel multivariado

Resumo. Nesse artigo apresentamos um algoritmo para clusterização baseado na estimativa de densidade kernel multivariada. O algoritmo denominado AdditiveClusterKDE é centrado na múltipla otimização da função do Estimador de Densidade Kernel com kernel Gaussiano multivariado. O algoritmo proposto tem a vantagem de não exigir a priori o número de clusters, além disso, ele é simples, fácil de implementar, bem definido e para em um número finito de etapas, ou seja, sempre converge independentemente do conjunto de dados a ser agrupado. Implementamos o algoritmo no software R e fizemos experimentos numéricos com dados de problemas práticos obtidos na literatura e dados produzidos de forma sintética para uma melhor abrangência das potencialidades do algoritmo. Resultados preliminares indicam que o algoritmo AdditiveClusterKDE é competitivo quando comparado com os algoritmos K-means e PdfCluster.
Theoretical Investigation of Carbon Dioxide Adsorption on Li+-Decorated Nanoflakes

Recently, the capture of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas, has attracted particular interest from researchers worldwide. In the present work, several theoretical methods have been used to study adsorption of CO2 molecules on Li+-decorated coronene (Li+@coronene). It has been established that Li+ can be strongly anchored on coronene, and then a physical adsorption of CO2 will occur in the vicinity of this cation. Moreover, such a decoration has substantially improved interaction energy (Eint) between CO2 molecules and the adsorbent. One to twelve CO2 molecules per one Li+ have been considered, and their Eint values are in the range from −5.55 to −16.87 kcal/mol. Symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT0) calculations have shown that, depending on the quantity of adsorbed CO2 molecules, different energy components act as the main reason for attraction. AIMD simulations allow estimating gravimetric densities (GD, wt.%) at various temperatures, and the maximal GDs have been calculated to be 9.3, 6.0, and 4.9% at T = 77, 300, and 400 K, respectively. Besides this, AIMD calculations validate stability of Li+@coronene complexes during simulation time at the maximum CO2 loading. Bader’s atoms-in-molecules (QTAIM) and independent gradient model (IGM) techniques have been implemented to unveil the features of interactions between CO2 and Li+@coronene. These methods have proved that there exists a non-covalent bonding between the cation center and CO2. We suppose that findings, derived in this theoretical work, may also benefit the design of novel nanosystems for gas storage and delivery.
Analytical modelling of wind speed deficit in large offshore wind farms

The proposed model for the wind speed deficit in wind farms is analytical and encompasses both small wind farms and wind farms extending over large areas. As is often the need for offshore wind farms, the model handles a regular array geometry with straight rows of wind turbines and equidistant spacing between units in each row and equidistant spacing between rows. Firstly, the case with the flow direction being parallel to rows in a rectangular geometry is considered by defining three flow regimes. Secondly, when the flow is not in line with the main rows, solutions are suggested for the patterns of wind turbine units corresponding to each wind direction. The presentation is an outline of a model complex that will be adjusted and calibrated with measurements in the near future. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Foggy Image Enhancement Based on Filter Variable Multi-Scale Retinex

In foggy weather, contrast and color of images captured by traffic visual surveillance system are degraded significantly. To improve contrast and enlarge gray range of fog-degraded image, an improved filter variable multi-scale Retinex algorithm is presented. From comparing simulation resuts by four algorithms (global histogram equalization, local histogram equalization, multiscale retinex respectively variable filter retinex), the subjective and objective evaluation is summarized respectively. Experimental results show that the method has good universality and practicality to enhance local texture details of foggy image and suppress noise effectively.
Equipment productivity improvement via inline qualification implementation

This paper discusses inline etch equipment qualification implementation at the 200 mm Infineon Technologies Richmond fab. Traditional etch equipment qualification requires offline etching of test blanket (or pattern) wafers of known thickness during a defined period. The process etch rate can be calculated using known film thickness and etch time. Data is obtained using an SPC system, which is then used to qualify the tool set. As a part of process control and data acquisition, time of etch is currently being monitored for automatic endpoint steps. The etch time is collected by an equipment integration software package, which communicates directly with the tool and records readings from sensors, step times, and other process conditions. The etch time is then combined with SPC gathered pre etch film thickness to determine an inline, on product, process etch rate. This gives the ability to monitor a chamber's performance without a costly break in the production for purposes of running a test wafer. This also allows instant detection of an out of control (OOC) process and prevents a significant scrap event.