Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new fast two-color interferometer at Alcator C-Mod for turbulence measurements and comparison with phase contrast imaging

Accurately predicting the turbulent transport properties of magnetically confined plasmas is a major challenge of fusion energy research. Validation of transport models is typically done by applying so-called “synthetic diagnostics” to the output of nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations, and the results are compared to experimental data. As part of the validation process, comparing two independent turbulence measurements to each other provides the opportunity to test the synthetic diagnostics themselves; a step which is rarely possible due to limited availability of redundant fluctuation measurements on magnetic confinement experiments. At Alcator C-Mod, phase-contrast imaging (PCI) is a commonly used turbulence diagnostic. PCI measures line-integrated electron density fluctuations with high sensitivity and wavenumber resolution (1.6 cm−1≲|kR|≲11 cm−1). A new fast two-color interferometry (FTCI) diagnostic on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak measures long-wavelength (|kR|≲3.0 cm−1) line-integrated electron density f.
Multi-user rate-based flow control with action delays: a team-theoretic approach

We develop a methodology, based on control-theoretic tools, to design decentralized rate-based flow controllers with some optimality properties. An important issue that arises here is one of action delays: it takes time from the moment control information is sent to a source, until an action is taken by it, and until subsequently that action affects the state of the switch that had initiated that information. In the presence of such action delays, we obtain an explicit solution to the flow control problem within the framework of decentralized LQG (linear-quadratic-Gaussian) team theory and by invoking some certainty equivalence. Simulation examples illustrate the analytical results.
Capacitated disassembly scheduling with random demand

This paper considers disassembly scheduling, which is the problem of determining the quantity and timing of the end-of-use/life products to be disassembled while satisfying the demand for their parts obtained from disassembling the products over a planning horizon. This paper focuses on the problem with stochastic demand of parts/modules, capacity restrictions on disassembly resources, and multiple product types with a two-level product structure. The two-level product structure implies that an end-of-use/life product is hierarchically decomposed into two levels where the first level corresponds to the parts/modules and the second level corresponds to the product. We formulate the problem as a stochastic inventory model and to solve the problem we propose a Lagrangian heuristic algorithm as well as an optimisation algorithm for the sub-problems obtained from Lagrangian decomposition. The test results on randomly generated problems show that the Lagrangian heuristic algorithm demonstrates good performance in terms of solution quality and time.
H-Shaped Radial Phononic Crystal for High-Quality Factor on Lamb Wave Resonators

In this paper, a novel H-shaped radial phononic crystal (H-RPC) structure is proposed to suppress the anchor loss of a Lamb wave resonator (LWR), which has an ultra-high frequency (UHF) and ultra-wideband gap characteristics. Compared to previous studies on phononic crystal (PC) structures aimed at suppressing anchor loss, the radial phononic crystal (RPC) structure is more suitable for suppressing the anchor loss of the LWR. By using the finite element method, through the research and analysis of the complex energy band and frequency response, it is found that the elastic wave can generate an ultra-wideband gap with a relative bandwidth of up to 80.2% in the UHF range when propagating in the H-RPC structure. Furthermore, the influence of geometric parameters on the ultra-wideband gap is analyzed. Then, the H-RPC structure is introduced into the LWR. Through the analysis of the resonant frequency, it is found that the LWR formed by the H-RPC structure can effectively reduce the vibration energy radiated by the anchor point. The anchor quality factor was increased by 505,560.4% compared with the conventional LWR. In addition, the analysis of the LWR under load shows that the LWR with the H-RPC structure can increase the load quality factor by 249.9% and reduce the insertion loss by 93.1%, while the electromechanical coupling coefficient is less affected.
Indentation Size Effect and Microhardness Study of β-Sn Single Crystals

The load dependence of apparent microhardness of ? -Sn single crystals having different growth directions is investigated. The measurements are performed on (110) planes of these crystals in the load range from 10 to 50? mN. It is found that the degree of the microhardness anisotropy decreases for higher indentation test loads. The examined materials exhibit the behaviour of indentation size effect (ISE), i.e., the apparent hardness increases with decreasing indentation load. Neither Meyer's law nor the proportional specimen resistance (PSR) model can fully explain the nonlinear variation of microhardness with load. Instead, preference is given to modified the PSR model based on the consideration of the effect of machining-induced residually stressed surface on the hardness measurement.
Laser diode beam shaping using holographic grating recorded by an additional orthogonally-polarizing beam

In this paper, we propose a method to fabricate the grating for a laser diode shaper. During the grating recording, a beam that has polarization mode orthogonal to those of two recording beams is added. The intensity of the additional beam is controlled by a spatial light modulator to provide the spatial variation of intensity modulation, which leads to the difference of the saturation diffraction efficiency. As the results of the experiment, the laser beam shaped by the obtained grating has Gaussian desired profile intensity and is not aberration along the propagation.
The Role of Family Resilience and Pandemic Burnout on Mental Health: A Two-Wave Study in China

Family resilience refers to the processes through which a family adapts to and bounces back from adversities. Pandemic burnout refers to feeling emotionally exhausted, cynical, and lack of accomplishment during the pandemic and/or toward various preventive polices and measures. This two-wave, region-wide, longitudinal study included 796 adult participants residing in mainland China. Participants completed online surveys at two time points during the COVID-19 pandemic. Time 1 (T1) survey was conducted when the number of new infected cases in China stabilized, while Time 2 (T2) was conducted 5 months later when there was a sudden surge of new infected cases. Results of a hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the interaction and main effects of pandemic burnout and family resilience at T2 showed significant incremental prediction of depression and anxiety at T2, after controlling for demographic as well as individual and family resilience at T1. These results supported the hypotheses that current family resilience functions as a protective factor, whereas pandemic burnout functions as a risk factor of mental health during successive waves of pandemic outbreaks. In particular, family resilience at T2 mitigated the negative impact of high pandemic burnout on anxiety and depression at T2.
The presence of territorial damselfish predicts choosy client species richness at cleaning stations

Abstract Mutualisms are driven by partners deciding to interact with one another to gain specific services or rewards. As predicted by biological market theory, partners should be selected based on the likelihood, quality, reward level, and or services each partner can offer. Third-party species that are not directly involved in the interaction, however, may indirectly affect the occurrence and or quality of the services provided, thereby affecting which partners are selected or avoided. We investigated how different clients of the sharknose goby (Elacatinus evelynae) cleaner fish were distributed across cleaning stations, and asked what characteristics, relating to biological market theory, affected this distribution. Through quantifying the visitation and cleaning patterns of client fish that can choose which cleaning station(s) to visit, we found that the relative species richness of visiting clients at stations was negatively associated with the presence of disruptive territorial damselfish at the station. Our study highlights, therefore, the need to consider the indirect effects of third-party species and their interactions (e.g., agonistic interactions) when attempting to understand mutualistic interactions between species. Moreover, we highlight how cooperative interactions may be indirectly governed by external partners.
Recent advances in using diffusion tensor imaging to study white matter alterations in Parkinson’s disease: A mini review

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disease with cardinal motor symptoms. In addition to motor symptoms, PD is a heterogeneous disease accompanied by many non-motor symptoms that dominate the clinical manifestations in different stages or subtypes of PD, such as cognitive impairments. The heterogeneity of PD suggests widespread brain structural changes, and axonal involvement appears to be critical to the pathophysiology of PD. As α-synuclein pathology has been suggested to cause axonal changes followed by neuronal degeneration, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) as an in vivo imaging technique emerges to characterize early detectable white matter changes due to PD. Here, we reviewed the past 5-year literature to show how DTI has helped identify axonal abnormalities at different PD stages or in different PD subtypes and atypical parkinsonism. We also showed the recent clinical utilities of DTI tractography in interventional treatments such as deep brain stimulation (DBS). Mounting evidence supported by multisite DTI data suggests that DTI along with the advanced analytic methods, can delineate dynamic pathophysiological processes from the early to late PD stages and differentiate distinct structural networks affected in PD and other parkinsonism syndromes. It indicates that DTI, along with recent advanced analytic methods, can assist future interventional studies in optimizing treatments for PD patients with different clinical conditions and risk profiles.
Measuring strain and stress distributions along rebar embedded in concrete using time-of-flight neutron diffraction

In modern society, architectural and civil engineering structures such as reinforced concrete buildings require high seismic performance to minimize the ‘megarisk’ exposed from urban earthquake hazards. In the reinforced concrete structures, the bond resistance between rebar and concrete is one important parameter for discussing its performance and it has been typically evaluated by measuring the strain distribution along the embedded rebar. Here, we present in-situ strain and stress measurements for the rebar in reinforced concrete using time-of-flight neutron diffraction as a novel alternative technique to typical strain gauges. It was demonstrated in this study that the three-dimensional deformation behavior of the embedded rebar in normal-strength concrete, cured in air, can be accurately measured under pull-out loading using time-of-flight neutron diffraction. Wider applications of neutron diffraction in the structural engineering field are expected for advanced understanding of actual phenomena on reinforced concrete structures.
ON SEMIREAL CLOSED RINGS

The aim of this paper is to introduce the notion of semireal closed rings. With the aid of the theory of totally integrally closed rings, someimportant results on semireal closed rings are established. The results in this paper involve the uniqueness of orderings, the decision of monic irreducible polynomials and the researches on real valuations in the category of semireal closed rings.
Monolithic integration of an InGaAsP/InP laser diode with heterojunction bipolar transistors

A monolithic integration of an InGaAsP laser diode together with current supplying circuit on a single InP substrate has been achieved. Heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT’s) have been constructed utilizing the burying epitaxial layers of the buried heterostructure laser diode. The laser has been successfully modulated up to 1.6 GHz through the HBT’s driving circuit with sinusoidal electrical signal.
Field-Based Estimates of Muscle Quality Index Determine Timed-Up-and-Go Test Performance in Obese Older Women

Objective The muscle quality index (MQI) is associated with numerous health outcomes in adults; however, the effects of distinct MQI on functional capacity in obese older women have not yet been fully investigated. Thus, we investigated the contribution of different muscle quality indices on TUG performance prediction in obese older women. We secondarily evaluated the association between MQI, aerobic capacity performance (Treadmill performance and 6-minute walk test), and obesity indices (BMI, body fat percentage, and neck, waist, and hip circumference). Methods Participants included 64 obese older women (mean age 67.05 ± 5.46 years, body fat ≥ 35%). General anthropometric, health history, body composition, treadmill exercise, and functional test (Time up and go) measures were collected. A hydraulic dynamometer was used to assess muscle strength, and Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) to identify body fat percentage. The field MQI was defined as the highest reading divided by the subject’s body mass index (BMI), while the laboratory MQI was obtained by the ratio of grip strength to the entire arm muscle in kilograms measured by DXA. A hierarchical multiple regression was performed to predict TUG-test performance. Results An increase in field MQI of one unit is associated with a decrease of 2.59 seconds in the TUG test (β = −0.540; p = 0.004). There was no association between laboratory MQI and TUG performance (β = 0.067; p = 0.712). Furthermore, field MQI displays a positive correlation (p < 0.05) with aerobic capacity performance (6-minute walk test and peak O2 consumption) and a negative correlation (p < 0.05) with diverse obesity indices (neck and waist circumference, body fat, and BMI). Conclusion MQI displayed an important prediction with TUG-test, a positive correlation with aerobic capacity, and a negative correlation with obesity indices.
Gate oxide reliability on trapezoid-shaped defects and obtuse triangular defects in 4H-SiC epitaxial wafers

The reliability of the gate oxide on large-area surface defects (trapezoid-shaped and obtuse triangular defects) in 4H-SiC epitaxial wafers is discussed. Time-dependent dielectric breakdown measurements revealed that a reduction in charge-to-breakdown (Qbd) occurred at a MOS capacitor including the downstream line of those defects. The deterioration of Qbd was at the same level in trapezoid-shaped defects and obtuse triangular defects. A cross-sectional transmission electron microscope (TEM) image and the simulation of the electric field distribution for the MOS structure indicated that the local fluctuation of the oxide thickness and/or the roughness of the interface on the downstream lines caused the degradation of the reliability of the MOS capacitors.
Numerical Analysis of the Grasp Configuration of a Planar 3-DOF Linkage-Driven Underactuated Finger

This paper proposes a novel method to investigate the grasp sequence of an underactuated (a.k.a. adaptive) finger with three degrees of freedom but only one actuator and find its final configuration. This method considers the magnitude and the sign of the torques generated on the phalanges of the finger through the contact points. By using these torques as indices, the algorithm calculates the values of the joint angles during the grasping sequence until the finger reaches its final configuration. To illustrate the effectiveness of this method a class of a 3-DOF adaptive finger is chosen and analyzed and then using the proposed methodology, its grasp configuration is calculated when grasping different fixed objects. Finally, simulations are repeated using a dynamic simulation package and the obtained results are compared to the proposed method. The results show that the method can properly estimate the final configuration of the grasp.
Electromanipulation of mammalian cells: fundamentals and application

Electroinjection of membrane-impermeable xenomolecules into freely suspended mammalian cells (so-called electroporation) and cell-to-cell electrofusion are powerful tools for manipulation of the genom and the cytosol of cells. Both field pulse techniques are based on the temporary increase of the membrane permeability due to reversible electrical breakdown of the plasma membrane upon application of external high-intensity field pulses of very short duration. Membrane charging and permabilization caused by high-intensity field pulses are preceded and accompanied by transient electrodeformation forces, which lead to an elongation of the cells in low-conductivity media, thus affecting the membrane area of electropermabilization in response to a breakdown pulse. Transient stretching force assumes a maximum value in low-conductivities pulse media. This facilitates incorporation of membrane-impermeable xenomolecules and field-mediated hybridization as well. Therefore, high and reproducible fields of (genetically) manipulated cells can be expected provided that: 1) the duration of the high-intensity field pulses does not exceed shout 100 /spl mu/s and 2) that the (pulse or fusion) media are hypo-osmolar and exhibit a relatively low conductivities. Such media are also beneficial because field-inducted apoptosis does not occur under these conditions (in contrast to highly conductive media). Indeed, electroporation and electrofusion protocols that fulfill these requirements lead: 1) to high incorporation rates of plasmids (DNA) or artificial chromesomes into living cells without deterioration and 2) to the production of hybridoma cells (by fusion of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes with heteromyeloma cells), which secrete functional human monoclonal antibodies. Human monoclonal antibodies that bind to and induce apoptosis in autologous tumor cells are promising gents for cancer treatment, as shown by first clinical trials.
Administration of Bacteriophages via Nebulization during Mechanical Ventilation: In Vitro Study and Lung Deposition in Macaques

Bacteriophages have been identified as a potential treatment option to treat lung infection in the context of antibiotic resistance. We performed a preclinical study to predict the efficacy of delivery of bacteriophages against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) when administered via nebulization during mechanical ventilation (MV). We selected a mix of four anti-PA phages containing two Podoviridae and two Myoviridae, with a coverage of 87.8% (36/41) on an international PA reference panel. When administered via nebulization, a loss of 0.30–0.65 log of infective phage titers was measured. No difference between jet, ultrasonic and mesh nebulizers was observed in terms of loss of phage viability, but a higher output was measured with the mesh nebulizer. Interestingly, Myoviridae are significantly more sensitive to nebulization than Podoviridae since their long tail is much more prone to damage. Phage nebulization has been measured as compatible with humidified ventilation. Based on in vitro measurement, the lung deposition prediction of viable phage particles ranges from 6% to 26% of the phages loaded in the nebulizer. Further, 8% to 15% of lung deposition was measured by scintigraphy in three macaques. A phage dose of 1 × 109 PFU/mL nebulized by the mesh nebulizer during MV predicts an efficient dose in the lung against PA, comparable with the dose chosen to define the susceptibility of the strain.
Symbol-MAP-based trellis vector quantization

We exploit the similarity between source compression and channel decoding to develop a new encoding algorithm for trellis vector quantization (TVQ). We start by drawing the analogy between TVQ and the process of sequence-ML channel decoding. Then, the new search algorithm is derived based on the symbol-MAP decoding algorithm, which is used in soft-output channel decoding applications. Given a block of source output vectors, the new algorithm delivers a set of probabilities that describe the reliability of the different symbols at the encoder output for each time instant, in the minimum distortion sense. The performance of both the new algorithm and the Viterbi algorithm is compared using memoryless Gaussian and Gauss-Markov sources. The two algorithms provide expected similar distortion-rate results. This behavior is due to the fact that sequence-ML decoding is equivalent to symbol-MAP decoding of independent and identically distributed data symbols. Although the new algorithm is approximately 4 times more complex than the Viterbi (1974) algorithm, it provides distortion-dependent reliability information that can be used to improve the quality of compression.
Log-pile photonic crystal fabricated by two-photon photopolymerization

The design, fabrication and evaluation of photonic crystals (PhCs) based on two-photon polymerization have been performed. In order to fabricate high quality three-dimensional (3D) log-pile PhCs with good performance in the IR region, a new resin, S-3, which has higher absorption and better optical properties for a 3D stack than commercial SCR500, is used. Several important parameters including laser intensity and overlap ratio for two-photon fabrication have been optimized. With a homemade femtosecond laser microfabrication system, two PhCs with lattice periods of 1.5 and 2 µm are fabricated. Their photonic bandgaps (PBGs) are measured around 3.4 µm. A simulation result of the PBG using a plane wave based on the transfer-matrix method is given, which agrees well with the observed PBG.