Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Research on ghost imaging method based on wavelet transform

We present an algorithm of extracting the wavelet coefficients of object based on ghost imaging (GI) system. Through modification of the projected random patterns by using a series of templates, wavelet transform GI (WTGI) can directly measure the high frequency components of wavelet coefficients without needing the original image. In this study, we theoretically and experimentally perform the high frequency components of wavelet coefficients detection with an arrow and a letter A based on GI and WTGI. Comparing with the traditional method, the use of the algorithm proposed in this paper can significantly improve the quality of the image of wavelet coefficients in both cases. The special advantages of GI will make the wavelet coefficient detection based on WTGI very valuable in real applications.
Stiffness characteristics of inner–outer ring flexure pivots applied to the ultra-precision instruments

The inner-outer ring flexure pivot (IORFP), composed of three straight springs that cross each other in space, is studied in this work. First, to emphasize the study value of IORFP, qualitative comparison is applied to IORFP and some of most commonly used flexure pivots. Then an analytical model for the rotational stiffness of IORFP is developed based on the strain energy formulation of a beam flexure, and model applicability is provided as well. Analysis of stiffness, buckling load, and the nonlinear of moment–rotation relation is then carried out. Subsequently, the analytical model is verified by finite element analysis. After that, seven prototypes of IORFP are manufactured, and their rotational stiffnesses are tested. The results show that the analytical model can be used for analysis and designing of compliant mechanisms that contain IORFP. Finally, the study quantitatively compares stiffness characteristics and axis drift of IORFP and the generalized cross-spring pivot, indicating that the former significantly outperforms the latter. IORFP possesses excellent performances and can be widely used to supplant generalized cross-spring pivot in compliant mechanisms and ultra-precision instruments.
Tunable Visible Cloaking Using Liquid Diffusion

A method is introduced for the design of invisibility cloaks inspired by fluid dynamics that is different from traditional transformation optics. The inhomogeneous refractive index of the liquid cloak controlled by the natural liquid diffusion is analogous to its counterpart designed by transformation optics. Here, a tunable liquid visible cloak is experimentally presented by the natural diffusion of miscible flows. This method avoids the use of complex nanostructures in its solid counterpart, and provides a simple and low‐cost approach. This implies that optofluidics can be used as a technology to make real‐time reconfigurable transformation optic devices.
Robust decentralised mean field control in leader following multi-agent systems

This study addresses a robust counterpart of the deterministic mean field control in a multi-agent system. A decentralised mean field algorithm is proposed to solve a min–max control problem for a large population of heterogeneous agents. In the proposed leader following scheme, the leader tracks a reference signal which is unknown to the followers and each follower tracks a convex combination of the population state average and the leader's state. The leader plays a robust min–max game against disturbance and the followers play a mean field e N -Nash game against each other and at the same time, each follower plays a robust min–max game against the disturbance. For all the players, finite horizon quadratic cost is considered. In the proposed decentralised algorithm, followers do not need the knowledge about each of leader's and other followers' states and they only use an estimate of the population state average. In this way, propose a policy iteration method which guarantees the convergence to the saddle point mean field e N -Nash solution. The proposed method is applied to a large population of agents and compared with centralised algorithm to demonstrate the results.
High-power mode-locked 2 µm multimode fiber laser

We report mode-locking operation of a multimode thulium fiber laser at 2 µm with a semiconductor saturable absorber as the modulator. Through synchronization of different transverse modes, multimode mode-locking has been achieved with an average power >10 W. Based on a large mode area, the pulse energy is over 500 nJ, and the pulse peak power is over 10 kW. Such multimode-locking of fiber lasers shows substantial enhancement in both pulse energy and average power (peak power) compared to their traditional single-mode counterparts, providing a new kind of high power ultrafast laser source that can be used in various areas.
Hydration behaviors of nonfouling zwitterionic materials

Zwitterionic materials have emerged as highly effective ultralow fouling materials for many applications, however the underlying mechanism of fouling resistance remains unclear. Using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and surface-sensitive sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy, we studied the hydration behaviors of zwitterionic materials, including trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) and carboxybetaines of different charge-separation distances, to understand their fouling-resistant mechanism and provide a design principle for improved performance. Our study reveals that the interplay among hydrogen bonding, net charge, and dipole moment is crucial to the fouling-resistant capabilities of zwitterionic materials. Shortening of the zwitterionic spacing strengthens hydrogen bonding with water against biomolecule attachment due to the increased electrostatic and induction interactions, charge transfer, and improved structural stability. Moreover, the shortened charge separation reduces the dipole moment of zwitterionic materials with an intrinsic near-neutral net charge, decreasing their electrostatic and dipole–dipole interactions with biofoulers, and increasing their resistance to fouling. Compared to carboxybetaine compounds, TMAO has the shortest zwitterionic spacing and exhibits the strongest hydrogen bonding, the smallest net charge, and the minimum dipole moment, making it an excellent nonfouling material.
A Parallel Resonant DC Link Soft Switching Inverter With Simple Structure and Its Modulation Strategy Analysis

Aiming at the problems of high current stress, large conduction loss, and overly many components in the auxiliary commutated circuit (ACC) of the newly proposed parallel resonant dc link inverter (PRDCLI), this article proposes a modulation strategy. It includes two parts: a strategy for minimizing the ACC operating frequency and a synchronize strategy using shunt dead zone. With this new modulation strategy, the original PRDCLI is simplified to the PRDCLI with a simple structure. Compared with the original modulation strategy and PRDCLI, the proposed modulation strategy and PRDCLI can: 1) guarantee soft-switching of all switches; 2) minimize ACC operating frequency to reduce conduction loss; 3) separate load current and resonant current during ACC operation to reduce current stress; and 4) delete a group of resonant circuits to reduce hardware cost. In this article, the operation principle under the proposed modulation strategy and PRDCLI is described in detail. Its characteristics are analyzed, which include voltage/current stress, components number, and parameter design. Experimentally, a general prototype (SiC MOSFET, 8 kW/80 kHz) is used to compare the original modulation strategy and PRDCLI as to verify the efficacy of the proposed ones.
L2 rhythm acquisition and rhythmic transfer in Galician learners of English: A pilot study

Languages have been classified with regard to their rhythm into stress-timed, syllable-timed and mora-timed languages. The aim of this pilot study is to verify the existence of rhythmic transfer from a syllable-timed language, Galician (L1), to the English spoken by Galician learners (L2), as well as to determine whether the proficiency level in the L2 may have an effect on the degree of rhythmic transfer observed. Two groups of six Galician learners of English and two groups of six native speakers of Galician and Southern British English were recorded and analyzed. Rhythm metrics (ΔC, %V, ΔV, CrPVI, and VnPVI) were calculated for all four groups so as to have objective measures to compare the rhythm of the source language (Galician), the rhythm of the target language (English), and the rhythm of the learner language at different proficiency levels. The data show that there is rhythmic transfer between Galician and English L2, and that the degree of transfer decreases as the proficiency level in the L2 increases.
A psychoacoustic model for Gaussian noise token discrimination

Although Gaussian noise tokens can carry a great amount of information from an information theoretical viewpoint, human listeners can have great difficulty to discriminate between two independent noise tokens. In this study the ability to discriminate between noise tokens as a function of bandwidth and duration has been measured. Subjects were presented with either two identical or two uncorrelated noise tokens and were then asked to decide which alternative was presented (same-different paradigm). This is a replication of the experiment by Hanna (1984, Perception and Psychophysics, 36, 409-416). Results for most measured bandwidths show that with increasing duration, the discriminability first increases until a maximum is reached at a duration of approximately 25 ms and then decreases again for longer durations. This experiment has also been performed for 100-600 Hz and 225-275 Hz frozen-noise conditions. Discriminability was higher in the frozen-noise conditions than in the running-noise conditions. Predictions based on the model by Dau et al. (1996, Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 99, 3615-3622) show the same influence of noise bandwidth as the experimental data. In contrast, the influence of duration is not correctly predicted because the model simulations show a continuous increase of discriminability with increasing noise duration. To facilitate more accurate predictions an additional stage has been added to the model which assumes limited memory resources to store internal representations of sound stimuli.
Analytical capacitance model for 14 nm FinFET considering dual-k spacer*

The conformal mapping of an electric field has been employed to develop an accurate parasitic capacitance model for nanoscale fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) device. Firstly, the structure of the dual-layer spacers and the gate parasitic capacitors are thoroughly analyzed. Then, the Cartesian coordinate is transferred into the elliptic coordinate and the equivalent fringe capacitance model can be built-up by some arithmetical operations. In order to validate our proposed model, the comparison of statistical analysis between the proposed calculation and the 3D-TCAD simulation has been carried out, and several different material combinations of the dual-k structure have been considered. The results show that the proposed analytical model can accurately calculate the fringe capacitance of the FinFET device with dual-k spacers.
Design and simulation of a new bidirectional actuator for haptic systems featuring MR fluid

In this research, a new configuration of bidirectional actuator featuring MR fluid (BMRA) is proposed for haptic application. The proposed BMRA consists of a driving disc, a driving housing and a driven disc. The driving disc is placed inside the driving housing and rotates counter to each other by a servo DC motor and a bevel gear system. The driven shaft is also placed inside the housing and next to the driving disc. The gap between the two disc and the gap between the discs and the housing are filled with MR fluid. On the driven disc, two mutual magnetic coils are placed. By applying currents to the two coils mutually, the torque at the output shaft, which is fixed to the driven disc, can be controlled with positive, zero or negative value. This make the actuator be suitable for haptic application. After a review of MR fluid and its application, configuration of the proposed BMRA is presented. The modeling of the actuator is then derived based on Bingham rheological model of MRF and magnetic finite element analysis (FEA). The optimal design of the actuator is then performed to minimize the mass of the BMRA. From the optimal design result, performance characteristics of the actuator is simulated and detailed design of a prototype actuator is conducted.
Influence of Professional Military Education Qualifications on Promotion of Commissioned Officers in the Zambia Defence Force

: Over-time, attempts have been made to ensure that promotions of commissioned officers in the Zambia Defence Force was guided by professional education qualifications. Despite these attempts, promotions of commissioned officers were marred by irregularities. Consequently, the study aimed at examining the influence of professional education qualifications on promotions of commissioned officers in the Zambia Defence Force. The study employed a non-experimental research design. Further, the study employed both probability and non-probability sampling methods to arrive at the participants. The semi-structure questionnaire and interview guide were the data collection instruments that were used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data respectively. Thematic and content analysis techniques were employed to analyse qualitative data, while, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Excel software were used to analyse quantitative data. The sample size was composed of 209 respondents and 12 key informants. Generally, the findings revealed that professional education qualifications did not influence promotions of commissioned officers in the Zambia Air force and the Zambia National Service. To the contrary, career progression of commissioned officers in the Zambia Army were to a large extent influenced by professional education qualifications. There is need to streamline the professional military education system in the Zambia Defence Force.
Impact of alternative distributions on quantile-quantile normality plot

Many statistical programs use normal quantile-quantile plots for geometrical visualization of experimental data sets. In the paper we observe how normal quantile-quantile points behave when data sets come from alternative distributions, characterized by different kind of departure from normality. Theoretical lines for these distributions are presented in order to observe relationship between type of departure from normality and location points in a normal Q-Q plot. Additionally, the Shapiro-Wilk’s test is applied to check normality of the data sets.
A Study of Some Physiological and Biochemical Variables for Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

The current study aimed to investigate some physiological and biochemical variables for patients with atherosclerosis of the heart, as some functional and metabolic criteria, and to compare the results of patients with the control group (healthy ones) and the study sample include (120) volunteers whose ages ranged from (30 – 96 years) from the residents of Wasit and Dhi Qar governorates, as data were collected for the samples of the current study to include the age group, where the results of the study sample showed the highest rates of patients within the age group (50-69 years) compared with the control group and for both sexes. Whereas, the laboratory tests of the biochemical-metabolic criteria indicated that there were significant differences in the concentrations of lipids in blood serum samples between the two groups of patients and the control with statistical significance, as the concentrations of lipids increased in each of cholesterol, triglycerides TG, low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), and a decrease in the level of High-density lipoproteins (HDL) in patients with atherosclerosis compared with the control group for both sexes, in addition, the results of the study showed that significant changes in the levels of the two biomarkers of atherosclerosis, as a significant increase was observed in the levels of OPG and endothelin ET in the serum of atherosclerosis patients of both sexes, compared to the control group, respectively. It is concluded from this study that the changes in serum levels of OPG and endothelin ET, as the results showed that males are more susceptible to atherosclerosis than females, and it also showed that the older the age, the greater the risk factors for atherosclerosis.
Body Sensor Network for Its Surface Shape Reconstruction

The Thesis is dedicated to investigation of novel methods for reconstructing body shapes using embedded orientation sensors. The study introduces two significant innovations: (1) a technique that utilizes orientation sensors within elastic structures for accurate 3D shape reconstruction, and (2) an optimized data acquisition approach for body sensor networks with multiple sensor nodes. The proposed methods have been validated in a laboratory setting using an experimental device with 26 orientation sensors embedded in zigzag structures. The results are compared with existing technologies, and recommendations for design choices are provided based on the analysis of these results.
The globalization of science diplomacy in the early 1970s: a historical exploration

The early 1970s brought fundamental transitions in international scientific collaboration that significantly affected the international relations in global patterns that are still relevant today. This article uses a multi-perspective approach to argue that the underlying condition for the globalization of science diplomacy was the increasing participation of recently independent countries in international technoscientific affairs, examining critical research areas, including space exploration, oceanography, nuclear technoscience, the environmental sciences, and health and population studies. Themes emerged at that time that continue to characterize what we term ‘Global Science Diplomacy’: multipolarity, resistance and agency, lack of global consensus, regional alliances and interests, and the centrality of the United Nations system to the conduct of transnational science. This survey is a first step in historical reflection on this phenomenon and shows that it was the emergence of the Global South in Science Diplomacy affairs that made Science Diplomacy global at the beginning of the 1970s.
A Robust Adaptive Model Reference Impedance Control of a Robotic Manipulator With Actuator Saturation

This paper develops a robust adaptive model reference impedance controller for an ${n}$ -link robotic manipulator with parameter uncertainties, actuator saturation, and imprecise force sensor measurement. In order to handle the system uncertainties, the adaptive technique and prediction error are used. To reduce calculation complexity, the adaptation law for robot parameters estimation is designed in the joint space. Actuator saturation is also overcome by an auxiliary system, and imprecise force sensor measurement is compensated with utilization of adaptive bounding technique. Moreover, the joint acceleration vector problem, which is nonmeasurable, is covered by the filtered regressor matrix. Using Lyapunov’s direct method, as long as two conditions are satisfied the proposed controller ensures the exponential stability of all the signals of the closed loop system; otherwise, the closed loop system is globally stable. Finally, simulations are performed on prototyped robots to analyze and evaluate the established controller as well as to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Mixture Model-CMA-ES

We report on our attempt to improve the CMA-ES global optimization algorithm based on two ideas: first the use of Sobol's quasi-random low discrepancy numbers instead of pseudo-random numbers, second the design of an alternative to sequential restarts to dynamically adapt the population size, using a mixture model extension of CMA-ES (MM-CMA-ES). On the standard Coco benchmark for evaluating global stochastic optimization methods, the use of Sobol numbers shows a quite uniform improvement, as was already shown by Teytaud last year. On the other hand, MM-CMA-ES does not show speed-up w.r. t. CMA-ES with IPOP restart strategy, even on objective functions with many local minima such as the Rastrigin function. The reason is the overhead in the number of evaluation of the objective functions, introduced by the MM strategy, and the very subtle effect of the adaptive step size strategy of CMA-ES to escape from the covering of several local minima by one (large) normal distribution. We conclude on some perspectives for improvement.
Clustering-based Parametric Surrogate Modeling of Vibroacoustic Problems Assisted by Neural Networks and Active Subspace Method

This contribution presents a combined framework to perform parametric surrogate modeling of vibroacoustic problems that enables eﬃcient training of large-scale problems. The proposed framework combines the active subspace method to perform dimensionality reduction of high-dimensional problems and thereafter a clustering-based approach within the identiﬁed active subspace region to yield smaller training clusters. Finally, a trained neural network assists the cluster classiﬁcation task for any desired parameter point so as to query the parametric system response during the online phase.
Lattice Thermal Conductivity of Pristine Si Nanowires: Classical Nonequilibrium Molecular Dynamics Study

ABSTRACT We investigate lattice thermal conductivities of Si nanowires (SiNWs) based on classical nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations. The SiNWs are supposed to have a crystalline diamond structure and extend along the [001] axial direction with the {100} sidewall facets on which the surface Si atoms are all dimerized and fully passivated by hydrogen. Various sizes in the square cross section are considered, and the lengths are varied to find the diffusive limits of the lattice thermal conductivities. The upper limits of the diffusive lattice thermal conductivities of SiNWs are 11.2, 16.0, 22.8, and 28.0 W/mK for SiNWs with widths of 2.7, 4.9, 8.1, and 11.3 nm, respectively. The mode-averaged mean free paths of phonons are 50, 52, 63, and 80 nm for the SiNWs, respectively, which are 7–19 times longer than the SiNW widths.
Numerical Solutions of Advection Diffusion Equations Using Finite Element Method

n this paper, we have implemented the finite element method for the numerical solution of a boundary and initial value problems, mainly on solving the one and two-dimensional advection-diffusion equation with constant parameters. In doing so, the basic idea is to first rewrite the problem as a variational equation, and then seek a solution approximation from the space of continuous piece-wise linear’s. This discretization procedure results in a linear system that can be solved by using a numerical algorithm for systems of these equations. The techniques are based on the finite element approximations using Galerkin’s method in space resulting system of the first order ODE’s and then solving this first order ODE’s using backward Euler descritization in time. For the two-dimensional problems, we use the ODE solver ODE15I to descritize time. The validity of the numerical model is verified using differenttest examples. The computed results showed that the use of the current method is very applicable for the solution of the advection-diffusion equation.