Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Blade-coating and Characterizing Organic Photovoltaic Devices for Roll-to-Roll Production.

BALAR, NRUP LALJIBHAI. Blade-coating and Characterizing Organic Photovoltaic Devices for Roll-to-Roll Production. (Under the direction of Dr. Brendan O’Connor). Organic solar cells have potential to reduce the manufacturing cost of solar cells and ultimately the cost of solar power. Currently, high efficiency organic photovoltaic (OPV) active layers are processed in the laboratory using spin casting, which is not suitable for scalable roll-to-roll production. Here, we explore the use of the scalable processing approach of blade coating, which is a prototype technique for roll-to-roll production. In blade coating, the solution concentration, substrate temperature, blade position and speed are all parameters that will influence the resulting film thickness and morphology, and have a direct impact on solar cell performance. We systematically vary these parameters for polymers exhibiting high aggregation characteristics to achieve high efficiency solar cells. Performance of OPV devices are highly dependent on the morphology of polymer films which is generally studied using optical as well as X-ray based measurement techniques. We demonstrated capability to carry out non-destructive characterization of OPV films using spectroscopic ellipsometry on ex-situ basis. We also used the blade-coater and the Variable Angle Spectroscopy Ellipsometer (VASE) system to study in-situ growth of polymers and understand the kinetics of drying of the films. Capability to study mechanical properties of OPV films was developed using a delamination based test system. Adhesion energy of a polystyrene (PS) film with a silicon (Si) substrate was measured and compared with available experimental results to understand the testing system and the methods. © Copyright 2016 Nrup Balar All Rights Reserved Blade-coating and Characterizing Organic Photovoltaic Devices for Roll-to-Roll Production by Nrup Laljibhai Balar A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Mechanical Engineering Raleigh, North Carolina 2016
The complete mitochondrial genome of Bombyx mori strain Chunyun (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae)

Abstract In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Bombyx mori strain Chunyun (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) has been reported for the first time. The total length of the mitogenome was 15,659 bp with 37 typical animal mitochondrial genes and 1 non-coding A + T-rich region. Its gene content and order were identical to those of other lepidopteran mitochondrial genomes. All protein-coding genes (PCGs) were initiated by ATN codons except for the COI gene, which began with CGA codon. Eleven PCGs stopped with termination codon TAA, whereas the COI and COII genes ended with single T. All tRNAs have typical structures of insect mitochondrial tRNAs. The 494 bp AT-rich region contains several features common to other lepidopterans, such as some structures of repeated motifs and microsatellite-like elements and a poly-A element upstream of transfer RNA M (trnM) gene.
The second messenger c-di-AMP inhibits the osmolyte uptake system OpuC in Staphylococcus aureus

The second messenger c-di-AMP binds to and inhibits a component of a transporter that helps bacterial cells adapt to osmotic stress. c-di-AMP inhibits the Staphylococcus aureus response to osmotic stress Like other bacteria, the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus responds to increases in osmolarity by taking up potassium ions and either taking up or synthesizing compatible solutes, small organic molecules that act as osmolytes. These measures prevent the toxic accumulation of sodium ions inside the cell and prevent water loss. Schuster et al. identified OpuCA, a component of the osmolyte uptake system OpuC, as a receptor for cyclic diadenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP) in S. aureus. Recombinant OpuCA bound to c-di-AMP in vitro, and a crystal structure revealed a putative binding pocket for c-di-AMP. OpuC mediated the uptake of carnitine, but not other compatible solutes, under osmotic stress, and c-di-AMP reduced OpuC-mediated carnitine uptake. Because c-di-AMP also inhibits potassium uptake, these findings implicate c-di-AMP as an inhibitor of both potassium and compatible solute uptake for osmoprotection. Staphylococcus aureus is an important opportunistic human pathogen that is highly resistant to osmotic stresses. To survive an increase in osmolarity, bacteria immediately take up potassium ions and small organic compounds known as compatible solutes. The second messenger cyclic diadenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP) reduces the ability of bacteria to withstand osmotic stress by binding to and inhibiting several proteins that promote potassium uptake. We identified OpuCA, the adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) component of an uptake system for the compatible solute carnitine, as a c-di-AMP target protein in S. aureus and found that the LAC*ΔgdpP strain of S. aureus, which overproduces c-di-AMP, showed reduced carnitine uptake. The paired cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS) domains of OpuCA bound to c-di-AMP, and a crystal structure revealed a putative binding pocket for c-di-AMP in the cleft between the two CBS domains. Thus, c-di-AMP inhibits osmoprotection through multiple mechanisms.
Ni-doped Carbon Nanotube Sensor for Detecting Dissolved Gases in Transformer Oil

Detection of the composition and content of dissolved gases in transformer oil has an important significance for transformer diagnosis and state assessment.The paper proposed a nickel-doped carbon nanotube gas sensor to detect dissolved gases in transformer oil.The preparation and test method of the developed sensor was introduced.The sensor response was conducted using the test device which detects dissolved gases in transformer oil.Then the response mechanism of gas sensing was analyzed.The results show that,compared to mixed acid modified carbon nanotube,the nickel-doped carbon nanotube has a higher sensitivity and responsiveness to the six dissolved gases in transformer oil,and there is a linear relationship between the relative resistance value ρ of the sensor and the gas concentration in the low concentration(1～10 μL/L) of the C2H2 gas.It indicates that the developed sensor has a capability of detecting the low concentration gas.Therefore,the sensor can reflect the general situation and approximate concentration of the dissolved gas in transformer oil.
Age-Specific Incidence of A/H1N1 2009 Influenza Infection in England from Sequential Antibody Prevalence Data Using Likelihood-Based Estimation

Estimating the age-specific incidence of an emerging pathogen is essential for understanding its severity and transmission dynamics. This paper describes a statistical method that uses likelihoods to estimate incidence from sequential serological data. The method requires information on seroconversion intervals and allows integration of information on the temporal distribution of cases from clinical surveillance. Among a family of candidate incidences, a likelihood function is derived by reconstructing the change in seroprevalence from seroconversion following infection and comparing it with the observed sequence of positivity among the samples. This method is applied to derive the cumulative and weekly incidence of A/H1N1 pandemic influenza in England during the second wave using sera taken between September 2009 and February 2010 in four age groups (1–4, 5–14, 15–24, 25–44 years). The highest cumulative incidence was in 5–14 year olds (59%, 95% credible interval (CI): 52%, 68%) followed by 1–4 year olds (49%, 95% CI: 38%, 61%), rates 20 and 40 times higher respectively than estimated from clinical surveillance. The method provides a more accurate and continuous measure of incidence than achieved by comparing prevalence in samples grouped by time period.
Comparison of high- and low-glycemic-index breakfast cereals with monounsaturated fat in the long-term dietary management of type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND Results of 6-wk studies suggest that high-carbohydrate diets are deleterious for people with type 2 diabetes. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to see whether long-term replacement of dietary monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) with carbohydrate from breakfast cereals with either a high or a low glycemic index (GI) affected blood glucose and lipids in subjects with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN Subjects with type 2 diabetes (n = 91) were randomly assigned to receive approximately 10% of energy from a low-GI breakfast cereal, a high-GI cereal, or oil or margarine containing MUFA for 6 mo. Eating breakfast cereal was prohibited for subjects in the MUFA group. RESULTS Seventy-two subjects completed the trial. The subjects who received cereals consumed approximately 10% more energy from carbohydrate than did the subjects in the MUFA group. Changes in glycated hemoglobin, body weight, and fasting cholesterol and triacylglycerol did not differ significantly among groups. HDL cholesterol increased by approximately 10% in the MUFA group compared with subjects who consumed either high- or low-GI cereals (P = 0.002). The ratio of total to HDL cholesterol was higher in the subjects who consumed the high-GI cereal than in the MUFA group at 3 mo but not at 6 mo (diet x time interaction, P = 0.041). During 8-h metabolic profiles, mean plasma insulin was higher and mean free fatty acids were lower in the 2 cereal groups than in the MUFA group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS A 10% increase in carbohydrate intake associated with breakfast cereal consumption had no deleterious effects on glycemic control or blood lipids over 6 mo in subjects with type 2 diabetes. The increase in plasma insulin and the reduction in free fatty acids associated with higher carbohydrate intake may reduce the rate of progression of diabetes.
3D Dynamic Facial Sequences Analysis for Face Recognition and Emotion Detection . (Analyse de séquences faciales 3D pour la reconnaissance d'identité et la détection des émotions)

L’etude menee dans le cadre de cette these vise l’etude du role de la dynamique de formes faciales 3D a reveler l’identite des personnes et leurs etats emotionnels. Pour se faire, nous avons propose un cadre geometrique pour l’etude des formes faciales 3D et leurs dynamiques dans le temps. Une sequence 3D est d’abord divisee en courtes sous-sequences, puis chacune des sous-sequences obtenues est representee dans une variete de Grassmann (ensemble des sous-espaces lineaires de dimension fixe). Nous avons exploite la geometrie de ces varietes pour comparer des sous-sequences 3D, calculer des statistiques (telles que des moyennes) et quantifier la divergence entre des elements d’une meme variete Grassmannienne. Nous avons aussi propose deux representations possibles pour les deux applications cibles – (1) la premiere est basee sur les dictionnaires (de sous-espaces) associee a des techniques de Dictionary Learning Sparse Coding pour la reconnaissance d’identite et (2) le representation par des trajectoires parametrees par le temps sur les Grassmanniennes couplee avec une variante de l’algorithme de classification SVM, permettant un apprentissage avec des donnees partielles, pour la detection precoce des emotions spontanee. Les experimentations realisees sur les bases publiques BU-4DFE, Cam3D et BP4D-Spontaneous montrent a la fois l’interet du cadre geometrique propose (en terme de temps de calcul et de robustesse au bruit et aux donnees manquantes) et les representations adoptees (dictionnaires pour la reconnaissance d’identite et trajectoires pour la detection precoce des emotions spontanees).
Temporally recursive robust detail reconstruction from stereo 3D sequences

Current HD and 3D TV sets still have to cope with various input content resolutions that have to be displayed in native Full HD or higher resolution. Typical up-scaling methods only make use of spatial information in order to compute a high resolution output. Most of these methods show a low ability to reconstruct high frequency details. In this paper a method for reconstructing details from multiple input frames of a Stereo 3D sequence and generating a high detail output is presented. Utilizing temporally recursive processing, a memory efficient method is realized, which can be used for detail level enhancement post-processing in current 3D TV sets. Due to internal reliability estimation for motion and disparity vectors, the proposed method shows a high robustness against artifacts from erroneous motion and disparity compensation.
Effectiveness of psychosocial interventions on the psychological health and wellbeing of family carers of people with dementia following residential care placement: a systematic review protocol.

REVIEW QUESTION/OBJECTIVE The objective of this review is to identify, appraise and synthesize existing evidence regarding the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions on the psychological health and emotional wellbeing of family carers of people with dementia who have moved into residential care.More specifically, the objectives are to determine the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions on any of these family carer outcomes after placement in residential care: burden, anxiety, stress, depression, guilt, grief and loss, quality of life and satisfaction with the care of the person with dementia.
Interfacial and near interfacial crack growth phenomena in metal bonded alumina

Metal/ceramic interfaces can be found in many engineering applications including microelectronic packaging, multi-layered films, coatings, joints, and composite materials. In order to design reliable engineering systems that contain metal/ceramic interfaces, a comprehensive understanding of interfacial and near interfacial failure mechanisms is necessary.
An Automatic Configuration Algorithm for Reliable and Efficient Composite Services

Reusability is a central concept of Web services as it allows for the construction of composite services. Thus, an existing composite service can be combined with other composite services to form more complex nested or hierarchical services. Reliability and efficiency are the main requirements of composite services construction. The reliability requirements are rigorously defined by designers using the accepted termination states concept. The efficiency requirements are tightly related to a set of quality-of-service (QoS) constraints that are required by customers. In this paper, we first developed a hierarchical model for composite services. Based on this model, we developed a recursive procedure for the automatic computation of the transactional reliability and QoS of composite services. Second, we proposed a new concept, called required efficiency level, to offer more flexibility to the customers to specify their needs in terms of QoS. Third, we developed a new composite service configuration (CSC) algorithm for the construction and adaptation of composite services while considering the reliability and efficiency requirements. The originality of the CSC algorithm consists in a new recursive global QoS constraint decomposition procedure. Finally, we conducted a set of experiments to evaluate the benefits of the proposed CSC algorithm in comparison with the related work. These experiments confirm that our CSC algorithm is able to generate, in a timely fashion, reliable, and efficient composite services.
Cytotoxic and cytoprotective effects of tryptamine-4,5-dione on neuronal cells: a double-edged sword

Abstract Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) is a putative substrate for myeloperoxidase, which may convert it into the reactive quinone tryptamine-4,5-dione (TD). In this study, we found that the viability of human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells treated with 25 μM TD was increased to approximately 117%. On the other hand, the cell viability was significantly decreased by exposure to TD (150–200 μM), with an increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Interestingly, pre-treatment of SH-SY5Y cells with 100 μM TD prevented cell death and suppressed intracellular ROS generation evoked by the addition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Expression of the phase-II antioxidant enzyme NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 and haem oxygenase 1 were upregulated by TD at a concentration of 50–100 μM. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), the regulator of these enzyme, was translocated from the cytosol to the nucleus by 100 μM TD. In summary, moderate concentrations of TD may increase the self-defence capacity of neuronal cells against oxidative stress.
Pain-diminishing effects of Kinesio® taping after median sternotomy

ABSTRACT Background: Postoperative pain and severe side effects of opioid analgesics present a clinical challenge after cardio-thoracic surgery. In this study, the impact of Kinesio® taping on postoperative morbidity after median sternotomy was observed. Methods: Thirty-nine patients (mean age 66 ± 9 years, CI: 63.28; 68.98) who underwent median sternotomy between 09/2014 and 11/2014 participated in this prospective randomized controlled trial. Patients were assigned into a treatment on a non-treatment group. Patients in the treatment group were taped after leaving the intensive care unit. We assessed, pain, consumption of pain medication, the subjective estimation of patients’ ability to breathe, radiologic and microbial abnormalities as well as adverse effects resulting from the tape use daily until discharge. To determine the patients’ satisfaction a discharge questionnaire was offered after completion of data. Results: Patients who were treated with tape report significantly less pain (2.14 ± 0.5, CI: 1.1; 3.13) than patients from the control group (4.16 ± 0.6, CI: 2.92; 5.41, p = 0.01). The need for opioid pain medication, as assessed by total analgesic consumption per patient, was significantly less in the treatment group (1.2 ml ± 0.4 ml, CI: 0.40 ml; 2.01 ml) versus (3.1 ml ± 0.5 ml, CI: 2.0 ml; 4.2 ml, p = 0.01). The subjective estimation of patients’ ability to breathe was significantly better (p < 0.001) and the satisfaction was higher in the Kinesio® tape group compared to the control group. Taped patients had a mean hospitalization of 10 ± 1 day (CI: 8.74 days; 11.78 days) untapped patients stayed for 11 ± 1 days (CI: 9.17 days; 11.83 days). Adverse effects from the tape treatment were not observed. Conclusions: Kinesio® taping after median sternotomy is a low-risk, non-pharmacologic, cost effective, and promising method for improving patients’ breathing conditions, reducing postoperative pain, pain medication consumption, and thus, potential adverse effects of analgesics.
Atomically thin gallium layers from solid-melt exfoliation

A unique way to synthesize innovative 2D gallenene. Among the large number of promising two-dimensional (2D) atomic layer crystals, true metallic layers are rare. Using combined theoretical and experimental approaches, we report on the stability and successful exfoliation of atomically thin “gallenene” sheets on a silicon substrate, which has two distinct atomic arrangements along crystallographic twin directions of the parent α-gallium. With a weak interface between solid and molten phases of gallium, a solid-melt interface exfoliation technique is developed to extract these layers. Phonon dispersion calculations show that gallenene can be stabilized with bulk gallium lattice parameters. The electronic band structure of gallenene shows a combination of partially filled Dirac cone and the nonlinear dispersive band near the Fermi level, suggesting that gallenene should behave as a metallic layer. Furthermore, it is observed that the strong interaction of gallenene with other 2D semiconductors induces semiconducting to metallic phase transitions in the latter, paving the way for using gallenene as promising metallic contacts in 2D devices.
Minimally actuated serial robot

SUMMARY In this paper, we propose a novel type of serial robot with minimal actuation. The robot is a serial rigid structure consisting of multiple links connected by passive joints and of movable actuators. The novelty of this robot is that the actuators travel over the links to a given joint and adjust the relative angle between the two adjacent links. The joints passively preserve their angles until one of the actuators moves them again. This actuation can be applied to any serial robot with two or more links. This unique configuration enables the robot to undergo the same wide range of motions typically associated with hyper-redundant robots but with much fewer actuators. The robot is modular and its size and geometry can be easily changed. We describe the robot's mechanical design and kinematics in detail and demonstrate its capabilities for obstacle avoidance with some simulated examples. In addition, we show how an experimental robot fitted with a single mobile actuator can maneuver through a confined space to reach its target.
Dominant Negative Phenotype of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab, Cry11Aa and Cry4Ba Mutants Suggest Hetero-Oligomer Formation among Different Cry Toxins

Background Bacillus thuringiensis Cry toxins are used worldwide in the control of different insect pests important in agriculture or in human health. The Cry proteins are pore-forming toxins that affect the midgut cell of target insects. It was shown that non-toxic Cry1Ab helix α-4 mutants had a dominant negative (DN) phenotype inhibiting the toxicity of wildtype Cry1Ab when used in equimolar or sub-stoichiometric ratios (1∶1, 0.5∶1, mutant∶wt) indicating that oligomer formation is a key step in toxicity of Cry toxins. Methodology/Principal Findings The DN Cry1Ab-D136N/T143D mutant that is able to block toxicity of Cry1Ab toxin, was used to analyze its capacity to block the activity against Manduca sexta larvae of other Cry1 toxins, such as Cry1Aa, Cry1Ac, Cry1Ca, Cry1Da, Cry1Ea and Cry1Fa. Cry1Ab-DN mutant inhibited toxicity of Cry1Aa, Cry1Ac and Cry1Fa. In addition, we isolated mutants in helix α-4 of Cry4Ba and Cry11Aa, and demonstrate that Cry4Ba-E159K and Cry11Aa-V142D are inactive and completely block the toxicity against Aedes aegypti of both wildtype toxins, when used at sub-stoichiometric ratios, confirming a DN phenotype. As controls we analyzed Cry1Ab-R99A or Cry11Aa-E97A mutants that are located in helix α-3 and are affected in toxin oligomerization. These mutants do not show a DN phenotype but were able to block toxicity when used in 10∶1 or 100∶1 ratios (mutant∶wt) probably by competition of binding with toxin receptors. Conclusions/Significance We show that DN phenotype can be observed among different Cry toxins suggesting that may interact in vivo forming hetero-oligomers. The DN phenotype cannot be observed in mutants affected in oligomerization, suggesting that this step is important to inhibit toxicity of other toxins.
“You sound ill, take the day off”: Automatic recognition of speech affected by upper respiratory tract infection

A combination of passive, non-invasive and nonintrusive smart monitoring technologies is currently transforming healthcare. These technologies will soon be able to provide immediate health related feedback for a range of illnesses and conditions. Such tools would be game changing for serious public health concerns, such as seasonal cold and flu, for which early diagnosis and social isolation play a key role in reducing the spread. In this regard, this paper explores, for the first times, the automated classification of individuals with Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTI) using recorded speech samples. Key results presented indicate that our classifiers can achieve similar results to those seen in related health-based detection tasks indicating the promise of using computational paralinguistic analysis for the detection of URTI related illnesses.
Analytic results for a phase transition in a planar array of chains

Analytic results for the free energy and specific heat of a planar array of chains are obtained within the ‘two level approximation’. The numerical results of Stoeckly and Scalapino, and several Monte Carlo simulations, are supported by exact formulae, in terms of torus functions. The cross-over between one- and two-dimensional behaviour is discussed.