Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Solution of the Schrödinger equation for a particle in an equilateral triangle

The complete solution for the quantum‐mechanical problem of a particle in an equilateral triangle is derived. By use of projection operators, eigenfunctions belonging explicitly to each of the irreducible representations of the symmetry group C3V are constructed. The most natural definition of the quantum numbers p and q includes not only integers but also nonintegers of the class (1)/(3) and (2)/(3) modulo 1. Some relevant features relating to symmetry and degeneracy are also discussed.
Zero-bit fragile watermarking for medical image tamper detection and recovery using RS code and lifting wavelet transform

ABSTRACT Medical images are habitually composed of Regions of Interest (ROI) and Region of Non-interest (RONI). ROI means the area containing the crucial information for diagnosis. To achieve the fidelity and integrity of the ROI, we propose a novel watermarking approach based on two great concepts zero-watermarking and Error Correcting Code (ECC). Tamper detection and recovery information are stored in RONI which accepts some visual quality degradation. Experimental results prove that our proposed approach produces a good performance in terms of imperceptibility and the ability to resist several hard attacks. The proposed scheme can recover 100% of the ROI until 15% of distortion is caused by salt and pepper noise. For multiplicative and Gaussian noise, the scheme has also a good capability of recovery (between 70% and 100%). With close to 20% of distortion, the system can recover 50% of the ROI. The proposed method has also a good capability of recovery against cropping and image processing operations.
Leonurine Regulates Hippocampal Nerve Regeneration in Rats with Chronic and Unpredictable Mild Stress by Activating SHH/GLI Signaling Pathway and Restoring Gut Microbiota and Microbial Metabolic Homeostasis

Depression is a highly prevalent and heterogeneous disorder that requires new strategies to overcome depression. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether leonurine modulated hippocampal nerve regeneration in chronic and unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rats through the SHH/GLI signaling pathway and restoring gut microbiota and microbial metabolic homeostasis. The CUMS rat model was constructed and treated with leonurine. The body weight of rats was recorded, and a series of tests were performed. Western blot was utilized to measure the expression of BDNF and 5-HT in the hippocampus. Then the expression of SHH, GLI, PTCH, and SMO were measured by qRT-PCR and western blot. The colocalization of BrdU+DCX and BrdU+NeuN was evaluated by IF. 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing was applied to detect the composition and distribution of gut microbiota. The differential metabolites were analyzed by untargeted metabolomics. The correlation between gut microbiota and microbial metabolites was analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient. After CUMS modeling, the body weight of rats was decreased, and the expression of BDNF and 5-HT were decreased, while the body weight was recovered, and the expression of BDNF and 5-HT were increased after leonurine treatment. Leonurine reversed the reduction in the colocalization of BrdU+DCX and BrdU+NeuN and the reduction in the levels of SHH, GLI, PTCH, and SMO induced by CUMS modeling. Leonurine also restored gut microbiota and microbial metabolites homeostasis in CUMS rats. Furthermore, Prevotellaceae_Ga6A1_group was negatively correlated with 3-Oxocholic acid, nutriacholic acid, and cholic acid. Collectively, leonurine regulated hippocampal nerve regeneration in CUMS rats by activating the SHH/GLI signaling pathway and restoring gut microbiota and microbial metabolic homeostasis.
Method of Parallel Sequential Minimal Optimization for Fast Training Support Vector Machine

A fast training support vector machine using parallel sequential minimal optimization is presented in this paper. Up to now, sequential minimal optimization (SMO) is one of the major algorithms for training SVM, but it still requires a large amount of computation time for the large sample problems. Unlike the traditional SMO, the parallel SMO partitions the entire training data set into small subsets first and then runs multiple CPU processors to seal with each of the partitioned data set. Experiments show that the new algorithm has great advantage in terms of speediness when applied to problems with large training sets and high dimensional spaces without reducing generalization performance of SVM.
Influence of SiO2 at the Ta2O5/Si interface on dielectric characteristics of Ta2O5 capacitors

The influence of SiO2 formed on a Si wafer during Ta2O5 deposition on the dielectric characteristics of Ta2O5 capacitors is investigated. Two types of capacitor were investigated and compared: W/Ta2O5 (27 nm)/W and Al/Ta2O5 (27 nm)/Si capacitors. The thickness of the SiO2 at the interface of Ta2O5/Si is estimated to be 2.4 nm. The W/Ta2O5 (27 nm)/W capacitor is shown to have a dielectric constant of 22 if we assume it is an ‘‘ideal’’ single layer dielectric. On the other hand, for the Al/Ta2O5/Si capacitor if we assume that an SiO2 layer is formed during Ta2O5 deposition we can account for the variation in apparent dielectric constant with thickness and the leakage current as a function of voltage with a model which assumes that when electrons are injected from the SiO2/Si interface, electron charge accumulates at the Ta2O5/SiO2 interface; this reduces the electric field in SiO2 before catastrophic breakdown of the SiO2 film occurs. This results in a relatively small voltage drop (less than 1 V) across th.
Choice models for predicting divisional winners in major league baseball

Abstract Major league baseball in the United States is divided into two leagues and four divisions. Each team plays 162 games against teams in the same league. The winner in each division is the team winning the most games of the teams in that division. We wish to predict the division winners based on games played up to any specified time. We use a generalized choice model for the probability of a team winning a particular game that allows for different strengths for each team, different home advantages, and strengths varying randomly with time. Future strengths and the outcomes of future games are simulated using Markov chain sampling. The probability of a particular team winning the division is then estimated by counting the proportion of simulated seasons in which it wins the most games. The method is applied to the 1991 National League season.
A new job priority rule for the NEH-based heuristic to minimize makespan in permutation flowshops

The permutation flowshop scheduling problem is a vital production management concern of industries such as electronic product manufacturing and integrated circuit fabrication. In many studies, jobs are prioritized independently according to their features or properties. This article develops a new perspective by introducing the self-attention mechanism into scheduling for the first time. The job similarities are characterized by the dot-product of processing time matrices and taken as job priorities. Based on this idea, a new priority rule denoted by PRSAT is proposed, and a heuristic named NEHLJP2 is presented with makespan minimization. The computational results with the Taillard and VRF benchmarks and 640 random instances demonstrate that the new priority rule and heuristic dominate the existing ones at a nominal cost of computation time.
EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS FOR COMMON PROBLEMS OF ARTIFICIAL POTENTIAL FIELD BASED PATH PLANNING ALGORITHMS FOR MOBILE ROBOTS

Abstract Autonomous Path Planning (APP) capability is one of the main factors determining the autonomous level of a mobile robot. Although different methods are used for APP in the literature, the path planning approach based on Artificial Potential Fields (APF) has a very common usage area with its modeling ease and computational performance. APF-based APP, which is a grid-based path planning approach, is usually performed by combining a repulsive and attractive component that models many basic motions with a certain equation and calculating the gradient of this potential field to obtain the vector field. In this study, the basic models used for APF-based APP are examined, and how they are realized and how the resultant potential field is produced are mentioned. Although APF-based APP approaches have advantages, they also have problems such as local minimum, obstacles positioned too close, oscillation, and targets positioned too close to obstacles. Within the scope of the study, these problems were defined one by one and the approaches suggested in the literature for the solution of these problems were mentioned in detail. As a result, it has been seen that to obtain an effective APF-based APP solution, it is necessary to generate a convolutional vector field, limit the fundamental potential fields with exponential functions, use virtual potential fields and perform models with harmonic functions.
Comparison of Laplace transform, integral equation, and assumed modes approaches for piezo-patch control of beams

Use of piezoelectric patches as sensors and actuators for the vibration control of beams is a well established technology. Various techniques developed to analyze these problems range from analytical to computational ones, each with a different level of complexity and accuracy. In the present paper three techniques, namely, Laplace Transform, integral equation and assumed modes are applied to the vibration control problem involving a cantilever beam with piezoelectric patches attached to the top and bottom surfaces. These patches act as sensors and actuators providing a feedback control mechanism for the damping of vibrations. The Laplace Transform involves the transform of the space part of the partial differential equation governing the motion of the beam and inverse transform to find the exact solution. The integral equation approach transforms the differential equation formulation to an integral equation formulation which, in turn, is replaced by an infinite system of equations. As such this method provides an approximate solution, the accuracy of which depends on the size of the system of linear equations involved. The assumed modes method is quite widely used because of its ease of application, and its accuracy depends on the number of terms in the series approximation used to express the solution. The above solution methods are summarized and difficulties, drawbacks and advantages associated with each method are discussed. The accuracy of each technique is compared and assessed in the context of a vibrating cantilever beam with patches. The results are given in a comparative manner which also includes the exact solutions.
A non-Gaussian theory for rubber in biaxial strain. I. Mechanical properties

The theory makes use of the inverse Langevin expression for the force-extension relation for the single chain of n randomly-jointed links. An affine deformatiom of chain vector lengths is assumed on subjection of the network to pure homogeneous strain. The equations for the principal stresses are solved by numerical computation, using the Gauss quadrature method for evaluation of the relevant integrals. Numerical data are given for the whole range of principal extension ratios in biaxial strain for n = 25 and 100, and also for the particular case of simple extension for n = 16, 25, 36, 64 and 100. The results account in a semi-quantitative manner for an important feature of experimental biaxial-strain data which has only recently been observed, and which is not accounted for by previous network theories.
Cooperative VLC system using OOK modulation with imperfect CSI

Visible light communication (VLC) is one of the aspirant tools for high data rate communication. VLC system employed in a large room requires cooperative transmission for reliable end-to-end communication. Cooperative communication (CC) utilizes several relay approaches to forward the message from transmitter to envisioned destination, and thus, attains high spatial diversity gain, reduced power consumption, improved transmission reliability, increased coverage area, and potentially enhanced system capacity. This paper investigates the error performance of on-off keying (OOK) modulated VLC system in a cooperative environment, where the relay adopts decode-and-forward (DF) protocol. In particular, two cases of cooperative VLC system are considered; (1) Case I, in which the destination node is in direct link with the previous node while in blockage or outside the field of view (FoV) for all the other nodes, (2) Case II, in which the destination node is in direct link with all upstream nodes. For the practical suitability of the system, the imperfect channel state information (CSI) is considered for performance analysis. The mathematical expressions for bit-error-rate (BER) of the considered systems are derived in the presence of perfect and imperfect CSI. The error performance of the considered systems is investigated for the various system parameters such as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), channel estimation error and receiver locations. The result shows that for the case of blockage, i.e., Case I, the end-to-end communication for two-hop network can be established with the BER of 2 × 10−4 at 128 dB SNR and channel estimation error of 10−12. Further, in the case of non-blockage, i.e., Case II, the result shows that for two-hop communication, the BER in cooperative transmission improved to 5 × 10−5 in compare to 5 × 10−2 in direct communication, at 128 dB SNR and 10−12 channel estimation error. The extensive simulations are carried out to verify the analytical findings.
Current-dependent crossover in the flux dynamics of MgB2 thin films

We have investigated the dissipative behaviour of MgB2 textured thin films at different perpendicular magnetic fields H and bias currents J, to study activation energy dependencies U(J) and U(H). For J J*, U(J) ~ – ln J. At J J*, U(H) ~ H–1, up to μ0H ≈ 5 T. The J*(H) curve separates two zones with different vortex dynamics. We discuss the J*(H) curve in terms of a current-driven transition from a thermally activated flux flow to a flux creep regime. For pronounced disorder, the data suggest the influence of the activation energy distribution on the U(J) and U(H) dependencies.
Virtual image-based cloud removal for Landsat images

ABSTRACT The inevitable thick cloud contamination in Landsat images has severely limited the usability and applications of these images. Developing cloud removal algorithms has been a hot research topic in recent years. Many previous algorithms used one or multiple cloud-free image(s) in the same area acquired on other date(s) as reference image(s) to reconstruct missing pixel values. However, it remains challenging to determine the optimal reference image(s). In addition, abrupt land cover change can substantially degrade the reconstruction accuracies. To address these issues, we present a new cloud removal algorithm called Virtual Image-based Cloud Removal (VICR). For each cloud region, VICR reconstructs the missing surface reflectance by three steps: virtual image within cloud region construction based on time-series reference images, similar pixel selection using the newly proposed temporally weighted spectral distance (TWSD), and residual image estimation. By establishing two buffer zones around the cloud region, VICR allows automatic selection of the optimal set of time-series reference images. The effectiveness of VICR was validated at four testing sites with different landscapes (i.e. urban, croplands, and wetlands) and land change patterns (i.e. phenological change, abrupt change caused by flooding and tidal inundation), and the performances were compared with mNSPI (modified neighborhood similar pixel interpolator), WLR (weighted linear regression) and ARRC (AutoRegression to Remove Clouds). Experimental results showed that VICR outperformed the other algorithms and achieved higher Correlation Coefficients and lower Root Mean Square Errors in surface reflectance estimation at the four sites. The improvement is particularly noticeable at the sites with abrupt land change. By considering the difference in the contributions from the reference images, TWSD can select more reliable similar pixels to improve the prediction of abrupt change in surface reflectance. Moreover, VICR is more robust to different cloud sizes and to changing reference images. VICR is also computationally much faster than ARRC. The framework for time-series image cloud removal by VICR has great potential to be applied for large datasets processing.
Neuroprotective Effects of Blueberries through Inhibition on Cholinesterase, Tyrosinase, Cyclooxygenase-2, and Amyloidogenesis

Blueberries are rich in polyphenolic compounds and have shown improvement in cognitive function in several clinical trials. The molecular basis of the neuronal protection of blueberries, however, is not fully understood. The objective of this research is to understand the biochemistry basis of neuronal protection effects of blueberries through their impacts on several enzymes and pathways involved in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. We examined the inhibition effects of blueberries on the enzymatic activity of cholinesterase (acetylcholinesterase, AChE; and butyrylcholinesterase, BuChE), tyrosinase, and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). The effects of blueberries on the biosynthesis of acetylcholinesterase in a cellular model were also studied. Further, the effect of blueberries on amyloid fibril formation was evaluated. Our results showed that blueberries directly inhibit the enzymatic activity of AChE, BuChE, tyrosinase, and COX-2, with the IC50 at 48 mg/mL, 9 mg/mL, 403 mg/mL, and 12 mg/mL of fresh berry equivalent, respectively. Further, blueberries delay the amyloid fibril formation by 24 h at 39 mg fresh berry/mL. It also reduces the synthesis of acetylcholinesterase synthesis at 19 mg fresh berry/mL in a cellular model. Those results suggested that the neuroprotection effects of blueberries may involve different pathways, including enhancing cholinergic signaling through their effect on cholinesterase, reducing neuroinflammation through inhibition of COX-2, and reducing amyloid formation. Collectively, blueberries may play a vital role in neuronal protection beyond their antioxidant activity and our results provide more molecular mechanisms for their neuroprotective effects, and support blueberries being nutraceutical to improve cognitive function.
A piecewise analysis method to stability analysis of linear continuous/discrete systems with time‐varying delay

The delay‐dependent stability problem of linear continuous/discrete systems with time‐varying delay is investigated based on a piecewise analysis method (PAM). In the method, the variation interval of the time delay is firstly divided into several subintervals. By checking the variation of the Lyapunov functional in every subinterval, some new delay‐dependent stability criteria are derived. Several numerical examples show that our method can lead to much less conservative results than those in the existing references. Moreover, when the number of the divided subintervals increases, the corresponding criteria can provide an improvement on the results. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mass and Kinetic Energy of the Homunculus Nebula around η Carinae

We examine thermal infrared images of η Car at wavelengths from 4.8 to 25 μm obtained with the MIRAC3 camera system at the Magellan Observatory, and we conclude that η Car's circumstellar Homunculus Nebula contains much more mass (≳12 M⊙) and kinetic energy (1049.6–1050 ergs) than had previously been recognized. Excess far-infrared emission from a large mass of cold dust had been discovered recently by Morris et al., which they attributed to 110 K dust in a compact equatorial torus. Our images suggest, however, that roughly 10 M⊙ or more resides instead in the rapidly expanding polar lobes of the Homunculus, known to be ejected during η Car's "Great Eruption" in the 19th century. Combining this large mass with reliable expansion speeds for the polar lobes allows us to estimate the large kinetic energy and efficient momentum transfer associated with the eruption. Most mass resides in a cool outer layer of the lobes, with dust at ∼140 K. This material is only revealed at 18–25 μm with high spatial resolution images that can separate adjacent dust components. Warmer dust at ∼200 K that has been recognized for some time (responsible for previous mass estimates of 2–3 M⊙) blankets the inner surfaces of the mostly hollow polar lobes as they are irradiated more directly by the central engine.
Feature-size reduction of photopolymerized structures by femtosecond optical curing of SU-8

The universal scaling of a width of photopolymerized line on the exposure dose was observed in polymerization by direct laser writing using tightly focused femtosecond pulses in SU-8 resist. This scaling can be explained as the photopolymerization by a blackbody-type emission. A spectrally broad thermal emission of electrons heated up to temperatures approximately Te∼103K coincides with an IR-absorption band of SU-8 centered at the 2. 9μm and had caused polymerization by a cumulative direct absorption. Three-dimensional photonic crystal templates with approximately twice reduced feature size were fabricated with stop band at the fiber communication wavelength of 1. 3μm.
Final report on Pilot Study CCQM-P110: Study on the accuracy and uncertainty of FT-IR methods calibrated with synthetic spectra for NO2 concentration measurements

The results of the first pilot study designed to evaluate the level of comparability of measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) mole fractions in nitrogen based on measurement procedures that rely on FT-IR spectroscopy as an absolute method of quantification with the traceability of measurement results to line strength data are reported. Participants were required to report measurement results using FT-IR for the gas standard (nominal mole fraction of 10 µmol/mol NO2 in nitrogen) received from the BIPM as part of the CCQM-K74 exercise. In addition, they were required to provide infrared spectra and instrument parameter information to enable a recalculation of their results by the BIPM's, using only its own synthetic spectra calibration procedure with values traceable to the line parameters contained in HITRAN 2004. The relative standard uncertainties based on FT-IR measurements reported by participating laboratories ranged from 0.6% to 4.3%. The relative standard uncertainty of the reference value for each gas standard was 0.4%, as determined during the CCQM-K74 exercise. Of the ten results submitted, only five agreed with the reference value within their expanded uncertainties. Furthermore, major contributions to the uncertainty of FT-IR measurements arose from the optical path length measurements and the uncertainty that could be attributed to line strength data from the HITRAN molecular database. The inclusion of these uncertainty contributions was estimated by the BIPM to result in achievable relative standard uncertainties of 3.4% for its FT-IR measurements using synthetic spectra calibration procedures. Finally the recalculation of the participants' results by the BIPM using the laboratories' submitted experimental characteristics and infrared spectra showed good agreement with the submitted results, indicating that the calculation algorithms were not in themselves a major reason for the spread of results. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCQM-GAWG.