Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reduced-Size Series-Fed Two-Dipole Endfire Antenna

The conventional series-fed endfire dipole antenna has a wide impedance bandwidth and is inexpensive to manufacture. However, it has a disadvantage: its size is large because of the large inter-dipole spacing, which is required to satisfy the endfire condition for good antenna radiation characteristics. Here, we propose a two-dipole endfire antenna with a reduced size. The miniaturized endfire antenna was designed using a meander line to reduce the interdipole spacing while ensuring that the endfire condition was satisfied. Furthermore, the overall width of the antenna was reduced using a bent dipole and a corrugated ground plane. The electrical size of the proposed antenna was only 0.33
SPECTRAL SURVEY OF X-RAY BRIGHT ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI FROM THE ROSSI X-RAY TIMING EXPLORER

Using long-term monitoring data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), we have selected 23 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with sufficient brightness and overall observation time to derive broadband X-ray spectra from 3 to ≳100 keV. Our sample includes mainly radio-quiet Seyferts, as well as seven radio-loud sources. Given the longevity of the RXTE mission, the greater part of our data is spread out over more than a decade, providing truly long-term average spectra and eliminating inconsistencies arising from variability. We present long-term average values of absorption, Fe line parameters, Compton reflection strengths, and photon indices, as well as fluxes and luminosities for the hard and very hard energy bands, 2–10 keV and 20–100 keV, respectively. We find tentative evidence for high-energy rollovers in three of our objects. We improve upon previous surveys of the very hard X-ray energy band in terms of accuracy and sensitivity, particularly with respect to confirming and quantifying the Compton reflection component. This survey is meant to provide a baseline for future analysis with respect to the long-term averages for these sources and to cement the legacy of RXTE, and especially its High Energy X-ray Timing Experiment, as a contributor to AGN spectral science.
Tizanidine Nano emulsion: Formulation and in-vitro Characterization

An o/w nanoemulsion (NE) was used with an objective to select appropriate components including emulsifiers (surfactants and cosurfactants) and oils as well as the NE area of emulsifier ratio (Smix). Aqueous titration method was used to construct triangular co-ordinate emulsion diagrams. Tween 80 and cremephore EL as surfactant and ethanol as co-surfactant were used as emulsifiers with ratio 1:1 and 1:2 , oleic acid was used as oily phase. Twelve nanoemulsion formula was prepared by using aqueous titration method (low energy emulsification). The NE was characterized for visual transparency, average droplet size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, % transmittance, drug content and in-vitro drug release. The formula F11 were selected as optimum nanoemulsion according to results of characterization. (F11) nanoemulsion with Smix (1:2) : oil : deionized water (55: 5: 40) ratio is the optimized formula (best formula), because it is characterized by good droplet size range (16.9 nm), good PDI (0.552), good percent transmittance (99. 4%), percent of drug content was higher (98.5) and highest release of tizanidine from the formula.
INFERENCE OF NONPARAMETRIC HYPOTHESIS TESTING ON HIGH DIMENSIONAL LONGITUDINAL DATA AND ITS APPLICATION IN DNA COPY NUMBER VARIATION AND MICROARRAY DATA ANALYSIS

High throughput screening technologies have generated a huge amount of biological data in the last ten years. With the easy availability of array technology, researchers started to investigate biological mechanisms using experiments with more sophisticated designs that pose novel challenges to statistical analysis. We provide theory for robust statistical tests in three flexible models. In the first model, we consider the hypothesis testing problems when there are a large number of variables observed repeatedly over time. A potential application is in tumor genomics where an array comparative genome hybridization (aCGH) study will be used to detect progressive DNA copy number changes in tumor development. In the second model, we consider hypothesis testing theory in a longitudinal microarray study when there are multiple treatments or experimental conditions. The tests developed can be used to detect treatment effects for a large group of genes and discover genes that respond to treatment over time. In the third model, we address a hypothesis testing problem that could arise when array data from different sources are to be integrated. We perform statistical tests by assuming a nested design. In all models, robust test statistics were constructed based on moment methods allowing unbalanced design and arbitrary heteroscedasticity. The limiting distributions were derived under the nonclassical setting when the number of probes is large. The test statistics are not targeted at a single probe. Instead, we are interested in testing for a selected set of probes simultaneously. Simulation studies were carried out to compare the proposed methods with some traditional tests using linear mixed-effects models and generalized estimating equations. Interesting results obtained with the proposed theory in two cancer genomic studies suggest that the new methods are promising for a wide range of biological applications with longitudinal arrays. INFERENCE OF NONPARAMETRIC HYPOTHESIS TESTING ON HIGH DIMENSIONAL LONGITUDINAL DATA AND ITS APPLICATION IN DNA COPY NUMBER VARIATION AND MICROARRAY DATA ANALYSIS by KE ZHANG B.S., Wuhan University, China, 1996 M.S., Kansas State University, 2004 A DISSERTATION submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Statistics College of Arts and Sciences KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY Manhattan, Kansas 2008
Gravity in Extra Dimensions of Infinite Volume

In this thesis, we discuss various aspects of the Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati (DGP) model in D-dimensions. Firstly, we generalize the DGP model, which consists of a delta-function type 3-brane embedded in an infinite volume bulk-space by allowing the 3-brane to have a finite thickness. We calculate the graviton propagator in the harmonic gauge both inside and outside the brane and discuss its dependence on the thickness of the brane. We obtain two infinite towers of massive modes and tachyonic ghosts. In the thin-brane limit, we recover the four-dimensional Einstein gravity behavior of the graviton propagator which was found in the delta-function treatment. We then examine the 4D worldvolume momentum dependence of the tensor structure. Secondly, we address the van Dam-Veltman-Zakharov (vDVZ) discontinuity of the 5D DGP model which arises from the breakdown of the perturbative expansion at linear order. Following a suggestion by Gabadadze [hep-th/0403161], we implement a constrained perturbative expansion parametrized by brane gauge-like parameters. We obtain the solution for the metric perturbations, explore the parameter space and show that the DGP solution exhibiting the vDVZ discontinuity corresponds to a set of measure zero. Thirdly, we discuss the weak-field Schwarzschild solution in the DGP model. By keeping up to second-order off-diagonal terms of the metric ansatz, we arrive at a perturbative expansion which is valid both far from and near the Schwarzschild radius. We calculate the lowest-order contribution explicitly and obtain the form of the metric both on the brane and in the bulk. As we approach the Schwarzschild radius, the perturbative expansion yields the standard four-dimensional Schwarzschild solution on the brane which is non-singular in the decoupling limit. This non-singular behavior is similar to the Vainshtein solution in massive gravity demonstrating the absence of the vDVZ discontinuity of the DGP model.
Correlated optical, X-ray, and γ-ray flaring activity seen with INTEGRAL during the 2015 outburst of V404 Cygni

After 25 years of quiescence, the microquasar V404 Cyg entered a new period of activity in June 2015. This X-ray source is known to undergo extremely bright and variable outbursts seen at all wavelengths. It is therefore an object of prime interest to understand the accretion-ejection connections. These can, however, only be probed through simultaneous observations at several wavelengths. We made use of the INTEGRAL instruments to obtain long, almost uninterrupted observations from 2015 June 20, 15:50 UTC to June 25, 4:05 UTC, from the optical V band up to the soft γ-rays. V404 Cyg was extremely variable in all bands, with the detection of 18 flares with fluxes exceeding 6 Crab (20–40 keV) within three days. The flare recurrence can be as short as ~20 min from peak to peak. A model-independent analysis shows that the >6 Crab flares have a hard spectrum. A simple 10–400 keV spectral analysis of the off-flare and flare periods shows that the variation in intensity is likely to be only due to variations of a cut-off power-law component. The optical flares seem to be at least of two different types: one occurring in simultaneity with the X-ray flares, the other showing a delay greater than 10 min. The former could be associated with X-ray reprocessing by either an accretion disk or the companion star. We suggest that the latter are associated with plasma ejections that have also been seen in radio.
Star formation in Galactic flows

RS and IAB acknowledges funding from the European Research Council for the FP7 ERC advanced grant project ECOGAL. This work used the DiRAC Complexity system, operated by the University of Leicester IT Services, which forms part of the STFC DiRAC HPC Facility (www.dirac.ac.uk). This equipment is funded by BIS National E-Infrastructure capital grant ST/K000373/1 and STFC DiRAC Operations grant ST/K0003259/1. DiRAC is part of the National E-Infrastructure.
Simulations for single-dish intensity mapping experiments

H I intensity mapping is an emerging tool to probe dark energy. Observations of the redshifted H I signal will be contaminated by instrumental noise, atmospheric and Galactic foregrounds. The latter is expected to be four orders of magnitude brighter than the H I emission we wish to detect. We present a simulation of single-dish observations including an instrumental noise model with 1/f and white noise, and sky emission with a diffuse Galactic foreground and H I emission. We consider two foreground cleaning methods: spectral parametric fitting and principal component analysis. For a smooth frequency spectrum of the foreground and instrumental effects, we find that the parametric fitting method provides residuals that are still contaminated by foreground and 1/f noise, but the principal component analysis can remove this contamination down to the thermal noise level. This method is robust for a range of different models of foreground and noise, and so constitutes a promising way to recover the H I signal from the data. However, it induces a leakage of the cosmological signal into the subtracted foreground of around 5 per cent. The efficiency of the component separation methods depends heavily on the smoothness of the frequency spectrum of the foreground and the 1/f noise. We find that as long as the spectral variations over the band are slow compared to the channel width, the foreground cleaning method still works.
Keeping the Parents outside the School Gate—A Critical Review

The existing evidence shows that parental engagement is one of the most effective educational interventions. Most parents, carers, and teachers are aware of that and wish to engage with their children’s education. However, most parents are still only peripherally involved through parent–teacher evenings, school activities, or by helping their children keep up with their homework. In this review paper, we summarize the evidence about the impact of parental engagement, as opposed to involvement, on the learning of children. Via that, we critically look at the design choice of most western mainstream public education systems to distance parents from their children’s education, which, as the review results indicate, can be detrimental to children’s learning. Based on these results, we reframe parental engagement in the light of two global shifts: (1) the implications of the school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic for the role of parents in their children’s learning; and (2) the increased use of educational technologies for learning, and specifically, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. We conclude by calling for a renewed conversation about parents’ and families’ roles in their children’s learning and their interface with schools and teachers.
The kinematic characteristics of magnetic O-type stars

Although magnetic fields have been discovered in ten massive O-type stars during the last years, the origin of their magnetic fields remains unknown. Among the magnetic O-type stars, two stars, HD36879 and HD57682, were identified as candidate runaway stars in the past, and theta^1 Ori C was reported to move rapidly away from its host cluster. We search for an explanation for the occurrence of magnetic fields in O-type stars by examining the assumption of their runaway status. We use the currently best available astrometric, spectroscopic, and photometric data to calculate the kinematical status of seven magnetic O-type stars with previously unknown space velocities. The results of the calculations of space velocities suggest that five out of the seven magnetic O-type stars can be considered as candidate runaway stars. Only two stars, HD155806 and HD164794, with the lowest space velocities, are likely members of Sco OB4 and NGC6530, respectively. However, the non-thermal radio emitter HD164794 is a binary system with colliding winds, for which the detected magnetic field has probably a different origin in comparison to other magnetic O-type stars.
Anuário do Instituto de Geociências

The fundamental difficulty in mapping urban areas, especially in semi-arid and arid environments, is the separation of built-up areas from bare lands, owing to their similar spectral characteristics. Accordingly, this study aims to identify the suitable spectral index that can provide high differentiation, between urban areas and bare lands, in semi-arid areas of three cities of the province of Djelfa, namely, Djelfa, Messaad, and Ain Oussera (Algerian central highlands), through a selection of four spectral indices including Urban Index (BUI), Band ratio for built-up area (BRBA), Normalized Difference Tillage Index (NDTI) and Dry Bare-soil Index (DBSI). In order to increase the mapping accuracy of the built-up in studied areas, a multi-index approach has been applied focusing on identifying an adequate combination of spectral indices of remote sensing that provides the highest performance compared to the images of sentinel 2A. The multi-index approach was developed using three spectral indices combinations and was created using a layer stack process. For forming bare land layer stacking data, both NDTI and DBSI indices were used, while the built-up area layer stacking data was made with both BUI and BRBA indices. The main process was carried out on the Cloud Computing Platform based on geospatial data of Google Earth Engine (GEE) and using machine learning classification by the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm, based on imagery from sentinel 2A acquired during the dry season. The results indicated that the thresholds of the built-up areas are difficult to delineate and distinguish from bare land efficiently with a single index. The obtained results also revealed that the use of multi-index including BUI index provided the best results as they showed the highest effects with NDTI index and DBSI index compared to BRBA index, where the overall accuracies of the multi-index (DBSI/ NDTI/ BUI) were 98.7% in Djelfa, 96.5% in Messaad, and 97.87 % in Ain Oussera, and the kappa coefficients were 97.3%, 85.4%, and 95.3% respectively. These results show that this multi-index is effective and reliable and can be considered for use in other areas with similar characteristics.
A statistical mechanics approach to mixing in stratified fluids

Predicting how much mixing occurs when a given amount of energy is injected into a Boussinesq fluid is a long-standing problem in stratified turbulence. The huge number of degrees of freedom involved in these processes renders extremely difficult a deterministic approach to the problem. Here we present a statistical mechanics approach yielding a prediction for a cumulative, global mixing efficiency as a function of a global Richardson number and the background buoyancy profile. Assuming random evolution through turbulent stirring, the theory predicts that the inviscid, adiabatic dynamics is attracted irreversibly towards an equilibrium state characterised by a smooth, stable buoyancy profile at a coarse-grained level, upon which are fine-scale fluctuations of velocity and buoyancy. The convergence towards a coarse-grained buoyancy profile different from the initial one corresponds to an irreversible increase of potential energy, and the efficiency of mixing is quantified as the ratio of this potential energy increase to the total energy injected into the system. The remaining part of the energy is lost into small-scale fluctuations. We show that for sufficiently large Richardson number, there is equipartition between potential and kinetic energy, provided that the background buoyancy profile is strictly monotonic. This yields a mixing efficiency of 0.25, which provides statistical mechanics support for previous predictions based on phenomenological kinematics arguments. In the general case, the cumulative, global mixing efficiency predicted by the equilibrium theory can be computed using an algorithm based on a maximum entropy production principle. It is shown in particular that the variation of mixing efficiency with the Richardson number strongly depends on the background buoyancy profile. This approach could be useful to the understanding of mixing in stratified turbulence in the limit of large Reynolds and Péclet numbers.
Cascaded forward Brillouin scattering to all Stokes orders

Inelastic scattering processes such as Brillouin scattering can often function in cascaded regimes and this is likely to occur in certain integrated opto-acoustic devices. We develop a Hamiltonian formalism for cascaded Brillouin scattering valid for both quantum and classical regimes. By regarding Brillouin scattering as the interaction of a single acoustic envelope and a single optical envelope that covers all Stokes and anti-Stokes orders, we obtain a compact model that is well suited for numerical implementation, extension to include other optical nonlinearities or short pulses, and application in the quantum-optics domain. We then theoretically analyze intra-mode forward Brillouin scattering (FBS) for arbitrary waveguides with and without optical dispersion. In the absence of optical dispersion, we find an exact analytical solution. With a perturbative approach, we furthermore solve the case of weak optical dispersion. Our work leads to several key results on intra-mode FBS. For negligible dispersion, we show that cascaded intra-mode FBS results in a pure phase modulation and discuss how this necessitates specific experimental methods for the observation of fiber-based and integrated FBS. Further, we discuss how the descriptions that have been established in these two classes of waveguides connect to each other and to the broader context of cavity opto-mechanics and Raman scattering. Finally, we draw an unexpected striking similarity between FBS and discrete diffraction phenomena in waveguide arrays, which makes FBS an interesting candidate for future research in quantum-optics.
Active and star-forming galactic nuclei in WINGS: A preliminary report

We analyzed the spectra collected under the wide-field nearby galaxy clusters survey (WINGS) to reveal emission lines in cluster galaxies. After removing stellar emission with dedicated population synthesis models we found evidence of faint emission line activity in a sizable number of sources. Diagnostic diagrams were used to define or at least constrain the origin of the emission line activity. Cross-correlation with radio surveys is also being used for the identification of “true” active nuclei. We report the discovery of a previously unknown Seyfert 1 nucleus, WINGS J230945.81+072431.0, and preliminary results on prevalence and basic properties of the active and star forming galaxies we identified. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Extended nonlinear time-varying lugre-based friction model identification of robot manipulator with sliding mode control compensation approach

In this article, the values of torque loss due to the friction phenomenon in the robot joints are initially identified; then, by considering the lugre friction model and applying the nonlinear least-squares error-estimation method, a model for this phenomenon is presented. To make the studies more efficient, the general lugre friction model has been used in three forms for modeling the system’s friction that the first model was the general lugre model, and in the other two Extended models, the parameters are considered as time variables that are estimated online. It should be noted that the third model includes the nonlinear viscous term too. Then, by using the nonlinear sliding mode controller, which is a robust control against possible uncertainties in the system, the performance of the designed algorithms is examined. The results show the superiority of the identified models with time-varying parameters over the model with constant parameters. Finally, by the use of represented friction models, a more accurate model for this system has been introduced. Eventually, the results of the simulations have been tested on a 6R laboratory robot to prove the validation of the results with the proposed algorithm, and as it showed, the final friction model has performed better.
The Age, Gamma-Glutamyl Transpeptidase and Platelet Index: A Novel Noninvasive Model for Predicting Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Hepatitis B Virus-Related Liver Cirrhosis

Background and Aims High incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exists in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), but the predictive accuracy of noninvasive scoring systems (NSSs) is yet to be elucidated. The present study aimed to evaluate the predictive ability of fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase to platelet ratio (GPR) in patients with LC, and to establish a new model with more accuracy. Methods Data from 94 patients with compensated LC and 134 patients with decompensated cirrhosis (DC) were collected. The prediction accuracy of NSSs, including APRI, GPR, and FIB-4, was compared. Results During a median follow-up of 37.5 months, 9 patients in the compensated LC group and 38 in the DC group developed HCC. For 228 patients, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of APRI, GPR, and FIB-4 was 0.596, 0.625, and 0.654, respectively. Multivariable logistic analysis showed that age, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), and platelet (PLT) were independent risk factors for HCC development, and a new model encompassing age, GGT, and PLT was superior to NSSs (all P<0.05). With an optimal cutoff value of 0.216, Model (Age_GGT_PLT) achieved 68.09% sensitivity and 69.61% specificity. Conclusion NSSs, including APRI, GPR, and FIB-4, has a non-optimal accuracy in predicting HCC development in patients with HBV-related LC. Thus, the new model consisting of age, GGT, and PLT may be more accurate than NSSs.