Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alternating Optimization Based Hybrid Transceiver Designs for Wideband Millimeter-Wave Massive Multiuser MIMO-OFDM Systems

Hybrid precoding has been considered as a promising technology for millimeter-wave (mmWave) massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, since it can achieve a tradeoff between system performance and hardware complexity. However, the optimal solution is difficult to obtain due to the coupling between analog precoder and digital precoder, as well as the non-convex constant modulus constraint, especially in multiuser scenarios. In this paper, we investigate several hybrid transceiver designs in wideband mmWave massive multiuser MIMO-OFDM systems for maximizing the spectral efficiency. Firstly, we propose two joint designs of hybrid precoder and combiner based on alternating optimization. Specifically, the intractable spectral efficiency maximization problem is reformulated as an equivalent weighted minimum mean square error (WMMSE) problem. To design the analog precoder and combiner with non-convex constant modulus constraint, we develop two efficient algorithms based on majorization minimization (MM) and element-wise block coordinate descent (EBCD) techniques, respectively. Secondly, to reduce the computational complexity, we propose a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) codebook based scheme, which can enhance the beamforming gain and mitigate the inter-beam interference. Thirdly, the convergence and complexity analysis are presented. The proposed two alternating optimization algorithms are guaranteed to converge to locally optimal solutions. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed hybrid transceiver designs achieve significant performance gains over state-of-the-art schemes.
Sustainable-resilient supplier evaluation for high-consumption drugs during COVID-19 pandemic using a data-driven decision-making approach

8 The recent pandemic of COVID-19 has had severe impacts on healthcare services especially 9 the Food and Drug Administration for providing necessary drugs from appropriate suppliers. In 10 the current study, we aim to develop a data-driven model for sustainable-resilient supplier 11 evaluation. So, we identify the related criteria based on literature and experts and then calculate 12 their weights using Fuzzy-Bests-Worst-Method (FBWM). Afterward, the Fuzzy Inference System 13 (FIS) method is employed to evaluate the performance of the suppliers. Finally, three different 14 classification machine learning models are developed based on the supplier historical data in 15 every criterion and also the FIS output as the target column. This study identifies a suitable list 16 of sustainable and resilient criteria for supplier evaluation. Specifically, 22 criteria are identified 17 and categorized into three-dimension (economic, social, environmental, and resilient). The 18 results show that the case study managers pay more attention to ‘Responsiveness’ and ‘Ability’. 19 The two-stage FIS results indicate that 35 records are evaluated as very poor, 70 ones as poor, 20 98 ones as moderate, 90 ones as good, and 57 as very good ones. Other companies could use 21 the same model for their supplier selection decision-making to have a better decision for 22 selecting their potential suppliers.
Measuring pico-Newton Forces with Lipid Anchors as Force Sensors in Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Binding forces between biomolecules are ubiquitous in nature but sometimes as weak as a few pico-Newtons (pN). In many cases, the binding partners are attached to biomembranes with the help of a lipid anchor. One important example are glycolipids that promote membrane adhesion through weak carbohydrate–carbohydrate binding between adjacent membranes. Here, we use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to quantify the forces generated by bonds involving membrane-anchored molecules. We introduce a method in which the protrusion of the lipid anchors from the membrane acts as the force sensor. Our results with two different glycolipids reveal binding forces of up to 20 pN and corroborate the recent notion that carbohydrate–carbohydrate interactions are generic rather than specific.
Charge Transport Enhancement in BiVO4 Photoanode for Efficient Solar Water Oxidation

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting in a pH-neutral electrolyte has attracted more and more attention in the field of sustainable energy. Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is a highly promising photoanode material for PEC water splitting. Additionally, cobaltous phosphate (CoPi) is a material that can be synthesized from Earth’s rich materials and operates stably in pH-neutral conditions. Herein, we propose a strategy to enhance the charge transport ability and improve PEC performance by electrodepositing the in situ synthesis of a CoPi layer on the BiVO4. With the CoPi co-catalyst, the water oxidation reaction can be accelerated and charge recombination centers are effectively passivated on BiVO4. The BiVO4/CoPi photoanode shows a significantly enhanced photocurrent density (Jph) and applied bias photon-to-current efficiency (ABPE), which are 1.8 and 3.2 times higher than those of a single BiVO4 layer, respectively. Finally, the FTO/BiVO4/CoPi photoanode displays a photocurrent density of 1.39 mA cm−2 at 1.23 VRHE, an onset potential (Von) of 0.30 VRHE, and an ABPE of 0.45%, paving a potential path for future hydrogen evolution by solar-driven water splitting.
The role of prone positioning in patients with SARS-CoV-2-related respiratory failure in non–intensive care unit

Background: Prone positioning (PP) is an established and commonly used lung recruitment method for intubated patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome, with potential benefits in clinical outcome. The role of PP outside the intensive care unit (ICU) setting is debated. Objectives: We aimed at assessing the role of PP in death and ICU admission in non-intubated patients with acute respiratory failure related to COronaVIrus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Design: This is a retrospective analysis of a collaborative multicenter database obtained by merging local non-interventional cohorts. Methods: Consecutive adult patients with COVID-19-related respiratory failure were included in a collaborative cohort and classified based on the severity of respiratory failure according to the partial arterial oxygen pressure to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio (PaO2/FiO2) and on clinical severity by the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score. The primary study outcome was the composite of in-hospital death or ICU admission within 30 days from hospitalization. Results: PP was used in 114 of 536 study patients (21.8%), more commonly in patients with lower PaO2/FiO2 or receiving non-invasive ventilation and less commonly in patients with known comorbidities. A primary study outcome event occurred in 163 patients (30.4%) and in-hospital death in 129 (24.1%). PP was not associated with death or ICU admission (HR 1.17, 95% CI 0.78–1.74) and not with death (HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.61–1.67) at multivariable analysis; PP was an independent predictor of ICU admission (HR 2.64, 95% CI 1.53–4.40). The lack of association between PP and death or ICU admission was confirmed at propensity score-matching analysis. Conclusion: PP is used in a non-negligible proportion of non-intubated patients with COVID-19-related severe respiratory failure and is not associated with death but with ICU admission. The role of PP in this setting merits further evaluation in randomized studies.
Risk-Taking in Tournaments: Evidence from Horse-Racing Tipsters

In this paper, we analyze risk-taking behavior in rank-order tournaments. Using daily horse-racing prediction data made by professional tipsters involved in two tournaments with distinct rules, we …nd a monotonic negative relationship between interim performance and risk-taking. We also analyze the empirical derivatives of the relationship between rank and risk-taking. Consistently with the theory, we …nd that the strength of the relationship between rank and risk-taking depends on the distance between the ranks, and on the return of risky strategies relative to the return of safe strategies.
SMAD4 Expression in Monocytes as a Potential Biomarker for Atherosclerosis Risk in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients are at special risk of suffering atherosclerosis, leading to major cardiovascular diseases. Notably, the transforming growth factor (TGF-β) plays a crucial role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. In this context, the central regulator of TGF-β pathway, SMAD4 (small mother against decapentaplegic homolog 4), has been previously reported to be augmented in OSA patients, which levels were even higher in patients with concomitant cardiometabolic diseases. Here, we analyzed soluble and intracellular SMAD4 levels in plasma and monocytes from OSA patients and non-apneic subjects, with or without early subclinical atherosclerosis (eSA). In addition, we used in vitro and ex vivo models to explore the mechanisms underlying SMAD4 upregulation and release. Our study confirmed elevated sSMAD4 levels in OSA patients and identified that its levels were even higher in those OSA patients with eSA. Moreover, we demonstrated that SMAD4 is overexpressed in OSA monocytes and that intermittent hypoxia contributes to SMAD4 upregulation and release in a process mediated by NLRP3. In conclusion, this study highlights the potential role of sSMAD4 as a biomarker for atherosclerosis risk in OSA patients and provides new insights into the mechanisms underlying its upregulation and release to the extracellular space.
Activation of CTHRC1 by HOXB9 Promotes Angiogenesis through Fatty Acid Metabolism in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Background CTHRC1 is highly expressed in various cancers. Objectives The aim of the study was to study the role of CTHRC1 played in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) development and its underlying biological functions. Methods Enriched pathways and upstream transcription factors of CTHRC1 were explored by bioinformatics analysis. Dual-luciferase assay and Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay were used to verify the binding relationship between CTHRC1 and HOXB9. CCK-8 was utilized to detect cell viability. Expression levels of CTHRC1, HOXB9, and angiogenesis-related genes were assessed by quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction. Angiogenesis assay was used to detect angiogenesis ability. Quantitative analysis of metabolites were used to detect the accumulation of neutral lipids, the levels of free fatty acids (FAs), and glycerol. Western blot was conducted to measure expression of metabolic enzymes of FA. Results CTHRC1 was enriched in FA metabolic pathway, which was positively correlated and bound with HOXB9. CTHRC1 and HOXB9 expression was remarkably up-regulated in LUAD cells. Overexpression of CTHRC1 promoted FA metabolic pathway and angiogenesis, and FA inhibitor Orlistat restored it to NC group level. Meanwhile, CTHRC1 affected LUAD angiogenesis by activating HOXB9 to regulate FA metabolism. Conclusions This study found that activation of CTHRC1 by HOXB9 induces angiogenesis by mediating FA metabolism. CTHRC1 may be a potential target for LUAD diagnosis.
Nonlinearity detection using new signal analysis methods for global health monitoring

Statistical pattern recognition has emerged as a promising and practical technique for data-based health monitoring of civil structures. This paper intends to detect nonlinearity changes resulting from damage by some simple but e(cid:11)ective signal analysis methods. The primary idea behind these methods is to use measured time-domain vibration signals based on exploratory data analysis without applying any feature extraction. First, statistical moments and central tendency measurements on the basis of the theory of exploratory data analysis are considered as damage indicators to monitor their changes and detect any substantial variations in measured vibration signals. Subsequently, cross correlation and convolution methods are proposed to measure the similarity and overlap between the measured signals of the undamaged and damaged conditions. The main innovation of this study is the capability of the proposed signal analysis methods for implementing nonlinear damage detection without any feature extraction. Numerical and experimental models of civil structures are employed to demonstrate the e(cid:11)ectiveness and performance of the proposed methods. Results show that nonlinearity changes caused by damage lead to reductions in the values of cross correlation and convolution methods. Moreover, some statistical criteria are applicable tools for the global structural health monitoring.
Computer simulation of electron positron annihilation processes

With the launching of the Next Linear Collider coming closer and closer, there is a pressing need for physicists to develop a fully-integrated computer simulation of e{sup +}e{sup -} annihilation process at center-of-mass energy of 1TeV. A simulation program acts as the template for future experiments. Either new physics will be discovered, or current theoretical uncertainties will shrink due to more accurate higher-order radiative correction calculations. The existence of an efficient and accurate simulation will help us understand the new data and validate (or veto) some of the theoretical models developed to explain new physics. It should handle well interfaces between different sectors of physics, e.g., interactions happening at parton levels well above the QCD scale which are described by perturbative QCD, and interactions happening at much lower energy scale, which combine partons into hadrons. Also it should achieve competitive speed in real time when the complexity of the simulation increases. This thesis contributes some tools that will be useful for the development of such simulation programs. We begin our study by the development of a new Monte Carlo algorithm intended to perform efficiently in selecting weight-1 events when multiple parameter dimensions are strongly correlated. The algorithm first seeks tomore » model the peaks of the distribution by features, adapting these features to the function using the EM algorithm. The representation of the distribution provided by these features is then improved using the VEGAS algorithm for the Monte Carlo integration. The two strategies mesh neatly into an effective multi-channel adaptive representation. We then present a new algorithm for the simulation of parton shower processes in high energy QCD. We want to find an algorithm which is free of negative weights, produces its output as a set of exclusive events, and whose total rate exactly matches the full Feynman amplitude calculation. Our strategy is to create the whole QCD shower as a tree structure generated by a multiple Poisson process. Working with the whole shower allows us to include correlations between gluon emissions from different sources. QCD destructive interference is controlled by the implementation of ''angular-ordering,'' as in the HERWIG Monte Carlo program. We discuss methods for systematic improvement of the approach to include higher order QCD effects. « less
Energy conserving and potential-enstrophy dissipating schemes for the shallow water equations

Abstract To incorporate potential enstrophy dissipation into discrete shallow water equations with no or arbitrarily small energy dissipation, a family of finite-difference schemes have been derived with which potential enstrophy is guaranteed to decrease while energy is conserved (when the mass flux is nondivergent and time is continuous). Among this family of schemes, there is a member that minimizes the spurious impact of infinite potential vorticities associated with infinitesimal fluid depth. The scheme is, therefore, useful for problems in which the free surface may intersect with the lower boundary.
Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering

article i nfo We describe a novel cubic Hermite collocation scheme for the solution of the coupled integro-partial differential equations governing the propagation of a hydraulic fracture in a state of plane strain. Special blended cubic Hermite-power-law basis functions, with arbitrary index 0b αb1, are developed to treat the singular behavior of the solution that typically occurs at the tips of a hydraulic fracture. The implementation of blended infinite elements to model semi-infinite crack problems is also described. Explicit formulae for the integrated kernels associated with the cubic Hermite and blended basis functions are provided. The cubic Hermite collocation algorithm is used to solve a number of different test problems with two distinct propagation regimes and the results are shown to converge to published similarity and asymptotic solutions. The convergence rate of the cubic Hermite scheme is determined by the order of accuracy of the tip asymptotic expansion as well as the O(h 4 ) error due to the Hermite cubic interpolation. The errors due to these two approximations need to be matched in order to achieve optimal convergence. Backward Euler time-stepping yields a robust algorithm that, along with geometric increments in the time-step, can be used to explore the transition between propagation regimes over many orders of magnitude in time.
CNN-Based Laue Spot Morphology Predictor for Reliable Crystallographic Descriptor Estimation

Laue microdiffraction is an X-ray diffraction technique that allows for the non-destructive acquisition of spatial maps of crystallographic orientation and the strain state of (poly)crystalline specimens. To do so, diffraction patterns, consisting of thousands of Laue spots, are collected and analyzed at each location of the spatial maps. Each spot of these so-called Laue patterns has to be accurately characterized with respect to its position, size and shape for subsequent analyses including indexing and strain analysis. In the present paper, several approaches for estimating these descriptors that have been proposed in the literature, such as methods based on image moments or function fitting, are reviewed. However, with the increasing size and quantity of Laue image data measured at synchrotron sources, some datasets become unfeasible in terms of computational requirements. Moreover, for irregular Laue spots resulting, e.g., from overlaps and extended crystal defects, the exact shape and, more importantly, the position are ill-defined. To tackle these shortcomings, a procedure using convolutional neural networks is presented, allowing for a significant acceleration of the characterization of Laue spots, while simultaneously estimating the quality of a Laue spot for further analyses. When tested on unseen Laue spots, this approach led to an acceleration of 77 times using a GPU while maintaining high levels of accuracy.
The construction of expert systems based on the theory of fuzzy sets as a trend in modern science and education

The article examines the potential of soft modeling and expert systems in modern education. There is a growing understanding in the scientific community of the need to use flexible and rather soft mathematics in modeling various complex systems. As a rule, each model reflects the internal organization of any system, its essence, which is determined by the set goals.Non-strict or soft models are of a general nature. Fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic are the basis for creating fuzzy control systems and fuzzy decision-making systems. The ideas of soft modeling are also applicable to expert systems. The authors of the article consider the solution of such problems in relation to education, in particular, determining the significance of various sections of the course "mathematics" for special professionally oriented disciplines.
Morphofunctional Improvement of the Facial Nerve and Muscles with Repair Using Heterologous Fibrin Biopolymer and Photobiomodulation

Peripheral nerve injuries impair the patient’s functional capacity, including those occurring in the facial nerve, which require effective medical treatment. Thus, we investigated the use of heterologous fibrin biopolymer (HFB) in the repair of the buccal branch of the facial nerve (BBFN) associated with photobiomodulation (PBM), using a low-level laser (LLLT), analyzing the effects on axons, muscles facials, and functional recovery. This experimental study used twenty-one rats randomly divided into three groups of seven animals, using the BBFN bilaterally (the left nerve was used for LLLT): Control group—normal and laser (CGn and CGl); Denervated group—normal and laser (DGn and DGl); Experimental Repair Group—normal and laser (ERGn and ERGl). The photobiomodulation protocol began in the immediate postoperative period and continued for 5 weeks with a weekly application. After 6 weeks of the experiment, the BBFN and the perioral muscles were collected. A significant difference (p < 0.05) was observed in nerve fiber diameter (7.10 ± 0.25 µm and 8.00 ± 0.36 µm, respectively) and axon diameter (3.31 ± 0.19 µm and 4.07 ± 0.27 µm, respectively) between ERGn and ERGl. In the area of muscle fibers, ERGl was similar to GC. In the functional analysis, the ERGn and the ERGI (4.38 ± 0.10) and the ERGI (4.56 ± 0.11) showed parameters of normality. We show that HFB and PBM had positive effects on the morphological and functional stimulation of the buccal branch of the facial nerve, being an alternative and favorable for the regeneration of severe injuries.
A novel tubular structure with negative Poisson's ratio based on gyroid-type triply periodic minimal surfaces

ABSTRACT A novel type of tubular structure with negative Poisson's ratio based on gyroid-type triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMSs) is proposed in this study. This work is an attempt to design auxetic tubular structures based on TPMS. A series of auxetic tubular structures were designed and then fabricated using laser power bed fusion. Compressive behaviours of the fabricated auxetic tubular structures were investigated using experimental and numerical methods. To obtain optimal designs of tubular structures with controllable auxetic properties, the influence of several parameters were investigated comprehensively. Subsequently, several graded auxetic tubular structures were designed based on the parametric analysis and studied numerically. The mechanical properties of the tubular structures could be controlled effectively using the proposed approach. The proposed method can be used for guiding the design and optimisation of auxetic tubular structures, showing excellent potential for various applications such as biomedical devices, vehicle crashworthiness, and protective engineering.
A recursive scheme for perpetuities with random positive interest rates: part 1: analytical results

Abstract Recently, the authors showed how interest randomness in actuarial functions can· be described by means of Wiener processes using path integrals. This paper wants to present an extension of this kind of models, by investigating the situation of interest rates that cannot become negative. The case of an annuity certain and in particular that of a perpetuity will be dealt with in detail.