Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydraulic Simulation and Experimental Analysis of Needle Response and Controlled Injection Rate Shape Characteristics in a Piezo-driven Diesel Injector

The More precise control of the multiple-injection is required in common-rail injection system of direct injection diesel engine to meet the low NOx emission and optimal PM filter system. The main parameter for obtaining the multiple-injections is the mechanism controlling the injector needle energizing and movement. In this study, a piezo-driven diesel injector, as a new method driven by piezoelectric energy, has been applied with a purpose to develop the analysis model of the piezo actuator to predict the dynamics characteristics of the hydraulic component (injector) by using the AMESim code and to evaluate the effect of this control capability on spray formation processes. Aimed at simulating the hydraulic behavior of the piezo-driven injector, the circuit model has been developed and verified by comparison with the experimental results. We found that the input voltage exerted on piezo stack is the dominant factor which affects on the initial needle behavior of piezodriven injector than the hydraulic force generated by the constant injection pressure. And the piezo-driven injector has more degrees of freedom in controlling the injection rate with the high pressure than a solenoid-driven injector. The piezo-electric characteristics of a piezodriven diesel injector, which was manufactured as prototype version was experimentally examined to confirm the injection driving principle based on the inverse piezo-electric effect and to ensure the operating performance of a prototype piezo-driven injector. The injection duration is proportional to the external input pulse duration for driving the piezo-driven injector. The higher the output current (voltage) applied to piezodriven injector's controller, the longer the hold time on the injection duration is. The charging time decreases rapidly as the output current increase. And the needle’s response of a piezo-driven injector by using an accelerometer has been investigated together with the evaluation of the injection rate employing Bosch’s method. Results were compared between a conventional solenoid-driven injector and the piezodriven injector, both equipped with the same micro-sac multi-hole injection nozzle. The experimental results show that the piezo-driven injector has a higher injection flow rate by a fast needle response time and it is possible to control the injection rate slope by altering the induced current. Also these experimental results showed favorable agreement with the predicted simulation results by AMESim environment.
Double-occupancy errors, adiabaticity, and entanglement of spin qubits in quantum dots

Quantum gates that temporarily increase singlet-triplet splitting in order to swap electronic spins in coupled quantum dots lead inevitably to a finite double-occupancy probability for both dots. By solving the time-dependent Schrodinger equation for a coupled dot model, we demonstrate that this does not necessarily lead to quantum computation errors, Instead. the coupled dot ground state evolves quasiadiabatically for typical system parameters so that the double-occupancy probability at the completion of swapping is negligibly small. We introduce a measure of entanglement that explicitly takes into account the possibilty of double occupancies and provides a necessary and sufficient criterion for entangled states.
BRAVO: Ballot-polling Risk-limiting Audits to Verify Outcomes

Risk-limiting post-election audits guarantee a high probability of correcting incorrect electoral outcomes, regardless of why the outcomes are incorrect. Two types of risk-limiting post-election vote tabulation audits are comparison audits and ballot-polling audits. Comparison audits check some of the subtotals reported by the vote tabulation system, by hand-counting votes on the corresponding ballots. Ballot-polling audits select ballots at random and interpret those ballots by hand until there is strong evidence that the outcome is right, or until all the votes have been counted by hand: They directly assess whether the outcome is correct, rather than assessing whether the tabulation was accurate. Comparison audits have advantages, but make large demands on the vote tabulation system. Ballot-polling audits make no such demands. For small margins, they can require large samples, but the total burden may still be modest for large contests, such as county-wide or statewide races. This paper describes BRAVO, a flexible protocol for risk-limiting ballot-polling audits. Among 255 state presidential contests between 1992 and 2008, the median expected sample size to confirm the plurality winner in each state using BRAVO was 307 ballots (per state). Ballot-polling audits can improve election integrity immediately at nominal incremental cost to election administration.
International Conference on Parallel Processing Estimation of Execution times on Heterogeneous Supercomputer Architectures

For managing tasks efficiently in a Distributed Het¬ erogeneous Supercomputing System (DHSS) , we re¬ quire a thorough understanding of applications and their intelligent scheduling within the system. For this purpose, an accurate estimation of the execu¬ tion time of applications on various architectures is needed. In this paper we present a framework to ad¬ dress this issue. We propose two techniques, called augmented code profiling and augmented analytical benchmarking, to characterize applications and archi¬ tectures in a DHSS, respectively. These techniques are based on code profiling and analytical benchmarking, respectively and provide a detailed architectural-dependent characterization of
Epigenetic mechanisms regulating fate specification of neural stem cells

Neural stem cells (NSCs) possess the ability to self-renew and to differentiate along neuronal and glial lineages. These processes are defined by the dynamic interplay between extracellular cues including cytokine signalling and intracellular programmes such as epigenetic modification. There is increasing evidence that epigenetic mechanisms involving, for example, changes in DNA methylation, histone modification and non-coding RNA expression are closely associated with fate specification of NSCs. These epigenetic alterations could provide coordinated systems for regulating gene expression at each step of neural cell differentiation. Here we review the roles of epigenetics in neural fate specification in the mammalian central nervous system.
Macroblock Importance Based Method for Stereo Video Congestion Control

Abstract Transporting a stereo video stream over an unreliable channel can degrade severely the video quality. Network congestion is one of the important factors affecting the video quality. To improve the stereo video quality, a stereo video congestion control method, based on the macroblock importance, is proposed. Firstly, the importance of every macroblock is calculated according to its influence on the current frame and future frames. Then, combined with the importance information, all macroblocks of a frame are divided into three levels. Finally, the packets are transported with the help of RTP/RTCP protocol. We discard some not so important packets actively according to the importance levels when a congestion occurs. The results from NS2 simulation platform show that the stereo video quality is improved with the method proposed.
Inline Path Characteristic Estimation to Improve TCP Performance in High Bandwidth-Delay Networks

We present a measurement study of TCPW BBE (Bandwidth and Buffer Estimations) [5] and associated path characteristics estimation techniques over large pipes. Our study addresses the accuracy of our inline estimation methods used in TCPW BBE. Buffer size, capacity, and achieved rate estimation are used in TCPW BBE. We shed some light on the accuracy and speed of these estimates, and on the efficiency and friendliness resulting from using them in TCPW BBE. The results show that TCPW BBE alone is more efficient than Reno in that it provides much higher utilization of link bandwidth, while TCPW BBE is also shown to be friendly when co-existing with Reno.
Neurotrophin-3 Sorts to the Constitutive Secretory Pathway of Hippocampal Neurons and Is Diverted to the Regulated Secretory Pathway by Coexpression with Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

Hippocampal neurons release nerve growth factor (NGF) through the constitutive secretory pathway, thus allowing the protein to be continuously available for promoting nerve cell survival. In contrast, hippocampal neurons use the regulated secretory pathway to process brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which alters synaptic activity when released acutely from dense-core vesicles. Thus, understanding how neurons sort and deliver neurotrophins may provide clues to their functions in brain. In this study, we monitored the processing and delivery of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). Pulse–chase studies, immunocytochemistry, and secretagogue-induced release experiments were performed on cultured hippocampal neurons and AtT-20 cells infected with vaccinia viruses encoding the NT-3 precursor (pro-NT-3). Results show that most newly synthesized NT-3 is released through the constitutive secretory pathway as a result of furin-mediated endoproteolytic cleavage of pro-NT-3 in the trans-Golgi network. Pro-NT-3 can also be diverted into the regulated secretory pathway when cells are treated with α1-PDX, a selective inhibitor of furin-like enzymes, or when pro-NT-3 expression is increased by transient transfection methods. In cells coinfected with viruses coding for pro-NT-3 and pro-BDNF, NT-3 is sorted into the regulated pathway, stored in secretory granules, and released in response to extracellular cues together with BDNF, apparently as a result of heterodimerization, as suggested by coimmunoprecipitation data. Taken together, these data show that sorting of the NT-3 precursor can occur in both the constitutive and regulated secretory pathways, which is consistent with NT-3 having both survival-promoting and synapse-altering functions.
Evaluation of selected fuzzy particle swarm optimization algorithms

This paper is devoted to an evaluation of selected fuzzy particle swarm optimization algorithms. Two non-fuzzy and four fuzzy algorithms are considered. The Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy system is utilized to change the parameters of these algorithms. A modified fuzzy particle swarm optimization method is proposed, in which each of the particles has its own inertia weight and coefficients of the cognitive and social components. The evaluation is based on the common nonlinear benchmark functions used for testing optimization methods. The ratings of the algorithms are assigned on the basis of the mean of the objective function and the relative success.
Silicate Consolidants for Stone

Consolidants are sols or solutions that are used to restore the strength of weathered stone. The liquids are drawn into the pores of stone by capillary suction, then they harden by gelation and/or drying. In this chapter, we discuss the requirements that such a material must fulfill, and demonstrate the effectiveness of consolidants based on alkoxysilanes and alkylalkoxysilanes.
Synthesis of single-component metallic glasses by thermal spray of nanodroplets on amorphous substrates

We show that single component metallic glasses can be synthesized by thermal spray coating of nanodroplets onto an amorphous substrate. We demonstrate this using molecular dynamics simulations of nanodroplets up to 30 nm that the spreading of the nanodroplets during impact on a substrate leads to sufficiently rapid cooling (1012–1013 K/s) sustained by the large temperature gradients between the thinned nanodroplets and the bulk substrate. However, even under these conditions, in order to ensure that the glass transition outruns crystal nucleation, it is essential that the substrate be amorphous (eliminating sites for heterogeneous nucleation of crystallization).
Continuous Assessment of Children’s Emotional States Using Acoustic Analysis

Emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are a widespread healthcare concern in children and adolescents. Prevention and early intervention are the most powerful tools in ameliorating the problem, and therefore, timely and accurate detection of abnormal emotional patterns is of vital importance. In this paper, we propose a system that detects second-level emotional states of children using hour-level audio recordings. The proposed system consists of an audio segmentation and speaker tracking front-end along with an emotion recognition back-end. Supervised support vector machine is used in the front-end to improve its robustness to short and inconsistent child speech pattern and end-to-end deep learning is used in the emotion recognition back-end to improve its robustness to noise and segmentation error. We further demonstrate the potential of the proposed system as an automated emotion analysis tool.
Silicone‐rubber‐based tactile sensors for the measurement of normal and tangential components of the contact force

This article presents the developmental process of a new tactile sensor. The sensor was based on the use of light-emitting diode (LED) phototransistor couples and a silicone rubber layer positioned above the optoelectronics devices. The optoelectronic components were organized in a matrix structure. For each couple, the LED illuminated the reflective surface, which coincided with the bottom facet of the deformable layer. Practically, the deformable layer transduced an external force into a displacement variation of its bottom facet through its stiffness. An external force applied to the deformable layer produced local variations of the bottom surface of the elastic material, and the couples of optical devices measured the vertical deformations in a discrete number of points. In particular, these vertical displacements produced a variation of the reflected light intensity and, accordingly, of the photocurrent measured by the photodetector. The realized prototype was designed and optimized through finite element analysis. A calibration procedure is also presented, whose results demonstrate the ability of the sensor to reconstruct the contact point and also the normal and tangential components of the contact force. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011
Metabolic Network Experimentation and Modeling 90 Metabolic Engineering of Light and Dark Biochemical Pathways in Wild-Type and Mutant Synechocystis PCC 6803 Strains for Maximal , 24-Hour Production of Hydrogen Gas

This project is using the cyanobacterial species Synechocystis PCC 6803 as a model to pursue two parallel lines of inquiry initially, with each line addressing one of the two main factors affecting H2 production in PCC 6803: NADPH availability and O2 sensitivity. H2 production in PCC 6803 requires a very high NADPH:NADP+ ratio, that is, that the NADP pool be highly reduced, which can be problematic because several metabolic pathways potentially can act to raise or lower NADPH levels. Also, though the [NiFe]-H2ase in PCC 6803 is constitutively expressed, it is reversibly inactivated at very low O2 concentrations, reportedly due to binding of O2 to the active-site. Largely because of this O2 sensitivity and the requirement for high NADPH levels, a major portion of overall H2 production occurs under anoxic conditions in the dark, supported by breakdown of glycogen or other organic substrates accumulated during photosynthesis. Also, other factors, such as N or S limitation, pH changes, presence of other substances, or deletion of particular respiratory components, can affect light or dark H2 production. Therefore, in the first line of inquiry, under a number of culture conditions with wild-type (WT) PCC 6803 cells and a mutant with impaired type I NADPH-dehydrogenase (NDH-1) function, we are using H2 production profiling and metabolic flux analysis, with and without specific inhibitors, to examine systematically the pathways involved in light and dark H2 production. Results from this work will provide rational bases for metabolic engineering to maximize photobiological H2 production on a 24-hour basis. In the second line of inquiry, we are using site-directed and random mutagenesis to create mutants with H2ase enzymes exhibiting greater O2 tolerance (and perhaps higher H2 production activity). The objectives of the research are addressed via the following four tasks:
The Relationship between the Bending Direction and Burgers Vector of Threading Dislocations at a Coherent Heterointerface in AlGaN/AlN Layers

Transmission electron microscope analysis of microstructure in AlGaN/AlN thin layers was performed to investigate the behavior of threading dislocations (TDs). The absolute values of the Burgers vectors (B) of TDs were determined from the change in number of thickness fringes in the weak-beam dark-field images. In the AlGaN/AlN thin layers grown on α-Al 2 O 3 (0001) substrate, there were a lot of TDs propagating along [0001] with B=a, where a is the corresponding axis vector. These TDs were observed to bend at the hetero-interface of AlGaN/AlN. It was confirmed that the bending direction is normal to B and that the extra half plane associated with the TD decreases in area by the bending. Precise measurement of the in-plane lattice dimensions showed that there exists a compressive strain in AlGaN on the hetero-interface. These results revealed that control of internal stress is an important factor to govern the behavior of TDs.
BMC Systems Biology

Background: Network motifs are recurrent interaction patterns, which are significantly more often encountered in biological interaction graphs than expected from random nets. Their existence raises questions concerning their emergence and functional capacities. In this context, it has been shown that feed forward loops (FFL) composed of three genes are capable of processing external signals by responding in a very specific, robust manner, either accelerating or delaying responses. Early studies suggested a one-to-one mapping between topology and dynamics but such view has been repeatedly questioned. The FFL's function has been attributed to this specific response. A general response analysis is difficult, because one is dealing with the dynamical trajectory of a system towards a new regime in response to external signals. Results: We have developed an analytical method that allows us to systematically explore the patterns and probabilities of the emergence for a specific dynamical response. The method is based on a rather simple, but powerful geometrical analysis of the system's nullclines complemented by an appropriate formalization of the response probability. Conclusion: Our analysis allows to determine unambiguously the relationship between motif topology and the set of potentially implementable functions. The distribution probability distributions are linked to the degree of specialization or flexibility of the given network topology. The implications for the emergence of different motif topologies in complex networks are outlined.
A Viable Population of the European Red Squirrel in an Urban Park

Whether urban parks can maintain viable and self-sustaining populations over the long term is questionable. In highly urbanized landscapes, urban parks could play a role in biodiversity conservation by providing habitat and resources to native species. However, populations inhabiting urban parks are usually small and isolated, leading to increased demographic stochasticity and genetic drift, with expected negative consequences on their viability. Here, we investigated a European red squirrel population located in an urban park close to Paris, France (Parc de Sceaux; 184 ha) to assess its viability. Using mitochondrial D-loop sequences and 13 microsatellite loci, we showed that the population presented high levels of genetic variation and no evidence of inbreeding. The size of the population was estimated at 100–120 individuals based on the comparison of two census techniques, Distance Sampling and Capture-Mark-Recapture. The estimated heterozygosity level and population size were integrated in a Population Viability Analysis to project the likelihood of the population's persistence over time. Results indicate that the red squirrel population of this urban park can be viable on the long term (i.e. 20 years) for a range of realistic demographic parameters (juvenile survival at least >40%) and immigration rates (at least one immigration event every two years). This study highlights that urban parks can be potential suitable refuges for the red squirrel, a locally threatened species across western European countries, provided that ecological corridors are maintained.
Transcriptome Analysis of Duck Liver and Identification of Differentially Expressed Transcripts in Response to Duck Hepatitis A Virus Genotype C Infection

Background Duck is an economically important poultry and animal model for human viral hepatitis B. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying host–virus interaction remain unclear because of limited information on the duck genome. This study aims to characterize the duck normal liver transcriptome and to identify the differentially expressed transcripts at 24 h after duck hepatitis A virus genotype C (DHAV-C) infection using Illumina–Solexa sequencing. Results After removal of low-quality sequences and assembly, a total of 52,757 unigenes was obtained from the normal liver group. Further blast analysis showed that 18,918 unigenes successfully matched the known genes in the database. GO analysis revealed that 25,116 unigenes took part in 61 categories of biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions. Among the 25 clusters of orthologous group categories (COG), the cluster for “General function prediction only” represented the largest group, followed by “Transcription” and “Replication, recombination, and repair. ” KEGG analysis showed that 17,628 unigenes were involved in 301 pathways. Through comparison of normal and infected transcriptome data, we identified 20 significantly differentially expressed unigenes, which were further confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Of the 20 unigenes, nine matched the known genes in the database, including three up-regulated genes (virus replicase polyprotein, LRRC3B, and PCK1) and six down-regulated genes (CRP, AICL-like 2, L1CAM, CYB26A1, CHAC1, and ADAM32). The remaining 11 novel unigenes that did not match any known genes in the database may provide a basis for the discovery of new transcripts associated with infection. Conclusion This study provided a gene expression pattern for normal duck liver and for the previously unrecognized changes in gene transcription that are altered during DHAV-C infection. Our data revealed useful information for future studies on the duck genome and provided new insights into the molecular mechanism of host–DHAV-C interaction.