Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Constant frequency hysteretic PWM controlled buck converter

This paper presents a constant frequency hysteretic PWM controlled buck converter. In order to have good transient responses for input voltage and load current changes, a new PWM control method with inherent derivative characteristics is proposed. The proposed PWM controller consists of a comparator, a simple RC network and operational amplifier, and it can be synchronized with an external clock signal. Since the converter operates at a constant frequency, it is easy not only to design an output filter but also to apply to multi-phase converters. The theoretical and experimental verification of the proposed method are presented and excellent steady state, dynamic performances, and transient characteristics are realized.
Computing with Noisy Information

This paper studies the depth of noisy decision trees in which each node gives the wrong answer with some constant probability. In the noisy Boolean decision tree model, tight bounds are given on the number of queries to input variables required to compute threshold functions, the parity function and symmetric functions. In the noisy comparison tree model, tight bounds are given on the number of noisy comparisons for searching, sorting, selection and merging. The paper also studies parallel selection and sorting with noisy comparisons, giving tight bounds for several problems.
A Coordinated Approach for Supply-Chain Tracking in the Liquefied Natural Gas Industry

With the increased size and complexity of liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, supply-chain management has become a challenging process due to involvements of the remote location of the project site and the multiple stakeholders. The transparency and traceability of the supply-chain are critical as any surpluses or shortages of materials will put the project at risk. Currently, limited research has been conducted on LNG projects considering the total supply-chain perspective, which refers to all stages of materials tracking in off-site manufacturing, transportation, and site logistics. The purpose of this research is to propose a framework of a coordinated approach for supply-chain tracking in the LNG industry. Two focus group studies were organized to develop the proposed framework: One for LNG construction supply chain process development, and another for alternative tracking technologies selection. In addition, two experiments, namely off-site fabrication tracking and site logistics tracking, were conducted in a field to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed framework. Technology limitations were also discussed in terms of field implementation.
Removal of SO2 from gas streams using a dielectric barrier discharge and combined plasma photolysis

The removal of SO2 from simulated gas streams (N2/O2/H2O/SO2) is experimentally investigated using a dielectric barrier discharge, and by computer modeling. Conversion of SO2 to primarily H2SO4 is found to be limited by the generation of OH radicals. Increasing the concentrations of O2 and H2O increases the generation of OH radicals and results in more removal of SO2 from gas streams. Removal efficiencies of ≳80% were experimentally achieved. Results from the model suggest that more efficient removal is obtained with a series of short, high E/N current pulses rather than a single, low E/N current pulse. Results from the model also suggest that uv illumination of the plasma to photolyze O3 will improve the removal of SO2 from the gas stream. Photolysis of O3 produces O(1D) atoms which generate OH radicals by H abstraction from H2O, thereby increasing the removal of SO2.
Non-conservative forces and effective temperatures in active polymers

We follow the dynamics of an ensemble of interacting self-propelled semi-flexible polymers in contact with a thermal bath. We characterize the structure and dynamics of the passive system and as a function of the motor activity. We find that the fluctuation–dissipation relation allows for the definition of an effective temperature that is compatible with the results obtained by using a tracer particle as a thermometer. The effective temperature takes a higher value than the temperature of the bath when the effect of the motors is not correlated with the structural rearrangements they induce. Our data are compatible with a dependence upon the square of the motor strength (normalized by the average internal force) and they suggest an intriguing linear dependence on the tracer diffusion constant times the density of the embedding matrix. We show how to use this concept to rationalize the experimental results and suggest possible innovative research directions.
Wearable Immersive Storytelling for Disabled Children

Our research aims at supporting existing therapies for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The personal and social autonomy is the desired end state to be achieved to enable a smooth integration in the real world. We developed and tested a framework for storytelling and learning activities that exploits an immersive virtual reality viewer to interact with target users. Our system uses Google Cardboard platform to enhance existing therapies for IDD and ASD children, enabling caregivers to supervise and personalize single therapeutic sessions. This way curative meetings can be adapted for each child's specific need accordingly to the severity of their disabilities. We co-designed our system with experts from the medical sector, identifying features that allow patients to stay focused on the task to perform. Our approach triggers a learning process for a seamless assimilation of common behavioral skills useful in every day's life. This paper highlights the technologic challenges in healthcare and discusses cutting-edge interaction paradigms. Among those challenges, we try to identify the best solution to support advanced visual interfaces for an interactive storytelling experience. Furthermore, this work reports our preliminary experimental results from a still ongoing evaluation with IDD and ASD children and discusses the benefits and flaws of our approach. On the one hand, we explore children reaction to - and acceptance of - the viewer, on the other hand, therapists' ease of use when interacting with our framework. We conclude this paper with few considerations on our approach.
Commentary: Targeting LDH enzymes with a stiripentol analog to treat epilepsy

Meeting energy demands in neurons is critical for proper functions of nervous systems. In addition to glucose, lactate is used as a major energy source in the brain, and a significant amount of lactate is produced through aerobic glycolysis in astrocytes (Schurr et al., 1988; Gladden, 2004; Ivanov et al., 2011; Dienel, 2012). It is reversibly converted to and from pyruvate by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and it is transported from astrocytes to neurons via the astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle (Pellerin and Magistretti, 2012). Lactate is released from astrocytes through monocarboxylate transporters (MCT1 and MCT4), and has been also reported to be released through ion channels yet to be identified (Korn et al., 2005; Sotelo-Hitschfeld et al., 2015). Released lactate is taken into neurons through MCT2 and converted to pyruvate (Bergersen, 2007). Lactate also induces expression of genes (e.g., arc and c-fos) involved in synaptic plasticity (Suzuki et al., 2011; Yang et al., 2014).
The hydrodynamics of flagellar propulsion: helical waves

The swimming of a micro-organism by the propagation of helical waves on a long slender flagellum is analysed. The model developed by Higdon (1979) is used to study the motion of an organism with a spherical cell body (radius A) propelled by a cylindrical flagellum (radius a, length L). The average swimming speed and power consumption are calculated for helical waves (amplitude α, wavenumber k). A wide range of parameter values is considered to determine the optimal swimming motion. The optimal helical wave has ak ≈ 1, corresponding to a pitch angle of 45°. The optimum number of waves on the flagellum increases as the flagellar length L/A increases, such that the optimum wavelength decreases as L/A increases. The efficiency is relatively insensitive to the flagellar radius a/A. The optimum flagellar length is L/A ≈ 10. The results are compared to calculations using two different forms of resistance coefficients. Gray-Hancock coefficients overestimate the swimming speed by approximately 20% and underestimate the power consumption by 50%. The coefficients suggested by Lighthill (1976) overestimate the swimming speed for large cell bodies (L/A < 15) by 20% and underestimate for small cell bodies (L/A > 15) by 10%. The Lighthill coefficients underestimate the power consumption up to 50% for L/A < 10, and overestimate up to 25% for L/A > 10. Overall, the Lighthill coefficients are superior to the Gray-Hancock coefficients in modelling swimming by helical waves.
Organizational characteristics of intensive care units related to outcomes of abdominal aortic surgery.

CONTEXT Morbidity and mortality rates in intensive care units (ICUs) vary widely among institutions, but whether ICU structure and care processes affect these outcomes is unknown. OBJECTIVE To determine whether organizational characteristics of ICUs are related to clinical and economic outcomes for abdominal aortic surgery patients who typically receive care in an ICU. DESIGN Observational study, with patient data collected retrospectively and ICU data collected prospectively. SETTING All Maryland hospitals that performed abdominal aortic surgery from 1994 to 1996. PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS We analyzed hospital discharge data for patients in non-federal acute care hospitals in Maryland who had a principal procedure code for abdominal aortic surgery from January 1994 through December 1996 (n = 2987). We obtained information about ICU organizational characteristics by surveying ICU medical directors at the 46 Maryland hospitals that performed abdominal aortic surgery. Thirty-nine (85%) of the ICU directors completed this survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES In-hospital mortality and hospital and ICU length of stay. RESULTS For patients undergoing abdominal aortic surgery, in-hospital mortality varied among hospitals from 0% to 66%. In multivariate analysis adjusted for patient demographics, comorbid disease, severity of illness, hospital and surgeon volume, and hospital characteristics, not having daily rounds by an ICU physician was associated with a 3-fold increase in in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR], 3.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.9-4.9). Furthermore, not having daily rounds by an ICU physician was associated with an increased risk of cardiac arrest (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.2-7.0), acute renal failure (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.3-3.9), septicemia (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2-2.6), platelet transfusion (OR, 6.4; 95% CI, 3.2-12.4), and reintubation (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.0-4.1). Not having daily rounds by an ICU physician, having an ICU nurse-patient ratio of less than 1:2, not having monthly review of morbidity and mortality, and extubating patients in the operating room were associated with increased resource use. CONCLUSIONS Organizational characteristics of ICUs are related to differences among hospitals in outcomes of abdominal aortic surgery. Clinicians and hospital leaders should consider the potential impact of ICU organizational characteristics on outcomes of patients having high-risk operations.
Appraisal of negative and positive events in bulimia nervosa

The increase in negative mood which precedes binge eating has been viewed as a trigger for this behaviour and an important factor in the maintenance of bulimia nervosa. Traditionally, these mood states have been attributed to the experience of negative events. The present study drew upon the theory of stress, appraisal and coping to test alternative processes that could subserve this phenomenon. The theory states that negative emotional reactions can be better predicted from the individual's appraisal (i.e., perceived frequency and subjective intensity) of a given event than by frequency alone. Also, prediction is further improved when appraisal of recent positive events is considered. This study tested the hypotheses that bulimics appraise negative events as more negative and positive events as less positive than do nonbulimics. Eighteen females satisfying the DSM-III-R criteria for bulimia nervosa, 18 restrained eaters and 18 nonrestrained eaters were compared on appraisal of negative and positive events after controlling for depressed mood state and neuroticism. Appraisal was defined as the endorsement that an event had occurred in the past 30 days (frequency) and the subjective positive or negative hedonic value of that event (intensity). The event measures consisted of 319 negative events of the Unpleasant Events Schedule (UPES) and 48 positive events of the Mood-Related scale of the Pleasant Events Schedule (PES). Univariate analyses showed that bulimics had significantly higher levels of depression and neuroticism compared to nonbulimics. Bulimics also experienced significantly fewer pleasant events than nonbulimics, however this difference was small compared to the magnitude of differences on the covariates. An hierarchical discriminant function analysis showed that depression and neuroticism accounted for the greatest separation between groups. Inclusion of the frequency and intensity of negative and positive events resulted in a small and nonsignificant increase in group separation. Further, the frequency of pleasant events lost discriminating ability due to its correlation with depression. Appraisal of negative events was also examined through the subscales of the UPES, which corresponded to areas in which bulimics are reported to experience particular difficulties. These areas were mood-related events, interpersonal events, events involving the self, and events over which the individual can exert control. Univariate comparisons indicated that bulimics have higher levels for the intensity of mood-related negative events. An hierarchical stepwise discriminant analysis using the UPES subscales and the
Context-aware intelligent user interfaces for supporting system use

Two trends can be observed in current applications: the amount of functionality offered is constantly increasing and applications are more often used in mobile settings. Both trends often lead to a decrease in the usability of applications. This effect can be countered by Intelligent User Interfaces that facilitate the interaction between user and application. In order to support the user in an optimal way, the Intelligent User Interface has to be aware of the user’s needs and adapt the provided support to her current situation, i.e. her current context. The relevant context information can thereby be gathered from the environment (e.g. her current location) or from sophisticated user models that reflect the user’s behavior. In this thesis, we present a novel approach of combining user and environmental context information for supporting the system use. As context information is often very error-prone and the user‘s workflow should not be disrupted by erroneous interaction support, we adapt the presentation of the support to the reliability of the context information. Therefore, we use different levels of proactivity from unobtrusive highlighting to automatically performing tasks. The presented approach -called AUGUR- is application independent and is able to support the interaction for arbitrary existing applications, even across application boundaries. For that purpose, we developed a novel application modeling language that is able to model applications and their relationships to context. The application models can thereby be defined by the application developer, learned by AUGUR, and augmented by the end-user. The interaction can be facilitated by an Intelligent User Interface in two different ways: on the one hand by supporting the entering of data and on the other hand by simplifying the navigation within and between applications. For supporting the user in entering data, we contribute three approaches based on (i) the user’s previous interactions, (ii) the information represented in the application models, and (iii) the semantics of the data required by the user interface and the context information currently relevant for the user. For the latter, we developed a novel algorithm that combines string-based and semantic similarity measures. AUGUR supports the user’s navigation in three different ways: It can (i) guide the user through an application, (ii) provide navigation shortcuts to other applications, and (iii) reduce the user interface to the most relevant functionality for mobile use. For guiding the user, we developed a novel algorithm called FxL that is able to predict the next relevant interaction element. For the interface adaptation, we introduce a novel approach based on FxL to determine the elements that should be presented to the user for mobile use according to her current situation. We realized the developed concepts of AUGUR in a working prototype. Further, we evaluated the usability of the context-aware support provided by AUGUR in a user study, and showed that it can significantly increase the usability of an application.
Spacelike boundaries from the c=1 matrix model

We find classical solutions of two dimensional noncritical string theory which give rise to geometries with spacelike boundaries, similar to spacetimes with cosmological event horizons. In the c=1 matrix model, these solutions have a representation as simple time-dependent configurations. We obtain the causal structure of the resulting spacetimes. Using the macroscopic loop transform, we probe the form of the tachyon condensate in the asymptotic regions.
Contribution of vascular cell-derived cytokines to innate and inflammatory pathways in atherogenesis

• Introduction • Atherosclerosis ‐ overview ‐ General remarks ‐ Early atherosclerosis ‐ Exogenous and/or infectious activators ‐ Endogenous activators ‐ Later phases of atherosclerosis • Innate and inflammatory pathways in atherogenesis • Innate receptors ‐ PAMP and DAMP ‐ Pentraxins ‐ NOD‐like proteins/receptors (NLRs) ‐ toll‐like receptors (TLRs) ‐ Knockout of pattern recognition molecules reduces atherosclerosis • Innate cytokines ‐ The innate cytokines interleukin‐1 (IL‐1) and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) ‐ TNF−/− ApoE−/− mice are less atherosclerotic ‐ IL‐1−/− ApoE−/− mice are less atherosclerotic ‐ Monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 and fractalkine ‐ IL‐6 activates innate pathways and is produced by cardiovascular cells ‐ Functions of IL‐6 important for atherogenesis ‐ Role of trans‐signalling in cardiovascular inflammation ‐ Animal experiments suggest a role for the IL‐6 system in atherosclerosis • Cytokine‐mediated interaction of vessel wall cells and leucocytes ‐ Endothelial cell (EC)‐monocyte interaction ‐ Smooth muscle cell (SMC)‐EC interaction ‐ SMC‐monocyte and SMC‐T cell interaction • Summary and conclusion • Future perspectives ‐ Which initiator(s) starts atherogenesis? ‐ Is there more than one starting point? ‐ What are the specific roles of the various cytokines in the vessel wall? ‐ Are treatments addressing different phases of atherogenesis of advantage? ‐ What about prevention? ‐ What are the expectations?
On Line Measurements and Visualization of Distances in WSN with RSSI Parameter

In some wireless sensor networks (WSN) applications (e.g. fire lighting scattering wireless nodes from the plane) nodes positions needs to be resolved. In WSN we are trying to keep the price of a node as low as possible and for that reason we are trying to avoid implementing additional hardware (e.g. GPS module) to the node. One of possible localization methods using standard WSN 802.15. 4 radio chip is use of Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) parameter and radio propagation model. In the article we are describing the implementation and experiments of localization using RSSI and Log-distance path model. Measurements and visualization of the distances was successfully realized online and in "real time".
Measurement of hearing protection devices performance in the workplace during full-shift working operations.

OBJECTIVES The effectiveness of hearing protection devices (HPDs), when used in workplace conditions, has been shown over the years to be usually lower than the labeled values obtained under well-controlled laboratory conditions. Causes for such discrepancies have been listed and discussed by many authors. This study is an attempt to understand the issues in greater details and quantify some of these factors by looking at the performance of hearing protectors as a function of time during full work shift conditions. METHODS A non-invasive field microphone in the real ear (F-MIRE)-based method has been developed for measuring the effectiveness of different HPDs as a function of time in the workplace. Details of the test procedures, the equipment used, and the post-processing operations are presented and discussed. The methodology was developed in such a way that a complete time and frequency representation are possible. The system was used on a total of 24 workers in eight different companies. Work shifts of up to 9-h long were recorded. Various types of earmuffs and one type of molded earplugs were tested. RESULTS Attenuation data reported as a function of time showed, for most workers tested, considerable fluctuations over entire work shift periods. Parts of these fluctuations are attributed to variations in the low-frequency content in the noise (in particular for earmuffs) as well as poor insertion and/or fitting of earplugs. Lower performances than laboratory-based ones were once again observed for most cases tested but also, important left and right ear differences were obtained for many individuals. When reported as a function of frequency, the attenuation results suggested that the few approximations used to relate the measurements to subjective real-ear-attenuation-at-threshold (REAT) data were realistic. CONCLUSIONS The use of individualized attenuation data and performance ratings for HPDs as well as a good knowledge of the ambient noise in the workplace are key ingredients when evaluating the performance of hearing protectors in field conditions.