Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brushless Wound Rotor Vernier Motor Using Single-Phase Additional Winding on Stator for Variable Speed Applications

This paper introduces a topology for achieving the brushless operation of a wound rotor vernier motor using a single-phase additional winding on the stator, specifically designed for variable-speed applications e.g., washing machines. In the proposed topology, the stator winding consists of two sets: a four-pole three-phase main winding and an additional two-pole single-phase winding. On the other hand, the rotor contains a 44-pole field winding to generate the vernier effect, and a two-pole excitation winding for induction. The main winding of the stator produces the fundamental component of MMF, while the additional winding generates the subharmonics component of MMF to induce a current in the excitation winding of the rotor. The excitation winding is connected to a rotating rectifier to supply direct current to the rotor’s field winding. The field interaction of the main and field winding is responsible for the production of torque. The presence of a subharmonic component of MMF in the air gap is confirmed through Fourier analysis of MMF obtained from the winding function. Moreover, the brushless operation of the proposed topology is validated using 2D finite element analysis (FEM) for variable speed application.
Effect of Environmental Factors on Learning Quality Among Adult College Students: The Mediation Role of Learning Motivation

In order to explore the impact of school environment and working organization environment on the learning quality of adult college students, 629 students from two adult colleges were randomly selected as participants in this study. The questionnaires of school environment, work organization environment, learning motivation and learning quality questionnaires were filled out by participants online. Statistical analysies were conducted on SPSS26.0 and PROCESS3.5. Results showed that school environment and work environment both positively predicted the learning quality of adult college students; learning motivation of adult college students played a partial mediation role between school environment, work environment and learning quality. Based on the findings, educators and enterprises should work together to create positive learning environments that inspires students’ learning motivation and improve their learning quality.
Scalar Field Condensate Baryogenesis Model in Different Inflationary Scenarios

We calculate the baryon asymmetry value generated in the Scalar Field Condensate (SCF) baryogenesis model obtained in several inflationary scenarios and different reheating models. We provide analysis of the baryon asymmetry value obtained for more than 70 sets of parameters of the SCF model and the following inflationary scenarios, namely: new inflation, chaotic inflation, Starobinsky inflation, MSSM inflation, quintessential inflation. We considered both cases of efficient thermalization after inflation and also delayed thermalization. We have found that SFC baryogenesis model produces baryon asymmetry by orders of magnitude bigger than the observed one for the following inflationary models: new inflation, new inflation model by Shafi and Vilenkin, MSSM inflation, chaotic inflation with high reheating temperature and the simplest Shafi-Vilenkin chaotic inflationary model. For these models strong diluting mechanisms are needed to reduce the resultant baryon excess at low energies to its observational value today. We have found that a successful generation of the observed baryon asymmetry is possible by SCF baryogenesis model in Modified Starobinsky inflation, chaotic inflation with low reheating temperature, chaotic inflation in SUGRA and Quintessential inflation.
Comparative analysis of the complete mitogenome of Geoffroea decorticans: a native tree surviving in the Atacama Desert

Chañar (Geoffroea decorticans (Gill., ex Hook. & Arn.) Burkart) has been highly significant for indigenous people in the Atacama Desert for over 3,000 years. Through evolutionary processes, the G. decorticans mitogenome likely underwent changes facilitating its adaptation to the extreme conditions of the Atacama Desert. Here, we compare the mitochondrial genome of G. decorticans with those of other Papilionoideae family species. The complete mitogenome of G. decorticans was sequenced and assembled, making it the first in the genus Geoffroea. The mitogenome contained 383,963 base pairs, consisting of 33 protein coding genes, 21 transfer RNA genes, and 3 ribosomal RNA genes. The Chañar mitogenome is relatively compact, and has two intact genes (sdh4 and nad1) which were not observed in most other species. Additionally, Chañar possessed the highest amount of mitochondrial DNA of plastid origin among angiosperm species. The phylogenetic analysis of the mitogenomes of Chañar and 12 other taxa displayed a high level of consistency in taxonomic classification, when compared to those of the plastid genome. Atp8 was subjected to positive selection, while the ccmFc and rps1 were subjected to neutral selection. This study provides valuable information regarding its ability to survive the extreme environmental conditions of the Atacama Desert.
Unification of mathematical concepts and algorithms of k-out-of-n system reliability: A perspective of improved disjoint products

The k-out-of-n system model is the most prominent model of coherent system reliability, with a variety of important special cases, generalizations, and extensions thereof. In particular, the k-outof- n reliabilities (1 ≤ k ≤ n) constitute a basis for expressing the reliability of an n-order coherent system in terms of its signature (destruction spectrum). A notable algorithm for computing the reliability of a k-out-of-n system is the Improved Disjoint Products (IMDP) algorithm. This paper has four goals, namely, (a) to present a detailed and novel exposition of the IMDP algorithm; (b) to demonstrate that the IMDP algorithm is derivable from the BH-2 algorithm, which is an enhancement of the BH-1 algorithm that is used for evaluating the probability of exactly k successes among n Bernoulli trials and, hence, for computing the probability mass function (pmf) of the generalized binomial distribution; (c) to demonstrate that the IMDP algorithm can be derived from the AR algorithm, which is the Reduced-Ordered-Binary-Decision-Diagram (ROBDD) algorithm for evaluating the k-out-of-n reliability and also for computing the Cumulative Distribution Function (CDF) of the generalized binomial distribution; and (d) to show that the IMDP algorithm is a collective orthogonalization (disjointness) algorithm for a shellable sum-of-products formula (DNF) for k-out-of-n success. The paper plays a unifying role for a variety of concepts and algorithms and tries to emphasize similarities and interrelations among them, while pinpointing any subtle differences among them. A common denominator in explaining the various algorithms is the use of signal flow graphs that are compact, regular, and acyclic. For these loopless graphs, the gain formula requires only simple path enumeration, as well as a calculation of the transmittances of the paths.
Precision Grinding Technology of Silicon Carbide (SiC) Ceramics by Longitudinal Torsional Ultrasonic Vibrations

Silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic material has become the most promising third-generation semiconductor material for its excellent mechanical properties at room temperature and high temperature. However, SiC ceramic machining has serious tool wear, low machining efficiency, poor machining quality and other disadvantages due to its high hardness and high wear resistance, which limits the promotion and application of such materials. In this paper, comparison experiments of longitudinal torsional ultrasonic vibration grinding (LTUVG) and common grinding (CG) of SiC ceramics were conducted, and the longitudinal torsional ultrasonic vibration grinding SiC ceramics cutting force model was developed. In addition, the effects of ultrasonic machining parameters on cutting forces, machining quality and subsurface cracking were investigated, and the main factors and optimal parameters affecting the cutting force improvement rate were obtained by orthogonal tests. The results showed that the maximum improvement of cutting force, surface roughness and subsurface crack fracture depth by longitudinal torsional ultrasonic vibrations were 82.59%, 22.78% and 30.75%, respectively. A longitudinal torsional ultrasonic vibrations cutting force prediction model containing the parameters of tool, material properties and ultrasound was established by the removal characteristics of SiC ceramic material, ultrasonic grinding principle and brittle fracture theory. And the predicted results were in good agreement with the experimental results, and the maximum error was less than 15%. The optimum process parameters for cutting force reduction were a spindle speed of 22,000 rpm, a feed rate of 600 mm/min and a depth of cut of 0.011 mm.
Opportunistic CPU Sharing in Mobile Edge Computing Deploying the Cloud-RAN

Leveraging virtualization technology, Cloud-RAN deploys multiple virtual Base Band Units (vBBUs) along with collocated applications on the same Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) server. However, the performance of real-time (RT) applications such as the vBBU could potentially be impacted by sharing computing resources with collocated workloads. To address this challenge, this paper presents a dynamic CPU sharing mechanism, specifically designed for containerized virtualization in MEC servers, that hosts both RT and non-RT general-purpose applications. Initially, the CPU sharing problem in MEC servers is formulated as a Mixed-Integer Programming (MIP). Then, we present an algorithmic solution that breaks down the MIP into simpler subproblems that are then solved using efficient, constant factor heuristics. We assessed the performance of this mechanism against instances of a commercial solver. Further, via a small-scale testbed, we assessed various CPU sharing mechanisms and their effectiveness in reducing the impact of CPU sharing on RT application processing performance. Our findings indicate that our CPU sharing mechanism reduces the worst-case execution time by more than 150% compared to the default host RT-Kernel approach. This evidence is strengthened when evaluating this mechanism within Cloud-RAN, in which vBBUs share resources with collocated applications on a MEC server. Using our CPU sharing approach, the vBBU’s scheduling latency decreases by up to 21% in comparison with the host RT-Kernel.
Small Ship Detection of SAR Images Based on Optimized Feature Pyramid and Sample Augmentation

Synthetic aperture radar images have become the latest high-resolution imaging equipment, which can monitor the Earth 24 h a day. More and more deep-learning technologies are applied to ship target detection; however, in complex environments, due to the small target of the ship, problems, such as false detection and miss detection, often occur. For this reason, SSPNet is proposed with several small-target-augmentation strategies to complete the detection of small ships on the sea. This network is an improvement of FPN. The model uses a context attention module (CAM), scale enhancement module (SEM), and scale selection module (SSM). CAM introduces the attention heat map, SEM uses the residual module to make the network pay more attention to specific scale targets, and SSM introduces deep semantic features into shallow features. A weighted negative sampling strategy is proposed to enable the network to select more representative samples. These modules make the network more suitable for small-target detection. The results on the SSDD dataset show that the model is superior to the existing object detection network, and the average precision (AP50) reaches 91.57%.
An Information-Theoretical Method for Comparing Completions of Contrapunctus XIV from Bach’s Art of Fugue

The unfinished final Contrapunctus from Bach’s posthumously-published Kunst der Fuge has received several dozen completions over the past century. Although the majority of these have been published and recorded, none has yet established themselves as the leading solution among performers, and this may have more to do with their perceived ‘Bach-ness’ than the undoubted contrapuntal skill and ingenuity that they each demonstrate. This study uses an established information-theoretical method drawn from mathematics to explore the extent to which it is possible to ‘measure’ the similarity of these reconstructions to the original, and so determine which are closest to the musical lines of Bach’s existing opening of Contrapunctus XIV.
Highly Sensitive GO-ZnO Nanocomposite-Based Optical Fiber Relative Humidity Sensor

Simple and novel optical fiber relative humidity (RH) sensor employing graphene oxide and zinc oxide nanocomposite (GO-ZnO) immobilized thin nanostructured silica sensing film is developed. The main objective of this work is to enhance the sensitivity considerably while achieving linear response over an optimum dynamic range. Comprehensive analysis is carried out while investigating the response characteristics of the sensor experimentally. The proposed sensor is characterized by a significantly enhanced sensitivity of 33.6 mV/%RH while responding linearly over a dynamic range of 17%–91%RH. In addition, the sensor exhibits a high degree of reversibility, repeatability, stability, and fast response and recovery time.
Measuring PERMA+4: validation of the German version of the Positive Functioning at Work Scale

This study investigates the association between the PERMA+4 model and psychological safety, while also examining the validation of the Positive Functioning at Work (PFW) scale in a German-speaking population. The study discovered strong association between PERMA+4 and psychological safety, which raises important questions and potential concerns regarding the jangle fallacy. Similar to the PERMA model, PERMA+4 should be considered a framework for attaining psychological safety. The German version of the PFW scale demonstrated satisfactory fit with the model, indicating its factorial validity. To gain insights into promoting workplace wellbeing, it is recommended to conduct longitudinal studies to determine whether psychological safety is a cause or result of PERMA+4. This study enhances our understanding of workplace wellbeing and emphasizes the association between PERMA+4 and psychological safety.
Comparative Analysis of Equity in Teachers’ Grade Promotions

Equity in teachers’ grade promotions was targeted through an inevitable paradigm shift in policy from the “scheme of service” approach to a “Career Progression Guideline” approach for trade unions in Kenya. However, the use of both approaches at post-primary level, in the implementation of the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement of unions, espoused differences based on years of service of the teachers. The objective of this comparative study was to determine whether the differences were significant. It was guided by the Socialist economics of education theory and a conceptual framework modified from Walton and McKersie’s behavioural theory for labor negotiations. A comparative research design with a sample of 1,452 respondents drawn from a study population of 5,506 gave a response rate of 100 % of questionnaires. Systematic random sampling selected teachers in each union based on the chronological order of their TSC numbers; while purposive sampling selected school principals was utilized to ensure equal representation from all categories as TSC directors and union secretaries were selected through saturated sampling procedure. The study enhanced content validity while internal consistency reliability of instruments established a Cronbach alpha co-efficient of 0.877. In data analysis, pairwise correlation established plausible interactions between years of service, union membership and promotions while logistic regression analysis revealed that KUPPET union was the one reducing the odds of promotion by up to 23.46% by controlling for teacher-level and school-level characteristics. Gini permutation test results (p≥0.05) established lack of statistically significant difference in equity between the two unions; hence, grade promotion was found to be marginally equitable in KUPPET as compared to KNUT union with gini coefficients of 0.0567 and 0.0698 respectively for the period 2017-2021. Consequently, the research article recommends the harmonization of the two approaches into one and the demarcation policy of membership of teachers in post-primary to one union only.
Green Infrastructure : The Effects of Urban Rail Transit on Air Quality

The transportation sector is a major source of air pollution worldwide, yet little is known about the effects of transportation infrastructure on air quality. In this paper we measure the effects of one major type of transportation infrastructure – urban rail transit – on air quality. Our approach uses the sharp discontinuity in transit utilization on the opening day of a completely new rail transit system in Taipei, Taiwan to identify the air quality effects of rail transit infrastructure. Using hourly air quality data from Taiwan we have three central findings. First, we find that the opening of the Metro reduced air pollution from one key tailpipe pollutant, carbon monoxide, by 5 to 15 percent. Second, we find little evidence that the opening of the Metro affected ground level ozone pollution. Third, we find little evidence suggesting that automobile travelers adjusted their time or route of travel to the availability of rail transit. These findings shed new light on the determinants of air quality, and suggest that environmental impacts are important components of the social value of transportation infrastructure.
Inline Characterization of Ultrathin Amorphous Silicon Stacks in Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cell Precursors With Differential Reflectance Spectroscopy

In this article, we present a characterization technique for thin-film layers on textured surfaces with random pyramids using reflectance spectroscopy and an optical model based on the transfer-matrix method and rigorous polarization ray tracing. The optical model fits the thickness of ultrathin amorphous silicon (a-Si) layers from the measured reflectance using spectrophotometry and the measured optical constants using spectral ellipsometry. The estimated a-Si layer thickness from the optical model is compared with the measured thickness from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. Modeling the absolute reflectance spectrum, the a-Si stack thickness is underestimated by 51% mainly due to nonidealities such as varying pyramid base angles and scattering effects that are difficult to consider in the optical model. Modeling alternatively the differential reflectance spectrum, the a-Si stack thickness is determined in accordance with TEM measurements with relative error as low as 10%. Fitting the relative change in reflectance before and after a-Si deposition to determine the layer thickness makes the optical model robust against instrumental inaccuracies and superposed nonidealities. The on-the-fly nature of the developed optical characterization technique makes it suitable for high-throughput industrial applications.
A Microporous Zn(bdc)(ted)0.5 with Super High Ethane Uptake for Efficient Selective Adsorption and Separation of Light Hydrocarbons

Separating light hydrocarbons (C2H6, C3H8, and C4H10) from CH4 is challenging but important for natural gas upgrading. A microporous metal-organic framework, Zn(bdc)(ted)0.5, based on terephthalic acid (bdc) and 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2. 2]octane (ted) ligands, is synthesized and characterized through various techniques, including powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and porosity analysis. The adsorption isotherms of light hydrocarbons on the material are measured and the isosteric adsorption heats of CH4, C2H6, C3H8, and C4H10 are calculated. The prediction of C2–4/C1 adsorption selectivities is accomplished using ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST). The results indicate that the material exhibits exceptional characteristics, including a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of 1904 m2/g and a pore volume of 0.73 cm3/g. Notably, the material demonstrates remarkable C2H6 adsorption capacities (4.9 mmol/g), while CH4 uptake remains minimal at 0.4 mmol/g at 298 K and 100 kPa. These findings surpass those of most reported MOFs, highlighting the material’s outstanding performance. The isosteric adsorption heats of C2H6, C3H8, and C4H10 on the Zn(bdc)(ted)0.5 are higher than CH4, suggesting a stronger interaction between C2H6, C3H8, and C4H10 molecules and Zn(bdc)(ted)0.5. The molecular simulation reveals that Zn(bdc)(ted)0.5 prefers to adsorb hydrocarbon molecules with richer C-H bonds and larger polarizability, which results in a stronger dispersion force generated by an adsorbent-adsorbate induced polarization effect. Therefore, the selectivity of C4H10/CH4 is up to 180 at 100 kPa, C3H8/CH4 selectivity is 67, and the selectivity of C2H6/CH4 is 13, showing a great potential for separating C2–4 over methane.
Efficacy of Fasting in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Narrative Review

Over the last decade, studies suggested that dietary behavior modification, including fasting, can improve metabolic and cardiovascular markers as well as body composition. Given the increasing prevalence of people with type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and the increasing obesity (also in combination with diabetes), nutritional therapies are gaining importance, besides pharmaceutical interventions. Fasting has demonstrated beneficial effects for both healthy individuals and those with metabolic diseases, leading to increased research interest in its impact on glycemia and associated short- and long-term complications. Therefore, this review aimed to investigate whether fasting can be used safely and effectively in addition to medications to support the therapy in T1DM and T2DM. A literature search on fasting and its interaction with diabetes was conducted via PubMed in September 2022. Fasting has the potential to minimize the risk of hypoglycemia in T1DM, lower glycaemic variability, and improve fat metabolism in T1DM and T2DM. It also increases insulin sensitivity, reduces endogenous glucose production in diabetes, lowers body weight, and improves body composition. To conclude, fasting is efficient for therapy management for both people with T1DM and T2DM and can be safely performed, when necessary, with the support of health care professionals.
Quantitative Precipitation Estimation from C-band Dual-polarized radar for the July 08 th 2013 Flood in Toronto , Canada

A heavy rainfall event on July 08th 2013 caused significant flash flooding in Greater Toronto Area (GTA) of Canada. Areas of the city experienced more than 100 mm in 2 hours with the highest recorded amount of 126 mm at Toronto International Airport (CYYZ). The objective of this study is to evaluate quantitative precipitation estimates (QPE) from the Environment Canada (EC) King City C-band dual-polarized radar (WKR) located 30 km north of the airport.