Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time and length scales in governing equations and boundary conditions for on-chip electrophoretic sample separation

Abstract Microfluidics is the science of miniaturization of conventional lab devices to microchips; electrophoresis is one of the techniques for on-chip DNA and protein separation. In this article, nondimensionalization of the problem governing equations and boundary conditions is presented as preliminary preparation for performing computational and physical experiments. With the objective of designing an optimized sample-separation microchip, non-dimensionalization plays a key role in guiding this design and avoiding redundant efforts whether they be computational or experimental. The current article presents a comprehensive approach to the nondimensionalization of the electric potential field, flow field, and concentration field, including both governing equations and boundary conditions. For the case of a cross-shaped microchannel, used to control the sample shape in the vicinity of the injection site, the role of the applied voltages and other involved dimensionless parameters, such as Reynolds number, Peclet number, electrokinetic mobilities and velocities, are presented. The possible choices of reference values for length scale, electric potential, velocity, and concentration are studied in detail and, in particular, the use of a convective time scale is compared with that of a diffusive time scale. In the end, the wall electroosmotic velocity, the convective time scale, and the injection/separation channel width are adopted for non-dimensionalization of the problem.
Discussion on methodology to go up and down learning stepladder properly: from a comparative study of supervision in PBL and relationship building in service learning

This article is a comparative study between a Japanese and a Danish higher educational institution with respect to designing an active learning environment. This study focuses on the pedagogy and supervisor that support students to embody citizenship and/or embodying an academic habitus, in combination with specific course related competencies and learning goals. We found a fruitful inspiration in a comparison of learning activities and shared challenges across the two institutions. In this article we wish to focus on: A) how this way of organizing learning is helpful in supporting the students' embodiment of a professional and independent habitus (psychology) or the embodiment of citizenship (service learning) as well as the specific learning goals of the course (communicate, organize the project, apply relevant theory and methods etc.), B) the supervisors’ role with regard to supervising these product of Interventions Oriented Projects (‘IOP’) in Problem Based Learning and the possibilities and challenges this raises; here apply the Step-Ladder model.
Frequency beam steering antenna for millimeter wave checkpoint scanners

Millimeter wave scanners are the most prevalent nearfield imaging passenger security systems. The paper describes a planar antenna to replace multiple antennas used in millimeter wave security checkpoints. The antenna is compact in size and capable of frequency scanning over an angle of −50o to +15o. It operates across FCC's frequency range of 24.25 GHz to 30 GHz for full-body airport scanners. The antenna structure, which is based on cheap microstrip technology, is simple to design and fabricate. The proposed antenna consists of a linear array of 1×4 radiating elements. The measured results conforms the antenna exhibits a maximum gain and radiation efficiency measured are 6.75 dBi and 82.34%, respectively, at 27.5 GHz.
Digital management of multiple advertising displays

—The technological boom that we have been experiencing in the last decade has impacted the retail sector in many ways. Captivating customers through smart advertising, engaging them in the retail process and enhancing their experience has been a long-time desideratum in this industry. Recent technology makes it possible to follow unprecedented approaches for achieving these goals. In this paper, we present a strategy based on a series of autonomous stations (either static, such as monitors, or mobile, such as autonomous robots) that can be used in any type of multimedia advertising across one or multiple entities. We present preliminary developments of this concept in an attempt to impact modern advertising. As a ﬁnal product, this project aims to produce an autonomous system capable of displaying multimedia contents across several monitors.
Single-chip CMOS pulse generator for UWB systems

This paper describes the integration in a CMOS 130 nm technology of an ultra wide band (UWB) pulse generator. The implemented generator controls the output pulse shape, and thus the corresponding spectrum. Furthermore, the pulse generator supports both position modulation (2-PPM) and polarity modulation (BPSK) and draws 5 mA from 1.2 V. Spectral and temporal laboratory measurements of the single-chip pulse generator are presented.
Patterned electrodes for thickness shear mode quartz resonators to achieve uniform mass sensitivity distribution

Development of an electrode-modified thickness shear mode (TSM) quartz resonator that is responsive to nanogram mass loadings, while exhibiting a mass sensitivity profile that is independent of material placement on the sensor platform, is the aim of this study. The resulting nanogram balance would greatly enhance the field of mass measurement and become useful in applications like droplet gravimetry, the study of non-volatile residue (NVR) contamination in solvents. A ring electrode design predicted by an analytical theory for sensitivity distribution to achieve the desired uniform mass sensitivity distribution is presented in this work. Using a microvalve capable of depositing nanogram droplets of a polymer solution, and a linear stepping stage for radial positioning of these droplets across the sensor platform, measurements of the mass sensitivity distributions were conducted and presented. The measurements agree well with theory. Further improvements are possible and are identified to achieve better uniformity and to reduce the instability of resonant frequency of these devices.
Design and Construction of an Atmospheric Pressure HF Plasma Source

Atmospheric pressure plasma sources used in many industrial, environmental, light sources, biological, and medical applications. Aiming these prospects, an effort has been remunerated for the design and construction of a cost-effective atmospheric pressure high frequency (30 KHz) plasma source. The major sections include in this source are, (i) DC power suppliers, (ii) A set of Class A push-pull power amplifiers, (iii) Ferrite core high-frequency power transformer, (iv) Impedance matching network, and (v) Electrode design for plasma production. Two power suppliers have been considered; one is a 12V DC for biasing the base of the 2N3055 power, and the other is a 90V DC for biasing the Class A push-pull power amplifier. Class A push-pull power amplifier is chosen because of its high efficiency of about 50% concerning other types of amplifiers. Ferrite core high-frequency power transformer is designed with a turn ratio of 1:3 in order to step up the voltage to a certain level for producing atmospheric pressure plasma. An impedance matching network is designed to transfer maximum power from the source to the plasma load.
Nutritional and antioxidant composition of eggplant accessions in Ghana

Eggplants ( Solanum spp.) are important vegetable crops, well known for nutritional and medicinal values of their fruits and leaves. In order to select more nutritious varieties in Ghana, 33 eggplant accessions were investigated for nutritional, mineral and antioxidant content of their fruits. Proximate and antioxidant analysis were determined by AOAC and DPPH methods. The results showed significant differences (P 1.5 contributed 68.68% of total variability. Dry matter, protein, moisture and carbohydrate contents showed maximum contributions to the total variability. Biplot analysis displayed strong and positive associations among ash, protein and moisture with dry matter; moisture and carbohydrate and; protein and ash. Accessions San 005-01, San 005-02, SA 002-07, SA 002-08 and ST004-03 were identified as good sources of nutrients, minerals and antioxidant properties among the others; and could be used as potential donors for hybridisation programme to develop varieties with higher concentration of these traits. Key words: Carbohydrates, mineral, nutritional, Solanum
Perivascular Stem Cells Induce Paracrine-mediated Osteogenesis via Upregulation of Secreted Wnt-related Proteins

Author(s): Asatrian, Gregory | Advisor(s): Ting, Kang | Abstract: With an increase in the number of annual craniomaxillofacial orthopaedic procedures being performed, and an understanding of the drawbacks of autologous bone grafting, the bone graft substitute market is burgeoning. Several bone graft alternatives, including, FDA-approved osteogenic molecule, Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 have shown promise in promoting large volumes of de novo bone formation, however are ladened with several adverse effects, hampering their clinical application. Perivascular Stem Cells (PSC) are a prospectively purified mesenchymal stem cell population isolated from adipose tissue by fluorescent-activated cell sorting (FACS), and have previously been shown to induce robust bone formation in small and large animal models. Herein, by utilizing species-specific MHC immunohistochemistry, we demonstrated that PSC elicit their osteogenic effect primarily via a paracrine-mediate mechanism. Subsequently, after resolving that PSC mediate host mesenchymal stem cells, via the secretion of pro-osteogenic molecules, RNA sequencing was performed to compare PSC with their unpurified predecessor, stromal vascular fraction (SVF). It was observed that Wnt-related secretory molecules, WISP-1 and Wnt16 were upregulated in PSC by 72- and 21- fold, respectively, when compared to SVF. Gain-of-function assays for these two secretory molecules revealed a significant increase in osteogenic markers, whereby a significant decrease in osteogenic markers was observed when WISP-1 or Wnt16 were knocked-down in PSC. Wnt16 was observed to indeed be a mixed ligand and demonstrate activation of both the canonical and noncanonical Wnt pathways. In aggregate, these data demonstrate that PSC promote osteogenesis via a primarily paracrine-mediate secretion of pro-osteogenic molecules, of which WISP-1 and Wnt16 are highly upregulated and play a functional and necessary role in PSC osteogenesis.
Packetized plug-in electric vehicle charge management

Summary form only given. Plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging could cause significant strain on residential distribution systems, unless technologies and incentives are created to mitigate charging during times of peak residential consumption. This paper describes and evaluates a decentralized and `packetized' approach to PEV charge management, in which PEV charging is requested and approved for time-limited periods. This method, which is adapted from approaches for bandwidth sharing in communication networks, simultaneously ensures that constraints in the distribution network are satisfied, that communication bandwidth requirements are relatively small, and that each vehicle has fair access to the available power capacity. This paper compares the performance of the packetized approach to an optimization method and a first-come, first-served (FCFS) charging scheme in a test case with a constrained 500 kVA distribution feeder and time-of-use residential electricity pricing. The results show substantial advantages for the packetized approach. The algorithm provides all vehicles with equal access to constrained resources and attains near optimal travel cost performance, with low complexity and communication requirements. The proposed method does not require that vehicles report or record driving patterns, and thus provides benefits over optimization approaches by preserving privacy and reducing computation and bandwidth requirements.
Wireless power transfer using Class E inverter with saturable DC-feed inductor

Resonant converters used as coil drivers in inductive links generally operate efficiently at optimum switching conditions for constant load values and ranges. Changes in load and range can shift the operation of the coil driver to a nonoptimum switching state which results in higher switching losses and reduced output power levels. This paper presents a method to adapt to variations in range for a Class E inverter used as a coil driver in a wireless power transfer (WPT) system based on resonant inductive coupling. It is shown that by controlling the duty cycle of the inverter's switch and the value of the DC-feed inductance, the Class E inverter can be tuned to operate at optimum switching conditions as the distance between the resonant coils of the WPT system changes. Mathematical analysis is presented based on a linear piecewise state-space representation of the inverter and the resonant inductive link. Extensive experimental results are presented to verify the performed analysis and validity of the proposed tuning procedure.
A robust Ku-band low noise amplifier using an industrial 0.25-µm AlGaN/GaN on SiC process

Besides the well known outstanding characteristics in terms of power density and thermal behavior, which are largely exploited for microwave high power applications, AlGaN/GaN HEMT technologies have demonstrated promising results for the design of low noise, high-dynamic-range and highly rugged amplifiers. In this paper we describe the design, implementation and characterization of a Ku-band MMIC Low Noise Amplifier for telecom Space applications, exploiting an industrial AlGaN/GaN 0.25 μm HEMT on SiC process. In the frequency band 12.8-14.8 GHz, the LNA features a linear gain over 20 dB with a Noise Figure below 1.85 dB. Input and output return losses are better than -9 dB in the same band. Power dissipation is 840 mW in linear operation. The LNA delivers about 25 dBm of output power at 1 dB compression point and it has been tested to survive without performance degradation 25 dBm of CW input power.
Enhanced ADS-B Research

Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) is gaining acceptance around the world as the next-generation surveillance technology. It can provide surveillance to air traffic controllers to support today's procedures as well as surveillance in the cockpit to support air-to-air applications. Pilots and ground personnel have begun to benefit from this technology but further benefits from technological improvements can still be realized. These improvements include security, increased data capacity, and advanced applications (4D trajectory and data exchange). To this end research is currently being performed by Sensis Corporation in cooperation with NASA Glenn Research Center to provide enhancements to the ADS-B UAT (universal access transceiver) data link. The research goal is to encourage user acceptance by improving upon existing capability and usability along with providing a roadmap and demonstrations of future data link capability
Sensitivity analysis of high frequency signal injection based temperature estimation methods to machine, assembling tolerances

The injection of a high frequency signal in the stator via inverter has been proven to be a viable option to estimate the magnet temperature in permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs). Injection of a pulsating d-axis current is especially appealing, as it is insensitive to the speed, Ld and Lq inductance variations. Furthermore, it is suitable both for interior PMSMs (IPMSMs) and surface PMSMs (SPMSMs). Regardless of its promising characteristics, there is a number of issues which can reduce its accuracy, including machine assembling tolerances and rotor lamination grain orientation, which might need to be considered. This paper analyzes the sensitivity of temperature estimation using pulsating d-axis high frequency current injection to rotor eccentricities, PM assembling tolerances and lamination grain orientation. Preliminary results indicate that these issues can have a non-negligible impact on the accuracy of the method1.
Performance Evaluation of Amplitude-Phase Algorithm for SAR Raw Data Compression

This paper defines series of important performance evaluation parameters to evaluate amplitude-phase (AP) algorithm comparing with that of block adaptive quantization (BAQ) algorithm. The evaluation procedure is carried out in two domains, raw data domain and image domain. Numerical experiments based on ERS-2 data show that AP algorithm provides us with more compression ratio (CR) choices than BAQ and for certain CR, AP algorithm provides at least one choice whose performance is better than or equal to that of BAQ. These two algorithms neither affect spatial resolution nor generate geometric distortion. Both of them have only a little effect on radiometric resolution.
Monitoring Power Quality beyond EN 50160 and IEC 61000-4-30

Power quality monitoring has become a standard task in electrical network management. The standards currently in place provide minimum requirements, since they want to create a level playing field that allows analyzers from different manufacturers to give the same results. It is good idea in concept, but it also acts as double edged sword. Manufacturers design their product to comply with these standards but typically do not provide data and measurements that would allow power quality analysis to go beyond current capabilities. To follow the guidelines set out by various standards and record faults or disturbances, today's meters rely solely on event-based triggers. While this method provides engineers with some information regarding an event, it does not allow for full analysis of all power parameters leading up to an event, during an event or how the overall network recovers after an event. Further, due to limitations in memory storage, it is likely that even the data captured by such recording method(s) will not capture all of the 'true' power and energy parameters. In a majority of cases, these limitations prevent power quality phenomena from being truly solved and prevent solutions that will eliminate future recurrence. This paper will highlight case studies of power quality troubleshooting that was not capable of solving the power quality problem with measurements simply taken to comply with standards. It will further show that by providing engineers with data beyond the standards, an unprecedented number of power quality events can not only be captured, but are definitively solved.
Joint optimization of radio and computational resources for multicell mobile cloud computing

We consider a MIMO multicell system wherein several Mobile Users (MUs) ask for computation offloading to a common cloud server through their femto-access points. We formulate the computation offloading problem as a joint optimization of the radio resources? the transmit precoding matrices of the MUs? and the computational resources? the CPU cycles/second assigned by the cloud to each MU? in order to minimize the overall users' energy consumption while meeting the latency constraints imposed by the applications running on the MUs. The resulting optimization problem is nonconvex (in the objective function and the constraints), and there are constraints coupling all the optimization variables. To cope with the nonconvexity, we hinge on successive convex approximation techniques and propose an iterative algorithm converging to a local optimal solution of the original nonconvex problem. The algorithm is also suitable for a parallel implementation across the access point, with limited coordination/signaling with the cloud. Numerical results show that the proposed joint optimization yields significant energy savings with respect to more traditional schemes performing a separate optimization of the radio and computational resources.
Uncoordinated Massive Wireless Networks: Spatiotemporal Models and Multiaccess Strategies

The massive wireless networks (MWNs) enable surging applications for the Internet of Things and cyber physical systems. In these applications, nodes typically exhibit stringent power constraints, limited computing capabilities, and sporadic traffic patterns. This paper develops a spatiotemporal model to characterize and design uncoordinated multiple access (UMA) strategies for MWNs. By combining stochastic geometry and queueing theory, the paper quantifies the scalability of UMA via the maximum spatiotemporal traffic density that can be accommodated in the network, while satisfying the target operational constraints (e.g., stability) for a given percentile of the nodes. The developed framework is then used to design UMA strategies that stabilize the node data buffers and achieve desirable latency, buffer size, and data rate.
A Projection and Density Estimation Method for Knowledge Discovery

A key ingredient to modern data analysis is probability density estimation. However, it is well known that the curse of dimensionality prevents a proper estimation of densities in high dimensions. The problem is typically circumvented by using a fixed set of assumptions about the data, e.g., by assuming partial independence of features, data on a manifold or a customized kernel. These fixed assumptions limit the applicability of a method. In this paper we propose a framework that uses a flexible set of assumptions instead. It allows to tailor a model to various problems by means of 1d-decompositions. The approach achieves a fast runtime and is not limited by the curse of dimensionality as all estimations are performed in 1d-space. The wide range of applications is demonstrated at two very different real world examples. The first is a data mining software that allows the fully automatic discovery of patterns. The software is publicly available for evaluation. As a second example an image segmentation method is realized. It achieves state of the art performance on a benchmark dataset although it uses only a fraction of the training data and very simple features.
Physiological Differences and Similarities in Asthma and COPD-Based on Respiratory Function Testing.

Physiological differences and similarities in asthma and COPD are documented based on respiratory function testing. (1) The airflow reversibility is usually important for the diagnosis of asthma. However, patients with long disease histories may have poor reversibility. The reversibility test in COPD is useful for predicting the treatment response. (2) In some of the stable asthmatic patients without attack, the concave downslope of flow- volume curve is present. In severe COPD, the flow in the second half of the curve is smaller than that of rest- breathing. (3) Inspiratory capacity (IC) is a good estimator of air trapping and of predicting the exercise capacity in COPD or persistent asthma. (4) Peak expiratory flow (PEF) can be an important aid in both diagnosis and monitoring of asthma. PEF is not used in COPD because the main disorder is in the peripheral airway. (5) Measurements of airway responsiveness may help to a diagnosis of asthma. However, many COPD cases also have it. (6) Impulse oscillation system (IOS) revealed that the predominant airway disorders in asthma and COPD are central and peripheral respiratory resistance, respectively. However, some asthma patients have larger values of peripheral component. (7) Dlco reflects the extent of pathological emphysema and it is useful for the follow-up of COPD, whereas Dlco is not decreased in asthma. (8) The patient with widened A-aDO2 and alveolar hypoventilation may lead to the life threatening hypoxia in severe asthma attack or severe COPD. When PaCO2 overcomes PaO2, the patient should immediately be treated by mechanical ventilation.