Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization and TCAD Modeling of Mixed-Mode Stress Induced by Impact Ionization in Scaled SiGe HBTs

We investigate the reliability of state-of-the-art SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) in 55-nm technology under mixed-mode stress. We perform electrical characterization and implement a TCAD model calibrated on the measurement data to describe the increased base current degradation at different collector-base voltages. We introduce a simple and self-consistent simulation methodology that links the observed degradation trend to interface traps generation at the emitter/base spacer oxide ascribed to hot holes generated by impact ionization (II) in the collector/base depletion region. This effectively circumvents the limitations of commercial TCAD tools that do not allow II to be the driving force of the degradation. The approach accounts for self-heating and electric fields distribution allowing to reproduce measurement data including the deviation from the power-law behavior.
VeRA: A Simplified Security Risk Analysis Method for Autonomous Vehicles

Risk analysis/assessment is an indispensable process during the design and development of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs), which is in charge of evaluating whether the risk of an attack is critical or minor. However, current risk analysis methods either are time-consuming or not suitable for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs). In this paper, an efficient security risk analysis method, Vehicles Risk Analysis (VeRA), is proposed, fitting for evaluating the risks of attacks in the context of AV and CAVs. VeRA firstly considers the human capabilities and vehicle automation level to conduct a security risk analysis. Meanwhile, compared to the benchmark (i.e., SAE J3061), VeRA uses a simplified analysis process and fewer factors, significantly reducing the required analysis time without affecting analysis accuracy. Moreover, based on VeRA, a simple but efficient mathematical model is established to assess the risk value by considering the attack probability, severity and human control, avoiding the tedious process of looking up tables in previous methods. A case study on a general AV model shows that VeRA not only captures the critical attacks as accurate as other methods, but also analyzes the changes of human controllability with the vehicle's automation level. The performance compared to other available methods shows that VeRA can obtain the same analysis results by using around $43\%$ less time than the benchmark.
Fixed-time Trajectory Tracking Control for Marine Surface Vessels based on Fixed-time Disturbance Observer

This paper proposes a novel fixed-time control scheme for trajectory tracking of marine surface vessels (MSVs). A fixed-time disturbance observer (FDO) is introduced to improve the robustness. Taking advantage of the FDO, a fixed-time adding a power integrator (FAPI) control law is employed to trajectory tracking control design. The proposed scheme can guarantee an MSV track a desired trajectory accurately, and the tracking errors converge to zero in fixed time under disturbances. Meanwhile, note that the convergence time is independent of the initial conditions. Finally, the performance and advantage of the developed fixed-time control method are manifested by comparative simulations.
Optimizing Weighted-Sum Energy Efficiency in Downlink and Uplink NOMA Systems

In this paper, weighted sum energy efficiency (WSEE) in uplink and downlink of a multi-user non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) system is considered. we adopt a more realistic power consumption model where signal processing power is modeled as a linear function of transmit power. Rather than the well-known network-centric global energy efficiency (GEE) metric, which is a pseudo-concave (PC) function, the weighted sum energy efficiency metric is considered, which is not PC in general. To find the optimum user power allocation Dinkelbach-like algorithm is adopted, by which each individual fractional EE function is converted to a parametric function where under some conditions on the weights falls into a class of convex optimization problems and it is solved in the dual domain. The dual variables are updated using a sub-gradient and cutting plane-based algorithm, which here ellipsoid method is used. Since the optimum solution restricts user weights, a low complexity suboptimum algorithm that does not consider any condition on user's weights is proposed. The problem is non-convex in general; hence, epigraph form followed by successive convex approximation (SCA) is used to deal with that problem. Results demonstrate that with the user-oriented metric, one can provide different priorities to users, and by choosing proper weights entail fairness among users.
Design of Switched Fuzzy Adaptive Double Coupled Sliding Mode Control for Vehicles Platoon

This paper presents a switched fuzzy adaptive double coupled sliding mode approach for longitudinal control of a platoon with a leader vehicle and multiple followers based on third-order model with bounded external disturbance. For the purpose of avoiding collisions between vehicles, some control strategies are designed to guarantee the strong stability of the whole platoon system. First, in order to guarantee the strong string stability of the platoon system, a condition for coupling coefficients of sliding mode surfaces about adjacent vehicles is given in the paper. Then, the control law employing double coupled sliding mode control is designed for the stability of every vehicle in the platoon and the corresponding theorem is proved in the paper. Moreover, for the development of the chattering problem in the sliding mode control which becomes severe as the boundary of the disturbance increases, a novel switched fuzzy adaptive double coupled sliding mode control is proposed in this paper by using the universal approximation property in fuzzy system. Finally, some numerical examples are finished to verify the validity of the proposed method.
Spatial Pooling Network For Lane Line Segmentation

In this paper, a novel method named spatial pooling is proposed for visual lane line segmentation. Occlusion is one of the most common and difficult scenes among various and complex road environments. In most existing references, the structure of lane line is still not considered for the occlusion problem. To better solve this case and enhance the long-distance information fusion for lane lines, a spatial pooling module is proposed firstly by using a combination of horizontal and vertical pooling to achieve pooling in the direction across the lane line. This method can enhance the information fusion ability in oblique directions and improve the lane line detection performance. Then, for further study, we propose an end-to-end network for lane line segmentation based on the spatial pooling module. Finally, the experimental results on tuSimple lane line dataset verify the effectiveness of our method.
Brick or Tile? Evaluation of Integration Concepts for Microwave Phased Array Antennas

This paper will present examples of two different approaches to the packaging of AESAs: Brick, where the active circuits are perpendicular to the antenna array and Tile with the active circuitry in plane with the antenna elements. For both concepts solutions are discussed to enable feed-networks for 30 GHz together with multi-technology integration of GaN/GaAs circuits for Tx and Rx together with highly integrated SiGe technology for phase and amplitude steering. The requirements for microwave signal distribution, power supply and thermal management of the active components shall be explained and demonstrated as concept and in hardware.
Hierarchical Identifier (HID)-based 5G Architecture with Backup Slice

To support network slicing and service function chaining (SFC) at a time, we propose a novel hierarchical identifier (HID)-based 5G architecture. For this, we first introduce HID which consists of network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) and service path ID (SPI). Based on HID, a user can attach a specific network slice and flows generated by the user can be processed by a set of service functions (SFs) in a sequence. Meanwhile, when the incoming flow to a specific slice unexpectedly increases, the slice cannot handle incoming flow due to its limited capacity, which degrades users' quality of service (QoS). To alleviate this issue and efficiently utilize network resources, we introduce a concept of the backup slice shared by different services. Evaluation results demonstrate that the proposed architecture can achieve better performance in terms of the average system blocking probability and utilization in dynamic environments.
Investigation of Frequency Scanning Printed Bruce Array Antenna

A printed edge-fed counterpart of wire Bruce array antenna, with open-stopband mitigation at broadside, is presented. The proposed antenna comprises of 11 meandered unit-cells periodically modulated in congruence with wire Bruce array antenna’s theory. To mitigate the effects of open-stopband, the horizontal and vertical lengths of unit-cell are adjusted along with the addition of an inward bent element allowing seamless scanning from backward to forward endfire region. The antenna has two distinct frequency scanning ranges between 18.0 GHz and to 37.20 GHz with Sidelobe level ≤ −10 dB. A dual Bruce array, using two-way Klopfenstein tapered feedline power divider, is then proposed to increase the peak realized gain to 18.61 dBi followed by a two-port solution to widen the scanning range of the antenna.
Wired/Wireless Hybrid Charging System for Electrical Vehicles With Minimum Rated Power Requirement for DC Module

Due to various advantages, wireless charging as well as wired charging for electrical vehicles (EV) will co-exist for some time to come. A hybrid system that provides either wired or wireless charging mode is proposed in the paper. The hybrid system shares the workplaces and the power devices to save costs significantly. The cost of DC power module accounts for a large proportion of the total cost of the wired or wireless charging system and is directly related to its rated power. To reduce the rated power requirement of the DC module of the hybrid charging system, an optimized parameter design method regarding the coupling inductance of the wireless charging is presented for the hybrid system. Under the optimized coupling inductance, the minimum rated DC power requirement is achieved while meeting the battery charging profile of both the wired and wireless charging application. An EV hybrid charging system prototype is designed, built, and tested. Experiments showed that the proposed hybrid charging system has good adaptability for either charging method. Moreover, the proposed parameter design procedure can minimize the rated power requirement of the DC power module.
Phytochemical screening and antibacterial investigations of crude methanol extracts of Senna didymobotrya (Fresen.) H. S. Irwin & Barneby

Objective: Senna didymobotrya (African senna, African wild sensitive plant, peanut butter cassia, peanut butter tree, popcorn cassia, popcorn senna or wild senna) is native to East Africa and is widely used as a medicinal plant among many communities in Kenya. The objective of this research was to evaluate the presence of phytochemicals present in the different plant parts and their antibacterial activity. Methodology and results: Leaves, flowers, stem bark, immature pods and root barks were collected from Siaya, Nandi and Nakuru Counties. These were dried and ground. Methanolic crude extracts were in cooperated in nutrient media at 2.5 %, 5 %, 7.5 % and 10 %. Test organisms Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were inoculated on impregnated media, incubated and observed for colony development. Observation on growth of cultures was made at an interval of 2 days for 8 days. The area under disease progress stairs (AUDPS) was calculated using the derived colony surface areas. Results indicated that all plant parts contained terpenoids, phenols and steroids. The presence of alkaloids and flavonoids varied with the location the plant was collected and the plant part. Growth of S. aureus cultures grown on media impregnated with 2.5% root bark extract and that with 7.5% stem bark extract were completely inhibited (no growth). Media with 10% flower, pods and leaves extract had average reduction of colony sizes from AUDPS 10102 (control) to AUDPS 2475. Growth of E. coli was completely inhibited on media impregnated with 5% root bark extract and 7.5% stem bark extracts. At 10% concentration, the flowers, pods and leaves extract did not result in complete inhibition of colony growth. Conclusions and applications: The present research suggests that S. didymobotrya extracts possessed antibacterial activity against bacterial pathogens thus supporting their folkloric usage, promising a future scope for its use against microbial populations. Methanolic extracts possessing high antibacterial effects should be further investigated for their therapeutic utility. This would be related to the presence of bioactive metabolites, which are soluble in methanol. There is need to explore further the quantities of phytochemicals in the root and stem barks that make them more potent than the other plant parts. The structures of the bioactive metabolites should be examined in future. Keywords: Antibacterial activity, Methanolic extract, Senna didymobotrya , Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus
Le virus herpès simplex de type 1 et la réponse immunitaire cérébrale innée

Neurovirulence is one of the most important biological properties of herpes simplex virus (HSV). HSV can reach the central nervous system (CNS) and cause encephalitis. This infection triggers an inflammatory response leading to the infiltration of peripheral immune cells into the CNS. Thus, encephalitis is the most devastating infection associated with HSV-1 and is one of the most frequent causes of sporadic and potentially fatal viral encephalitis in developed countries. Despite the different animal models available to study HSV-1 encephalitis, the complexity of the CNS and its immune response limits our understanding of this disease. The main objective of this thesis is to better understand the innate immune response involved in the different signaling pathways implicated in HSV recognition. Studies performed during the course of this Ph. D. thesis have highlighted the key role of IFN-p, of Toll-like receptor (TLR)3 and 9 signaling pathways as well as of TRIF and IPS-1 adaptor proteins. Mouse pretreatment with a TLR3 agonist creates a hostile pro-inflammatory environment for the initial virus replication, thereby limiting the production of cytokines and the viral replication at latter time after infection. Moreover, stimulation with a TLR9 agonist is beneficial before the infection, but needs to be controlled following the infection. As previously suggested, IFN-P may exert a beneficial role against HSV-1 infection, but the dosing regimen and time of initiation of treatment after the infection may have a strong impact on viral replication and mice survival. Finaly, both adaptor proteins, TRIF and IPS-1, play an important role in the innate immune response leading to the production of IFN-p, although TRIF affects more importantly the early viral replication than IPS-1. Thus, during this Ph. D. , several experimental models were developed to better understand the innate immune response in the CNS during herpes simplex encephalitis, the recruitment of différents immune cells as well as to better characterize the role played by IFN-p.
Quality of anticoagulation with warfarin in rural Chhattisgarh, India

Background & objectives: In most of rural India, warfarin is the only oral anticoagulant available. Among patients taking warfarin, there is a strong association between poor control of the international normalized ratio (INR) and adverse events. This study was aimed to quantify INR control in a secondary healthcare system in rural Chhattisgarh, India. Methods: The INR data were retrospectively obtained from all patients taking warfarin during 2014-2016 at a secondary healthcare system in rural Chhattisgarh, India. Patients attending the clinic had their INR checked at the hospital laboratory and their warfarin dose adjusted by a physician on the same day. The time in therapeutic range (TTR) was calculated for patients who had at least two INR visits. Results: The 249 patients had 2839 INR visits. Their median age was 46 yr, and the median body mass index was 17.7 kg/m[2]. They lived a median distance of 78 km (2-3 h of travel) from the hospital. The median INR was 1.7 for a target INR of 2.0-3.0 (n=221) and 2.1 for a target of 2.5-3.5 (n=28). The median TTR was 13.0 per cent, and INR was subtherapeutic 66.0 per cent of the time. Distance from the hospital was not correlated with TTR. Interpretation & conclusions: INR values were subtherapeutic two-thirds of the time, and TTR values were poor regardless of distance from the health centre. Future studies should be done to identify interventions to improve INR control.
Study of fine-needle aspiration microbiology versus wound swab for bacterial isolation in diabetic foot infections

Background & objectives: Proper identification of the infection causing microbe in diabetic foot infections (DFIs) is essential for starting appropriate treatment. The objectives of this study were to compare fine-needle aspiration microbiology (FNAM) with wound swab as methods of sample collection in isolating microorganisms causing DFIs and also to compare the microbiological profile and sensitivity pattern of the infecting organisms. Methods: This study was conducted targeting all consecutive patients with DFIs with perfusion, extent, depth, infection and sensation (PEDIS) grade 2, 3, and 4 infections admitted in the department of Surgery of a tertiary care hospital in south India during July to August 2017. A superficial wound swab and an FNAM were collected from all the patients. These swabs are analyzed using standard microbiological techniques. Results: Eighty patients with DFI were included. Bacterial culture using FNAM samples yielded growth in 58.75 per cent samples, whereas wound swab samples yielded growth in 93.8 per cent cultures done. Measure of agreement between the two techniques using Kappa statistics was 0.069 (P=0.28). Interpretation & conclusions: In diabetic wound infections, wound swabs were sufficient to identify organisms in all grades of infection. However, in deeper infections (grade 3 and 4), FNAM would be a reliable investigation than wound swab.
Navigating the Insurance Landscape for Coverage of Reduction Mammaplasty

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background: Reduction mammaplasty provides symptomatic relief to patients with macromastia. Insurance companies act as gatekeepers of health care by determining the medical necessity of surgical procedures, including reduction mammaplasty. The authors sought to evaluate insurance coverage and policy criteria for reduction mammaplasty. Methods: The authors conducted a cross-sectional analysis of U.S. insurance policies on reduction mammaplasty. Insurance providers were selected based on their enrolment data and market share. The authors conducted telephone interviews and Web-based searches to identify the policies. Medical necessity criteria were abstracted from the publicly available policies that offered coverage. Results: The authors reviewed 63 insurers. One in 10 insurers had no established policy for reduction mammaplasty. Of the 48 publicly available policies, shoulder pain and backache were the most common symptoms required for preapproval (98 percent and 98 percent). A minimum resection volume was requested by 88 percent of policies. One-third of policies (31 percent) offered a choice between removal of a minimum weight per breast or a volume based on body surface area. Over half of companies (54 percent) used body surface area calculations to predict minimum resection volume. Medical necessity that extended beyond national recommendations included trial of weight loss (23 percent) and nipple position (10 percent). Conclusions: Insurance policy criteria for reduction mammaplasty are discordant with current national recommendations and current clinical evidence. Many policies use outdated criteria that do not correlate with symptom relief and consequently limit access to reduction mammaplasty. Here, the authors propose a comprehensive guideline to maximize coverage of reduction mammaplasty.
Modified Riceberry rice extract suppresses melanogenesis-associated cell differentiation through tyrosinase-mediated MITF downregulation on B16 cells and in vivo zebrafish embryos

Background and purpose: Excessive melanin production caused by overactive tyrosinase (TYR) enzyme results in several dermatological problems. The TYR inhibitor, derived from metabolite changes during fermentation, has been well recognized for pigmentation control. Experimental approach: This study is interested in alternative anti-melanogenic agents from bio-modified Riceberry rice through fermentation. Modified Riceberry rice extract (MRB) was evaluated for its cytotoxicity, melanin content, melanin excretion, and TYR activity in B16 cells. TYR and their melanogenesis-related molecules such as TYR-related proteins-1 and -2, and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) were determined. The anti-melanogenic activity and toxicity were also tested using the embryonic zebrafish model. Furthermore, comprehensive genotoxicity testing was verified by cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome assay. Findings/Results: The study found that non-cytotoxic concentrations of MRB at 20 and 40 mg/mL inhibited melanogenesis and melanin excretion by interfering B16 cell morphology. Cellular TYR enzymatic activity was also suppressed in the treated cells. The mRNA transcription and protein expression levels of TYR and MITF decreased by dose-dependent and time-dependent manners with MRB treatment. In the animal model, MRB was found to be safe and potent for melanogenesis-related TYR inhibition in embryonic zebrafish at 20 and 30 mg/mL. The toxicity of effective doses of MRB showed no genotoxicity and mutagenicity. Conclusion and implications: This study suggests that MRB has anti-melanogenesis potential through TYR and its-related protein inhibitions. MRB is also safe for applications and maybe a promising anti-melanogenic agent for hyperpigmentation control.
Evaluation Des Caracteristiques Physico-Chimiques Et Microbiologiques D’un Beignet Traditionnel A Base De Mil Fermente (Gnomy) Commercialise Dans La Ville De Yamoussoukro (Cote D’ivoire)

Food craft is very active in Ivory Coast. It is mainly sold in the street and show a large variety of products, among them gnomy, a traditional donut prepared from fermented and deep fried millet. Evaluation of physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of this food was the main theme of this study. The results demonstrate that gnomy is an acid food with a pH around 5.88 and protein content of 4.7 g/100 g. The absence of Salmonella and enumeration of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, Coliforms and Streptococci in the final product show that the gnomy produced at the laboratory following good hygiene practices is a food of satisfactory sanitary quality.