Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the optimal morphology and performance of a modeled dragonfly airfoil in gliding mode

Numerical investigation on the effect of wing morphology of the dragonfly Aeshna cyanea is carried out to understand its influence on the aerodynamic performance. The two-dimensional wing section has corrugation all over the surface along the chord length on both upper (suction side) and lower (pressure side) surfaces. By considering each corrugation separately on different airfoils at their different positions, 10 single corrugated airfoils were generated. Simulations are performed on these different airfoils to determine the effect of each corrugation on aerodynamic performance. The flow is modeled as incompressible, Newtonian, homogeneous, and unsteady. The angle of attack was varied from 0° to 20°, and the Reynolds number (Re) was varied from 150 to 10 000. The optimum morphology and angle of attack were predicted by using the surrogate-based optimization technique for a maximum gliding ratio at different Re. A fully corrugated pressure side gives the best performance at angles of attack of 9.79° and 14.83° at low Re. At high Re, corrugations on the pressure side which are in the middle and those near the trailing edge give a maximum gliding ratio at angles of attack 9.22° and 5.276°. The spatiotemporal dynamics indicate that corrugations near the leading edge on the upper surface and corrugations near the trailing edge for the lower surface and which are in the middle are beneficial. It is also found that shear drag due to corrugation decreases but pressure drag increases; therefore, the overall drag coefficient for a fully corrugated airfoil increases. Corrugations on the suction side have little influence, while those on the pressure side causes lift enhancement.Numerical investigation on the effect of wing morphology of the dragonfly Aeshna cyanea is carried out to understand its influence on the aerodynamic performance. The two-dimensional wing section has corrugation all over the surface along the chord length on both upper (suction side) and lower (pressure side) surfaces. By considering each corrugation separately on different airfoils at their different positions, 10 single corrugated airfoils were generated. Simulations are performed on these different airfoils to determine the effect of each corrugation on aerodynamic performance. The flow is modeled as incompressible, Newtonian, homogeneous, and unsteady. The angle of attack was varied from 0° to 20°, and the Reynolds number (Re) was varied from 150 to 10 000. The optimum morphology and angle of attack were predicted by using the surrogate-based optimization technique for a maximum gliding ratio at different Re. A fully corrugated pressure side gives the best performance at angles of attack of 9.79° and .
Comparative study using spheres, rods and spindle-shaped nanoplatelets on dispersion stability, dissolution and toxicity of CuO nanomaterials

Abstract Copper oxide nanoparticles with different shapes were used to examine the effect of shape on the various physicochemical properties (reactivity, aggregation, suspension stability) and to examine the behaviour by which CuO nanoparticles exhibit their biological response towards alveolar type-I cells. The different shapes examined in this study include spherical-, rod- and spindle-shaped platelet particles. In vitro dissolution studies (7 days) in 1 mM NaNO3 matrix showed a marked difference in dissolved Cu release between the nanoparticles. However, in serum-free cell-culture media (exposure media to cells), the particles' dissolution was found to be significantly enhanced with close to complete dissolution reported for all particle types. Biological studies showed both shape and size of the CuO nanoparticles tested to have a significant effect on TT-1 cell viability and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8. This study shows a complex interplay between particulate and dissolved species triggering the biological response. Upon immediate exposure of CuO nanoparticles of different shapes, the particulate form contributes towards the toxicity. However, for any biological response observed over and beyond a period of 24 h, the dissolved fraction becomes significant.
Graph-Driven Diffusion and Random Walk Schemes for Image Segmentation.

We propose graph-driven approaches to image segmentation by developing diffusion processes defined on arbitrary graphs. We formulate a solution to the image segmentation problem modeled as the result of infectious wavefronts propagating on an image-driven graph where pixels correspond to nodes of an arbitrary graph. By relating the popular Susceptible - Infected - Recovered epidemic propagation model to the Random Walker algorithm, we develop the Normalized Random Walker and a lazy random walker variant. The underlying iterative solutions of these methods are derived as the result of infections transmitted on this arbitrary graph. The main idea is to incorporate a degree-aware term into the original Random Walker algorithm in order to account for the node centrality of every neighboring node and to weigh the contribution of every neighbor to the underlying diffusion process. Our lazy random walk variant models the tendency of patients or nodes to resist changes in their infection status. We also show how previous work can be naturally extended to take advantage of this degreeaware term which enables the design of other novel methods. Through an extensive experimental analysis, we demonstrate the reliability of our approach, its small computational burden and the dimensionality reduction capabilities of graph-driven approaches. Without applying any regular grid constraint, the proposed graph clustering scheme allows us to consider pixellevel, node-level approaches and multidimensional input data by naturally integrating the importance of each node to the final clustering or segmentation solution. A software release containing implementations of this work and supplementary material can be found at: http://cvsp.cs. ntua.gr/research/GraphClustering/.
Bridge to Transplantation with a Left Ventricular Assist Device

A 61-year-old female patient was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy with severe left ventricle dysfunction. Two days after admission, continuous renal replacement therapy was performed due to oliguria and lactic acidosis. On the fifth day, an intra-aortic balloon pump was inserted due to low cardiac output syndrome. Beginning 4 days after admission, she was supported for 15 days thereafter with an extracorporeal left ventricular assist device (LVAD) because of heart failure with multi-organ failure. A heart transplant was performed while the patient was stabilized with the LVAD. She developed several complications after the surgery, such as cytomegalovirus pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, wound dehiscence, and H1N1 infection. On postoperative day 19, she was discharged from the hospital with close follow-up and treatment for infection. She received follow-up care for 10 months without any immune rejection reaction.
Quantifying the Impact of Connection Policy on Distributed Generation

Increasing connections for distributed generation (DG), and in particular wind generation, are being sought in power systems across the world. These increased applications present a significant challenge to the existing connection policies of distribution network operators. In particular, non firm access to the network has been proposed as a method to increase the penetration of DG. The impact of the connection policies arising from non firm access are investigated in detail here. The Irish system is used as a case study, and with reference to the available energy resource and network parameters, the costs and benefits of DG are determined under a number of planning policies. The costs and benefits assessed include connection and cycling costs along with emissions, capacity value and fuel bill saving. It is shown that a significant increase in the net benefits of DG is gained if the appropriate connection policy is utilised from the outset and conversely that significant costs are incurred if ad hoc policies are employed. Furthermore, it is shown that non firm access has the scope to facilitate a significant extra amount of DG capacity.
Robust design optimization method for aircraft

The robustness problem in the aircraft design optimization is discussed in reference to the undulation of aircraft performance derived from uncertainty factors. A new robust design optimization (RDO) model, the constrained condition method (CCM), is expounded perspicuously. By dint of genetic algorithm (GA) joining with Back Propagation neural networks response surface (BP-NNRS), two optimal schemes, so called RDO scheme and non robust design optimization (NRDO) scheme, different in the fact whether or not robustness is taken into account, are respectively obtained for three dimension wing in aerodynamic. The cruising speed is regarded as the interference factor in RDO. It is suggested in the results that the maximum lift-drag ratios at cruising speed of both two schemes are higher than that of the original scheme. Though the maximum lift-drag ratio of the RDO scheme is 0.0231 lower than that of the NRDO scheme, the variation of it of the RDO scheme is 0.02559 less than that of the NRDO scheme within the range of the Mach number. The lift coefficient and the drag coefficient of the RDO scheme also vary much less sharply than that of the NRDO scheme. Therefore the RDO method in this paper is verified useful and efficient.
A 60 GHz multi-port receiver with analog carrier recovery for ultra wideband wireless personal area networks

A 60 GHz multi-port heterodyne receiver (MPHR) with rapid analog carrier recovery circuit is presented in this paper. The millimeter-wave frequency conversion is performed using a passive circuit, the multi-port interferometer, and related power detectors, avoiding the conventional millimeter-wave active costly mixers. The operating principle of MPHR and the demodulation results of 500 Mb/s QPSK signal are presented and discussed in this paper. This receiver is an excellent candidate for the future low-cost, ultra wideband, short range, millimeter-wave wireless personal area networks.
Performing diagnostic radial access coronary angiography on uninterrupted direct oral anticoagulant therapy: a prospective analysis

Purpose We sought to assess the safety of performing diagnostic radial access coronary angiography with uninterrupted anticoagulation on patients receiving direct oral anticoagulant therapy. Background Direct oral anticoagulants have become a popular choice for the prevention of thromboembolism. Risk factors for thromboembolism are common among cardiovascular conditions and indications for direct oral anticoagulant therapy as well as coronary angiography often overlap in patients. It has been hypothesised that uninterrupted direct oral anticoagulant therapy would increase haemorrhagic and access site complications, however data in this area is limited. Methods This was a prospective observational analysis of 49 patients undergoing elective diagnostic coronary angiography while receiving uninterrupted anticoagulation with direct oral anticoagulants. This population was compared with a control group of 49 unselected patients presenting to the cardiology service for elective diagnostic coronary angiography. Continuous variables were analysed using the independent samples t-test and categorical variables using Pearson’s χ2 test. Results The mean duration of radial compression for the control group was 235.8±62.8 min and for the uninterrupted direct oral anticoagulant group was 258.4±56.5 min. There was no significant difference in mean duration of radial compression (p=0.07; 95% CI=-1.4 to 46.5). There was also no difference in the complication rate between the two groups (p=1). Conclusions We observed similar complication rates and radial artery compression time postangiography in both groups. This small prospective observational study suggests that uninterrupted continuation of direct oral anticoagulants during coronary angiography is safe. Larger randomised control studies in this area would be beneficial.
MEASURING BRAND VALUE BASED ON CUSTOMER DATA: THE SURVEY FROM SMARTPHONE MARKET IN HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

This study uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to find the correlation between the variables of the brand value model following (David Aaker, 1991) and using the customer data from the survey of 354 customers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The results show the impact level of the factors that constitute the brand value of smartphones in general as well as the brand value of particular smartphones. The findings may be found important for building and developing brand strategies by Vietnamese manufacturers and retailers.
Gradient-reference-current control for tri-state buck converter to improve dynamic response over wide load range

Gradient-reference-current (GRC) control strategy is proposed to achieve better dynamic response for tri-state buck converter over a wide load variety without additional hardware. By designing the logical current comparing element without load current detection, the conduction mode of tri-state buck converter under GRC control could be switched between discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) and pseudo continuous conduction mode (PCCM) adaptively to avoid large ripple voltage when converter operates over wide load range. As it operates in load condition within a comparatively small range, the converter stays operating in PCCM and the reference current could be changed in the same trend with load current among the pre-set values to improve the efficiency of tri-state buck converter in light load condition and the dynamic performance of it in heavy load condition. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of GRC control strategy.
Display Technique for Embedding Information in Real Object Images Using Temporally and Spatially Luminance-Modulated Light

We propose a display technique that can invisibly embed information into an image of a real object captured with a video camera. It uses illumination light that illuminates a real object. This light invisibly contains information. As the light contains information, the image of an object illuminated by such light also contains information. Information in the light is produced by modulating luminance with a small amplitude according to the embedded pattern at half-frame frequency. The differences between every other frame image over a certain period are summed up. Changes in brightness by modulation in each frame are accumulated over the frames, while the object image is removed by this processing. This makes it possible to read out the embedded patterns. However, the object image cannot be removed completely and still remains as noise. This lowers the readability of an invisible pattern. In this paper, we present a technique that improves the readability of an invisible pattern by reducing the noise drastically. We propose a method that uses the correlation between channels in which the pattern is embedded and not embedded to reduce the noise. Moreover, it also uses the size features of an embedded pattern to reduce the noise. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique from experimental results.
Efficacy of tolfenamic acid and meloxicam in the control of postoperative pain following ovariohysterectomy in the cat.

OBJECTIVE The hypothesis was that Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores would be lower, and mechanical wound thresholds (MWT) higher, in cats receiving tolfenamic acid compared to those receiving placebo in the postoperative period following elective ovariohysterectomy. ANIMALS Sixty-nine client-owned cats. METHODS A prospective, randomized, blinded and placebo-controlled study was performed in cats which underwent ovariohysterectomy following preoperative tolfenamic acid, meloxicam, or placebo. A second dose of the same analgesic was administered 24 hours postoperatively. Assessments were made 1-hour before induction and 1, 2, 4, 6, 22, and 25 hours postoperatively. Pain was assessed by a blinded observer using Numerical Rating (NRS) and VAS scales. The MWT were measured using a force-measuring device. Group comparison was performed by using one-way anova and chi-squared test for qualitative and quantitative data, respectively, and a mixed model for repeated measurements (p < 0.05). RESULTS Sixty-five cats were included in the study. There were no differences between groups at baseline. There was a treatment effect on the NRS scores at 6, 22 and 25 hours. The meloxicam group was less painful than controls at 6 and 22 hours; both treatment groups were less painful than controls at 25 hours. There were no differences between groups in VAS for pain or sedation. The number of animals receiving rescue analgesia did not differ between groups. There was a treatment effect on MWT; thresholds in both treatment groups were significantly higher than that observed in controls at all time points. CONCLUSIONS Preoperative tolfenamic acid or meloxicam reduced wound sensitivity following ovariohysterectomy in the cat. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Tolfenamic acid and meloxicam administered preoperatively provided a similar analgesic effect in the postoperative period lasting 24 hours. Mechanical thresholds may be a better way of evaluating postoperative analgesia provided by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in cats.
Alternative Breed of Three-Phase Four-Wire Shunt Compensators Based on the Cascaded Transformer With Single DC Link

This paper discusses a variety of four-wire (4W) multilevel shunt compensators to deal with either harmonic or reactive power compensation. The converter configurations are generalized for K-stages and the main benefits of the proposed topologies lie on multilevel waveforms generation, single dc-link unit, and modular characteristic. The configurations are based on cascaded transformers along with three-phase-bridge converters. These converters are directly connected to the transformer primary side. A suitable pulse-width modulation strategy combined with an appropriate transformer turns ratio guarantees the desired multilevel output waveforms. The modularity feature provides simple maintenance and makes the proposed shunt active power filters an attractive solution in comparison with conventional configurations. The configuration model and overall control are addressed as well. Simulation and experimental results are presented for theoretical validation.
Efficient, Compact, Wireless Battery Design

Wireless batteries or rectennas - rectifying antennas - are conceived for converting wireless RF power into DC power. Although power conversion efficiencies exceeding 80% have been reported for high (20 dBm) rectenna input power levels, wireless batteries will be most beneficial at large distances from sources that will radiate at power levels limited by national and international regulations. Therefore, the challenge is in maximizing the power conversion efficiency of wireless batteries for low input power levels, say 0dBm and below. By directly conjugate matching a rectifying circuit to a microstrip patch antenna, the need for a matching network between the two no longer exists. Thus the efficiency of the wireless battery will improve. Moreover, this matching technique automatically suppresses the reradiation of harmonics by the microstrip patch antenna since the harmonics will be mismatched. Thus, the impedance matching and filtering network encountered in traditional wireless battery designs has become obsolete. With the aid of analytical models developed for antenna and rectifier, single-layer, internally matched and filtered PCB rectennas have been designed for low input power levels. An efficiency of 52% for OdBm input power has been realized at 2.45 GHz for a wireless battery realized on FR4, showing an improvement -next to the size and complexity reduction -of more than 10% over a traditional rectenna design. A series connection of these wireless batteries is shown to be able to power a standard household wall clock.
[Efficiency of in vitro culture of Toxoplasma gondii in THP1 and Vero cell lines].

INTRODUCTION Cell culture is an important method for isolating Toxoplasma gondii to make clinical diagnosis or for biotechnological purposes. OBJECTIVE The percentage of invasion and production levels of T. gondii was determined for THP1 and Vero cell lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS The growth conditions for T. gondii in Vero and THP1 cell lines were determined by counting in hemocytometer chamber. The percentage of invasion of T. gondii in THP1 and Vero cells was determined by flow cytometry in different cell/tachyzoite ratios: 1/5, 1/20, 1/50. The growth performance index of the T. gondii RH strain and the CIBM1 isolate was calculated for THP1 cells. RESULTS Vero cells multiplied faster than the THP1 cells, showing an exponential and a sigmoidal growth curve respectively, within a period of 7 days. The CIBM1 isolate infected the THP1 cells in three different parasite concentrations: 1/5, 1/20 and 1/50, with invasion percentages in THP1 cells of 57.1%, 15.5% and 12.2% and for the Vero cells 25.3%, 17.8% and 8.8% respectively. The RH strain of T. gondii had the lowest invasion percentage with 32.6%, 14.8% and 8.1% in THP1 cells and 22.3%, 14.1% and 3.4% in Vero cells. CONCLUSIONS The CIBM1 isolate had a higher yield than the RH strain of T. gondii in THP1 cells. THP1 cells were indicated to be a good model for the study of invasion and for the assays of new pharmacological candidates against T. gondii.
The Ectomycorrhizal Fungus Laccaria bicolor Stimulates Lateral Root Formation in Poplar and Arabidopsis through Auxin Transport and Signaling1[W]

The early phase of the interaction between tree roots and ectomycorrhizal fungi, prior to symbiosis establishment, is accompanied by a stimulation of lateral root (LR) development. We aimed to identify gene networks that regulate LR development during the early signal exchanges between poplar (Populus tremula × Populus alba) and the ectomycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor with a focus on auxin transport and signaling pathways. Our data demonstrated that increased LR development in poplar and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) interacting with L. bicolor is not dependent on the ability of the plant to form ectomycorrhizae. LR stimulation paralleled an increase in auxin accumulation at root apices. Blocking plant polar auxin transport with 1-naphthylphthalamic acid inhibited LR development and auxin accumulation. An oligoarray-based transcript profile of poplar roots exposed to molecules released by L. bicolor revealed the differential expression of 2,945 genes, including several components of polar auxin transport (PtaPIN and PtaAUX genes), auxin conjugation (PtaGH3 genes), and auxin signaling (PtaIAA genes). Transcripts of PtaPIN9, the homolog of Arabidopsis AtPIN2, and several PtaIAAs accumulated specifically during the early interaction phase. Expression of these rapidly induced genes was repressed by 1-naphthylphthalamic acid. Accordingly, LR stimulation upon contact with L. bicolor in Arabidopsis transgenic plants defective in homologs of these genes was decreased or absent. Furthermore, in Arabidopsis pin2, the root apical auxin increase during contact with the fungus was modified. We propose a model in which fungus-induced auxin accumulation at the root apex stimulates LR formation through a mechanism involving PtaPIN9-dependent auxin redistribution together with PtaIAA-based auxin signaling.