Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Critical electrode size in measurement of d33 coefficient of films via spatial distribution of piezoelectric displacement

Spatial distributions of piezoelectric displacement response across the top electrode have been used in this paper to measure the piezoelectric coefficient d33 of films based on the converse piezoelectric effect. The technical details and features of a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer have been summarized and discussed for accurately obtaining the spatial displacement distributions. Three definitions, including the apparent, the effective and the constrained piezoelectric coefficient d33 of films, have been clarified and used to better understand the fundamental phenomenon behind the measured displacement distributions. Finite element analysis reveals that both the apparent and the effective piezoelectric coefficients depend on the electrode radius of test capacitor as well as film thickness. However, there exists a critical electrode size for apparent piezoelectric coefficients and a critical test capacitor aspect ratio for effective piezoelectric coefficient. Beyond their respective critical values, both coefficients converge to the constrained piezoelectric coefficient irrespective of film thickness. The finding of the critical electric size makes it possible to consistently measure the constrained piezoelectric coefficient of films by using the spatial distributions of the piezoelectric displacement response and becomes the fundamental criterion of this measurement method.
Resolution enhancement of aerial image based on higher order cumulant wavelet transformation

Making use the prior knowledge that higher order cumulant and wavlet transformation methods are combined, which is used in the multi-dim-small target detection with the Gaussian noise and natural background. In this paper, a method of magnifying image based on two dimension discrete wavelet is introduced. Comparing with traditional interpolation methods, it not only enhanced resolution of the aero-image, but maintained the detail character of the image. Experiment results have shown that it is good method for enhancing aero-image. The same aerial image is magnified with above-mentioned wavelet-based algorithms, conventional bilinear interpolation and tri-spline sampling interpolation algorithm separately. The values of mean gradient on three graphs are calculated using three approach, they are 6.31, 7.43 and 8.45. In accordance with the result, the value of the magnified image by this method is largest.
Cyclical behaviour and disc truncation in the Be/X‐ray binary A0535+26

A0535+26 is shown to display quantized infrared excess flux states, which are interpreted as the first observational verification of the proposed resonant truncation scheme for Be X-ray binaries (BeXRBs). The simultaneity of X-ray activity with transitions between these states strongly suggests a broad mechanism for outbursts, in which material lost from the disc during the reduction of the truncation radius is accreted by the neutron star (NS). Furthermore, changes between states are shown to be governed by a ∼1500-d period, probably due to precession of the Be disc, which profoundly dictates the global behaviour of the system. Such a framework appears to be applicable to BeXRBs in general. Additionally, the subsonic radial expansion of the Be disc is measured, and photometric evidence for a NS accretion disc during a type II outburst discussed. Values for the stellar inclination, mass and rotational velocity are derived, and photometric modulation at P orb detected.
Renoprotective Effects of Tanshinone IIA: A Literature Review

The kidney is an important organ in the human body, with functions such as urine production, the excretion of metabolic waste, the regulation of water, electrolyte and acid–base balance and endocrine release. The morbidity and mortality of kidney diseases are increasing year by year worldwide, and they have become a serious public health problem. In recent years, natural products derived from fungi, plants and animals have become an important alternative source of treatment for kidney diseases because of their multiple pathways, multiple targets, safety, low toxicity and few side effects. Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) is a lipid-soluble diterpene quinone isolated from the Chinese herb Salvia miltiorrhiza, considered as a common drug for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. As researchers around the world continue to explore its unknown biological activities, it has also been found to have a wide range of biological effects, such as anti-cancer, anti-oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, and hepatoprotective effects, among others. In recent years, many studies have elaborated on its renoprotective effects in various renal diseases, including diabetic nephropathy (DN), renal fibrosis (RF), uric acid nephropathy (UAN), renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and drug-induced kidney injury caused by cisplatin, vancomycin and acetaminophen (APAP). These effects imply that Tan IIA may be a promising drug to use against renal diseases. This article provides a comprehensive review of the pharmacological mechanisms of Tan IIA in the treatment of various renal diseases, and it provides some references for further research and clinical application of Tan IIA in renal diseases.
Do Markets Perceive Sukuk and Conventional Bonds as Different Financing Instruments?

The last decade witnessed a proliferation in issues of sukuk, Islamic financial instruments structured to replicate the cash flows of conventional bonds. Using a market-based approach on Malaysian data, we consider whether investors react differently to the announcements of sukuk and conventional bond issues. Our findings suggest the stock market is neutral to announcements of conventional bond issues, but reacts negatively to announcements of sukuk issues. We attribute this finding to the excess demand for Islamic investment certificates and explain the difference in stock market reactions as an adverse selection mechanism that favors sukuk issuance by lower-quality debtor companies. Unlike previous studies, our findings indicate markets readily distinguish between sukuk and conventional bonds.
Analysis and Acoustic Event Classification of Environmental Data Collected in a Citizen Science Project

Citizen science can serve as a tool to obtain information about changes in the soundscape. One of the challenges of citizen science projects is the processing of data gathered by the citizens, to obtain conclusions. As part of the project Sons al Balcó, authors aim to study the soundscape in Catalonia during the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and afterwards and design a tool to automatically detect sound events as a first step to assess the quality of the soundscape. This paper details and compares the acoustic samples of the two collecting campaigns of the Sons al Balcó project. While the 2020 campaign obtained 365 videos, the 2021 campaign obtained 237. Later, a convolutional neural network is trained to automatically detect and classify acoustic events even if they occur simultaneously. Event based macro F1-score tops 50% for both campaigns for the most prevalent noise sources. However, results suggest that not all the categories are equally detected: the percentage of prevalence of an event in the dataset and its foregound-to-background ratio play a decisive role.
Robust stabilization of a class of non‐minimum‐phase nonlinear systems in a generalized output feedback canonical form

In this paper, a globally robust stabilizer for a class of uncertain non‐minimum‐phase nonlinear systems in generalized output feedback canonical form is designed. The system contains unknown parameters multiplied by output‐dependent nonlinearities and output‐dependent nonlinearities enter such a system both additively and multiplicatively. The proposed method relies on a recently developed novel parameter estimator and state observer design methodology together with a combination of backstepping and small‐gain approach. Our design has three distinct features. First, the parameter estimator and state observer do not necessarily follow the classical certainty‐equivalent principle any more. Second, the design treats unknown parameters and unmeasured states in a unified way. Third, the technique by combining standard backstepping and small‐gain theorem ensures robustness with respect to dynamic uncertainties. Finally, two numerical examples are given to show that the proposed method is effective, and that it can be applied to more general systems that do not satisfy the cascading upper diagonal dominance conditions developed in recent papers, respectively. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of LungLB for the clinical management of patients with indeterminate pulmonary nodules

Abstract Background There is currently a need for additional diagnostic information to help guide treatment decisions and to properly determine the best treatment pathway for patients identified with indeterminate pulmonary nodules (IPNs). The aim of this study was to demonstrate the incremental cost-effectiveness of LungLB compared to the current clinical diagnostic pathway (CDP) in the management of patients with IPNs, from a US payer’s perspective. Methods A decision tree and Markov model hybrid was chosen from a payer perspective in the US setting, based on published literature, to assess the incremental cost-effectiveness of LungLB compared to the current CDP in the management of patients with IPNs. Primary endpoints of the analysis include expected costs, life years (LYs), and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for each arm of the model, as well as an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), which is calculated as the incremental costs per QALY, and net monetary benefit (NMB). Results We find that, with the inclusion of LungLB to the current CDP diagnostic pathway, expected LYs over the typical patient’s lifespan increase by 0.07 years and QALYs increase by 0.06. The average patient in the CDP arm will pay approximately $44,310 over their lifespan, while a patient in the LungLB arm will pay $48,492, resulting in a difference of $4,182. The differentials between the CDP and LungLB arms of the model in costs and QALYs yield an ICER of $75,740 per QALY and an incremental NMB of $1,339. Conclusion This analysis provides evidence that LungLB, in conjunction with CDP, is a cost-effective alternative compared to the current CDP alone in a US setting for individuals with IPNs.
J. DENIS SARGAN AND THE ORIGINS OF LSE ECONOMETRIC METHODOLOGY

I review the part played by John Denis Sargan in the formation of the “LSE approach” to dynamic econometric modeling. Despite his unassuming demeanor and his location at LSE—which had earlier dismissed a substantive role for econometric evidence—Sargan nevertheless radically altered the econometric approach of a generation, establishing a powerful approach to empirical modeling of economic time series. His main contributions to econometric methodology, and the subsequent research, are discussed as a complement to the other papers in this memorial volume.Financial support from the U.K. Economic and Social Research Council under grant L138251009 is gratefully acknowledged. I am indebted to Alok Bhargava, Julia Campos, Meghnad Desai, Neil Ericsson, Toni Espasa, Grayham Mizon, Peter Phillips, Timo Teräsvirta, and Ken Wallis for helpful comments and to Peter Phillips for the invitation to contribute this paper to Econometric Theory.
Performance of Hypersaline Brine Desalination Using Spiral Wound Membrane: A Parametric Study

Desalination of hypersaline brine is known as one of the methods to cope with the rising global concern on brine disposal in high-salinity water treatment. However, the main problem of hypersaline brine desalination is the high energy usage resulting from the high operating pressure. In this work, we carried out a parametric analysis on a spiral wound membrane (SWM) module to predict the performance of hypersaline brine desalination, in terms of mass transfer and specific energy consumption (SEC). Our analysis shows that at a low inlet pressure of 65 bar, a significantly higher SEC is observed for high feed concentration of brine water compared with seawater (i.e., 0.08 vs. 0.035) due to the very low process recovery ratio (i.e., 1%). Hence, an inlet pressure of at least 75 bar is recommended to minimise energy consumption. A higher feed velocity is also preferred due to its larger productivity when compared with a slightly higher energy requirement. This study found that the SEC reduction is greatly affected by the pressure recovery and the pump efficiencies for brine desalination using SWM, and employing them with high efficiencies (ηR ≥ 95% and ηpump ≥ 50%) can reduce SEC by at least 33% while showing a comparable SEC with SWRO desalination (<5.5 kWh/m3).
Visual Outcomes Early after Implantable Collamer Lens V4c Implantation in Different Preoperative Spectacle Correction: Full Correction vs. Under Correction

Abstract Purpose To investigate visual outcomes early after implantable collamer lens (ICL) V4c implantation between patients with fully corrected and under-corrected spectacles preoperatively. Methods Patients who implanted ICL V4c were divided into the full correction (46 eyes/23 patients) and under-correction groups (48 eyes/24 patients) based on preoperative differences between the spherical diopter of the spectacles and the actual spherical diopter. Refractive outcomes, scotopic pupil size, higher-order aberrations, and subjective visual outcomes as assessed using a validated questionnaire were compared between the two groups 3 months postoperatively. Moreover, the relationships between the severity of haloes and postoperative ocular or ICL parameters were analyzed. Results At the 3-month follow-up, the efficacy indices in the full correction and under-correction groups were 0.99 ± 0.12 and 1.00 ± 0.10, respectively; the safety indices were 1.15 ± 0.16 and 1.15 ± 0.15, respectively. Total-eye spherical aberration (p < 0.0001) and internal spherical aberration (p = 0.0005) were significantly different pre- and post-operatively in the under-correction group, while no differences were found in the full correction group. Total-eye spherical aberration (p = 0.002) and the severity of haloes (p = 0.03) were postoperatively different between the two groups. The severity of haloes was associated with postoperative spherical aberration (total-eye spherical aberration: r = −0.32, p = 0.002; internal spherical aberration: r = −0.24, p = 0.02). Conclusion Good efficacy, safety, predictability, and stability were obtained early after surgery regardless of preoperative spectacle correction. Patients in the under-correction group possessed a shift to negative spherical aberration and reported greater severity of haloes at the 3-month follow-up. Haloes were the most common visual symptoms after ICL V4c implantation and the severity of them was correlated with postoperative spherical aberration.
Some Nniqueness Results Related to Soil and Building Structural Identification

The need for accurate predictions of the dynamic responses of soil and structural systems has led to the widespread use of forced Vibration testing for obtaining knowledge of the dynamic properties of the systems under consideration. This paper is concerned with the uniqueness of the results in the identification of such properties. More specifically, the damping and stiffness distributions which are of importance in the linear range of response, have been investigated. An N-storied structure or an N-layered soil system is modeled as an N-degree of freedom lumped mass system consisting of masses, springs and dampers. Assuming that the mass distribution is known, the conditions under which unique identification of the stiffness and damping distributions can be obtained, are established. Several useful results on the ability to identify uniquely some, but not all, of the properties of the system have also been obtained. The paper extends some of the known results of one-dimensional reflection seismology to .
Stability analysis of complex-valued impulsive system

Since quantum system, which is one of the foci of ongoing research, is the classical example of complex-valued systems, in this study, the stability of complex-valued impulsive system is addressed. Taking advantage of the Lyapunov function in the complex fields, the stability criteria of complex-valued impulsive system are established, which not only generalises the stability criteria on real-valued impulsive system, but also greatly reduces the complexity of analysis and computation. Moreover, as an application, a linear impulsive feedback controller for the complex-valued Lu system is designed.
Effective passivation of highly aluminum-doped p-type silicon surfaces using amorphous silicon

Highly aluminum-doped p-type emitters prepared by screen printing on crystalline silicon wafers are effectively passivated by plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposited amorphous silicon layers. Using the photoconductance decay technique, the authors measure emitter saturation current densities of 800±200fA∕cm2 for nonpassivated emitters and of 490±120fA∕cm2 for Al-p+ emitters passivated with a 20nm thick amorphous silicon layer deposited at 225°C. An additional annealing step at 300°C for 10min reduces the emitter saturation current density down to only 246±60fA∕cm2. The measured saturation current densities are the lowest values achieved so far for Al-doped p+ emitter.
Advances in Humidity Nanosensors and Their Application: Review

As the technology revolution and industrialization have flourished in the last few decades, the development of humidity nanosensors has become more important for the detection and control of humidity in the industry production line, food preservation, chemistry, agriculture and environmental monitoring. The new nanostructured materials and fabrication in nanosensors are linked to better sensor performance, especially for superior humidity sensing, following the intensive research into the design and synthesis of nanomaterials in the last few years. Various nanomaterials, such as ceramics, polymers, semiconductor and sulfide, carbon-based, triboelectrical nanogenerator (TENG), and MXene, have been studied for their potential ability to sense humidity with structures of nanowires, nanotubes, nanopores, and monolayers. These nanosensors have been synthesized via a wide range of processes, including solution synthesis, anodization, physical vapor deposition (PVD), or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The sensing mechanism, process improvement and nanostructure modulation of different types of materials are mostly inexhaustible, but they are all inseparable from the goals of the effective response, high sensitivity and low response–recovery time of humidity sensors. In this review, we focus on the sensing mechanism of direct and indirect sensing, various fabrication methods, nanomaterial geometry and recent advances in humidity nanosensors. Various types of capacitive, resistive and optical humidity nanosensors are introduced, alongside illustration of the properties and nanostructures of various materials. The similarities and differences of the humidity-sensitive mechanisms of different types of materials are summarized. Applications such as IoT, and the environmental and human-body monitoring of nanosensors are the development trends for futures advancements.
Prognostic Value of Tumor Size in Gastric Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study Based on SEER Database

Background. Although tumor size is regarded as the “T” stage of the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system for many solid tumors, its prognostic impact in gastric cancer remains uncertain and conflicting. Methods. We enrolled 6960 eligible patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The X-tile program was used to select the best cut-off value of tumor size. Then, the Kaplan–Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model were applied to examine the efficacy of tumor size on prognostic prediction for overall survival (OS) and gastric cancer-specific survival (GCSS). The presence of nonlinear association was determined by the restricted cubic spline (RCS) model. Results. Tumor size was divided into 3 groups: small size (≤2.5 cm), medium size (2.6-5.2 cm), and large size (≥5.3 cm). After adjusting by covariates such as depth of tumor infiltration, the large and medium groups showed a worse prognosis than the small group; however, no survival difference in OS was suggested between the medium and large groups. Similarly, although there was a nonlinear relationship between tumor size and survival, increasing tumor size did not show an independent negative effect on prognosis in the RCS analysis. However, the stratified analyses proposed this 3-way cut of tumor size in prognostic prediction for patients with both inadequate lymphadenectomy and negative nodal metastasis. Conclusions. Tumor size as a prognostic predictor may not have good clinical applicability in gastric cancer. Otherwise, it was recommended for patients with both insufficient examinations of lymph nodes and stage N0 disease.
Path dependence or steps for major reforms? Pandemic-related social protection measures in ten OECD countries

Abstract This article examines with empirical evidence the social protection measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in ten welfare states in the Global North. We analysed the potential similarities and differences in responses by welfare regimes. The comparative study was conducted with data from 169 measures, collected from domestic sources as well as from COVID-19 response databases and reports. In qualitative terms, we redeveloped Hall’s theory on the distinction between first-, second- and third-order changes. In accordance with the path-dependence thesis, we show systematically that the majority of the studied changes (91%) relied on a pre-pandemic tool demonstrating flexibility within social security systems. The relative share of completely new instruments was notable but modest (9%). Thematically, the social protection measures converged beyond traditional welfare regimes, particularly among the European welfare states. Somewhat surprisingly, the changes to social security systems related not just to emergency aid to mitigate traditional risks but, to a greater extent, also to prevent new risks from being actualised.
Excitation energies, hyperfine constants, E1 transition rates and lifetimes of 4s2nl states in neutral gallium

Energies of the 4s2npj (n = 4–8), 4s2ns1/2 (n = 5–8), 4s2ndj (n = 4–7), 4s2nfj (n = 4–5) and 4s25gj states in neutral gallium are obtained using a relativistic many-body perturbation theory (RMBPT) method. First-, second-, third- and all-order Coulomb energies and first-order Breit and second-order Coulomb–Breit corrections are calculated. Reduced matrix elements, oscillator strengths, transition rates and lifetimes are determined for the 130 possible electric-dipole transitions. Hyperfine constants A are determined for 28 4s2nlj states in 69Ga I and 71Ga I isotopes. All above-mentioned properties are obtained in the relativistic single–double (SD) approximation, where single and double excitations of Dirac–Fock wavefunctions are included to all orders of perturbation theory. Using SD wavefunctions, accurate values are obtained for energies of the lowest states and for the possible electric-dipole matrix elements between these states. With the aid of the SD wavefunctions, we also determine transition rates, oscillator strengths and lifetimes. These calculations provide a theoretical benchmark for comparison with experiment and theory.