Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dépendance à l’oxyde nitrique inhalé en postopératoire immédiat de transplantation pulmonaire

Introduction : bien que l’utilisation de l'oxyde nitrique inhale au cours de la transplantation pulmonaire soit toujours debattue, son administration est systematique a l’hopital Foch. Ceci nous a conduit a constater qu’un groupe de patients ne peut etre sevre de l’oxyde nitrique inhale en fin d’intervention. L'objectif de ce travail est d’identifier les causes de la dependance a l’oxyde nitrique inhale en fin d’intervention et de rechercher si celle-ci est un marqueur pronostic. Materiels et methodes : l’etude porte sur la periode comprise entre le 1er janvier 2012 et le 1er Janvier 2016. Tous les patients transplantes ont recu de l’oxyde nitrique inhale a la concentration de 20 ppm apres l’induction anesthesique ou au plus tard au declampage du premier poumon. Cette concentration a ete adaptee au cours de l’intervention pour atteindre la concentration minimale efficace. Un test de sevrage de l’oxyde nitrique inhale a ete realise en fin d’intervention. La dependance a l’oxyde nitrique inhale a ete definie par la survenue d’une hypertension arterielle pulmonaire, d’une degradation franche de l’hematose ou par l’association de ces deux complications. Resultats : au total, 173 patients ont ete inclus dans l’analyse. La dependance a l’oxyde nitrique inhale a concerne 10 % des patients. L’index de masse corporelle (OR 1,2; IC 95 1,06-1,38; p = 0,01) et l’utilisation d’une oxygenation par membrane extracorporelle en peroperatoire (OR 3,64; IC95 1,25-11,48; p = 0,02) sont des facteurs predictifs de dependance a l’oxyde nitrique inhale. La dependance a l’oxyde nitrique inhale (OR 5,15; IC 95 1,37-18,91; p = 0,01) ainsi que la fibrose pulmonaire (OR 6,24; IC 1,62-26,20; p = 0,01), comme indication a la transplantation pulmonaire, sont des facteurs de risque de dysfonction primaire du greffon de grade III. La dependance a l’oxyde nitrique n’influe pas la mortalite a un an (HR 3,64; IC 95 0,96-13,77; p = 0,06). Conclusion : la dependance a l’oxyde nitrique inhale en fin de transplantation pulmonaire est un phenomene constate dans pres de 10 % des cas. Elle predit de la survenue d’une dysfonction primaire du greffon de grade III, ce qui pourrait inciter a modifier la prise en charge postoperatoire.
The change of collagen in rabbit conjunctiva after conjunctiva cross-linking

Background We aimed to determine the ultrastructural changes of collagen fibrils in the rabbit conjunctiva after conjunctiva cross-linking using riboflavin and UVA light of 45mW / cm 2 irradiation intensity. Conjunctiva cross-linking may increase conjunctiva stiffness. Methods The super-temporal quadrant of the right eyes of twenty-four adult rabbits were treated with topical riboflavin solution (0.25%) followed by irradiation with UVA light (45mW/cm 2 ) for 4 min. After 3 weeks, the collagen fibrils in fibril bundles were examined with electron microscopy. Immunohistochemical staining was applied to detect the expression of collagen I and III in the rabbits’ conjunctiva. Results The diameter of collagen fibrils in the fibril bundles varied slightly and ranged from 30 to 60 nm in control group conjunctival stroma. While in the treatment group, the diameter of collagen fibrils ranged from 60 to 90 nm. Thickest collagen fibrils were observed in the treatment group (fibril diameters up to 90 nm), whereas thickest collagen fibrils in control group conjunctival stroma are considerable smaller (up to 60 nm in diameter). However, both of the thickness of collagen fibrils displayed a unimodal distribution. Collagen I and collagen III were increased after treatment with riboflavin and UVA light of 45 mW/cm 2 . Conclusions The data indicate that in rabbits, conjunctiva cross-linking with riboflavin and UVA light of 45 mW/cm 2 for 4 min is relatively safe and does not induce ultrastructural alterations of conjunctiva cells. The conjunctiva cross-linking riboflavin and UVA light of 45 mW/cm 2 can increase the diameter of collagen fibrils, but the average density of collagen I and collagen III have no statistical significance.
4D Printing: Multi‐Material Shape Change

How might 4D printing overcome the obstacles that are hampering the rolling out and scaling up of 3D printing? Skylar Tibbits, Director of the Self-Assembly Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), describes how the Lab has partnered up with Stratasys Ltd, an industry leader in the development of 4D Printing, and is making the development of self-assembly programmable materials and adaptive technologies for industrial application in building design and construction its focus.
Thermal modeling of active fiber and splice points in high power fiber laser

A unique thermal model supported by experimental data has been successfully developed for the study of splicing joint, which is the main weakness for >100s watt fiber laser. Surface temperature of the fiber was monitored at pumping powers up to 230W under various cooling configurations. Temperature matching using a Finite Element Modeling (FEM) software was achieved by adjusting the magnitude of the heat load. This allowed reliable characterization of heating in splice joints and led to a precise prediction of the splice point temperature at higher powers. Excellent agreement to within 2°C between modeling and experimental data was achieved. This thermal simulation methodology is extended to study the splicing joint between passive fiber and active fiber under pumping power of 1.5kW. It shows the maximum surface temperature of the active fiber is <100°C with a simple mechanical package.
Ride Vibrations on a 7·5 kW Rotary Power Tiller

Abstract The power tiller has become a versatile power source for small and medium size farms in India owing to development of a variety of matching equipment. In order to overcome the problem of drudgery involved in its operation, an operator’s seat has been designed and developed. Power tiller ride vibration levels have been measured at man-seat interface along three mutually perpendicular axes viz; longitudinal, lateral and vertical on four different terrains during the transport mode (with rotavator) and on three terrains during rotatilling. Measurements were taken at five throttle settings to obtain a range of engine speeds and corresponding forward speeds. It was observed that equivalent acceleration levels increased as forward speed of travel increased under all operating conditions. Acceleration levels in the lateral axis were insignificant. There was no conclusive difference between measured acceleration levels on untilled and tilled fields during transport and rotatilling. The measured ride vibration levels under different operating conditions were compared with the values specified under ISO 2631/1 (1985) in relation to working efficiency and health and safety of the power tiller operator. On the basis of this study, it is concluded that exposure time for the power tiller operator should not exceed 2·5 h during rotatilling and 4·0 h during rotapuddling. Increasing exposure time may cause severe discomfort, pain and injury.
Control of BLDC Motor using PV fed Bridgeless Single Switch SEPIC Converter

Brushless DC (BLDC) motors are now widely used in many industrial and domestic applications due to their significant advantages in terms of size, weight, torque and efficiency against any other type of motor. Most of the domestic appliances including refrigerators, fans and washing machines use BLDC motors in them. Moreover, photovoltaic (PV) inverters are being installed in more houses than ever which in-turn make BLDC motors more suitable in home appliances and can be seen as imminent future. However, PV due to its inherent nature is intermittent in its operation and requires an efficient DC-DC converter to control its output for its smooth operation. This papers proposes a bridgeless single switch single ended primary inductance converter (SEPIC) converter which serves as a better alternative to Buck-Boost and Cuk converter as it eliminates use of diode bridge rectifier at front end and thus lowers the conduction loss. A closed loop speed control technique is also introduced for control of BLDC motor to make it more practical for various applications and is verified using MATLAB/Simulink and a hardware prototype using Arduino. Results obtained from software and hardware prove the usefulness of the proposed scheme.
HDX-MS reveals structural determinants for RORγ hyperactivation by synthetic agonists

Members of the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily regulate both physiological and pathophysiological processes ranging from development and metabolism1 to inflammation2 and cancer3. As ligand-gated transcription factors, synthetic small molecules targeting NRs are often deployed as therapeutics to correct aberrant NR signaling or as chemical probes to explore the role of the receptor in physiology4. However, nearly half of NRs do not have specific cognate ligands or its unclear if they possess ligand dependent activities and these receptors are called orphans. Here we demonstrate that ligand-dependent action of the orphan nuclear receptor RORγ can be defined by selectively disrupting putative endogenous—but not synthetic—ligand binding. Furthermore, the characterization of a library of RORγ modulators reveals that structural dynamics of the receptor assessed by HDX-MS correlate with activity in biochemical and cell-based assays. These findings are corroborated with X-ray co-crystallography and site-directed mutagenesis to collectively reveal the structural determinants of RORγ ligand-dependent activation, critical for designing full agonists for application in cancer immunotherapy. Combined these observations support a model of receptor activation to more accurately describe RORγ pharmacology. Likewise, this ‘bump-and-hole’ inspired approach could be extended to other orphan NRs to explore the ligand-dependent activities that are important for defining pharmacology.
Eight-element UWB-MIMO array with three distinct isolation mechanisms

An eight-element multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) antenna array for ultra-wideband (UWB) communication is reported. The proposed array contains eight antenna elements having annular ring slots in the middle of each element and tapered feed lines for impedance matching. The defected ground planes are introduced on the back of these antenna elements. Moreover, closed-loop frequency selective surfaces are introduced to achieve enhanced isolation between antenna pairs. A quad-strip connected circular arc decoupling structure is also used to enhance the isolation among particular antenna elements. These decoupling structures provide isolation of 20 dB over most of the desired UWB spectrum. The proposed UWB-MIMO array has dimensions of 60 × 93 mm2. The proposed design is suitable for integration with system-in-package applications and provides ease of connectivity on all four sides.
1 Adaptive Depth and Pitch Control of an Underwater Vehicle with Real-Time Experiments

This paper proposes a new control scheme for underwater vehi cles. These systems are highly nonlinear and they often operate in a varying e vironment. A robust controller is therefore needed to deal with these cha llenges. The recently developpedL1 adaptive controller is proposed to be designed and implemen ted in real time for the first time on an underwater vehicle. Di fferent experimental scenarios are then conducted to test the performance of the c los d-loop system in two degrees of freedom. An interesting particularity of t his controller lies in its architecture where robustness and adaptation are decou pl d enabling thus high adaptation gains. This would result in a fast adaptation wit h a guaranteed smooth transient response without any persistency of excitation. In order to validate the choice of this controller, a comparative study is proposed t o be conducted with the well proven adaptive nonlinear state feedback controll er (ANSF). Real-time experimental results are proposed for di fferent scenarios including nominal case, external disturbances rejection and robustness towards pa rameters uncertainties. URL: ahmed.chemori@lirmm.fr (Vincent Creuze), phone number: 0033647094162 (Vincent Creuze) Preprint submitted to Ocean Engineering November 8, 2014 *REVISED Manuscript UNMARKED Click here to view linked References
Superlets: time-frequency super-resolution using wavelet sets

Time-frequency analysis is ubiquitous in many fields of science. Due to the Heisenberg-Gabor uncertainty principle, a single measurement cannot estimate precisely the location of a finite oscillation in both time and frequency. Classical spectral estimators, like the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) or the continuous-wavelet transform (CWT) optimize either temporal or frequency resolution, or find a tradeoff that is suboptimal in both dimensions. Following concepts from optical super-resolution, we introduce a new spectral estimator enabling time-frequency super-resolution. Sets of wavelets with increasing bandwidth are combined geometrically in a superlet to maintain the good temporal resolution of wavelets and gain frequency resolution in the upper bands. Superlets outperform the STFT, CWT, and other super-resolution methods on synthetic data and brain signals recorded in humans and rodents, resolving time-frequency details with unprecedented precision. Importantly, superlets can reveal transient oscillation events that are hidden in the averaged time-frequency spectrum by other methods.
Noiseless propulsion for swimming robotic structures using polyelectrolyte ion-exchange membrane

In this paper a NafionTM polyelectrolyte ion-exchange membrane (IEM) was used as a propulsion fin for robotic swimming structures such as a boat or fish-like object swimming in water or aqueous medium. The Nafion membrane was chemically plated with platinum. The resulting membrane was cut in a strip to resemble a fish-like caudal fin for propulsion. A small function generator circuit was designed and built to produce approximately plus or minus 2.0 V amplitude square wave at varying frequency up to 50 Hz. The circuit board was mounted on a buoyant styrofoam shaped like a boat or a tadpole. The fin was attached to the rear of the boat. By setting the signal frequency to the desired value and thereby setting the frequency of bending oscillation of the membrane, a proportional forward propulsion speed could be obtained. The speed was then measured using a high speed camera. Several theoretical hydrodynamic models were then presented to characterize speed-frequency of the forward motion using available theories on biological fish motion. The results were compared to experimental data which showed close agreement. It turned out that the forward speed of the object was directly proportional to the product of frequency and amplitude of the fin oscillation as in biological fishes. This relation was further simplified by keeping the voltage constant and therefore amplitude of the oscillation. The proportionality constant could be measured for a known geometry of the fin-boat assembly and reactivity of the Nafion membrane used. The system as a whole presented an autonomous robotic swimming structure with frequency modulated propulsion to investigate application of polyelectrolyte hydrogel membranes and their effect on hydrodynamic behavior of an undulating swimming object. As in fishes the thrust force of the robot was generated by evolution of vortices on the sides of the undulating fin. For a constant forward speed, this thrust is equal to the drag force due to geometry and skin friction of the swimming robot. It was observed that regardless of the laminar or turbulent flow pattern around the robot the relation between speed and frequency holds. This research was a proof of concept for investigating fish propulsion known best for undulatory swimming motion, using polyelectrolyte ion-exchange-metal composite membrane.
The Six Sigma program: an empirical study of Brazilian companies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the status of Six Sigma's status in Brazilian companies and understand the integration of this program with other quality management approaches. Additionally, the critical success factors (CSFs) for Six Sigma implementation and primary Six Sigma program characteristics were identified. Finally, the results of the used of Six Sigma were analysed. Design/methodology/approach – An extensive literature review illustrates the primary Six Sigma characteristics and its relationship with other quality approaches. The research methodology encompasses survey development and statistical analyses. Questionnaires are distributed to 1,000 large firms in the manufacturing and service industries in Brazil. Altogether, a total of 198 firms, of which 46 companies adopted the Six Sigma program, participated in this study. Findings – The results suggest a synergic and incremental pattern of quality model implementation. The study reveals that companies that have adopted Six Si.
Behavior of Tip Leakage Flow Behind an Axial Compressor Rotor

Performance testing and detailed flow measurements were made in an axial compressor rotor with various tip clearances. The experiments were conducted on the condition of the same incidence angle at midspan. Thus, the effect of tip clearance distinguished from that of incidence angle was investigated on the overall performance, work-done factor, blockage factor, and increases in displacement, momentum, and blade-force-deficit thicknesses of the casing wall boundary layer, The phase-locked flow patterns obtained by the multisampling technique show clear evidence of a leakage vortex core behind the rotor. Behavior of the leakage vortex was clarified for various tip clearances by examining loci of the vortex center, decay characteristics of the vorticity at the center, and the total amount of vorticity shed from the blade tip. These results were compared with the leakage vortex model presented by Lakshminarayana.
Correlated One Site Three Dimensions VHF Broadband Digital Interferometer algorithm and Phased Array Radar (PAR) Observations

Broadband radio interferometers have been developed to locate the sources of VHF/UHF radiation from lightning discharges in three spatial dimensions (3D) and time. In a previous work, a VHF broadband digital interferometer has been used to estimate the 3D lightning location from only one site. In order to study the accuracy of this algorithm, a cross check of one site 3D VHF broadband digital interferometer with Phased Array Radar (PAR) system will be introduced in this paper. In August 18, 2012, VHF pulses from lightning flashes have been recorded by VHF digital broadband interferometer LIB site located in Nara, Japan. On the same day the precipitation profile has been recorded using Phased Array RADAR (PAR) located in Osaka University. The 3D locations of four flashes are compared with the PAR horizontal and Range-Height Indicator RHI scan images. This comparison introduced a good correlation between 3D VHF broadband digital interferometer algorithm and the precipitation profiles recorded by PAR.
A Theoretical Study on Piezoelectric Smart Isolation System for Seismic Protection of Equipment in Near-fault Areas

In order to enhance the efficiency and safety of seismic isolation for equipment subjected to near-fault earthquakes that usually possess a long-period pulse-like waveform, a semi-active isolation system named piezoelectric smart isolation system (PSIS), composed of a sliding isolation platform and a piezoelectric friction damper (PFD), is proposed in this study. By controlling the embedded piezoelectric actuator with a DC voltage, the friction force of the PFD can be regulated; therefore, the PFD is able to provide a supplemental damping, which is controllable by a predetermined control law, for the PSIS system. In order to evaluate its isolation performance, the seismic responses of the PSIS was simulated numerically, and the isolation performance of the PSIS was also compared with those of a passive and an active isolation system. The results of these comparisons are discussed in this study. The simulation result has shown that the PSIS can prevent both the excessive isolator displacement and equipment acceleration induced by the long-period pulse component of a near-fault earthquake.
Process and Future of Data Integration within the European Earthquake Engineering Laboratories

AbstractIn common with many scientific disciplines, earthquake engineering research is increasingly focusing on large international collaborations to address complex problems. Data integration is a key requirement to facilitate joint research efforts and improve experimental outcomes. Development and implementation of a novel virtual database is presented, linking 22 leading European earthquake engineering research institutions, making data integration possible at a European level without the need for a large, centralized repository. The importance of establishing appropriate work methodologies to succeed in a distributed and highly heterogeneous work environment involving many dispersed institutions is described. The future of earthquake engineering data integration is considered, highlighting Semantic Web technologies as the main technological foundation to lead this integration.
A Study on Applied Technology in Safety and Protection of the Android OS

As the world’s most widely used phone operating system, Android has been chosen to get our lives convenient. However, as the importance of the services our cell phones support increases, so too do the opportunities for invasion. More attention should be paid to the risks of Android OS. In this paper, we analyze the Android security and then give methods based on Android privilege to prevent invasion while using or developing. The method can make users avoid most of the hacking.
Opening the black box of HR practices-performance relationship: Testing a three pathways AMO model.

This study aims to go beyond the classical investigation of the black box of the relationship between HR practices and company performance. A common trend in Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) is to develop black box investigations through the Ability – Motivation – Opportunity (AMO) perspective, considering that the company manages employees in a way that gives them the ability and the motivation to perform as well as giving them the opportunity to do so. While this perspective is strongly theoretically developed and has been frequently used in empirical studies, we point out that the AMO model has rarely been fully empirically tested. Given this gap, this study empirically investigates the theoretical AMO model and tests the sequential mediating effects of group level employees’ AMO human capital components and collective human capital in the relationship between HR practices and business unit performance. Based on a survey of 341 employees and their supervisors in 46 business-units, we found a support for a path model linking HR skill-enhancing practices to business unit performance through employees’ ability and collective human capital. Yet, we found no support for the motivation and opportunity paths. Hence, we point out important integrative research perspectives to take black box investigations even further.