Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dual-Band Millimeter-Wave Circularly Polarized Antenna for Mobile Communications

A novel design of dual-band circularly polarized patch antenna is proposed for millimeter-wave applications of the future generations of mobile communication handsets. The antenna structure is composed of a primary circular patch and four parasitic printed elements. The circular patch has two notches on its perimeter. The primary circular patch is designed to operate at 38 GHz as its first-order resonance with perfect impedance matching over the frequency band (37–38.5 GHz). Four parasitic elements with Y-shaped slots are capacitively coupled to the primary patch to get it operational at an additional higher frequency with perfect impedance matching over a wideband (48.2–50.1 GHz). Defects in the ground plane are made as two square slots. The notches on the circumference of the circular patch and the square slots in the ground plane are aligned to a diagonal that makes 45° with the axis of symmetry of the feeding line. The width of each slot and the diagonal distance between them are the design parameters that can be set to produce circular polarization with satisfactory axial ratio (AR). The outline of the composite planar antenna structure has a square shape so as not to degrade the circular polarization. Also, to satisfy the impedance matching without disturbing the circular polarization, the primary patch is fed through a tapered microstrip line instead of using a microstrip line with inset feed. The achieved gain, AR, and radiation efficiency are 6.6 dBi, 0.6 dB, and 92%, respectively, at 38 GHz and are 6.7 dBi, 1.6 dB, and 75%, respectively, at 50 GHz. The antenna is printed on a substrate of thickness 0.25 mm and the outer dimensions of the planar composite patch structure are $\mathrm {2.9\,\,mm\times 2.9\,\,mm}$ . The antenna bandwidth to provide good circular polarization with perfect impedance matching at the same time are 800 MHz (37-37.8 GHz) and 200MHz (49.9-50.1 GHz) for the lower and higher frequency bands, respectively. The proposed antenna is fabricated and its performance assessed by simulation is validated by comparison with the results of microwave measurements. Both the simulation and measurement results show good performance of the proposed antenna over the lower and higher frequency bands of operation.
Aspects of Compactifications and Black Holes in Four-Dimensional Supergravity

In the 20th century, theoretical physics has seen the development of General Relativity and the Standard Model of elementary particles. These theories describe, with great precision, gravity and all known matter, respectively. However, it is not possible to unite them into one, single theory. We need such a theory of quantum gravitation to study phenomena where both theories are important, such as black holes and the Big Bang. One of the leading candidates for a theory of quantum gravitation is string theory. The low-energy limit of string theory is called supergravity. This thesis studies some of the open questions in string theory, in the setting of four-dimensional supergravity. We first classify the fully supersymmetric solutions of gauged N=2 supergravity with arbitrary gaugings in the vector- and hypermultiplet sectors. We present several examples of such solutions and connect some of them to vacuum solutions of flux compactifications in string theory. The next chapter searches for black hole solutions, where the scalars in the theory are gauged. Next, we show how one can embed known black hole solutions trough spontaneous symmetry breaking. When searching for new solutions, we find solutions only in cases when the metric contains ripples and the vector multiplet scalars become ghost-like. We then show how one can obtain four-dimensional supergravities by a Scherk-Schwarz reduction of eleven-dimensional supergravity, and study its equivalence with a compactification on a seven-dimensional space. Finally, we study general aspects of NS5-brane instantons in relation to the stabilization of the volume modulus in Calabi-Yau compactifications of type II strings with fluxes, and their orientifold versions.
Audio-visual multimodal speech recognition method fusing audio and video data

With the widespread application of deep learning methods, multimodal techniques have also achieved rapid development. Since single-modal speech recognition may affect the accuracy of recognition results in noisy environments, multimodal fusion recognition gradually replaces the traditional single-modal recognition methods. In this paper, we mainly strengthen and pre-process audio and video data first, and use LSTM recurrent neural network for deep feature extraction of audio and video streams, which effectively solves the problem of long-term forgetting of general neural networks. The audio and video feature vectors are then fused by a fully connected neural network with linear connections. Compared with the speech recognition technique alone, this audiovisual fusion recognition method has a better recognition effect in the case of noise interference. Compared with the traditional audiovisual recognition method, the model simplifies the recognition work. Recognition experiments on the LRS2-BBC dataset show that the recognition accuracy of this method improves to a certain extent over that of other methods in a clean environment and greatly improves in noisy conditions.
Brachial Plexus Nerve Trunk Recognition From Ultrasound Images: A Comparative Study of Deep Learning Models

Brachial plexus block is a common regional anesthesia method widely used in upper limb surgery. Nowadays, ultrasound-guided brachial plexus block has been extensively used in clinical anesthesia. However, accurate brachial plexus block is highly dependent on the physician’s experience, and a physician without extensive clinical experience may cause nerve injury when performing a nerve block. With the development of artificial intelligence technology, the deep learning method can automatically identify the brachial plexus in ultrasound images and assist doctors in completing the brachial plexus block accurately and quickly. In this paper, we aim to evaluate the performance of different deep learning models in identifying brachial plexus (i.e., segmentation of brachial plexus) from ultrasonic images to explore the best models and training strategies for this task. To this end, we use a new dataset containing 340 brachial plexus ultrasound images annotated by three experienced clinicians. Among the 12 deep learning models we evaluated, U-Net achieves the best segmentation accuracy, with an intersection over union (IoU) of 68.50%. However, the number of U-Net parameters is very large, and it can only process 15 images per second. Compared to U-Net, LinkNet can process 142 images per second and achieve the second-best segmentation accuracy with an IoU of 66.27%. It achieves the balance between segmentation accuracy and processing efficiency, which has a good potential for the brachial plexus’s real-time segmentation task.
Investigation of the “Nose-to-Brain” Pathways in Intranasal HupA Nanoemulsions and Evaluation of Their in vivo Pharmacokinetics and Brain-Targeting Ability

Purpose While developing huperzine A (HupA) to explore new approaches to treating Alzheimer’s disease (AD), intranasal administration was proposed as an alternative route to deliver drugs into the brain. This study aimed to prepare nanoemulsions (NEs) of HupA to investigate their potential “nose-to-brain” pathways and to evaluate their pharmacokinetic and brain-targeting parameters. Methods HupA-NE and Lf-HupA-NE that underwent surface modification with lactoferrin (Lf) were characterized to determine various physicochemical properties, such as their size, PDI, zeta potential, pH, and loading efficiency; in addition, transmission electron microscopy and stability assessments were performed. We utilized an aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) probe to monitor intact NEs in the brains of olfactory nerve transection model and normal rats. Immunohistochemistry, pharmacokinetic and targeting index analyses were performed to investigate the in vivo effects of HupA-NE and Lf-HupA-NE. Results Based on the live imaging results, HupA-NE and Lf-HupA-NE could be transported into the brain via nerve and blood circulation pathways. Immunohistochemical staining tests demonstrated that the efflux proteins P-gp, MRP1, and BCRP were expressed in brain tissue. NEs can inhibit efflux pumps to improve drug concentrations in the brain. The findings of this study showed that NEs (especially Lf-HupA-NE) had better pharmacokinetic profiles and a better nose-to-brain drug transport efficiency than free HupA. Conclusion The newly designed formulations might contribute to the transport and accumulation of HupA to achieve therapeutic results. The delivery system may be a promising strategy for the brain-targeted delivery of HupA.
Using backward means to eliminate individual effects from dynamic panels

The within-groups estimator is inconsistent in dynamic panels with fixed T since the sample mean used to eliminate the individual effects from the lagged dependent variable is correlated with the error term. This paper suggests to eliminate individual effects from an AR(1) panel using backward means as an alternative to sample means. Using orthogonal deviations of the lagged dependent variable from its backward mean yields an estimator that is still inconsistent for fixed T but the inconsistency is shown to be negligibly small. A Monte Carlo simulation shows that this alternative estimator has superior small sample properties compared to conventional fixed effects, bias-corrected fixed effects and GMM estimators. Interestingly, it is also consistent for fixed T in the specific cases where (i) T = 2, (ii) the AR parameter is 0 or 1, (iii) the variance of the individual effects is zero.
Active Trim Panel Attachments for Control of Sound Transmission through Aircraft Structures

Aircraft interior noise is governed by the sound characteristics of the fuselage sidewall. Active trim panel attachments provide a promising technology for the low-frequency control of interior noise. Placed between the main fuselage and the cabin trim panels they are used to control the dynamic structural response and consequently the sound radiation of the trim panels. The control concept has been developed by means of a vibro-acoustic simulation model representing a generic aircraft section. A prototype demonstrator was experimentally tested under laboratory conditions proving that substantial reductions in sound transmission for various tonal and broadband perturbations can be obtained with such an active system.
Capacity analysis and throughput increase of an automated robotic fastening system

Large Structure Manufacturing (LSM) is in the midst of implementing a new robotic fastening system that has been designed with flexibility as a key feature. This thesis describes work done build a model of the new system in order to estimate the capacity of the system. It then presents several recommendations to increase the throughput of the system. Additionally, lessons learned from this work are presented so they can be applied to future automation projects. Thesis Supervisor: Tauhid R. Zaman Title: Assistant Professor, Sloan School of Management Thesis Supervisor: Warren W. Hoburg Title: Assistant Professor, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics Thesis Reader: Daniel E. Whitney Title: Senior Research Scientist Emeritus, MIT Leaders for Global Operations
Effects of varenicline and bupropion on laboratory smoking outcomes: Meta‐analysis of randomized, placebo‐controlled human laboratory studies

Human laboratory studies are widely used to evaluate behavioural mechanisms of pharmacotherapy effects. Results from human laboratory studies examining smoking cessation pharmacotherapies have not been examined in aggregate. The current meta‐analysis aimed to synthesize data from randomized, placebo‐controlled human laboratory studies on the effects of non‐nicotine pharmacotherapies on outcomes relevant for smoking cessation. Literature searches identified 15 human laboratory studies of varenicline (n = 697) and 9 studies of bupropion (n = 313) with sufficient data for inclusion. Studies involved acute or subacute pharmacotherapy treatment with administration durations ranging from a single dose to 8 weeks. Primary outcomes examined were craving, withdrawal and behavioural indices of smoking. Varenicline significantly reduced craving (Hedge's g = −0.36[−0.54,−0.17], p < 0.001), withdrawal (g = −0.25[−0.41,−0.09], p = 0.003) and behavioural indices of smoking (g = −0.36[−0.63,−0.08], p = 0.01) relative to placebo. In contrast, results were inconclusive regarding bupropion's effects on craving (g = −0.13[−0.32,0.05], p = 0.15), withdrawal (g = −0.15[−0.44,0.14], p = 0.31) and behavioural indices of smoking (g = −0.05[−0.35,0.24], p = 0.73) relative to placebo. Findings provide meta‐analytic support that short‐term varenicline treatment decreases craving, withdrawal symptoms and smoking behaviour under controlled laboratory conditions. However, findings also suggest the ability of human laboratory paradigms to detect pharmacotherapy effects may differ by treatment type. Pharmacotherapy discovery and evaluation efforts utilizing human laboratory methods should aim to align study designs and laboratory procedures with presumed therapeutic mechanisms when possible.
Inclusion of Sunflower Oil, Organic Selenium, and Vitamin E on Milk Production and Composition, and Blood Parameters of Lactating Cows

Simple Summary Feeding sunflower oil, selenium, and vitamin E to lactating dairy cows has improved the nutritional profile of milk for human consumption and positively impacted animal performance. This may be attributed to the increased healthier fat components, i.e., “good fats”, and antioxidant substances in milk. This study evaluated the effects of supplementing sunflower oil, selenium, and vitamin E on milk production and composition, and the blood parameters of lactating dairy cows. Supplementing sunflower oil to lactating dairy cows provided beneficial effects on milk fatty acid profiles, increasing healthier fatty acids concentrations, which have been reported as important anticarcinogenic, antiatherogenic, and antidiabetic nutrients in human diet. However, this strategy reduced the milk fat content. Selenium and vitamin E supplementation improved milk production and provided higher selenium and vitamin E content in blood and milk. These compounds are important antioxidants and nutrients for animal and human health. Abstract Aiming to improve milk quality and animal health, the effects of the inclusion of sunflower oil with added organic selenium (Se) and vitamin E in the diets of lactating cows were evaluated. Twenty-four multiparous lactating Jersey cows were randomly enrolled into four treatments: CON (control); SEL [2.5 mg organic Se kg−1 dry matter (DM) + 1000 IU vitamin E daily]; SUN (sunflower oil 3% DM); and SEL + SUN (sunflower oil 3% DM + 2.5 mg organic Se kg−1 DM + 1000 IU vitamin E daily). The experimental period was 12 weeks with 14 days for acclimation. Cows were milked twice a day. Dry matter intake, milk production, and composition were measured daily and analyzed in a pooled 4-week sample. On day 84, white blood cell counts, as well as serum and milk Se and vitamin E levels, were assessed. Supplementation with selenium and vitamin E alone or combined with sunflower oil increased milk production, and increased the serum and milk concentrations of those nutrients. The inclusion of sunflower oil reduced fat content and DM intake but also altered the milk fatty acid profile, mainly increasing levels of trans 11 C18:1 (vaccenic) and cis 9 trans 11 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Our results indicate that supplementation with sunflower oil, Se and vitamin E provides beneficial effects on animal performance and milk composition, which could be an important source of CLA and antioxidants (Se and vitamin E) for human consumption.
Generalized Khinchin Theorem for a Class of Aging Processes

The Khinchin theorem provides the condition that a stationary process is ergodic, in terms of the behavior of the corresponding correlation function. Many physical systems are governed by non-stationary processes in which correlation functions exhibit aging. We classify the ergodic behavior of such systems and provide a generalization of Khinchin's theorem. Our work quantifies deviations from ergodicity in terms of aging correlation functions. Using the framework of the fractional Fokker-Planck equation we obtain a simple analytical expression for the two-time correlation function of the particle displacement in a general binding potential, revealing universality in the sense that the binding potential only enters into the prefactor through the first two moments of the corresponding Boltzmann distribution. We discuss applications to experimental data from systems exhibiting anomalous dynamics.
Influence of different data cleaning solutions of point‐occurrence records on downstream macroecological diversity models

Abstract Digital point‐occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and other data providers enable a wide range of research in macroecology and biogeography. However, data errors may hamper immediate use. Manual data cleaning is time‐consuming and often unfeasible, given that the databases may contain thousands or millions of records. Automated data cleaning pipelines are therefore of high importance. Taking North American Ephedra as a model, we examined how different data cleaning pipelines (using, e.g., the GBIF web application, and four different R packages) affect downstream species distribution models (SDMs). We also assessed how data differed from expert data. From 13,889 North American Ephedra observations in GBIF, the pipelines removed 31.7% to 62.7% false positives, invalid coordinates, and duplicates, leading to datasets between 9484 (GBIF application) and 5196 records (manual‐guided filtering). The expert data consisted of 704 records, comparable to data from field studies. Although differences in the absolute numbers of records were relatively large, species richness models based on stacked SDMs (S‐SDM) from pipeline and expert data were strongly correlated (mean Pearson's r across the pipelines: .9986, vs. the expert data: .9173). Our results suggest that all R package‐based pipelines reliably identified invalid coordinates. In contrast, the GBIF‐filtered data still contained both spatial and taxonomic errors. Major drawbacks emerge from the fact that no pipeline fully discovered misidentified specimens without the assistance of taxonomic expert knowledge. We conclude that application‐filtered GBIF data will still need additional review to achieve higher spatial data quality. Achieving high‐quality taxonomic data will require extra effort, probably by thoroughly analyzing the data for misidentified taxa, supported by experts.
Prefrontal cortical connectivity and coupling of infraslow oscillation in the resting human brain: a 2-channel broadband NIRS study

Abstract The resting-state infraslow oscillation (ISO) of the cerebral cortex reflects the neurophysiological state of the human brain. ISO results from distinct vasomotion with endogenic (E), neurogenic (N), and myogenic (M) frequency bands. Quantification of prefrontal ISO in cortical hemodynamics and metabolism in the resting human brain may facilitate the identification of objective features that are characteristic of certain brain disorders. The goal of this study was to explore and quantify the prefrontal ISO of the cortical concentration changes of oxygenated hemoglobin (Δ[HbO]) and redox-state cytochrome c oxidase (Δ[CCO]) as hemodynamic and metabolic activity metrics in all 3 E/N/M bands. Two-channel broadband near-infrared spectroscopy (2-bbNIRS) enabled measurements of the forehead of 26 healthy young participants in a resting state once a week for 5 weeks. After quantifying the ISO spectral amplitude (SA) and coherence at each E/N/M band, several key and statistically reliable metrics were obtained as features: (i) SA of Δ[HbO] at all E/N/M bands, (ii) SA of Δ[CCO] in the M band, (iii) bilateral connectivity of hemodynamics and metabolism across the E and N bands, and (iv) unilateral hemodynamic–metabolic coupling in each of the E and M bands. These features have promising potential to be developed as objective biomarkers for clinical applications in the future.
Research on scheduling strategy for shockwave-field wireless collection nodes

In order to solve the problem of wireless channel congestion caused by the large number of wireless collection nodes with high throughput in the shockwave-field wireless collection system, this paper proposes a scheduling algorithm suitable for shockwave-field wireless collection nodes. Firstly, the algorithm uses the shock wave propagation model to set the grouping weight for each node. Secondly, the algorithm is based on the GWO (Gray Wolf Optimization) algorithm and uses the group weight proportional fair strategy to guide the evolution of the gray wolf population, and finally achieves the goal of reducing congestion delay and improving the total throughput of the system. System simulation results show that the access strategy based on this algorithm reduces 45.71% of the nodes average waiting delay and increases 33.9% of the system throughput compared with sequential access strategy in IEEE802.11 wireless network with PCF (Point Coordination Function. It effectively reduces the delay and congestion in the shockwave-field wireless collection system and improves nodes’ ability for data responsiveness during parallel collection.
Quantitative Genetic Variation for Resistance to Leaf Spot (Ramularia tulasnei) in California Strawberries

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) seedlings from biparental crosses were planted in two trials at Watsonville, Calif. Sept. 1985 and 1986. The 1985 trial was scored on three dates and the 1986 trial on four dates for leaf spot (Ramularia tulasnei) infection. Individual seedlings were assigned a value of 0 to 5 on each date, with 0 indicating no infection and 5 indicating very severe infection. Average infection scores were lowest for the earliest scoring dates in both years (0.93 and 0.38) and maximum at late scoring dates (2.83 and 1.49). Narrow-sense heritabilities for infection scores estimated using partial diallel analyses were 0.07 and 0.03 for the earliest scoring dates in the two trials and were 0.24 and 0.28 for the latest dates. Early season estimates of broad-sense heritabilities were calculated as 0.13 and 0.03, whereas estimates based on later scorings ranged from 0.32 to 0.52. The low heritabilities for early scoring dates result from incomplete and uneven infection, indicating that selection under field conditions will be most effective under conditions of very high infection. The moderate heritabilities and predicted gains estimated for high-infection conditions suggest considerable opportunity for improvement of leaf spot resistance by recurrent breeding and selection using available quantitative genetic variation.