Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MLCAD: A Survey of Research in Machine Learning for CAD Keynote Paper

Due to the increasing size of integrated circuits (ICs), their design and optimization phases (i.e., computer-aided design, CAD) grow increasingly complex. At design time, a large design space needs to be explored to find an implementation that fulfills all specifications and then optimizes metrics like energy, area, delay, reliability, etc. At run time, a large configuration space needs to be searched to find the best set of parameters (e.g., voltage/frequency) to further optimize the system. Both spaces are infeasible for exhaustive search typically leading to heuristic optimization algorithms that find some tradeoff between design quality and computational overhead. Machine learning (ML) can build powerful models that have successfully been employed in related domains. In this survey, we categorize how ML may be used and is used for design-time and run-time optimization and exploration strategies of ICs. A metastudy of published techniques unveils areas in CAD that are well explored and underexplored with ML, as well as trends in the employed ML algorithms. We present a comprehensive categorization and summary of the state of the art on ML for CAD. Finally, we summarize the remaining challenges and promising open research directions.
Partial Discharge Inception Characteristics of Twisted Pairs Under Single Voltage Pulses Generated by Silicon-Carbide Devices

Partial discharge (PD) is a major cause of degradation of motor winding insulation. It is a challenge to the successful electrification of all types of ground, sea, and aerial vehicles. However, the mechanism of PD under pulsewidth modulated voltages is not fully understood. This article studies PD inception characteristics in twisted pairs under single voltage pulses with reduced voltage overshoot, aiming to study the PD inception characteristics and mechanism without the influences of memory effects and voltage overshoot. The tests are conducted with a lab-designed 10-kV silicon carbide (SiC) device-based voltage pulse generator. The generator can produce voltage pulses with variable rise/fall times and pulse widths to emulate the output voltages of both silicon (Si) and SiC device-based power electronics converters. The voltage overshoot in this study has been limited to less than 5%. In addition, single voltage pulses are utilized as the excitation to remove charge memory effects. PD inception voltages, PD current magnitudes, and PD time delays of twisted pair samples are measured under various test conditions. It is found that the partial discharge inception voltage (PDIV) of the test sample decreases with reduced voltage rise time and increased voltage pulsewidth. Based on the test results, the impacts of voltage rise/fall times and pulse widths on PD behavior are explained using the extended volume-time theory. The relationships between PDIV, voltage rise/fall time, and pulsewidth are presented through empirical equations. Test results and analysis provide insights on the impacts of emerging wide bandgap devices in applications on motor winding insulations.
NONLINEAR ELASTIC VISCOUS WITH DAMAGE MODEL TO PREDICT PERMANENT DEFORMATION OF ASPHALT CONCRETE MIXES

The development and use of a nonlinear elastic, viscous with damage model are discussed. The model is proposed as a constitutive relation for asphalt concrete mixes to permit prediction of permanent deformation. The model is intended to capture the macrobehavior of mixes, including (a) the dilatancy observed when the mix is subjected to shear strains, (b) the increase of effective shear modulus under increased hydrostatic pressure, (c) the significant variation of behavior with changes in temperature and rates of loading, and (d) the residual accumulation of permanent deformation under repetitive loading. This model has been developed as part of the Strategic Highway Research Program A-003A efforts to characterize the permanent deformation characteristics of asphalt-aggregate mixes. A new series of tests proposed for the determination of the material properties is presented; modeled and observed responses from a simple validation test are compared; and the use of the model to predict permanent deformation response in an asphalt concrete pavement section is illustrated.
Monitoring and evaluating information-related research*

This article reviews the different elements of research that need to be monitored by research funding agencies and/or by organizations carrying out research, and examines the problems and possibilities of research into the impact of research. A case-study is presented of one such research project which focused on three strands of research undertaken at the University of Sheffield.
Investigation of Power Quality and Luminous Efficacy of Commercial Lamps in Thailand

Abstract The objectives of this paper were to investigate the electrical power quality and efficacy of energy saving lamps. These lamps consume less real power and produce higher relative illumination than traditional lamps. However, energy saving lamps produce high harmonics causing power quality problems. Moreover, they operate at low power factor and demand additional reactive power from the electrical utility. To investigate the power quality of these lamps, a sample of commercial energy saving lamps in Thailand was tested. The experiments were performed by using a luminous flux tester according to IEC standard and the experimental procedures followed the Thai Industrial Standard number 623. The resulting power factors were compared with the requirements of utility and the harmonic distortion was verified with IEEE 519-1992, IEC 6100-3-2 and the requirements of harmonics for business and industry in Thailand. We found that THDV of the sample models exceeded limitations of IEEE 519-1992 while THDV and THDi of almost all the energy saving lamps exceeded the limitations of IEC 6100-3-2. Moreover, the power factors of energy saving lamps did not reach to requirements of utility. It was also found that LED lamps and the compact fluorescent lamps had lower energy consumption and higher illumination than the standard incandescent and mercury lamps. As a consequence, we suggest that choice of a lamp should be considered in regard to the degree of harmonic distortion, power factor, energy consumption, efficacy and associated factors. It is also proposed that innovative energy saving lamps that can raise power factor and lower harmonic distortion should be developed. Keywords : Energy saving lamps; Harmonics; Luminous efficacy; Power factor; Power quality
The Development of Graphene/Silica Hybrid Composites: A Review for Their Applications and Challenges

Graphene and silica are two materials that have wide uses and applications because of their unique properties. Graphene/silica hybrid composite, which is a combination of the two, has the good properties of a combination of graphene and silica while reducing the detrimental properties of both, so that it has promising future prospects in various fields. It is very important to design a synthesis method for graphene/silica composite hybrid materials to adapt to its practical application. In this review, the synthesis strategies of graphene, silica, and hybrid graphene/silica composites such as hydrothermal, sol-gel, hydrolysis, and encapsulation methods along with their results are studied. The application of this composite is also discussed, which includes applications such as adsorbents, energy storage, biomedical fields, and catalysts. Furthermore, future research challenges and futures need to be developed so that hybrid graphene/silica composites can be obtained with promising new application prospects.
Compact balanced diplexer based on hairpin split ring resonators with high isolation performance

In this paper, a compact balanced diplexer using a novel hairpin split ring resonator (H-SRR) is presented and demonstrated. First, the working principle of the proposed H-SRR is described, which shows a negative permittivity or a negative permeability in the stopband. It can be used to construct compact passive components and improve the stopband rejection performance. Then, the differential-mode (DM) excitation and common-mode (CM) excitation are investigated, respectively. Under DM operation, the H-SRR can provide one DM resonant mode. Under CM operation, the H-SRR can excite two CM resonant modes far from the DM resonant mode, thus producing a desired CM rejection performance. Moreover, by introducing a mixed electromagnetic coupling, transmission zeros are produced, significantly improving the DM isolation between the two channels. Finally, a balanced diplexer is designed and fabricated. The lower and higher channels of the diplexer are centered at 3.36 and 4.00 GHz. The DM channel isolation is better than 40/41 dB in the two passbands when the frequency ratio is less than 1.2, which is in satisfactory agreement with the simulated results.
From Sleeping to Stockpiling: Energy Conservation via Stochastic Scheduling in Wireless Networks.

Motivated by the need to conserve energy in wireless networks, we study three stochastic dynamic scheduling problems. In the first problem, we consider a wireless sensor node that can turn its radio off for fixed durations of time in order to conserve energy. We formulate finite horizon expected cost and infinite horizon average expected cost problems to model the fundamental tradeoff between packet delay and energy consumption. Through analysis of the dynamic programming equations, we derive structural results on the optimal policies for both formulations. For the infinite horizon problem, we identify a threshold decision rule to determine the optimal control action when the queue is empty. In the second problem, we consider a sensor node with an inaccurate timer in the ultra-low power sleep mode. The loss in timing accuracy in the sleep mode can result in unnecessary energy consumption from two unsynchronized devices trying to communicate. We develop a novel method for the node to calibrate its timer: occasionally waking up to measure the ambient temperature, upon which the timer speed depends. The objective is to dynamically schedule a limited number of temperature measurements in a manner most useful to improving the accuracy of the timer. We formulate optimization problems with both continuous and discrete underlying time scales, and implement a numerical solution to an equivalent reduction of the second
Design of Dualband Bandpass High-Temperature Superconducting Filter With Group Delay Equalization

A novel dualband high-temperature superconducting (HTS) bandpass filter is proposed with group delay equalization for 5G emergency communication receivers with N41 and N79 bands in this paper. The dual-folded stub-loaded stepped impedance resonator (DSLSIR) is applied to realize dualband performance. The proposed DSLSIR has miniaturized circuit size and more design freedom to independently adjust the two designed center frequencies, comparing with other reported DSLSIRs. Two cross-coupling transmission lines are added at the top and bottom parts of the cascaded sixth-order filter with DSLSIRs to flatten the group delay of the passband at both bands. A dualband bandpass HTS filter etched on the YBCO superconducting material is fabricated to verify the proposed design method. The measurement is actualized at the temperature of 77 K to make YBCO microstrip lines perform superconducting features. The results show that the first center frequency is 2.595 GHz with 6.2% bandwidth for N41 band and 0.3 dB insertion loss while the second center frequency is 4.85 GHz with 2% bandwidth for N79 band and 0.4 dB insertion loss. Meanwhile, the group delays at the N41 and N79 bands keep 2 ns fluctuations in the 60% passband. The agreement between the measured and simulated results indicates that the proposed dualband bandpass HTS filter with low insertion loss, sharp roll-off skirt and flat group delay is a promising candidate for emergency communication receiver.
Addressing the Economics of Waste

Introduction; Trends in Waste Generation and Waste Policies; Economic Analysis of Solid Waste Management Policies; The Development and Implementation of a Landfill Tax in the UK; Waste Tax in Norway; Costs and benefits of alternative treatments of PVC waste in Denmark; Efficient Targeting of Waste Policies in the Product Chain; Targeting Lead in Solid Waste; Changing Product Characteristics to Reduce Waste Generation; Issues for further work - Conclusions.
PADRÃO ALIMENTAR DE ESTUDANTES UNIVERSITÁRIOS E SUAS IMPLICAÇÕES SOBRE OS FATORES DE RISCO CARDIOVASCULAR

Estudo transversal realizado entre junho e julho de 2018, com 128 estudantes de uma Universidade Federal do sul do país. Com o objetivo de correlacionar o padrão alimentar de estudantes universitários com a presença de fatores de risco cardiovascular. Os hábitos alimentares foram investigados através do questionário Guia Alimentar para População Brasileira do Ministério da Saúde 2014. Coletadas medidas antropométricas e pressão arterial. Os dados foram lançados no programa Prism 7.05, variáveis contínuas expressas em média e desvio padrão e categóricas em números absolutos e porcentagens, para correlação entre o índice de massa corporal e o padrão alimentar, e para pressão arterial sistólica e o padrão alimentar, utilizou-se o coeficiente de correlação de Pearson, demonstrando correlação inversa significativa em ambos. Conclui-se que os hábitos alimentares dos estudantes são inadequados e que há presença moderada de fatores de risco cardiovascular, em especial o sedentarismo e a circunferência abdominal alterada.
English Teachers’ Conceptions of Formative Assessment in Online Teaching

Formative assessment is one type of assessment that is commonly implemented in teaching and learning. However, to carry out a formative assessment, teachers need to adjust the conceptions of formative assessment in the online teaching and learning environment. This descriptive qualitative study aimed to determine the English teacher's conceptions of formative assessment in online teaching and learning. To gather the data, the writers used a closed-questionnaire and semi- structured interview. Furthermore, two English teachers participated as the sample of this study. These two English teachers were selected based on several predetermined conditions; teaching experience and educational background. The result of this study shows that both English teachers have a good conception of formative assessment in online teaching. They consider that the application of formative assessments in the online classroom is easy and does not need complicated requirements in its implementation. In addition, formative assessment can help English teachers monitor the progress of their students so that they can prepare better future lesson plans according to the conditions of their students in the online teaching and learning process.
Optimum dietary level of Chlorella vulgaris powder as a feed additive for some blood parameters and digestive enzymatic activities of grey mullet, Mugil cephalus

The present paper aims to shed lights on effect of optimum dietary level of Chlorella vulgaris powder (CP) as a feed additive on some blood biochemical parameters (Cholesterol (CHO), triglyceride (TG), total protein (TP), glucose (GLU), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and lysozyme) and digestive enzymatic activities (amylase, lipase and protease) of the grey mullet (Mugil cephalus L). Four experimental diets were supplemented with CP at 0, 5, 10 and 15g kg-1 diet (CP0, CP, CP10 and CP15). Number of twelve tanks (60L) with three replicates for treatment group (n=10 per tank with average initial weights 14.95±2.01g) and the control group were considered. After 60 days of the feeding trial, fish fed CP5 diet had lower serum CHO and TG levels than did fish fed CP0, CP10 and CP15 diets (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in GLU between fish fed CP5 and CP10 diet (P>0.05). The highest serum total protein, amylase, protease, lipase and lysozyme activities were observed in fish fed CP5. Also, fish fed CP10 and CP15 diets had higher digestive enzymatic activities, serum total protein and lysozyme activities than did fish fed CP0 (P<0.05). These results indicate that dietary supplementation of 5g chlorella powder in the commercial diets could improve the blood chemical responses and the activity of digestive enzyme in grey mullet.
Development of Cutting Fluids Which Are Environment - and Human-Friendly

Reflecting a growing concern about protection of the environment and workers' health, ecological and hygienic factors have become two of the customers' most important considerations in selecting cutting fluids. Biostable water-miscible cutting fluids have come into wide use. They contribute to the improvement of workshop conditions and the reduction of waste waters because of their longer life. Synthetic fluids, which contain no mineral oil, have the advantage of forming clear and transparent solutions, resulting in clear machine tool surfaces. For the prevention of eutrophication of environmental water by dissolved nitrogen compounds, an emulsified oil which contains only a minimized amount of nitrogen has been introduced into the market and is now undergoing field tests. For cutting oils, chlorine-free oils which can be applied to heavy-duty machining are becoming more widelv used. Cutting oils which generate less mist during oDeration have also become common.
Sulfonylurea Receptor 1 in Central Nervous System Injury: An Updated Review

Sulfonylurea receptor 1 (SUR1) is a member of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette (ABC) protein superfamily, encoded by Abcc8, and is recognized as a key mediator of central nervous system (CNS) cellular swelling via the transient receptor potential melastatin 4 (TRPM4) channel. Discovered approximately 20 years ago, this channel is normally absent in the CNS but is transcriptionally upregulated after CNS injury. A comprehensive review on the pathophysiology and role of SUR1 in the CNS was published in 2012. Since then, the breadth and depth of understanding of the involvement of this channel in secondary injury has undergone exponential growth: SUR1-TRPM4 inhibition has been shown to decrease cerebral edema and hemorrhage progression in multiple preclinical models as well as in early clinical studies across a range of CNS diseases including ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, cardiac arrest, subarachnoid hemorrhage, spinal cord injury, intracerebral hemorrhage, multiple sclerosis, encephalitis, neuromalignancies, pain, liver failure, status epilepticus, retinopathies and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder. Given these substantial developments, combined with the timeliness of ongoing clinical trials of SUR1 inhibition, now, another decade later, we review advances pertaining to SUR1-TRPM4 pathobiology in this spectrum of CNS disease—providing an overview of the journey from patch-clamp experiments to phase III trials.
Mollusc-Derived Brominated Indoles for the Selective Inhibition of Cyclooxygenase: A Computational Expedition

Inflammation plays an important role in different chronic diseases. Brominated indoles derived from the Australian marine mollusk Dicathais orbita (D. orbita) are of interest for their anti-inflammatory properties. This study evaluates the binding mechanism and potentiality of several brominated indoles (tyrindoxyl sulfate, tyrindoleninone, 6-bromoisatin, and 6,6′-dibromoindirubin) against inflammatory mediators cyclooxygenases-1/2 (COX-1/2) using molecular docking, followed by molecular dynamics simulation, along with physicochemical, drug-likeness, pharmacokinetic (pk), and toxicokinetic (tk) properties. Molecular docking identified that these indole compounds are anchored, with the main amino acid residues, positioned in the binding pocket of the COX-1/2, required for selective inhibition. Moreover, the molecular dynamics simulation based on root mean square deviation (RMSD), radius of gyration (Rg), solvent accessible surface area (SASA), and root mean square fluctuation (RMSF) analyses showed that these natural brominated molecules transit rapidly to a progressive constant configuration during binding with COX-1/2 and seem to accomplish a consistent dynamic behavior by maintaining conformational stability and compactness. The results were comparable to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved selective COX inhibitor, aspirin. Furthermore, the free energy of binding for the compounds assessed by molecular mechanics–Poisson–Boltzmann surface area (MM–PBSA) confirmed the binding capacity of indoles towards COX-1/2, with suitable binding energy values except for the polar precursor tyrindoxyl sulfate (with COX-1). The physicochemical and drug-likeness analysis showed zero violations of Lipinski’s rule, and the compounds are predicted to have excellent pharmacokinetic profiles. These indoles are projected to be non-mutagenic and free from hepatotoxicity, with no inhibition of human ether-a-go–go gene (hERG) I inhibitors, and the oral acute toxicity LD50 in rats is predicted to be similar or lower than aspirin. Overall, this work has identified a plausible mechanism for selective COX inhibition by natural marine indoles as potential therapeutic candidates for the mitigation of inflammation.
Termobiología de Bothrops asper (Garman, 1883) en Colombia: ensayos ecofisiológicos

Se determinó el rango de temperatura óptimo (RTO) y las temperaturas críticas (CTmax, CTMin) de la tasa respiratoria (TR) y los comportamientos de alimentación (CA) y de defensa (CD) de Bothrops asper en condiciones de cautiverio. Se usaron serpientes adultas (n=10) con una talla de 137.2±17.2 cm y peso de 829.0±378.9 g, sometidas a temperaturas experimentales entre 10 y 40 °C y cambios graduales de 3 °C por minuto, excepto para la captura de alimento (4 °C por semana). El RTO fue entre 21 y 31 °C para TR (22.9±5.1 resp/min), de 27 a 31 °C y de 26 a 30 °C para CA y CD, respectivamente. Las CTmax y CTMin fueron de 39 °C y 15.5 °C para TR, de 34.7 °C y 20 °C para CA y de 33 °C y 21.7 °C para CD, respectivamente. Las temperaturas y las variables ecofisiológicas estuvieron correlacionadas en la mayoría de los casos (R=0.67, p=0.000), observándose mayor sensibilidad a registros térmicos altos. Estos datos demuestran que la temperatura actúa como un modulador de los eventos de la historia de vida y del grado de intensidad y sucesión de los procesos fisiológicos y comportamentales de este vipérido. Los resultados también indican que B. asper no podría extender su rango de distribución geográfica por encima de los 2000 m de altitud. Finalmente, se sugiere un grado de amenaza mayor (casi amenazada) para esta especie.
Peer Evaluation of Master Program - Closing the Quality Circle of CDIO Programs?

This paper describes a quality assurance project, which is conducted within the framework of the Nordic Five Tech Alliance (N5T), a strategic alliance of the five leading technical universities in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The project is concerned with the development of a common quality enhancement tool. The tool is designed for conducting peer evaluations of educational programs enabling further development of the study programs involved, and thereby it is contributing to closing the quality circle embedded in the CDIO approach. In addition, the project aims to contribute to the consolidation of the N5T alliance by facilitating contacts between faculty members and providing them with an in-depth knowledge of the study programs within their field at another N5T institution. The paper describes the quality enhancement tool in detail, and how it was applied to evaluate master programs. It also discusses its contribution to the development of the programs. Furthermore it shows how international peer evaluation can contribute to closing the quality circle embedded in the CDIO approach, and assesses the value of the approach to contribute to the creation of long-term relationships in educational networks.