Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phase-locking of an axisymmetric-fold combination cavity CO2 laser using the back surface of the output-mirror

The principle of phase-locking of an axisymmetric fold combination cavity CO2 laser, fulfilled by the reflection–injection of the back surface of the output-mirror, has been studied in detail. Variation of the equiphase surface and the influence of some characteristic parameters on phase-locking are analyzed—for example, phase error, changes in the cavity length and curvature radius, line-width and temperature. It is shown that the injected beam can excite a stable mode in the cavities, and the value of the energy coupling coefficient directly reflects the degree of phase-locking. Therefore, the output beams have a fixed phase relation between each other, and good coherent beams can be obtained by using the phase-locking method.
Mode confinement enhanced in hybrid Bloch surface wave long-range waveguide

Abstract. In aims to enhance the electric-field confinement capability of Bloch surface wave (BSW) with low propagation loss, here, we develop a high-performance hybrid BSW waveguide that incorporates a high-index nano-ridge loaded photonic crystal slab with a silicon dielectric nanowire. Leveraging the mode hybridization, a subwavelength mode confinement in conjunction with long-range waveguiding is achievable. Its robust properties against the possible fabrication imperfection for practical implementations and comparisons with similar hybrid waveguide configurations are also discussed to indicate the improved guiding performance of our proposed waveguide. These remarkable optical properties render such waveguide to hold the promise of building numerous high-performance nanophotonic devices.
Greedy Gaussian mixture learning for texture segmentation

The problem of segmenting an image into several modalities representing different textures can be modeled using Gaussian mixtures. Fitting a Gaussian mixtures on the data is not trivial problem and no guaranteed optimal algorithm exists. In this paper we show the benefits of a recently developed greedy procedure to Gaussian mixture learning to the problem of texture segmentation. We present the greedy learning method and provide experimental results illustrating the potential of the new method.
Prosodic effects on speech gestures : A shape analysis based on functional data analysis

Prosodic phrasing and prominence modulate the production of speech gestures by increasing their duration and often also the amplitude. Here we investigate whether the shape of bilabial and dorsal constriction and release gestures is affected by phrase boundary strength and lexical stress. Articulatory movements of four speakers of German were recorded with 3D EMA. 8 bisyllabic test words starting with the clusters /kn, kl, ps, pl/ and either stressed on the first or on the second syllable were embedded in sentences that elicited phrase boundaries of different strengths. Vertical tongue back movements and lip aperture from the constriction onset to the release offset of the initial consonant were extracted and time and amplitude normalized. In order to investigate shape differences a functional principal component analysis (see Ramsay & Silverman 2002) was performed. The resulting factor scores quantify gestural shape differences. The results indicate that boundary strength affects the skewness, i.e. targets are achieved later for stronger preceding boundaries. Furthermore, movement curves of initial consonants in unstressed syllables were more peaked than in stressed ones. By applying this method, global shape differences due to prosodic modulation of articulatory gestures can be extracted without recourse to specific landmarks. [Supported by NIH DC03172]
Multiobjective L/sub 1//H/sub /spl infin// controller design for systems with frequency and time domain constraints

We develop an optimal mixed-norm L/sub 1/ bound/H/sub /spl infin// controller synthesis framework for continuous-time linear systems. This multiobjective problem is treated by forming a convex combination of both L/sub 1/ (time domain worst-case peak amplitude response) and entropy (frequency domain worst-case H/sub /spl infin// disturbance attenuation) performance measures. For flexibility in controller synthesis, we adopt the approach of fixed-structure controller design which allows consideration of arbitrary controller structures, including order, internal structure, and decentralization. Finally, using a quasi-Newton continuation algorithm, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed mixed-norm L/sub 1//H/sub /spl infin// approach via a numerical design example.
Primula luquanensis sp. nov. (Primulaceae), a New Species from Southwestern China, Reveals a Novel Floral Form in the Heterostyly-Prevailing Genus

A new species, Primula luquanensis Z.K. Wu and Wei Zhou sp. nov. (Primulaceae) is described and illustrated from Yunnan Province, China. It is morphologically assigned to P. sect Aleuritia based on its dwarf and hairless habit and coverage by farina on both sides of the leaf blade and scape. This new species is similar to P. nutantiflora and P. yunnanensis, but it is easily distinguished by its stolons, solitary bract, bell-shaped corolla and monomorphic floral form. The new species also has a substantially reduced corolla tube, presenting a unique floral form in a genus where heterostyly typically prevails.
Stiction-free release etch with anhydrous HF/water vapor processes

In today's MEMS fabrication, stiction remains one of the fundamental manufacturability challenges. A major step towards eliminating stiction problems is the use of a gas-phase process for the beam release. To date, an anhydrous HF/water vapor MEMS release process has been in production for two years with excellent repeatability and reliability. This stiction-free anhydrous HF/water vapor MEMS release process for accelerometers has been further characterized to determine and solve manufacturing challenges associated with the differences between aqueous-based and vapor-phase release processes. Detailed process characterization to further understand material compatibility with the HF/water vapor release process has been investigated. Various films such as oxides and nitrides of silicon, photoresist, and metals such as gold and aluminum have been characterized for their compatibility with the anhydrous HF/water vapor MEMS release process. Initial results with wafer dicing films are promising as these films show little degradation during extended vapor-phase release processes. The resistance of the wafer dicing films to the anhydrous HF/water vapor process makes it possible to complete the sacrificial oxide release process after substrates have been diced.
Force sensing with temperature self-compensated based on a loop thin-wall section beam

A novel method about force sensing with temperature self-compensated based on a loop thin-wall section beam is proposed and demonstrated. Two identical fiber Bragg gratings are rigidly affixed on the outer surface of the beam with the positional angle difference between the two gratings of 90/spl deg/. The wavelength space between the two reflected peaks of the gratings is proportional to the force and insensitive to temperature when the direction of the force and one of the two gratings are located along a diameter; therefore, the force sensing with temperature self-compensated can be achieved.
Modulation of Kinase Activities In Vitro by Hepatitis C Virus Protease NS3/NS4A Mediated-Cleavage of Key Immune Modulator Kinases

Hepatitis C Virus NS3/NS4A, a serine protease complex, has been found to interact with many host proteins and cause various adverse effects on cellular function and immune response. For example, the cleavage of important immune factors by NS3/NS4A has been suggested as a mechanism for the hepatitis C virus to evade innate immunity. The spectrum of susceptible substrates for NS3/NS4A cleavage certainly includes important immune modulator kinases such as IKKα, IKKβ, IKKε, and TBK1, as demonstrated in this paper. We show that the kinase activities of these four host kinases were transformed in unexpected ways by NS3/NS4A. Treatment with NS3/NS4A caused a significant reduction in the kinase activities of both IKKα and IKKβ, suggesting that HCV might use its NS3/NS4A protease activity to deactivate the NF-κB-associated innate immune responses. In contrast, the kinase activities of both IKKε and TBK1 were enhanced after NS3/NS4A treatment, and more strikingly, the enhancement was more than 10-fold within 20 min of treatment. Our mass spectroscopic results suggested that the cleavage after Cys89 in the kinase domain of IKKε by NS3/NS4A led to their higher kinase activities, and three potential mechanisms were discussed. The observed kinase activity enhancement might facilitate the activation of both IKKε- and TBK1-dependent cellular antiviral pathways, likely contributing to spontaneous clearance of the virus and observed acute HCV infection. After longer than 20 min cleavage, both IKKε- and TBK1 gradually lost their kinase activities and the relevant antiviral pathways were expected to be inactivated, facilitating the establishment of chronic HCV infection.
Genetic Algorithm-Based Redundancy Optimization Problems in Fuzzy Framework

This article uses a genetic algorithm to solve the series parallel redundancy optimization problem which is in a fuzzy framework. Three nonlinear chance constrained programing models and three goal programing models are formulated based on possibility measure and credibility measure. A fuzzy simulation-based genetic algorithm is then employed to solve these kinds of fuzzy programing. Finally, numerical examples are also given.
Damage and cracking in thin mud layers

We present a detailed study of a two-dimensional lattice model introduced to describe mud cracking in the limit of extremely thin layers. In this model to each bond in the lattice is assigned a (quenched) random breaking threshold. Fractures proceed by selecting the `weakest' part of the material (i.e. the smallest value of the threshold). A local damage rule is also implemented, by using two different types of weakening of the neighbouring sites, corresponding to different physical situations. We present the results of numerical simulations on this model. We also derive some analytical results through a probabilistic approach known as run time statistics. In particular, we find that the total time to divide the sample scales with the square power L2 of the linear size L of the lattice. This result is not straightforward since the percolating cluster has a non-trivial fractal dimension. Furthermore, we present here a formula for the mean weakening of the whole sample during the evolution.
Piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of P (VDF-TrFE) copolymers and their application to ultrasonic transducers

Abstract The copolymers of vinylidene fluoride (VDF) and trifluoroethylene (TrFE) have been found to be effective ultrasonic transducer materials because of their large electromechanical coupling factor kt . On the basis of the results obtained by SEM, X-ray diffraction, and ferroelectric polarization reversal studies of copolymer films, the large kt is ascribed to their high remanent polarization, which may originate from high crystallinity and preferential orientation of well-grown crystallites. Various single element transducers for medical ultrasound imaging have been developed utilizing PVDF and P(VDF-TrFE) films. The performance of these transducers is in good agreement with a theoretical prediction in which their dielectric and mechanical losses are taken into account. The P(VDF-TrFE) transducers have a two-pathway sensitivity 10 dB higher than that of PVDF transducers. They give high resolution medical images much superior in quality to those obtained with conventional ceramic transducers. Linear .
Computer aided Knot theory using mathematica and mathlink

We introduce a computer tool called Knot2000(K2K) which was developed for the purpose of support for the research of knot theory. K2K is a package on Mathematica in which consists of 19 functions and it has already been opened to the public with other external programs and data files. In this paper, we will describe focusing on the usages of each functions and some examples of effective ways to use K2K, and show its availability.
Endovascular Chemotherapy: Selective Targeting for Brain Cancer

Establishing an effective and robust management option for brain cancers has proven to bean elusive challenge for the fields of neurosurgery and neuro-oncology. Despite decades of research efforts to improve treatment outcomes and increase patient survivability, brain cancer remains among the most fatal of all cancer classes. A significant barrier to this endeavor is the blood-brain barrier, a major protective border for brain tissue that primarily precludes the optimal delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs to the patient’s brain circulation through tight junction formations and selective transporter proteins. This issue is often compounded by tumor location, particularly in inoperable regions near functional brain parenchyma. These obstacles necessitate the development of selectively targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic agents, such as endovascular super-selective intra-arterial injections. Recent experimental studies demonstrate the effectiveness of focused ultrasound to unseal the blood-brain barrier selectively and reversibly. Together, these new technologies can be leveraged to circumvent the limited permeability of the blood-brain barrier, thus improving drug delivery to tumoral locations and potentially enabling a more effective treatment alternative to surgical resection. This review attempts to place into context the necessity of these newer selective chemotherapeutic modalities by briefly highlighting commonly encountered brain cancers and explaining the prominent challenges that face chemotherapy delivery, as well as describing the current preclinical and clinical progress in the development of facilitatory focused ultrasound with selective endovascular chemotherapy.
Remote monitoring in heart failure: it’s the data you collect and what you do with them

From the patient’s perspective, a heart failure hospitalisation is associated with a permanent stepchange in quality of life, functional capacity and independence. From a societal perspective, an unplanned admission is the costliest portion of heart failure care, forming a large proportion of overall healthcare expenditure given the current epidemic of heart failure. Although a heart failure hospitalisation is a sentinel event, following which ~25% are readmitted within 30 days, and ~30% will die within 1 year, from the clinician’s perspective it is also an opportunity to rapidly optimise medical and device therapies for those at the greatest risk. These activities do not, however, require a patient be in a hospital bed. They merely require the ability to identify atrisk individuals and to coordinate care to prevent, delay or plan for the progression to an advanced heart failure syndrome.
A simple and low‐cost method to visualize musculature and other aspects of anatomy by confocal microscopy

Confocal microscopy study of musculature and other anatomical structures in whole‐mount preparations of arthropods and some other cuticle‐bearing animals often presents a significant difficulty because the cuticle poses a barrier to fluorescent dyes and their pigmented tissues can cause attenuation of fluorescent signal. This paper describes a simple and inexpensive procedure based on the use of clove oil as a tissue‐clearing, staining, and mounting medium that helps overcome the problem of slow dye penetration and tissue opaqueness and allows muscles and several other organ systems to be visualized by confocal or epifluorescent microscopy. This clove oil‐induced fluorescence (COIF) method relies on the ability of clove oil to accumulate in muscles and some other tissues and become steadily fluorescent if irradiated at 488 nm. For this method, animals were fixed in 70% ethanol or 4% formaldehyde, then dehydrated and mounted in clove oil. Heavily pigmented animals were additionally bleached in hydrogen peroxide prior to the dehydration step. The COIF method showed excellent results in all major groups of arthropods and some mollusks and annelids revealing the three‐dimensional arrangement of muscles, gonads, glands, cellular nuclei and some parts of the nervous and digestive systems. In the other animal groups tested, clove oil stained all tissues making it difficult to observe the anatomical details. The COIF method is advantageous in some respects over other methods such as phalloidin staining because of its tissue penetration and clearing abilities, low cost of the reagents, resistance to photodamage and the possibility of staining museum specimens.
Money Mathematics: Examining Ethics Education in Quantitative Finance

The field of quantitative analysis is often mistaken to be a discipline free from ethical burdens. The quantitative financial analyst or “quant” profession holds a position of significant responsibility as the keeper of mathematical models used in complex derivative security pricing and risk management. Despite this responsibility very few postgraduate programs address the teaching of ethics and professional standards in their curriculum, and the credibility of the profession has suffered as a result of several high-profile financial losses. Some of these failures could have been avoided and their impacts diminished if ethical considerations were integrated with quantitative method. Appropriate development in ethics education for quants is needed to identify points in the decision-making process where ethical questions can arise, and to explain how quants can protect stakeholders from the costs of unethical behaviour. An approach to ethics education needs to be flexible and allow for different methods to infuse ethical coverage into the course. Such an approach will go some way towards aligning the profession with other specialisations in banking and avoid the need for complex and unnecessary regulation.
Usage of a workplace health promotion app: an evaluation of app usage data and medical check-up results

Smartphone applications (apps) have been used and evaluated in the context of workplace health promotion (WHP) programs. However, there is a lack of studies analyzing actual app usage data and measuring changes in medical markers to evaluate the effectiveness of WHP apps in terms of health improvements in practice. In this study, we evaluated data from 555 employees of an IT company who participated in a WHP program over the course of one year. Participants of the program received a medical check-up as well as a health app to understand their medical results and receive advice for a healthier lifestyle. In addition, 99 of these employees underwent a follow-up medical check-up. It was found that the smartphone app for healthy lifestyle promotion in combination with onsite medical check-ups was effective in improving various health indicators, for example, BMI, body fat, blood pressure and triglycerides. The study further identified influence factors for sustained app usage, and analyzed different usage behaviors among gender and age groups.
A Semi‐parametric Regression Model with Errors in Variables

Abstract. In this paper, we consider a partial linear regression model with measurement errors in possibly all the variables. We use a method of moments and deconvolution to construct a new class of parametric estimators together with a non‐parametric kernel estimator. Strong convergence, optimal rate of weak convergence and asymptotic normality of the estimators are investigated.
Caregiver Worry of Infection and Family Co-existence Difficulty and Association With Change in Children’s Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms During the Initial COVID-19 Lockdown in the UK and Turkey

The study examined whether caregiver worry of COVID-19 infection and co-existence difficulty differentially predicted child mental health and wellbeing during the lockdown in two culturally different countries that were severely affected by the pandemic: the UK and Turkey. Co-existence difficulty is the hardship experienced by family members living all together in the same house at the same time during the lockdown period. Participants were 1849 caregivers of children between 5- and 12-years old living in the UK (n = 995) and Turkey (n = 854), who completed an electronic survey distributed via social networks during the initial phase of the COVID-19 lockdown (July and August 2020). Caregivers completed a set of questionnaires on child and family wellbeing and on whether the child’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms changed during the lockdown as compared to before. Worry of COVID-19 infection was higher amongst caregivers in the Turkish sample and was associated with higher levels of child internalizing symptoms during the lockdown in the Turkish sample, however there were no statistically significant differences in the size of the impact of worry of infection on the children’s internalizing symptoms between the two countries. Co-existence difficulty independently predicted increase in children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms during the lockdown in both samples. Families in the UK experienced a higher level of difficulty with co-existence compared to the families living in Turkey but the magnitude of the impact of co-existence difficulty on children’s outcomes between the two samples was not significantly different.The findings suggest that public health strategies should aim to reduce social anxiety and invest in the development of programs aimed at supporting families to overcome the challenges of co-existence during times of public health crisis.
Photoisomerization of 1,2‐Di(4‐pyridyl)ethylene According to NMR and UV Spectroscopy Data and Density Functional Modeling

Photoisomerization of 1,2‐di(4‐pyridyl)ethylene under UV irradiation was studied by NMR and UV spectroscopy in solutions of acetone, acetonitrile and chloroform. It has been established that in the studied solutions under irradiation, geometric photoisomerization occurs: the trans‐isomer transforms into the cis‐isomer and then cyclization occurs. DFT modeling of the listed processes, states and UV absorption spectra of the sample in an acetonitrile solution was performed.
Sound level distribution and scatter in proportionate spaces

Measurements have been conducted in two scale models of proportionate spaces each containing measures to promote a diffuse sound field. Contrary to classical statistical theory, it was found that reflected sound levels decrease with the distance from the source. Measured levels follow behavior predicted by a revised theory previously proposed for concert halls. The scatter of the measured reflected sound levels is shown consistently to exceed values predicted by Lubman/Schroeder’s theory. However, it is demonstrated that this theory does accurately predict scatter of late sound levels when the early reflections are omitted. Investigation into the scatter of reverberation times shows that it is generally well predicted by Davy’s theory.