Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimal Identification and Metaheuristic PID Control of a Two-Tank System

In the modern optimization context, this paper introduces an optimal PID-based control strategy for a two-tank installation, namely ASTANK2. The process model was identified by using raw and spline smoothed measured data, respectively. Two PID controller configurations, a standard (regular) one (PID-R) and a non-standard one (PID-N), were considered for each type of model, resulting in four regulators. The optimal tuning parameters of each regulator were obtained by a searching approach relying on a combination of two metaheuristics. Firstly, an improved version of the Hill Climbing algorithm was employed to comprehensively explore the searching space, aiming to find fairly accurate tuning parameters. Secondly, an improved version of the Firefly Algorithm was proposed to intensively refine the search around the previously found optimal parameters. A comparative analysis between the four controllers was achieved in terms of performance and robustness. The simulation results showed that all optimal controllers yielded good performance in the presence of exogenous stochastic noise (bounded error tracking, setpoint tracking, reduced overshoot, short settling time). Robustness analysis is extensive and illustrates that the PID-R controllers are more robust to model uncertainties, whilst PID-N controllers are more robust to tracking staircase type references.
Life Cycle Perspectives of Using Non-Pelleted vs. Pelleted Corn Stover in a Cellulosic Biorefinery

Cellulosic biorefineries have attracted interest due to the growing energy security and environmental concerns related to fossil fuel-based energy and chemicals. Using pelleted biomass as a biorefinery feedstock can reduce their processing inputs while improving biomass handling and transportation. However, it is still questionable whether energy and emission savings from feedstock transportation and processing can justify pelletization. A life cycle assessment approach was used to compare energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from pelleted and non-pelleted corn stover as a biorefinery feedstock. Operations considered were pelleting, transportation, and soaking in aqueous ammonia (SAA) pretreatment. Despite greater GHG emissions (up to 25 times higher than the transportation) generated from the pelleting process, the model showed a significant opportunity to offset and even reduce overall GHG emissions considering the pretreatment process benefits. Our process energy analysis showed that SAA pretreatment of pelleted biomass required significantly lower energy inputs (56%) due to the lower-severity pretreatment’s effectiveness. Higher pretreatment solid loadings are allowed when pelleted biomass is used and this reduces the process chemicals and water requirements by 56% and 49%, respectively. This study demonstrated that the SAA pretreatment of pelleted biomass might be a feasible option as the cellulosic biorefinery feedstock.
On Goodness of WiFi Based Monitoring of Sleep Vital Signs in the Wild

WiFi channel state information (CSI) has emerged as a plausible modality for sensing different human vital signs, i.e., respiration and body motion, as a function of modulated wireless signals that travel between WiFi devices. Although a remarkable proposition, most of the existing research in this space struggles to withstand robust performance beyond experimental conditions. To this end, we take a careful look at the dynamics of WiFi signals under human respiration and body motions in the wild. We first characterize the WiFi signal components—multipath and signal subspace—that are modulated by human respiration and body motions. We extrapolate on a set of transformations, including first-order differentiation, max-min normalization and component projections, that faithfully explains and quantifies the dynamics of respiration and body motions on WiFi signals. Grounded in this characterization, we propose two methods: 1) a respiration tracking technique that models the peak dynamics observed in the time-varying signal subspace and 2) a body-motion tracking technique built with a multi-dimensional clustering of evolving signal subspace. Finally, we reflect on the manifestation of these techniques in a practical sleep monitoring application. Our systematic evaluation with over 550 hours of data from 5 users covering both line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) settings shows that the proposed techniques can achieve comparable performance to purpose-built pulse-Doppler radar.
Adaptive and survivable trust management for Internet of Things systems

The Internet of Things (IoT) is characterized by the seamless integration of heterogeneous devices into information networks to enable collaborative environments, specifically those concerning the collection of data and exchange of information and services. Security and trustworthiness are among the critical requirements for the effective deployment of IoT systems. However, trust management in IoT is extremely challenging due to its open environment, where the quality of information is often unknown because entities may misbehave. A hybrid context ‐ aware trust and reputation management protocol is presented for fog ‐ based IoT that addresses adaptivity, survivability, and scalability requirements. Through simulation, the effectiveness of the proposed protocol is demonstrated.
Incidence and Risk Factors for Bilateral Nephrolithiasis: A Large Case-retrospective Study

To determine the incidence and risk factors of bilateral kidney stones. Utilized the retrospective analysis method on demographic characteristics and clinical data of patients with renal stones in the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University. Grouped patients into unilateral and bilateral renal stones according to preoperative imaging and ultrasound examination. Univariate and multivariate analysis methods were used to evaluate the factors that may cause bilateral stones. The study included 7587 patients with kidney stones in total, of whom 4983 had unilateral kidney stones (including 2719 left stones and 2264 right stones), and 2604 had bilateral kidney stones (34.3%). By comparing the unilateral stones group with the bilateral stones group, the univariate analysis demonstrated that weight, body mass index (BMI), history of nephrolithiasis, diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, gout, and the maximal stone diameter had statistical significance. Binary logistic regression multivariate analysis demonstrated that BMI, history of nephrolithiasis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, gout, and the maximal stone diameter were independent risk factors for bilateral urinary stones. This study shows that 34.3% of patients with kidney stones were diagnosed as having bilateral kidney stones; BMI and the maximal stone diameter are positively correlated with the incidence of bilateral kidney stones; Patients with a history of nephrolithiasis, diabetes, hypertension, and gout have a significantly higher risk of having bilateral kidney stones.
Activated biochars derived from wood biomass liquefaction residues for effective removal of hazardous hexavalent chromium from aquatic environments

Residues obtained after wood biomass liquefaction were used as precursors for the synthesis of two activated biochars. The source of biomass liquefaction constituted of industrial wood processing by‐products, including bark and wood sawdust. The liquefied residues were analyzed in terms of chemical components and structure. Carbonization under nitrogen atmosphere followed by physical CO2 activation allowed to obtain microporous activated carbons with specific surface areas of 741 and 522 m2 g−1, and micropore volumes of 0.38 and 0.27 cm3 g−1, respectively. The obtained activated carbons were used to remove toxic hexavalent chromium from the aquatic environment. The observed sorption capacities were 80.6 mg g−1 versus 36.7 mg g−1 for wood bark‐derived and wood sawdust‐derived carbon, respectively, indicating a key role of the wood residue source in the effectiveness of Cr(VI) removal by resulting carbons. Despite the dominant microporous structure, the adsorption kinetics was surprisingly fast, especially for the bark‐derived carbon, since the adsorption equilibrium was reached within 2 h. The sorption mechanism of chromium was based on the carbon surface‐mediated reduction of toxic hexavalent form to its non‐toxic trivalent form, as confirmed by the X‐ray photoelectron analysis. Therefore, the residues from wood liquefaction can be easily converted into porous activated biocarbons capable of adsorbing significant amounts of hazardous Cr(VI) while reducing them to non‐toxic Cr(III).
Bifacial potential of single‐ and double‐sided collecting silicon solar cells

Bifacial applications are a promising way to increase the performance of photovoltaic systems. Two silicon solar cell concepts suitable for bifacial operation are the passivated emitter, rear totally diffused (PERT) and the both sides collecting and contacted (BOSCO) cell concepts. This work investigates the bifacial potential of these concepts by means of in‐depth numerical device simulation and experiment with a focus on the impact of varying material quality. It is shown that the PERT cell concept (representing a structure with front‐side emitter only) requires high‐minority‐carrier‐diffusion‐length substrates with Lbulk > 3 × W (with cell thickness W) to exploit its bifacial potential, while the BOSCO cell (representing a structure with double‐sided emitter) can already utilise its bifacial potential on substrates with significantly lower diffusion lengths down to Lbulk ≈ 0.5 × W. Experimentally, BOSCO cells with and without activated rear‐side emitter are compared. For rear‐side illumination, the activated rear‐side emitter is measured to increase internal quantum efficiency at wavelengths λ < 850 nm by up to 45%abs (factor of 9) and 30%abs (factor of 2) for cells processed on p‐type multicrystalline silicon substrates with Lbulk ≈ 0.3 × W and Lbulk ≈ 2.6 × W, respectively. For PERT cells processed on n‐type Czochralski‐grown silicon substrates, an according increase in internal quantum efficiency for rear‐side illumination of more than 20%abs (factor of 1.3) is measured when changing from a substrate with Lbulk ≈ 3.0 to 10.0 × W. The performed simulations and experiments demonstrate that the BOSCO cell concept is a promising candidate to successfully exploit bifacial gain also on low‐ to medium‐diffusion‐length substrates such as p‐type multicrystalline silicon, while PERT cells require a high‐diffusion‐length substrate to utilise their bifacial potential. Furthermore, the BOSCO cell concept is shown to be a promising option to achieve highest output power densities, even when using lower quality and therefore possibly more cost‐effective silicon substrates. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
What Was Published in Accounting Education Journals about Accounting Teaching

The curricular units related to the accounting area are essential for any student in business sciences. However, it appears that students generally experience great learning difficulties when faced with its study. Bearing in mind the stated problem and its consequent importance, both in academic terms and for society in general, this article aims to: (1) Identify how many studies related to Accounting Education in Higher Education Institutions have been published in Accounting Education journals since started its scientific activity; (2) List a ranking of articles having as a criterion the number of citations; (3) Describe the main conclusions and research methodologies used; (4) State the main research areas and topics and (5) List the research paradigms used in the articles. The systematic review of the literature shows concern in HEIs to promote quality education in general and the curricular accounting unit.
Hypopharyngeal Cancer: Staging, Diagnosis, and Therapy

Hypopharyngeal carcinoma is uncommon in all head and neck cancers. With a synergistic reaction of each, tobacco consumption and alcohol abuse contribute to the tumorigenesis. The aerodigestive tract epithelium exposure to similar risks causing multiple cancers. Thus, a pan-endoscopic screening offers a practical approach for evaluating second primary esophageal cancer. The common symptoms of hypopharyngeal carcinoma were globus pharyngeus, sore throat, dysphagia, otalgia, neck mass, hoarseness, and dyspnoea. However, approximately 75–80% of patients are initial diagnosed with advanced-stage. Although improvements in therapy, the prognosis is still lacking. In early-stage patients, primary surgical resection and radiotherapy achieved similar survival and locoregional control rates. T1–T2 malignancies with N0–N1 can usually be treated with radiation alone, open surgery, or transoral surgery. In some people, after primary surgery or transoral approaches is often required adjuvant radiotherapy. However, most cases have been in the advanced-stage when screened. Individual therapy programs should be chosen carefully to achieve a balance between swallowing-voice rehabilitation and organ preservation in advanced-stage ones. Meanwhile, reasonable reconstruction of intraoperative defect is essential for a surgeon who seeks satisfied postoperative outcomes. Considerable treatment (surgery or non-surgery) remains the key point of improving the survival rate.
Generalized Resonance Sensor Based on Fiber Bragg Grating

In response to the difficulty of weak detection of early bearing damage, resonance demodulation technology and the principle of fiber Bragg grating sensing strain were combined to design a fiber Bragg grating generalized resonance sensor, which can extract the weak pulse signal of weak detection of early bearing’s early damage from rolling bearing. First, a principle of resonance dynamics of second-order mechanical systems based on fiber Bragg grating and generalized resonance principles is proposed. Second, the basic structure of the sensor is designed. Then, ANSYS finite element simulation is used to analyze the natural frequency of the sensor. Finally, the natural frequency value of the sensor was obtained through experiments. The experimental results of proof-of-principle show that the experimental results are consistent with the theoretical predictions. The theoretical model is accurate, which verifies the feasibility of the sensor.
Is women empowerment a zero sum game? Unintended consequences of microfinance for women’s empowerment in Pakistan

Given that development initiatives could at from time to time be a “zero-sum game”, this study looks at the unforeseen effects of microfinance in Pakistan for females' “empowerment”. So as to discover the complexities of the microfinance impact on females in societies with various disadvantages in Pakistan, the research uses a participation-based methodology involving household “questionnaires surveys, focus group discussions and major interviews. ” The effects of multiple regressions, median closure, and themes studies indicate that the financial effects of microfinance for women are often closely connected to disputes between spouses, child labour, heterosexual monogamy and the lack of supposed traditional women's duty due to their entrepreneurship. With limitations on scientific findings regarding the possible negative effects of females' “empowerment” in Pakistan, the study evaluated a crucial research gaps which will allow non-governmental organisations, policymakers and other stakeholders to design and execute better initiatives that minimize the adverse concerns
Linking Extraversion to Collective and Individual Forms of Political Participation: The Mediating Role of Political Discussion

Objectives. Scholars are increasingly investigating the role of citizens’ personality in activating political behavior. We test whether extraversion is associated to collective political activities (i.e., activities that include social interaction) and individual ones (i.e., activities that do not include social interactions). Methods. We use originally collected survey data from ﬁve countries (Brazil, Korea, Russia, United States, United Kingdom). Results. We found that extraversion is positively and directly related to collective political activities in Brazil, Korea and Russia. Results show no direct relationship between individual forms of political activities and extraversion. However, political discussion fully mediates the relationship between extraversion and individual forms of political activities in all ﬁve countries. Conclusion. This study contributes to growing discussions on the role of personality traits in explaining political participation across countries, arguing that the relationship between extraversion and diverse forms of political participation are also context-driven and nourished by political discussion.
Improved multi‐model ensemble forecasts of Iran's precipitation and temperature using a hybrid dynamical‐statistical approach during fall and winter seasons

Skillful seasonal climate forecasts can support decision making in water resources management and agricultural planning. In arid and semi‐arid regions, tailoring reliable forecasts has the potential to improve water management by using key hydroclimate variables months in advance. This article analyses and compares the performance of two common approaches (empirical and hybrid dynamical‐statistical) in seasonal climate forecasting over a drought‐prone area located in Southwest Asia including Iran. Empirical models are framed as a baseline skill that hybrid models need to outperform. Both approaches provide probabilistic forecasts of precipitation and temperature using canonical correlation analysis to provide forecasts at 0.25° resolution. Empirical models are developed based on the large‐scale observed atmosphere–ocean patterns for forecasting using antecedent climate anomalies as predictors, while the hybrid approach makes use of model output statistics to correct systematic errors in dynamical climate model forecast outputs. Eight state‐of‐the‐art dynamical models from the North American Multi‐Model Ensemble project are analysed. Individual models with the highest goodness index are weighted to develop seven different hybrid dynamical‐statistical Multi‐model Ensembles. In this study, (October–December) and (January–February) are considered as target seasons which are the most important periods within the water year for water resource allocation to the agriculture sector. The results show that the hybrid approach has improved performance compared to the raw general circulation models and purely empirical models, and that the performance of the hybrid models is season‐dependent. Seasonal forecasts of precipitation (temperature) have a higher skill in OND (JFM). In addition, in most cases, Multi‐model Ensemble (MME) is more skillful than the empirical models and outperforms individual dynamical models. However, the best individual model might be as skillful as the MME given the target season and region of interest.
Length of the Narrow Bony Channels May Not be the Sole Cause of Differential Involvement of the Nerves in Vestibular Neuritis

Objective: To measure the vestibular nerve bony channels, applying a 3D measurement to account for the oblique trajectory of the singular nerve. Background: The clinical syndrome vestibular neuritis affects structures innervated by the superior vestibular nerve more commonly than the inferior vestibular nerve. Anatomical differences such as a longer, narrower bony channel of the superior vestibular nerve may increase its susceptibility to entrapment. Main Outcome Measure(s): Length of the narrow segment of each vestibular nerve in which the nerve occupies more than 80% of the bony channel was measured. Results: Forty six normal ears sectioned in the axial plane were measured. The narrow channel for the lateral semicircular canal (SCC, mean [SD] 2.94 ± 0.54) mm was longer than that of the singular nerve innervating the posterior SCC (1.95 ± 0.58 mm [p < 0.0001]), which also exceeded that of the utricular nerve (1.45 ± 0.36 mm [p < 0.0001]). The nerve to the superior part of the saccule (i.e., Voit's nerve) was 1.14 ± 0.48 mm and that of the inferior saccule was 0.52 ± 0.37 mm. Conclusions: The length of the narrow bony channel for the singular nerve is longer than previously reported and exceeds the utricular nerve. Comparing these data with the frequency of clinical lesions in recent literature suggests that, although bony channel length may contribute to differential involvement of the vestibular nerves, other factors may increase susceptibility of the superior vestibular nerve, including redundancy in innervation of the saccule and posterior SCC and anastomoses between the facial nerve and the superior vestibular nerve through which reactivated herpes virus may spread.
DOVA PRO: A Dynamic Overwriting Voltage Adjustment Technique for STT-MRAM L1 Cache Considering Dielectric Breakdown Effect

As device integration density increases exponentially as predicted by Moore’s law, power consumption becomes a bottleneck for system scaling where leakage power of on-chip cache occupies a large fraction of the total power budget. Spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) is a promising candidate to replace static random access memory (SRAM) as an on-chip last level cache (LLC) due to its ultralow leakage power, high integration density, and nonvolatility. Moreover, with the prevalence of edge computing and Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications, it can be beneficial to build a total nonvolatile cache hierarchy, including the L1 cache. However, building an L1 cache with STT-MRAM still faces severe challenges particularly because reducing its relatively high write latency by increasing write voltage can accelerate oxide breakdown of the MTJ device and threaten the L1 cache lifetime significantly due to intensive accesses. In our previous work, we proposed a dynamic overwriting voltage adjustment (DOVA) technique to deal with this challenge. In this article, we improve this technique by a DOVA promotion (DOVA PRO) technique for the STT-MRAM L1 cache, considering the cache write endurance and performance simultaneously. A high write voltage is used for performance-critical cache lines, while a low write voltage is used for other cache lines to approach an optimal tradeoff between reliability and performance. Experimental results show that the proposed technique DOVA PRO can improve cache performance by 23.5%, on average, compared to the DOVA technique. In the meantime, the average degradation of cache lifetime remains almost unchanged compared with the DOVA technique on average. Furthermore, DOVA PRO can support flexible configurations to achieve various optimization targets, such as higher performance or a longer lifetime.
Frailty Assessment of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Patients: Contemporary Practice and Future Directions

ABSTRACT Frailty is a multi-system clinical syndrome characterized by reduced physiological reserve and increased vulnerability to stressors. There is now established evidence recognizing its incremental value as a predictor of suboptimal outcomes in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) beyond conventional surgical risk scores and objective frailty assessment is integrated in major guidelines. Several frailty assessment tools have been developed and validated for use in patients undergoing TAVR with varying complexity, clinical pragmatism and outcomes assessed. In contemporary TAVR practice, frailty assessment guides patient selection, informs care requirements, and identifies those who may require supplemental treatment. Further opportunities to improve patient care in this area include identification of interventions that can mitigate the deleterious impact of frailty, evaluation of the role of frailty assessment in low surgical risk patients, and development of frailty management models that can be delivered virtually. In this review, we aim to provide an overview of the concept of frailty, the available assessment tools, peri-procedural considerations in frail patients undergoing TAVR and future directions.