Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Liaison de la protéine spermatique bovine Spam-1 à la zone pellucide de l'ovule

Spam-1 is a sperm surface protein that would help the spermatozoa going through the cumulus, disrupting the hyaluronan around the egg. It would also have a role to play in the secondary binding of the spermatozoa to the zona pellucida of the oocyte. The aim of the present study, by the construction of various fluorescent recombinant proteins containing the sequences of the different domains of Spam1, is to clearly demonstrate that bovine spermatic Spam-1 protein is directly implicated in the secondary binding of the spermatozoa to the zona pellucida and to show that the C-terminal domain is implicated. The results of this study are going to determine the importance of Spam-1 in the spermatozoa binding to the zona pellucida and in getting a better understanding of the mechanisms surrounding the interactions between spermatozoa and oocyte.
Business Intelligence Success: An Empirical Evaluation of the Role of BI Capabilities and the Decision Environment

Since the concept of business intelligence (BI) was introduced in the late 1980s, many organizations have implemented BI to improve performance but not all BI initiatives have been successful. Practitioners and academicians have discussed the reasons for success and failure, yet, a consistent picture about how to achieve BI success has not yet emerged. The purpose of this dissertation is to help fill the gap in research and provide a better understanding of BI success by examining the impact of BI capabilities on BI success, in the presence of different decision environments. The decision environment is a composition of the decision types and the way the required information is processed to aid in decision making. BI capabilities are defined as critical functionalities that help an organization improve its performance, and they are examined in terms of organizational and technological capabilities. An online survey is used to obtain the data and partial least squares path modeling (PLS) is used for analysis. The results of this dissertation suggest that all technological capabilities as well as one of the organizational capabilities, flexibility, significantly impact BI success. Results also indicate that the moderating effect of decision environment is significant for quantitative data quality. These findings provide richer insight in the role of the decision environment in BI success and a framework with which future research on the relationship between BI capabilities and BI success can be conducted. Findings may also contribute to practice by presenting information for managers and users of BI to consider about their decision environment in assessing BI success.
A GRINDING-BASED MANUFACTURING METHOD FOR SILICON WAFERS: GENERATION MECHANISMS OF CENTRAL BUMPS ON GROUND WAFERS

Most integrated circuits (IC) are fabricated using silicon wafers. The continuing shrinkage of the size of IC features has imposed more and more stringent requirements on the wafer flatness. Furthermore, wafer manufacturers are under constant pressure to reduce the wafer cost. The traditional lapping-based manufacturing method is unable to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for better flatness and lower cost. Previous experimental study of a grinding-based manufacturing method has shown that excellent site flatness can be obtained on ground wafers except for a few sites at the wafer center. One cause for the poor flatness at the wafer center is the central bumps on the ground wafers. As a follow-up, this paper investigates the generation mechanisms of the central bumps on ground wafers, and provides solutions to eliminate or reduce them. The understanding and knowledge gained through this study can also be applied to the manufacturing of other semiconductor wafers (such as germanium, gallium arsenide, and silicon carbide).
The Therapeutic Effect of Circular RNA ST3GAL6 on Blocking GC Malignant Behaviors Through Autophagy Regulated by the FOXP2/MET/Mtor Axis

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) ranks third in motality among all cancers worldwide. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play essential roles in the malignant progression and metastasis of gastric cancer. As a transcription factor, FOXP2 is involved in the progression of many tumours. However, the regulation and association between circRNAs and FOXP2 remain to be discovered. Methods: RNA sequencing was used to explore differential circRNA expression profile in gastric cancer and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) were used to detect circST3GAL6 expression. The cellular location of circST3GAL6 was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Functional experiments in circST3GAL6 knockdown and overexpression cell lines were performed in vitro and in vivo. The correlation between circST3GAL6 and miR-300 was confirmed by the RNA pull-down assay, dual-luciferase reporter assay and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The effects of circST3GAL6 on autophagy were detected by confocal microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The mechanism of the circST3GAL6/miR-300/FOXP2 axis was verified by western blotting. The transcriptional regulation of Met by FOXP2 was proven by ChIP and luciferase reporter assays.Results: CircST3GAL6 was significantly depressed in GC tissues and cells. circST3GAL6 overexpression inhibited the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of GC cells in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, circST3GAL6 overexpression induced apoptosis and promote autophagy in GC cells. Furthermore, we found that circST3GAL6 sponged miR-300 and subsequently regulated FOXP2. We further revealed that FOXP2 suppressed the activation of the Met/AKT/mTOR axis, a classic pathway that regulates autophagy-mediated proliferation and migration.Conclusion: Our ﬁndings revealed that circST3GAL6 functions as a tumour suppressor through the miR-300/FOXP2 axis in GC, regulates apoptosis and autophagy through FOXP2-mediated transcriptional inhibition of the MET axis and may be a biomarker for GC treatment.
RF equivalent circuit modeling of surface mounted components for PCB applications

Purpose – The appropriate selection of a testing method largely determines the accuracy of a measurement. Parasitic effects associated with test fixture demand a significant consideration in a measurement. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a measurement procedure which can be used for the characterization of surface mount devices (SMD) components, especially devoted to SMD inductors.Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes measurement technique, characterization, and extracting parameters of SMD components for printed circuit board (PCB) applications. The commercially available components (multi‐layer chip SMD inductors in the ceramic body) are measured and characterized using a vector network analyzer E5071B and adaptation test fixture on PCB board. Measurement results strongly depend on the choice of the PCB; the behaviour of the component depends on the environment where the component is placed.Findings – The equivalent circuit parameters are extracted in closed form, from an accurate .
A Wideband 60 GHz 16-Way Power Divider/Combiner Network

A 16-way, low-loss, wideband power divider/combiner network for V-band waveguide is described. This network utilizes a section of radial waveguide operating in the TEM mode. Over a frequency band of 55-67 GHz, this 16-way divider/combiner network has an insertion loss of 1 dB maximum and better than 12 dB return loss. Matching elements which have been designed for each of the three transitions between different transmission media within this network are described in detail.
Decision Factors for Cooperative Multiple Warhead Uav Target Classification and Attack with Control Applications

Abstract : Autonomous wide area search, classification and attack using Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs) is considered. The wide area search and attack scenario is modelled, capturing important problem parameters related to environment, seeker, and munitions. Probabilistic analysis is used to formulate and analytically solve for various probabilities, including the probability of mission success. Two methods are utilized. The first examines the sub-events required for various events to occur. The second utilizes a Markov chain approach. General expressions are first obtained that are applicable to any assumed a priori distributions of targets and false targets. These expressions are subsequently applied to a multiple warhead munition/UCAV operating in several multiple target/multiple false target scenarios. Examples of application of the analytically derived results are given for all facets of the system design and operation of Wide Area Search Munitions including the evaluation of cooperation schemes and rules of engagement. The problem is formulated as a control problem, and the possibility of adaptive control based on estimation of environmental parameters is examined.
An Analysis of Degraded Communications in the Army's Future Force

Abstract : The US Department of Defense is currently pursuing the most comprehensive transformation of its forces since the early years of WWII. This transformation is a holistic approach to update both the equipment that the forces will fight its conflicts with and the way in which they will fight. This transformation relies heavily on fully networked air, ground and space based platforms. While many experts agree that in the course of the next 10 years communications equipment will emerge to support the networking of these systems, there remains much uncertainty on how operations will be effected if the technology does not mature enough to meet expectations. This research shows that even a 25 percent degradation in communications range could pose significant challenges for this Future Force. Additionally, even small delays (latencies greater than one minute) and constraints on network throughput can increase the Future Force casualties and the duration of battle. While the end result in all analysis shows that the Future Force is a superior element with the same battle end state victory, the cost of that victory depends significantly on effective communications.
Integration of a bioMEMS device into a disposable microfluidic cartridge for medical diagnostics

A microfluidic system for cancer diagnostics based around a core MEMS biosensor technology is presented in this paper. The principle of the MEMS biosensor is introduced and the functionalisation strategy for cancer marker recognition is described. In addition, the successful packaging and integration of functional MEMS biosensor devices are reported herein. This ongoing work represents one of the first hybrid systems to integrate a PCB packaged silicon MEMS device into a disposable microfluidic cartridge.
A new current control for three-level inverter

A new current controlled PWM technique for a 3-level inverter has been proposed and described in the paper. The proposed current control has the simple structure without needing to-calculate the switching angles of the voltage vectors. The output in the proposed inverter contains less harmonic content than that of a conventional current controlled PWM controller since the current control can be applied to the 3-level inverter. In addition, the proposed current controlled PWM technique has lower switching frequency than that of a conventional current controlled PWM technique at the same current limit. The control method and the performance for a proposed 3-level inverter has been discussed and investigated by the computer simulation.
Human Engineering Design Guidelines for a Powered, Full Body Exoskeleton.

Abstract : This report presents human engineering design guidelines for the development of exoskeletons, which can help the Army do its job faster, safer, with fewer people, and at lower cost by augmenting and enhancing the capabilities of individual soldiers. Descriptions of exoskeletons, which have been developed or attempted, are included to provide background information about previous work in this are& Because many of the tasks that soldiers perform require walking and carrying a load of some kind, the guidelines presented in this report are intended for exoskeletons that are capable of bipedal motion, able to augment the user's strength, and able to enhance the user's endurance. Aspects of anatomy, biomechanics, human performance, and physiology relevant to the design of an exoskeleton are presented. These fundamental human characteristics must be considered in the design of a machine that must work so closely with its user. In addition to the human engineering design guidelines, potential problems associated with exoskeletons are discussed. Finally, areas of the unique interface between the user and the exoskeleton that need further research are listed.
Ultra low-input impedance CMOS potentiostat for environmental sensing applications

This paper reports an integrated CMOS potentiostat for detection of heavy metal ions in water and other solvents based on electrochemical sensing. The proposed potentiostat features a low input impedance, high sensitivity, high gain and low power trans-impedance amplifier front end, with programmable control of electrode potential, thus facilitating continuous bi-directional measurement of reduction-oxidation (redox) current in a potentiostat for cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiment. For proof of concept, we use the proposed integrated potentiostat to perform CV on a reference ferricyanide (K3Fe(CN)6) using external microelectrodes. Results compared with standard benchtop potentiostat confirm microelectrode behavior with accurate estimate of redox potential with varying redox currents proportional to the ferricyanide concentration.
PH—Postharvest technology: Non-destructive Identification of Woolly Peaches using Impact Response and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

A procedure which combines impact response and near-infrared sensing in a two-step classification method has been developed for identification of woolly peaches. Two hundred and seventy Maycrest peaches from three ripeness stages at harvest, stored during 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks at 1 and 5°C, were tested by non-destructive techniques (non-destructive impact and near-infrared spectroscopy) in order to assess woolliness (also known as mealiness in apples). Destructive mechanical tests (Magness–Taylor, confined compression and shear rupture) were used as a reference method to identify woolly fruits. Non-destructive impact data were processed by discriminant analysis to segregate into two texture categories (crispy–firm–hard and non-crispy–non-firm–soft). In the same way, discriminant analysis techniques were used to classify into three juicy categories (low juicy, medium juicy and high juicy), according to the near-infrared second derivative curve. Combining non-destructive impact and near-infrared spectroscopy, not crispy, not firm and soft fruit from the low juicy group were classified as woolly. The percentage of correctly classified fruits in both categories was 80%. The conditions about the experimental factors which enhance woolliness obtained from the destructive procedures were confirmed by the non-destructive procedure.
Transparent operating system support for superpages

This dissertation presents the design, implementation and evaluation of a physical memory management system that allows applications to transparently benefit from superpages. The benefit consists of fewer TLB misses and the consequent performance improvement, which is shown to be significant. The size of main memory in workstations has been growing exponentially over the past decade. As a cause or consequence, the working set size of typical applications has been increasing at a similar rate. In contrast, the TLB size has remained small because it is usually fully associative and its access time must be kept low since it is in the critical path to every memory access. As a result, the relative TLB coverage—that is, the fraction of main memory that can be mapped without incurring TLB misses—has decreased by a factor of 100 in the last 10 years. Because of this disparity, many modern applications incur a large number of TLB misses, degrading performance by as much as 30% to 60%, as opposed to the 4–5% degradation reported in the 80's or the 5–10% reported in the 90's. To increase the TLB coverage without increasing the TLB size, most modern processors support memory pages of large sizes, called superpages . Since each superpage requires only one entry in the TLB to map a large region of memory, superpages can dramatically increase TLB coverage and consequently improve performance. However, supporting superpages poses several challenges to the operating system, in terms of superpage allocation, promotion trade-offs, and fragmentation control. This dissertation analyzes these issues and presents a design of an effective superpage management system. An evaluation of the design is conducted through a prototype implementation for the Alpha CPU, showing substantial and sustained performance benefits. The design is then validated and further refined through an implementation for the Itanium processor. The main contribution of this work is that it offers a complete and practical solution for transparently providing superpages to applications. It is complete because it tackles all the issues and trade-offs in realizing the potential of superpages. It is practical because it can be implemented with localized changes to the memory management subsystem, it minimizes the negative impact that could be observed in pathological cases, and can therefore be readily integrated into any general-purpose operating system.
The why, what and how of predicting evolution across biology: from disease to biotechnology to biodiversity

Evolution has traditionally been a historical field of study and predicting evolution has long been considered challenging or even impossible. However, evolutionary predictions are increasingly being made and used in many situations in medicine, agriculture, biotechnology and conservation biology. Because every field uses their own language and makes predictions from their background, researchers are not always aware of the breadth of evolutionary predictions. Evolutionary predictions may be used for several purposes such as to prepare for the future, to try and change the course of evolution or simply to determine how well we understand an evolutionary system. Exactly what aspect of an evolving population we want to predict, such as the most common genotype, average or individual fitness, or population size, depends on the situation. There are many uses of evolutionary predictions that may not be recognized as such. Therefore, the main goal of this review is to increase awareness of methods and data that are used to make these predictions in different fields, by showing the breadth of situations in which evolutionary predictions are made. We describe how evolutionary predictions are highly diverse, but nevertheless share a common structure described by the predictive scope, horizon, precision and risk. Then, by using examples ranging from SARS-CoV2 and influenza to CRISPR-based gene drives and sustainable product formation by microorganisms, we discuss the methods for predicting evolution, factors that affect the predictability, and how predictions can be used to prevent unwanted evolution or promote beneficial evolution. We hope that this review will increase collaboration between fields by creating a common language for evolutionary predictions.
A COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM FOR AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLES

The work in this thesis is concerned with the development of a novel and practical collision avoidance system for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Synergistically, advanced stochastic motion planning methods, dynamics quantisation approaches, multivariable tracking controller designs, sonar data processing and workspace representation, are combined to enhance significantly the survivability of modern AUVs. The recent proliferation of autonomous AUV deployments for various missions such as seafioor surveying, scientific data gathering and mine hunting has demanded a substantial increase in vehicle autonomy. One matching requirement of such missions is to allow all the AUV to navigate safely in a dynamic and unstructured environment. Therefore, it is vital that a robust and effective collision avoidance system should be forthcoming in order to preserve the structural integrity of the vehicle whilst simultaneously increasing its autonomy. This thesis not only provides a holistic framework but also an arsenal of computational techniques in the design of a collision avoidance system for AUVs. The design of an obstacle avoidance system is first addressed. The core paradigm is the application of the Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) algorithm and the newly developed version for use as a motion planning tool. Later, this technique is merged with the Manoeuvre Automaton (MA) representation to address the inherent disadvantages of the RRT. A novel multi-node version which can also address time varying final state is suggested. Clearly, the reference trajectory generated by the aforementioned embedded planner must be tracked. Hence, the feasibility of employing the linear quadratic regulator (LQG) and the nonlinear kinematic based state-dependent Ricatti equation (SDRE) controller as trajectory trackers are explored. The obstacle detection module, which comprises of sonar processing and workspace representation submodules, is developed and tested on actual sonar data acquired in a sea-trial via a prototype forward looking sonar (AT500). The sonar processing techniques applied are fundamentally derived from the image processing perspective. Likewise, a novel occupancy grid using nonlinear function is proposed for the workspace representation of the AUV. Results are presented that demonstrate the ability of an AUV to navigate a complex environment. To the author's knowledge, it is the first time the above newly developed methodologies have been applied to an A UV collision avoidance system, and, therefore, it is considered that the work constitutes a contribution of knowledge in this area of work.
Sustainable Construction : Green Building Design and Delivery

Foreword.Preface. Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview.PART I. GREEN BUILDING FOUNDATIONS.Chapter 2. Background.Chapter 3. Green Building Assessment.Chapter 4. The Green Building Process.Chapter 5. Ecological Design.PART II. GREEN BUILDING SYSTEMS.Chapter 6. Sustainable Sites and Landscaping.Chapter 7. Energy and Atmosphere.Chapter 8. The Building Hydrologic System.Chapter 9. Closing Materials Loops.Chapter 10. Indoor Environmental Quality.PART III. GREEN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION, COMMISSIONING, AND ECONOMICS, AND FUTURE GREEN BUILDINGS.Chapter 11. Construction Options.Chapter 12. Building Commissioning.Chapter 13. Economic Analysis of Green Buildings.Chapter 14. Future Directions.Appendix A. Overview of LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB). Appendix B. Rinker Hall LEED Certification.Index.
Proximal metatarsal wedge osteotomy for metatarsus primus elevatus associated with rheumatoid forefoot deformity: a case report

Abstract Metatarsus primus elevatus, described as dorsal elevation of the first metatarsal in relation to the lesser metatarsals, is rarely observed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. We describe a patient with a symptomatic rheumatoid forefoot deformity accompanied by metatarsus primus elevatus, whose weight was not supported by the first metatarsal head. Instead, it was transferred to the first interphalangeal joint. The patient underwent proximal plantar flexion wedge osteotomy of the first metatarsal and distal shortening oblique osteotomies of the lateral metatarsals. At 1 year of follow-up, she was free from pain and her weight was supported on the head of the first metatarsal. This case suggests that proximal osteotomy of the first metatarsal could provide a good outcome when used to correct metatarsus primus elevatus with rheumatoid forefoot deformity.