Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design and fabrication by inkjet printing of electrodes for electromyography

Inkjet technology has advantages as a fabrication method when compared to other conventional procedures. Inkjet technology allows the deposition of several materials directly with non contact with it, mask-less and the possibility of printing over a previous printed pattern [1]. Due its versatility of inks (conductive, polymers and organic) and substrates, direct deposition of materials with high precision (∼5 μm) using simple methods, this technique shows a high potential as a fabrication method. Despite the wide range of applications of inkjet printing in electronics, a lack of intend for printing devices for collecting biosignals. The subject of the work presented was the first step towards the development of a inkjet device for a close contact with skin for collecting biosignals. One way to apply the functionalities of an inkjet printer, in biomedical engineering, is developing printed electrodes introducing electronic skin concept, i.e., implement electronic devices using features of electronic skin (flexibility, extensibility and compatibility). Thus, the major goal of this work was develop, using this technique, electrodes capable of measuring electromyographic signals from the forearm’s muscles responsible to move hand and fingers. In order to use the potentials of inkjet technology, these electrodes must obtain congruent measurements and should prove advantageous when compared to the standard electrodes. The versatility of inkjet printing allowed to print electrodes, using a inkjet printer DMP-2831, onto substrates that included photographic paper, biocellulose and PDMS and test the performance of different designs: standard flat discs, spiked, filamentary and serpentine array of small electrodes. This thesis presents the development of tasks that includes the design and choice of materials, optimization of printing and sintering procedures, printing electronic circuits and ends with signal processing. During the optimization of the electrodes measurements of resistivity and impedance were performed to understand the behaviour and characteristics of them. Finally, a linear discriminant analysis was used to successfully distinguish between three hand movements.
Transmitter coil system without ferrite in wireless power transfer

A transmitter (Tx) coil system without ferrite was designed and fabricated for use in wireless power transfer (WPT) based on magnetic induction. The Tx coil system consists of an active coil, which is directly connected to the source, and a parasitic coil, which replaces the ferrite. The effects of the parasitic coil parameters, i.e. size, number of turns, and distance from the active coil, on the WPT performance were investigated in terms of the utility value, which was developed based on the power transmission efficiency and shielding effectiveness. The proposed Tx coil system was fabricated, and its performance was measured. The measured results show that the proposed Tx coil system performs better than a conventional Tx coil in terms of the utility value.
Fatigue Strength of Steel Rollers and Gears Treated by Cavitation Peening with Short Processing Time

In this study, steel rollers and gears were treated by the cavitation peening with processing times of 1 min and 5 min, and they were fatigue-tested using a roller testing machine and a gear testing machine. The surface hardness and the compressive residual stress of the rollers and gears were increased by the cavitation peening, while, the surface roughness of the cavitation-peened rollers and gears was almost the same as that of the non-peened ones. As a result of the fatigue tests, the fatigue strength of the test specimens were improved by the increase in surface hardness due to the cavitation peening, and those without the increase in surface hardness were not increased so much. The fatigue strength of the cavitation-peened test specimens was similar to that of the shot-peened ones obtained by the previous fatigue tests. This study revealed that the cavitation peening is expected to put to practical use in the improvement in fatigue strength of steel gears.
Momento de la decisión estratégica: caso de estudio en el sector textil

El objetivo de esta investigación fue realizar una aproximación organizacional en el momento de la decisión estratégica a partir de un caso de estudio en una empresa del sector textil del departamento de Antioquia (Colombia), haciendo uso de la integración interfuncional dentro del proceso de desarrollo de nuevo producto. Para ello se empleó una metodología basada en el proceso de construcción de conocimiento, realizado en la cual se aplicaron las herramientas de entrevista, proceso de observación y revisión de documentos de la empresa. Se evidenció, desde el caso, que el fenómeno del momento de la decisión, visto desde la aproximación organizacional de desarrollo de nuevo producto, involucra elementos como la integración interfuncional, la trayectoria cuasi tecnológica, los encuentros, las decisiones de exploración y explotación, el evento deconstructor, el agenciamiento, el trabajo conjunto, las directrices organizacionales, la información y el entorno. Se hace pertinente replicar estos resultados en otras organizaciones e industrias, con el fin de ajustar y afianzar los mismos en el desarrollo de este caso.
RIA-CSM: A Real-Time Impact-Aware Correlative Scan Matching Using Heterogeneous Multi-Core SoC

In dynamic scenarios with a large flow of people, robots are extremely vulnerable to impacts. Conventional correlative scan matching (CSM) is imperfect. The algorithm obtains incorrect priors caused by impact. Meanwhile, extremely high computational complexity remains a challenging issue. In this paper, we propose a computationally efficient and robust loosely-coupled LIDAR-IMU-wheel fusion method named RIA-CSM, using heterogeneous multi-core SoC. The proposed impact-aware sensor integration module provides robust priors for CSM. Instead of occupancy grids, truncated signed distance functions (TSDFs) are used to represent a map. The most time-consuming part of CSM is mapped to an FPGA-based CSM accelerator, while the remaining part is calculated by multi-core CPU. The public data set is used to test the localization accuracy and real-time performance of the proposed RIA-CSM, which shows that the real-time performance of conventional CSM has been improved by 30 times. When the robot is impacted, experimental results on a mobile robot platform are qualitatively analyzed. Compared with the state of art, our method realizes more robust localization.
A collaborative environment for distributed Web-based CAD

The increasing complexity and geographical separation of design data, tools and teams has created a need for a collaborative and distributed Computer-Aided Design environment. The high integration levels call for tools and generators that allow the exploration of the design space irrespective of the geographical location of the design tools. The World Wide Web serves as a desirable platform for distributed access to libraries and design tools. The web has several properties that can provide an important platform for VLSI CAD, when combined with distributed object technologies and platform independent languages. In this thesis an environment for collaborative and distributed Web-based CAD is presented. In this environment, the designers can efficiently utilize the capabilities of existing design tools on the Web and also build hierarchical Web-tools in a collaborative fashion. The environment includes a Java hierarchical collaborative schematic editor and the required interfaces to distributed Web-tools and cell libraries. The environment also includes the infrastructure to store and manipulate design objects and the protocols for communication with tools, message passing and collaboration. Thesis Supervisor: Anantha Chandrakasan Title: Associate Professor of EECS
Planar Microstrip Slot Antenna for S & C band Wireless Applications

In this paper, compact planar microstrip antennas comprising of broad slots for enhancing various antenna parameters are discussed and presented. The proposed microstrip slot antennas achieved a compactness of maximum 58 % with a peak gain of 7.58 dB. These antennas can be operated for S band applications such as WiMax, operating in the frequency range of 3.3 – 3.6 GHz, RADAR, WLAN, fixed satellite services and maritime mobile services etc. covering 2 – 6 GHz frequency range. The antennas can be used as a compact antenna system where limited size is a foremost requirement. Results also show the satisfactory performance with the dual band frequency characteristics. Details of the antenna design structure, results of return loss (RL), impedance bandwidth and radiation pattern with co-cross polarization are also given
Categorization by Association: Nuclear Technology and Emission Free Electricity

At different points in time, energy harnessed from nuclear technology for commercial purposes has been qualified as atoms for peace, too cheap to meter, unsafe, sustainable, and emission free. We explore how these associations – between nuclear technology (a category used in a descriptive way) and qualities such as emission free (a category used in an evaluative way) – are materially anchored, institutionally performed, socially relevant, and entrepreneurially negotiated. By considering all these factors, our analysis shows that it is possible to understand how and why categories and their meanings continue to change over time. We flesh out the implications of these observations and suggest avenues for future research.
Data conditioning of legacy seismic using migration-driven 5D interpolation

AbstractLegacy seismic surveys cover much of the midcontinent USA and Texas, with almost all 3D surveys acquired in the 1990s considered today to be low fold. Fortunately, recent advances in 5D interpolation have not only enhanced the quality of structural and stratigraphic images, but they have also improved the data sufficiently to allow more quantitative interpretation, such as impedance inversion. Although normal-moveout-corrected, common-midpoint-based 5D interpolation does an excellent job of amplitude balancing and the suppression of acquisition footprint, it appears to misinterpolate undercorrected diffractions, thus smearing fault and stratigraphic edges. We described a least-squares migration-driven 5D interpolation workflow, in which data were interpolated by demigrating the current subsurface image to the missing offsets and azimuths. Such demigration accurately interpolates fault edges and other diffractors, thereby preserving lateral discontinuities, while suppressing footprint and balancing.
Myeloid-derived suppressor cell infiltration is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

The clinicopathological features of myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) and CD8+ T-cell infiltration in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are poorly understood. The present study examined MDSC and CD8+ T-cell infiltration in surgically resected primary HCC specimens and investigated the association of MDSC and CD8+ T-cell infiltration with clinicopathological features and patient outcomes. Using a database of 466 patients who underwent hepatic resection for HCC, immunohistochemical staining of CD33 (an MDSC marker) and CD8 was performed. High infiltration of MDSCs within the tumor was observed in patients with a poorer Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage, larger tumor size, more poorly differentiated HCC, and greater presence of portal venous thrombosis, microscopic vascular thrombosis and macroscopic intrahepatic metastasis. MDSC infiltration and CD8+ T-cell infiltration were independent predictors of recurrence-free survival and overall survival, respectively. Stratification based on the MDSC and CD8+ T-cell status of the tumors was also associated with recurrence-free survival (10 year-recurrence-free survival; MDSChighCD8+ T-cellLow, 3.68%; others, 25.7%) and overall survival (10 year-overall survival; MDSChighCD8+ T-cellLow, 12.0%; others, 56.7%). In conclusion, the present large cohort study revealed that high MDSC infiltration was associated with a poor clinical outcome in patients with HCC. Furthermore, the combination of the MDSC and tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T-cell status enabled further classification of patients based on their outcomes.
Harnessing Hollywood hype: Film marketing meets the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century

Marketing is a vital commercial activity and source of competitive advantage within the Hollywood film industry, serving to create, circulate and translate symbolic meaning around a film and its ancillary products, construct and target key audience segments, guide audience expectations and viewing choices, and mitigate financial risk. Marketers thus play an increasingly central role in all stages of the filmmaking process. To examine the often overlooked structures and practices of Hollywood’s marketing arm, this study adopts a media industry studies approach, employing interviews, fieldwork, and textual analysis to explore the social, technological, organizational, economic, and spatial forces that shape the contemporary context of Hollywood marketing materials’ creation. In the early 21st century, Hollywood studios face profound challenges and opportunities wrought by the dual forces of globalization and digitization. In response, marketers have developed a novel view of their audience: as increasingly global and empowered. Globalization and digitization are thus treated as centrifugal forces, diffusing production and meaning-making capabilities across geographic space and media platforms, and threatening the centralized control traditionally held by Hollywood studios. Marketers are incentivized to embrace these decentralizing forces and the cultural labor now provided by third party marketing agencies, international distributors, and audiences. However, Hollywood studios’ institutional inertia, risk aversion, and inclination to maintain firm control of their marketing messages and intellectual property preclude a whole-hearted embrace of these changes. Studio marketers thus act with deep ambivalence toward these outside players, attempting to capitalize on their cultural labor while simultaneously acting to circumscribe their power. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Communication First Advisor Marwan M. Kraidy
The Influence of Sociodemographic Factors on Mobile Device Use among Young Children in Putrajaya, Malaysia

Technology is evolving rapidly around the world, and the use of mobile devices is increasing every day. Today, everyone owns a mobile device, including young children. Parents provide and allow young children to use mobile devices for various purposes. Due to the fact of these circumstances, children begin to become comfortable with the use of mobile devices, and they are prone to excessive use. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of sociodemographic factors on excessive mobile device use among young children. Sociodemographic variables, including the child’s gender, the child’s age when starting to use a mobile device, the parent’s educational level, household income, type of application used, and the purpose of giving a mobile device to the child, were selected as predictive factors. A cross-sectional survey study design with a quantitative approach was conducted. A simple random sampling technique was employed, and a total of 364 parents completed the adapted questionnaire, namely, the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Scale (PMPUS). Data were statistically analyzed using descriptive and binary logistic regression analysis. The findings revealed that gender, age of the child when starting to use mobile devices, and purpose of parents providing mobile devices significantly contributed to 77.7% of the variance to make children users with a problem. However, the parent’s educational level, household income, and type of application did not significantly contribute to the problem of mobile device use. Later, this study discusses the research implication, limitation, and recommendation for future research based on the finding.
COST ANALYSIS IN CONSTRUCTION OF UNDERGROUND MINING STRUCTURES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR REDUCTION

The construction of underground mining facilities is of essential importance to the exploitation of mineral resources. Confirmation of this is the fact that the construction costs of main facilities occupy 40-60% of the underlying investments in the main constraction and equipping. The main underground mining facilities are: shafts, drifts, raise, pump chambers, warehouses etc. This paper presents detailed analysis of underground mining facility - drift constraction costs per individual working operations, following their change which depends on the rock type and profile size of underground mining facility, as well as possibilities of reducing these costs.
2D-Modellierung des Einflusses leitfähiger Schichten auf die Sensorimpedanz bei kapazitiven Sensoren

Zusammenfassung In der industriellen Anwendung kapazitiver Sensoren ist die kontaktlose Detektion leitfähiger Schichten flüssiger Medien von Bedeutung. Dabei ist die Sensorimpedanz abhängig von der Frequenz und Eigenschaften des Mediums. Um den Einfluss dieser Parameter zu ermitteln, wurde ein zweidimensionales, rotationssymmetrisches Modell erstellt, mit dem sich eine gute Übereinstimmung mit einer FEM-Simulation erzielen lässt. Aus den durchgeführten Untersuchungen geht hervor, dass sich aus den Parametern eines geeigneten Ersatzschaltbildes ein Maß für Leitfähigkeit und Schichtdicke des Mediums ableiten lässt.
A Comprehensive Phenotypic Screening Strategy to Identify Modulators of Cargo Translocation by the Bacterial Type IVB Secretion System

Multi-drug-resistant pathogens are an emerging threat to human health. Because conventional antibiotics target not only the pathogen but also eradicate the beneficial microbiota, they often cause additional clinical complications. ABSTRACT Bacterial type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) are macromolecular machines that translocate effector proteins across multiple membranes into infected host cells. Loss of function mutations in genes encoding protein components of the T4SS render bacteria avirulent, highlighting the attractiveness of T4SSs as drug targets. Here, we designed an automated high-throughput screening approach for the identification of compounds that interfere with the delivery of a reporter-effector fusion protein from Legionella pneumophila into RAW264.7 mouse macrophages. Using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based detection assay in a bacteria/macrophage coculture format, we screened a library of over 18,000 compounds and, upon vetting compound candidates in a variety of in vitro and cell-based secondary screens, isolated several hits that efficiently interfered with biological processes that depend on a functional T4SS, such as intracellular bacterial proliferation or lysosomal avoidance, but had no detectable effect on L. pneumophila growth in culture medium, conditions under which the T4SS is dispensable. Notably, the same hit compounds also attenuated, to varying degrees, effector delivery by the closely related T4SS from Coxiella burnetii, notably without impacting growth of this organism within synthetic media. Together, these results support the idea that interference with T4SS function is a possible therapeutic intervention strategy, and the emerging compounds provide tools to interrogate at a molecular level the regulation and dynamics of these virulence-critical translocation machines. IMPORTANCE Multi-drug-resistant pathogens are an emerging threat to human health. Because conventional antibiotics target not only the pathogen but also eradicate the beneficial microbiota, they often cause additional clinical complications. Thus, there is an urgent need for the development of “smarter” therapeutics that selectively target pathogens without affecting beneficial commensals. The bacterial type IV secretion system (T4SS) is essential for the virulence of a variety of pathogens but dispensable for bacterial viability in general and can, thus, be considered a pathogen’s Achilles heel. By identifying small molecules that interfere with cargo delivery by the T4SS from two important human pathogens, Legionella pneumophila and Coxiella burnetii, our study represents the first step in our pursuit toward precision medicine by developing pathogen-selective therapeutics capable of treating the infections without causing harm to commensal bacteria.
Extending the Biopsychosocial Conceptualisation of Chronic Post Surgical Pain in Children and Adolescents: The Family Systems Perspective

ABSTRACT A substantial number of children and adolescents undergoing surgical procedures, as many as 40% in some estimates, will go on to develop chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP). Because of the significant negative impact of CPSP on social and emotional milestones, as well as the child’s quality of life, it is important to identify modifiable factors that are associated with the onset and maintenance of the condition. Research has demonstrated that parent factors can play a role in pediatric chronic pain; however, there has been little examination of parent and family influences on the transition to CPSP. Family systems theories, which consider the influence of the family unit overall on the behavior of individuals members, have been applied to the eating disorders literature for decades. This narrative review proposes a novel application of family systems theory to pediatric CPSP and, in particular, highlights the role that parental dyadic factors may play in the development and maintenance of persistent pain following surgery in children and adolescents.
Coding with Minecraft: The Development of Middle School Students’ Computational Thinking

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of Minecraft-based coding activities on computational thinking (CT) of middle school students. In the study, CT was conceptualized so that it encapsulates not only the knowledge of computational concepts (e.g., loops and conditionals) but also the use of CT practices (e.g., testing and debugging). Data were collected using a combination of knowledge of computational concepts tests, the Minecraft-based coding artifacts, and one-on-one student interviews focusing on the processes of developing computational artifacts. The participants were 20 fifth-grade middle school students from a low-income public school with very limited (if none) formal computer programming experiences before the study. The Minecraft-based coding activities were designed and implemented as an instructional program to last 6 weeks. The results of the study showed a statistically significant increase in students’ knowledge of computational concepts. Based on the analysis of the students’ final coding artifacts, we identified that students mostly used the concepts of sequences, events, loops, and parallelism correctly, whereas variables, operators, and conditionals appeared to be the least successfully used concepts. The qualitative analysis of the artifact-based interviews showed that students employed the CT practices of testing and debugging most of the time while developing an artifact through coding. In contrast, the least resorted CT practice appeared to be reusing and remixing.