Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study of Structural and Optical Properties of Titanate Nanotubes with Erbium under Heat Treatment in Different Atmospheres

Titanate nanotubes were synthesized and subjected to an ion exchange reaction with erbium salt aqueous solution to obtain titanate nanotubes exchanged with erbium (3+) ions. In order to evaluate the effects of the thermal treatment atmosphere on the structural and optical properties of erbium titanate nanotubes, we subjected them to heat treatment in air and argon atmospheres. For comparison, titanate nanotubes were also treated in the same conditions. A complete structural and optical characterizations of the samples was performed. The characterizations evidenced the preservation of the morphology with the presence of phases of erbium oxides decorating the surface of the nanotubes. Variations in the dimensions of the samples (diameter and interlamellar space) were promoted by the replacement of Na+ by Er3+ and the thermal treatment in different atmospheres. In addition, the optical properties were investigated by UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The results revealed that the band gap of the samples depends on the variation of diameter and sodium content caused by ion exchange and thermal treatment. Furthermore, the luminescence strongly depended on vacancies, evidenced mainly by the calcined erbium titanate nanotubes in argon atmosphere. The presence of these vacancies was confirmed by the determination of Urbach energy. The results suggest the use of thermal treated erbium titanate nanotubes in argon atmosphere in optoelectronics and photonics applications, such as photoluminescent devices, displays, and lasers.
Some Difference Schemes for the Biharmonic Equation

The Dirichlet problem for biharmonic equation in a rectangular region is considered. The method of splitting is used and two classes of finite difference approximations are defined. Two semi-iterative procedures are considered for obtaining the solution of the resulting coupled system of algebraic equations. It is shown that the rate of convergence of the iterative procedures depends upon the choice of the difference approximation. Estimates for optimum iteration parameters are given and several comparisons are made. An attempt is made to unify the ideas on the splitting technique for solving the first biharmonic boundary value problem.
Evaluating the association between DNM1L variants and Parkinson's disease in the Chinese population

Introduction Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive movement disorder caused by a loss of dopaminergic neurons. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of mitochondria dynamics in the pathogenesis of PD. Dynamin-1-like (DNM1L) is a gene that encodes dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1), a GTPase essential for proper mitochondria fission. In the present study, we evaluated the relationship between DNM1L variants and PD in the Chinese population. Methods A total of 3,879 patients with PD and 2,931 healthy controls were recruited and burden genetic analysis combined with high-throughput sequencing was applied. Results We identified 23 rare variants in the coding region of DNM1L, while no difference in variant burden was shown between the cases and controls. We also identified 201 common variants in the coding and flanking regions and found two significant SNPs, namely, rs10844308 and rs143794289 [odds ratio (OR) = 1.220 and 0.718, p = 0.025 and 0.036, respectively]. We also performed a meta-analysis to correlate the two SNPs with PD risk. However, none of the common variants was significant using logistic regression. Conclusion Despite the critical role of DRP1, our study did not support the relationship between DNM1L variants and PD risk in the Chinese population.
The Prognostic Significance of Early Glycemic Profile in Acute Ischemic Stroke Depends on Stroke Subtype

It is still unclear whether early glycemic profile after admission for acute ischemic stroke (IS) has the same prognostic significance in patients with lacunar and non-lacunar infarction. Data from 4011 IS patients admitted to a Stroke Unit (SU) were retrospectively analyzed. Lacunar IS was diagnosed by clinical criteria. A continuous indicator of early glycemic profile was calculated as the difference of fasting serum glucose (FSG) measured within 48 h after admission and random serum glucose (RSG) measured on admission. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association with a combined poor outcome defined as early neurological deterioration, severe stroke at SU discharge, or 1-month mortality. Among patients without hypoglycemia (RSG and FSG > 3.9 mmol/L), an increasing glycemic profile increased the likelihood of a poor outcome for non-lacunar (OR, 1.38, 95%CI, 1.24–1.52 in those without diabetes; 1.11, 95%CI, 1.05–1.18 in those with diabetes) but not for lacunar IS. Among patients without sustained or delayed hyperglycemia (FSG < 7.8 mmol/L), an increasing glycemic profile was unrelated to outcome for non-lacunar IS but decreased the likelihood of poor outcome for lacunar IS (OR, 0.63, 95%CI, 0.41–0.98). Early glycemic profile after acute IS has a different prognostic significance in non-lacunar and lacunar patients.
Decoherence modes in neutron interferometry

We give a short introduction to the topics of decoherence, neutron interferometry and entanglement for single neutrons. We introduce two theoretical modes of decoherence for an entangled two qubit system via special Lindblad generators for the quantum master equation. The experimental realization of the decoherence modes is achieved within neutron interferometry where the decoherence is modeled by fluctuating magnetic fields in the interferometer.
Potentiometric Chloride Ion Biosensor for Cystic Fibrosis Diagnosis and Management: Modeling and Design

The ion-sensitive field-effect transistor is a well-established electronic device typically used for pH sensing. The usability of the device for detecting other biomarkers in easily accessible biologic fluids, with dynamic range and resolution compliant with high-impact medical applications, is still an open research topic. Here, we report on an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor that is able to detect the presence of chloride ions in sweat with a limit-of-detection of 0.004 mol/m3. The device is intended for supporting the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis, and it has been designed considering two adjacent domains, namely the semiconductor and the electrolyte containing the ions of interest, by using the finite element method, which models the experimental reality with great accuracy. According to the literature explaining the chemical reactions that take place between the gate oxide and the electrolytic solution, we have concluded that anions directly interact with the hydroxyl surface groups and replace protons previously adsorbed from the surface. The achieved results confirm that such a device can be used to replace the traditional sweat test in the diagnosis and management of cystic fibrosis. In fact, the reported technology is easy-to-use, cost-effective, and non-invasive, leading to earlier and more accurate diagnoses.
Bypassing the Incumbent: Leadership Tenure and Foreign Aid Channels

The traditional perception is that foreign aid provides leaders in recipient states access to nontax revenue, which incumbents may be able to manipulate in order to provide public or private goods as is required to maintain office. Recognizing this possibility, donors have been shifting away from direct government-to-government aid and toward bypass aid, administered by NGOs and civil society groups rather than the regime directly. Receiving aid through alternative channels is designed to increase aid’s effectiveness, yet it has potential implications for incumbent leaders who may have less ability to manipulate aid receipts to their benefit. In this paper, we argue that bypass aid should negatively affect leaders’ tenure, conditional on the political institutions in place. Using data on bypass aid from 2004 to 2017, we find evidence of a punishing effect and conclude that bypass aid is a particularly acute problem for leaders in authoritarian regimes. The findings imply that efficiency and stability may present a tradeoff for potential donors and that bypass aid may not be the panacea of the aid effectiveness movement.
A Shifting Filter Framework for Dynamic Set Queries

Set query is a fundamental problem in computer systems. Plenty of applications rely on the query results of membership, association, and multiplicity. A traditional method that addresses such a fundamental problem is derived from Bloom filter. However, such methods may fail to support element deletion, require additional filters or apriori knowledge, making them unamenable to a high-performance implementation for dynamic set representation and query. In this paper, we envision a novel sketch framework that is multi-functional, non-parametric, space efficient, and deletable. As far as we know, none of the existing designs can guarantee such features simultaneously. To this end, we present a general shifting framework to represent auxiliary information (such as multiplicity, association) with the offset. Thereafter, we specify such design philosophy for a hash table horizontally at the slot level, as well as vertically at the bucket level. Theoretical and experimental results jointly demonstrate that our design works exceptionally well with three types of set queries under small memory.
Mappings of polyhedra with prescribed fixed points and fixed point indices

The following problem is studied: If points ck of a polyhedron and integers ik are given, when does there exist a self map within a given homotopy class which has the ck as its fixed points and the ik as its fixed point indices? Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of such selfmaps are established if the selfmap is a deformation and the polyhedron is of type W, and if the selfmap is arbitrary and the polyhedron is of type S. It is further shown that there always exists a selfmap of an n-βphere (n ^ 2) which has arbitrarily prescribed locations and indices of its fixed points. The proofs are based on Shi Gen-Hua's construction of selfmaps with a minimum number of fixed points.
A fast approximate Harris corner detector

The most widely used interest points detector is probably the Harris corner detector, which is based on the eigen values of the second moment matrix to extract corner features. In this detection algorithm, convolution with Gaussian filter is a very necessary and pivotal step. However, it is also the most time-consuming step which influences on the detection speed. Therefore, a novel fast approximate Harris corner detector was proposed in this paper, which relied on the integral images and box filters to convolute image. This fast algorithm replaced Gaussian filter process just by 3 additions and made it completely independent of the filter mask size. So it can save a large amount of consuming time. Verified by experimental results, the corners detected by the fast algorithm are quite similar as the original one, but for the implementation speed, especially when the mask size is bigger, the fast algorithm's speed advantage is more outstanding.
A shared-aperture dual-band dual-polarized microstrip array

This paper describes the design and testing of a prototype dual-band dual-polarized planar array operating at L- and X-bands. The primary objectives were to develop new antenna technology with dual-band and dual-polarization capability in a shared aperture, featuring low mass, high efficiency, and limited beam scanning. The design of a prototype planar microstrip array of 2/spl times/2 L-band elements interleaved with an array of 12/spl times/16 X-band elements that meets these requirements is discussed in detail and measured results are presented. The array is modular in form and can easily be scaled to larger aperture sizes.
Design of an Outphasing Power Amplifier Using Complex Combining Method for Broadband Application

This letter presents the design of a broadband outphasing power amplifier (OPA) based on complex combining impedance. The complex combining impedance is realized using a post-matching network (PMN) and is utilized to compensate for the frequency dispersion of the active load modulation in the OPA. It is illustrated for the first time that the bandwidth of an OPA can be extended by elaborately designing the complex combining impedance. To validate the proposed method, a broadband OPA operating over 1.7–2.2 GHz is designed and implemented. Measurement results show the fabricated OPA achieves a saturation power of 43.1–44.3 dBm, a saturation drain efficiency (DE) of 63.4%–78.4%, and a 6-dB back-off DE of 45.5%–70.4% in the interested frequency band.
Dynamical ‘breaking’ of time reversal symmetry

It is a common assumption that quantum systems with time reversal invariance and classically chaotic dynamics have energy spectra distributed according to GOE type of statistics. Here we present a class of systems which fail to follow this rule. We show that for convex billiards of constant width with time reversal symmetry and ‘almost’ chaotic dynamics the energy-level distribution is of GUE type. The effect is due to the lack of ergodicity in the ‘momentum’ part of the phase space and, as we argue, is generic in two dimensions.
Interdigitated Photoconductive Antenna Pumped by Reconfigurable Structured Light for Terahertz Emission and Modulation

To improve the terahertz (THz) generation of the interdigitated photoconductive antenna (iPCA), we demonstrate, for the first time, a novel design to pump the emission arrays by reconfigurable structured light generated by a spatial light modulator. The pump light is modulated into shapes to match the antenna’s every other electrode gap which has unidirectional bias field. This design makes full used of the pump power and avoids THz pulses with opposite polarity which causes the unwanted destructive interference in the far-field. Coherent combining efficiencies of THz electric field of 92.23%, 74.94%, and 61.73% are achieved for two-, three-, and five-element pumping, respectively. In addition, real-time phase reversal of THz emission can be achieved by adjusting the pump light location. This system could inspire new and challenging applications in the phase and amplitude control of the THz field, and the enhancement of the THz signal output.
Control of PMSM Drive Using Lookup Table Based Compensated Duty Ratio Optimized Direct Torque Control (DTC)

There are several ways to reduce the ripple magnitude for direct torque-controlled permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives. In this work, the compensated duty ratio optimized direct torque control (DDTC-TC) method was proposed to reduce the ripple magnitude for three-phase PMSM. The proposed control strategy employs the simplicity of conventional DTC (CDTC) and compensation of the reference torque to enforce the developed torque to oscillate around the required value. A torque error square minimization technique was employed to determine the duty ratio. Magnitude of developed torque by the PMSM depends on the torque slope during the active and null voltage periods. The slope of the torque during each period is computed online. Based on the online computed slopes, the magnitude of the switching period and compensation torque were calculated. The ripple reduction capability of the proposed control scheme is tested using Matlab Simulink and a hardware in loop system. Both experimental and simulation results indicate that the control scheme is effective. Specifically, the torque and speed ripples are very small. The torque ripple during speed fluctuation is less for open-end winding PMSM. In addition, the proposed scheme was tested for four-quadrant operation. Results for four quadrants indicate that the scheme is effective for four quadrant operation. Finally, verification of the effectiveness of the proposed scheme is performed using OPAL-RT-RT (OP4500). Verification indicates that the proposed scheme is effective.
Bidirectional Neural Network Model for Glaucoma Progression Prediction

Deep learning models are usually utilized to learn from spatial data, only a few studies are proposed to predict glaucoma time progression utilizing deep learning models. In this article, we present a bidirectional recurrent deep learning model (Bi-RM) to detect prospective progressive visual field diagnoses. A dataset of 5413 different eyes from 3321 samples is utilized as the learning phase dataset and 1272 eyes are used for testing. Five consecutive diagnoses are recorded from the dataset as input and the sixth progressive visual field diagnosis is matched with the prediction of the Bi-RM. The precision metrics of the Bi-RM are validated in association with the linear regression algorithm (LR) and term memory (TM) technique. The total prediction error of the Bi-RM is significantly less than those of LR and TM. In the class prediction, Bi-RM depicts the least prediction error in all three methods in most of the testing cases. In addition, Bi-RM is not impacted by the reliability keys and the glaucoma degree.
Characteristic time scales of evaporation from a subarctic reservoir

Water bodies such as lakes and reservoirs affect the regional climate by acting as heat sinks and sources through the evaporation of substantial quantities of water over several months of the year. Unfortunately, energy exchange observations between deep reservoirs and the atmosphere remain rare in northeastern North America, which has one of the highest densities of water bodies in the world. This study characterizes the dynamics of turbulent heat fluxes by analysing in‐situ observations of a compact and dimictic reservoir (50.69° N, 63.24° W) located in a subarctic environment. The reservoir is characterized by a mean depth of 44 m and a surface area of 85 km2. Two eddy covariance (EC) systems, one on a raft and one onshore, were deployed from 27 June 2018 to 12 June 2022. The thermal regime of the reservoir was monitored using two vertical chains of thermistors. Results indicate a mean annual evaporation rate of 590 ± 66 mm, which is equivalent to ≈51% of the annual precipitation, with 84% of the evaporation occurring at a high rate from August to freeze‐up in late December through episodic pulses. It was difficult to close the energy balance because of the magnitude and the large time lag of the heat storage term. To circumvent this problem, we opted to perform calculations for a year that started from the first of March, as the heat storage in the water column was at its lowest at that point and could thus be ignored. From June to December, monthly Bowen ratios increased from near‐zero negative values to about 1.5. After September, due to smaller vapour pressure deficits, latent heat fluxes steadily decreased until the reservoir had a complete ice cover. Opposite diurnal cycles of sensible and latent heat fluxes were revealed during the open water period, with sensible heat fluxes peaking at night and latent heat fluxes peaking in the afternoon.
Monitoring deformation evolution in Longtan Reservoir area by multitemporal interferometric synthetic aperture radar using time sequences of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar images

Abstract In order to discover the relationship between the earth surface deformation evolution and the water impoundment/discharge and penetration process in the Longtan Reservoir area, we process a time series of images from Envisat ASAR and ALOS PALSAR instruments using an MT-InSAR technique enhanced by corner reflectors. This allows us to successfully obtain a deformation map from this densely vegetated reservoir area with karst topography. We obtain time series of precise deformation images, which show clearly, for the first time, the complete spatio-temporal earth surface deformation evolution in the whole reservoir area during the impoundment/discharge process. The results from the two kinds of data show a similar underlying pattern: (1) The water load causes subsidence in almost all of its immediate surroundings; (2) the subsidence magnitude shows cyclic variation matching seasonal water level variation. Every year, the water level starts to increase in June and quickly reaches its peak in July to August, and the subsidence immediately follows and also reaches its peak magnitude in July to August; then the water level decreases slowly, and the area rebounds slowly. (3) Statistical analysis of time-series deformation shows that about 60% of the deformation occurs during the rain season (June to August) can be restored, and the remaining 40% become permanent.
Robust D-stability analysis for linear discrete-time singular systems with structured parameter uncertainties and delayed perturbations

Abstract In this paper, the robust D-stability problem (i.e. robust eigenvalue-clustering in a specified circular region problem) of linear discrete-time singular systems with structured (elemental) parameter uncertainties and delayed perturbations is investigated. Under the assumptions that the nominal discrete-time singular system is regular and impulse free and has all its finite eigenvalues lying inside a specified circular region, a new sufficient condition is proposed to preserve the assumed properties when the structured (elemental) parameter uncertainties and delayed perturbations are added into the nominal discrete-time singular system. When all the finite eigenvalues lie inside the unit circle of the z plane, the proposed criterion will become the stability robustness criterion. An example is given to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed sufficient condition.
Magnetic field power density spectra during 'scatter-free' solar particle events

We have examined interplanetary magnetic field power spectral density during four previously identified 3 He-rich flare periods when the ∼1 MeV nucleon −1 particles exhibited nearly scatter-free transport from the Sun to 1 AU. Since the scattering mean free path λ was large, it might be expected that interplanetary turbulence was low, yet the spectral density value was low only for one of the four periods. For the other three, however, the spectral index q of the power density spectrum was near 2.0, a value at which quasi-linear theories predict an increase in the scattering mean free path
Influence of Printed Encapsulation Layer on the Mechanical Reliability and Performance of V₂O₅ Nanowires-Based Flexible Temperature Sensors

Nanowires (NWs)-based sensors have been studied extensively to measure various physical, chemical, and biological parameters as their large surface-to-volume ratio leads to sensitive devices. Furthermore, due to the low flexural rigidity of NWs, these sensors can be developed on ultraflexible substrates. However, their performance often degrades after repeated mechanical deformations or when they are exposed to different ambient environments. A well-thought-out device engineering step could resolve these issues. As a potential solution, the soft material-based encapsulation layers have been explored. These are suitable for most sensor types except the temperature sensors, where they reduce the efficiency of heat transfer. Addressing this issue, we present here vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) NWs-based temperature sensors with nanosilica/epoxy (NS/epoxy)-based encapsulation layer. The encapsulation layer is selectively deposited with high-resolution electrohydrodynamic printing. The comparison of nonencapsulated (N-ES) and encapsulated (ES) devices, after applied mechanical loadings (bending and twisting), shows a robust and reliable temperature sensing performance of the latter. This study shows how the sensing performance can be preserved and the lifetime of flexible temperature sensors elongated by using an encapsulation layer.
Notes on Computational Complexity of GE Inequalities

Recently, Cheryche et al. (2011) proved the important negative result that deciding the strong feasibility of the Marshallian equilibrium inequalities, introduced by Brown and Matzkin (1996), is NP-complete. Here, I show that the weak feasibility of the equivalent Hicksian equilibrium inequalities, introduced by Brown and Shannon (2000), can be decided in oracle-polynomial time.