Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Theoretical Study of Rampwise DPWM Technique to Reduce Motor Acoustic Noise

Motor acoustic noise generated near living environments, such as elevators and electric vehicles, may cause discomfort. In order to reduce the acoustic noise, the switching frequency is set to the high side of the audible frequency range. In this case, however, the switching loss is increased. The conventional discontinuous pulsewidth modulation (DPWM) method is widely used since it can reduce the switching loss drastically. However, it produces larger acoustic noise than the conventional sinusoidal pulsewidth modulation method. The authors have previously proposed “Rampwise DPWM technique,” which can reduce both acoustic noise and switching loss. In this article, the line–line voltage with the proposed Rampwise DPWM technique is expanded into a real-valued Fourier series, and the frequency characteristics are analyzed. It is theoretically confirmed that the rampwise part in the Rampwise DPWM technique can achieve the reduction of motor acoustic noise. Furthermore, the reduction effect of motor acoustic noise with the Rampwise DPWM technique is theoretically and experimentally verified.
An efficient numerical technique for capturing saddle points of dispersion relations

Properties of an analytic function are exploited to develop an efficient numerical technique for capturing critical (saddle) points of complex valued dispersion relations. Dispersion relations are obtained via spatio-temporal linear stability analysis and provide a functional relationship between complex frequencies and wavenumbers. Branch point singularities associated with flow instabilities appear as saddle points in the complex wavenumber plane and as pinch points in the complex frequency plane. The location of these singularities in the frequency plane determines the nature of the instability. The previous approach of obtaining such information was to create a map of the dispersion relation involving expensive eigenvalue computations. The present paper proposes a variant of the Newton's method using numerical Jacobians. The analyticity of the dispersion relation allows further simplification of the problem and reduces the number of eigenvalue computations from nine to three per step of the Newton's method. Instead of creating an expensive map, the location of the saddle point can be readily obtained in this fashion. Comparison of results obtained with and without the assumption of analyticity also provides an heuristic proof of analyticity of the dispersion relations considered in this paper.
Antiviral Mechanisms of N-Phenyl Benzamides on Coxsackie Virus A9

Enteroviruses are one of the most abundant groups of viruses infecting humans, and yet there are no approved antivirals against them. To find effective antiviral compounds against enterovirus B group viruses, an in-house chemical library was screened. The most effective compounds against Coxsackieviruses B3 (CVB3) and A9 (CVA9) were CL212 and CL213, two N-phenyl benzamides. Both compounds were more effective against CVA9 and CL213 gave a better EC50 value of 1 µM with high a specificity index of 140. Both drugs were most effective when incubated directly with viruses suggesting that they mainly bound to the virions. A real-time uncoating assay showed that the compounds stabilized the virions and radioactive sucrose gradient as well as TEM confirmed that the viruses stayed intact. A docking assay, taking into account larger areas around the 2-and 3-fold axes of CVA9 and CVB3, suggested that the hydrophobic pocket gives the strongest binding to CVA9 but revealed another binding site around the 3-fold axis which could contribute to the binding of the compounds. Together, our data support a direct antiviral mechanism against the virus capsid and suggest that the compounds bind to the hydrophobic pocket and 3-fold axis area resulting in the stabilization of the virion.
Research and development of fringe projection-based methods in 3D shape reconstruction

This paper discusses current research and development of fringe projection-based techniques. A system based on Fourier transform profilometry (FTP) is proposed for three-dimensional (3D) shape recovery. The system improves the method of phase unwrapping to gain accurate 3D shapes of objects. The method uses a region-growing algorithm for the path prediction guided by the quality map to increase the recovering accuracy and provides a fast and simple tool for 3D shape recovery. The shape measurement and data recovery are integrated to offer a new method of 3D modelling. Examples are presented to verify the feasibility of the proposed method.
A Law of the Logarithm for Kernel Quantile Density Estimators

Received February 1992; revised February 1993. 1This manuscript was prepared using computer facilities supported in part by NSF Grants DMS 89-05292, DMS 87-03942, DMS 86-01732 and DMS-84-04941 and by the University of Chicago Block Fund. AMS 1991 subject classifications. Primary 60F15; secondary 62G05, 62G30.
Case Report: Intramural colonic signet ring cell carcinoma presenting as intestinal pseudo-obstruction: A case presentation and review of the literature

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the world. Other than adenocarcinomas, exceptional tumors of the colon and rectum represent a neglected clinical issue due to their rarity. Signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) is a rare subtype of CRC and has an extremely poor prognosis due to its advanced stage at diagnosis. Here we report a rare case of colorectal SRCC manifested as recurrent intestinal obstruction with a negative colonoscopy. Finally, he was diagnosed with signet ring cell carcinoma of the colon by postoperative pathology. It emphasized the special feature of intramural tumor growth without penetrating the mucosa in SRCC, which requires timely surgical intervention to avoid delay in diagnosis and treatment.
Equations for Calculating the Terminal Velocities of Water Drops

Abstract The experimental data of Gunn and Kinzer, Beard and Pruppacher, and Davies are used to curve-fit a polynomial for Re in terms of CdRe2. The resulting equations predict very accurately all known experimental data for drop fall velocities at sea level and at higher altitudes. Iteration of the equations is not necessary.
Monitoring laser-tissue interaction by non-linear optics

To assess laser therapies in clinical practice, histologic examinations were commonly used. But histologic examinations were invasive and not real-time in nature. In this work, we validate multiphoton microscopy as a useful modality in evaluating laser-tissue reaction in vivo. Multiphoton microscopy based on femtosecond titanium-sapphire laser system were used to evaluate autoflurescence (AF) and second harmonic generation (SHG). Nude mouse skin was irradiated with Erbium:YAG laser at low to high fluence. High resolutional images can be obtained by multiphoton microscopy. At low fluence, Erbium:YAG laser can selectively loosen compact stratum corneum with minimal injury to basal layer. At high fluence, ablated keratinocytes and residual debris can be imaged. The laser thermal effect on dermis could be measured by SHG signals of collagen fibers. SHG decreased as laser fluence increased. Multiphoton microscopy is a useful in-vivo technique in evaluating ablative and thermal effects of Erbium:YAG laser on nude mouse skin.
Microvascular and macrovascular complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus: Exome wide association analyses

Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic, metabolic disorder in which concomitant insulin resistance and β-cell impairment lead to hyperglycemia, influenced by genetic and environmental factors. T2DM is associated with long-term complications that have contributed to the burden of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The objective of this manuscript is to conduct an Exome-Wide Association Study (EWAS) on T2DM Emirati individuals to improve our understanding on diabetes-related complications to improve early diagnostic methods and treatment strategies. Methods This cross-sectional study recruited 310 Emirati participants that were stratified according to their medically diagnosed diabetes-related complications: diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic nephropathy, and cardiovascular complications. The Illumina’s Infinium Exome-24 array was used and 39,840 SNPs remained for analysis after quality control. Findings The analysis revealed the associations of various genes with each complication category: 1) diabetic retinopathy was associated to SHANK3 gene in locus 22q13.33 (SNP rs9616915; p=5.18 x10-4), ZSCAN5A gene in locus 19q13.43 (SNP rs7252603; p=7.55 x10-4), and DCP1B gene in locus 12p13.33 (SNPs rs715146, rs1044950, rs113147414, rs34730825; p=7.62 x10-4); 2) diabetic neuropathy was associated to ADH4 gene in locus 4q23 (SNP rs4148883; p=1.23 x10-4), SLC11A1 gene in locus 2q35 (SNP rs17235409; p=1.85 x10-4), and MATN4 gene in locus 20q13.12 (SNP rs2072788; p=2.68 x10-4); 3) diabetic nephropathy was associated to PPP1R3A gene in locus 7q31.1 (SNP rs1799999; p=1.91 x10-4), ZNF136 gene in locus 19p13.2 (SNP rs140861589; p=2.80 x10-4), and HSPA12B gene in locus 20p13 (SNP rs6076550; p=2.86 x10-4); and 4) cardiovascular complications was associated to PCNT gene in locus 21q22.3 (SNPs rs7279204, rs6518289, rs2839227, rs2839223; p=2.18 x10-4,3.04 x10-4,4.51 x10-4,5.22 x10-4 respectively), SEPT14 gene in locus 7p11.2 (SNP rs146350220; p=2.77 x10-4), and WDR73 gene in locus 15q25.2 (SNP rs72750868; p=4.47 x10-4). Interpretation We have identified susceptibility loci associated with each category of T2DM-related complications in the Emirati population. Given that only 16% of the markers from the Illumina’s Infinium Exome chip passed quality control assessment, this demonstrates that multiple variants were, either, monomorphic in the Arab population or were not genotyped due to the use of a Euro-centric EWAS array that limits the possibility of including targeted ethnic-specific SNPs. Our results suggest the alarming possibility that lack of representation in reference panels could inhibit discovery of functionally important loci associated to T2DM complications. Further effort must be conducted to improve the representation of diverse populations in genotyping and sequencing studies.
Vegetation changes at oligotrophic grasslands managed for a declining butterfly

A selection of sites occupied by the EU-protected marsh fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) in western Czech Republic were subjected to a vegetation survey 15 years ago and again recently. In the 66 time-replicated 25 m2 plots from 12 sites, representing the diversity of E. aurinia-occupied oligotrophic grasslands in the Slavkovský les Protected Landscape Area (and covering a fifth of the currently-occupied Czech sites), we recorded quantitative representation of vascular plants and mosses. We analysed the data using multivariate ordinations, asking how the vegetation changed between the surveys, how was it affected by the conservation management applied and how it affected occupancy by the butterfly larval nests; the vegetation patterns were interpreted using Ellenberg’s plant indicator values. Between the two surveys, the overall representation of the larval host plant, Succisa pratensis, did not change; tree and herbs layers (both grasses and forbs) increased and the moss layer decreased. Across surveys, the main driver of vascular plants’ species composition was moisture, followed by soil reaction and nitrogen, whereas in mosses, nitrogen was the main factor. The main change between the surveys was the increase of nitrogen accompanied by decreased light, probably due to increase of competitively strong plants. Butterfly occupancy declined at sites with high soil moisture and increased at sites with higher soil reaction. Mowing of moist nitrogen-rich sites, but not drier nitrogen-poor sites, increased occupancy, illustrating the need for context-dependent interventions. All the evidence thus shows that E. aurinia prefers drier, warmer and less acidic conditions within the generally moist acidic grasslands and that ongoing eutrophication represents a potential problem in the future.
Giga- and terahertz frequency band detector based on an asymmetrically necked n-n+-GaAs planar structure

We describe the concept of an asymmetrically shaped n-n+-planar GaAs diode whose operation is based on nonuniform free charge carrier heating effects. The detector was fabricated on thin elastic polyimide film and has been shown to have an operational bandwidth for detection ranging from 30 GHz up to 2.5 THz at room temperature. The voltage sensitivity of the detector is nearly independent of the frequency from 30 GHz up to 0.7 THz and is close to 0.3 V/W. In the upper section of the frequency range, 0.7–2.5 THz, the sensitivity is limited by the electron momentum relaxation time. The induced signal responds linearly to the incident power over the frequency range studied. It is shown that the performance of the detector can be explained well by a phenomenological theory.
Slow light in insulator–metal–insulator plasmonic waveguides

We study numerically the slow-light capability of insulator–metal–insulator (IMI) plasmonic waveguides. Metal-induced losses are included in the calculation of the dispersion relations, and their effect on the slow-light properties of the waveguide is investigated. In addition to reducing the propagation lengths of surface plasmon polaritons, losses are found to limit the achievable slowdown factors and the practical potential of the device. To alleviate the problem, we consider active materials. Using realistic parameters, we find that a spectral region is then formed where a slow-light pulsed signal can achieve infinite propagation lengths or be amplified. The optical buffering capabilities of the IMI waveguide with losses are analyzed, and we conclude that while losses limit the buffering capabilities of the passive device, the use of active materials may combat the problem effectively from an application point of view.
Analytic solution of a one-dimensional equation for aerosol and gas dispersion in the stratosphere

Abstract The one-dimensional equation for dispersion of an inert tracer in an exponentially stratified fluid with exponential dispersion coefficient admits a simple analytic solution. The solution is a form of the gamma distribution of which the usual Gaussian plume solution of the diffusion equation is a special case. The new solution has the property, at first surprising for dispersion, that in comoving coordinates it is invariant with time. It is also an attractor for more complex solutions that can be constructed from it. The new equation and solution are applicable in studies of the dispersion and settling of long-lived aerosol and gas species in the stratosphere.
Stimuli-Responsive Nanotherapeutics for Treatment and Diagnosis of Stroke

Stroke is the second most common medical emergency and constitutes a significant cause of global morbidity. The conventional stroke treatment strategies, including thrombolysis, antiplatelet therapy, endovascular thrombectomy, neuroprotection, neurogenesis, reducing neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, hemostatic treatment, do not provide efficient relief to the patients due to lack of appropriate delivery systems, large doses, systemic toxicity. In this context, guiding the nanoparticles toward the ischemic tissues by making them stimuli-responsive can be a turning point in managing stroke. Hence, in this review, we first outline the basics of stroke, including its pathophysiology, factors affecting its development, current treatment therapies, and their limitations. Further, we have discussed stimuli-responsive nanotherapeutics used for diagnosing and treating stroke with challenges ahead for the safe use of nanotherapeutics.
Extremely Metal-Poor Stars. III. The Lithium-depleted Main-Sequence Turnoff Dwarfs

We present abundances of 14 elements for the metal-poor, near-main-sequence turnoff stars G66-30, G139-8, and G186-26, which are well known to possess less than 1/5-1/10 the value of Li/H observed in field halo Spite Plateau dwarfs and are thought by many to have been produced in the currently accepted standard big bang cosmology. The stars have [Fe/H] = -1.53, -2.24, and -2.68, respectively, and for these values their collective abundance patterns are not abnormal. That is to say, there is no common abundance abnormality that one might associate with their Li deficiencies. In G186-26, we find an overabundance of the heavy neutron-capture elements that increases with atomic mass. We measure [Ba/Fe] = +0.35, whereas most stars of this metallicity have [Ba/Fe] ~ -0.5, together with smaller enhancements for Sr and possibly Y. Such supersolar, neutron-capture, element abundances, however, are exhibited by ~25% of stars having [Fe/H] ~ -2.7. No such enhancement is found in G66-30 or G139-8, and the simplest explanation for the data of the three stars is that there is no connection between Li depletion and the abundance patterns of the heavy neutron-capture elements. G66-30 and G186-26 appear to be multiple systems, and we discuss the possible role of binarity in producing the observed Li depletion. We concur with J. A. Thorburn that this group of objects is not the progeny of blue stragglers, and we discuss the alternative that some of the Li-depleted stars may be the Population II counterparts of the disk population subgiant CH, barium dwarf, and F str λ4077 stars. As suggested by others, the most likely explanation for the abundance anomalies in these objects, which includes universal Li deficiency, involves mass transfer across a binary during the asymptotic giant branch evolutionary phase of the erstwhile primary of the system. We note that while such mass transfer might be expected to produce Li depletion, variations in C, N, and the heavy neutron-capture elements are possible but not all necessary. Neither G66-30 nor G139-8 shows enhancement of C or the neutron-capture elements, and no information is available for N. Further work is necessary to settle the issue. If mass transfer is responsible for Li depletions, such stars justifiably could be excluded from investigations of the primordial Li abundance. In the absence of evidence for such mass transfer, however, the possibility remains that some of these objects, if not all, are extreme examples of a process that has affected all Plateau stars.
The Dynamics of a Policy Outcome: Market Response and Bureaucratic Enforcement of a Policy Change

Policy outcomes are determined not by the words in a statute but by the actions induced in response. Whether a policy succeeds or fails depends on how policy shapes behavior and how that behavior, in turn, shapes the future course of policy. To understand this process, we develop a model that explicitly combines the political and non-political domains, focusing on competition policy and the regulation of markets. We show how the outcome of a change in policy develops over time as firms respond in the market and interact with bureaucratic enforcement. We identify a critical threshold in market structure that determines whether a policy succeeds or fails, and discuss how the design of political institutions can affect this level. The threshold represents a balancing of the path-dependence of politics with the self-correcting nature of markets. It establishes when political forces dominate those in markets and, thus, when a policy change will have a lasting effect on society. Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Knight Management Center, Stanford, CA 94305; sjc@stanford.edu. Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Knight Management Center, Stanford, CA 94305 and CEPR; ofoarta@stanford.edu. Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Knight Management Center, Stanford, CA 94305; tsugaya@stanford.edu.
The torsion of an irregular polygon

This is the first paper in the development of a new exact method of solving linear boundary-value problems, of elliptic type, for regions bounded externally and, possibly, internally by polygons—problems previously attacked, in some simplified cases, by finite-difference and relaxation methods. The torsion problem is chosen as the most suitable medium to develop and exhibit the method when the boundary conditions do not involve derivatives. A subsequent paper on the corresponding elastic plate problems will remove this limitation. The method is based on representing the boundary effects by a series of exponentially decaying harmonics associated with each edge of the polygon. At the outset it is developed for the basic polygon—a solid polygon without re-entrant angles—the boundary conditions being satisfied by equating to zero the corresponding Fourier sine harmonics. Adjustment is necessary at the ends of each side of the polygon to ensure the required continuity of the solution. This also sharpens the convergence of the series involved. The resulting simultaneous equations are in a form especially suited to their generation and solution by an electronic computer. The stresses and torsional rigidity of the cross-section are obtained using complex variable methods. The method is then extended to solid polygons with re-entrant angles by subdividing these into basic polygons and formulating the necessary coupling conditions across the common boundaries. A slight extension brings the hollow polygon, containing any number of polygonal cavities, within range. The power and simplicity of the method is illustrated numerically by solving the torsion problem for the hollow square. This involves but 17 equations compared with the 432 required by Synge & Cahill (1957) for comparable accuracy. Five harmonics give the torsional rigidity correct to 1/105.
Functional connectivity MRI quality control procedures in CONN

Quality control (QC) for functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (FC-MRI) is critical to ensure the validity of neuroimaging studies. Noise confounds are common in MRI data and, if not accounted for, may introduce biases in functional measures affecting the validity, replicability, and interpretation of FC-MRI study results. Although FC-MRI analysis rests on the assumption of adequate data processing, QC is underutilized and not systematically reported. Here, we describe a quality control pipeline for the visual and automated evaluation of MRI data implemented as part of the CONN toolbox. We analyzed publicly available resting state MRI data (N = 139 from 7 MRI sites) from the FMRI Open QC Project. Preprocessing steps included realignment, unwarp, normalization, segmentation, outlier identification, and smoothing. Data denoising was performed based on the combination of scrubbing, motion regression, and aCompCor – a principal component characterization of noise from minimally eroded masks of white matter and of cerebrospinal fluid tissues. Participant-level QC procedures included visual inspection of raw-level data and of representative images after each preprocessing step for each run, as well as the computation of automated descriptive QC measures such as average framewise displacement, average global signal change, prevalence of outlier scans, MNI to anatomical and functional overlap, anatomical to functional overlap, residual BOLD timeseries variability, effective degrees of freedom, and global correlation strength. Dataset-level QC procedures included the evaluation of inter-subject variability in the distributions of edge connectivity in a 1,000-node graph (FC distribution displays), and the estimation of residual associations across participants between functional connectivity strength and potential noise indicators such as participant’s head motion and prevalence of outlier scans (QC-FC analyses). QC procedures are demonstrated on the reference dataset with an emphasis on visualization, and general recommendations for best practices are discussed in the context of functional connectivity and other fMRI analysis. We hope this work contributes toward the dissemination and standardization of QC testing performance reporting among peers and in scientific journals.