Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
2.5D AND 3D GREEN'S FUNCTIONS FOR ACOUSTIC WEDGES: IMAGE SOURCE TECHNIQUE VERSUS A NORMAL MODE APPROACH

2.5D and 3D Green's functions are implemented to simulate wave propagation in the vicinity of two-dimensional wedges. All Green's functions are defined by the image-source technique, which does not account directly for the acoustic penetration of the wedge surfaces. The performance of these Green's functions is compared with solutions based on a normal mode model, which are found not to converge easily for receivers whose distance to the apex is similar to the distance from the source to the apex. The applicability of the image source Green's functions is then demonstrated by means of computational examples for three-dimensional wave propagation. For this purpose, a boundary element formulation in the frequency domain is developed to simulate the wave field produced by a 3D point pressure source inside a two-dimensional fluid channel. The propagating domain may couple different dipping wedges and flat horizontal layers. The full discretization of the boundary surfaces of the channel is avoided since 2.5D Green's functions are used. The BEM is used to couple the different subdomains, discretizing only the vertical interfaces between them.
Analysis of Air Breathing Hall Effect Thruster

The principle idea of using air breathing electrical propulsion for a vehicle flying at orbital speed on the edge of Earth’s atmosphere is examined. In this paper, we present a simple model of a Hall Effect thruster in which the propellant is an ambient air. The required lengths of the thruster chamber, the magnetic fields, the thrust, and other parameters of an ideal air breathing Hall Effect thruster are calculated as a function of the flying altitude of the vehicle. We demonstrated that an air breathing Hall thruster is indeed capable of providing the needed thrust for near space satellites in the case of the altitudes of about 80 – 90 km.
DETECTION OF HUMAN STRESS USING SHORT-TERM ECG AND HRV SIGNALS

This paper introduces a method for resolving the problem of human stress detection through short-term (less than 5 min) electrocardiogram (ECG) and heart rate variability (HRV) signals. The explored methodology helps to improve the stress detection rate and reliability through multiple evidences originated in same sensor. In this work, stress-inducing protocol, data acquisition, preprocessing, feature extraction and classification are the major steps involved to detect the stress. In total, 60 subjects (30 males and 30 females) participated in the Stroop color word-based stress-inducing task and ECG signal was acquired simultaneously. The wavelet denoising algorithm was applied to remove high frequency, baseline wander and power line noises. Discrete wavelet transform (DWT)-based heart rate (HR) detection algorithm is used for deriving HRV signal from the preprocessed ECG signal. The ectopic beat removal method is employed to eliminate the ectopic beat and noise peaks in the HRV signal. In order to detect the stress, the issue of uneven sampling with the HRV signal has been successfully rectified using the Lomb-Scargle periodogram (LSP). The application of LSP in short-term HRV signals (32 s), uneven sampling issue, and power spectral information issue has been rectified and the trustworthiness of the short-term HRV signal has been proved by hypothesis as well as experimental results. Theoretical analysis suggested that a minimum 25 s of online or offline ECG data is required to analyze the autonomous nervous system (ANS) activity related to stress. In addition to the HRV signal, ECG-based stress assessment has been proposed to detect the stress through optimum features using fast Fourier transform (FFT). Various features extracted from the ECG and HRV signal have been classified into normal and stress using PNN and kNN classifiers with different smoothing factor and k values. The experimental results indicate that the proposed methodology for short-term ECG and HRV signal can achieve the overall average classification accuracy of 91.66% and 94.66% in the subject-independent mode.
Evidence-Based Treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections: A Critical Reappraisal

Multidrug-resistant (MDR)/extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa is emerging as a major threat related to adverse patient outcomes. The goal of this review is to describe evidence-based empiric and targeted treatment regimens that can be exploited when dealing with suspected or confirmed infections due to MDR/XDR P. aeruginosa. P. aeruginosa has inherent resistance to many drug classes, the capacity to form biofilms, and most importantly, the ability to quickly acquire resistance to ongoing treatments. Based on the presence of risk factors for MDR/XDR infections and local epidemiology, where large proportions of strains are resistant to classic beta-lactams, the recommended empirical treatment for suspected P. aeruginosa infections is based on ceftolozane-tazobactam or ceftazidime-avibactam. Where local epidemiology indicates low rates of MDR/XDR and there are no risk factors, a third or fourth generation cephalosporin can be used in the context of a “carbapenem-sparing” strategy. Whenever feasible, antibiotic de-escalation is recommended after antimicrobial susceptibility tests suggest that it is appropriate, and de-escalation is based on different resistance mechanisms. Cefiderocol and imipenem-cilastatin-relebactam withstand most resistance mechanisms and may remain active in cases with resistance to other new antibiotics. Confronting the growing threat of MDR/XDR P. aeruginosa, treatment choices should be wise, sparing newer antibiotics when dealing with a suspected/confirmed susceptible P. aeruginosa strain and choosing the right option for MDR/XDR P. aeruginosa based on specific types and resistance mechanisms.
Visible photoluminescence of Ge dots embedded in Si/SiO2 matrices

Ge island formation on ultrathin SiO2 films enabled us to fabricate multilayer structures of Ge dots ∼6–7 nm in diameter and with an extremely high dot density of 2×1012 cm−2. Each dot had a boundary with the SiO2 film and a Si spacer layer. The multilayer structures exhibited photoluminescence (PL) with a maximum in the range of 2–3 eV depending on the excitation energy. The PL was associated with recombination between holes confined within Ge dots and electrons localized in the radiative defect centers at the Ge-dot/SiO2 interfaces. The results suggest that this recombination is much more effective than that at the Si/SiO2 interface and supported by the hole migration from the Si spacer layers to the Ge dots.
Rail transport in Swedish wood supply – seasonal variation, system risks and mitigation costs

ABSTRACT This study examines the potential for reduced risks in roundwood transport by rail. The study quantifies seasonal variation and system risks under boreal conditions, as well as practical routines for managerial response to these. The study case is based on an integrated forest company with 11 supply terminals supplying coastal mills in mid-Sweden. The terminals were distributed from south to north Sweden, with six core terminals located in the interior- and mid-supply zones for coastal mills. The monthly flows ranged from 75 to 118% of the annual average and the monthly variability of terminal inflows was 67% higher for the interior than the mid-zone terminals. Comparing inflows between assortments, the lowest variability was for coniferous pulpwood (8%) and pine sawlogs (18%), increasing thereafter to deciduous pulpwood (28%) and spruce sawlogs (53%). Regarding rail system disturbances, the frequency of deviations from scheduled routes for the core terminals was 16–17%, resulting in canceled routes for 53–65% of deviations. Two mitigation scenarios were tested to reduce supply risks (scenario 1) and a combination of supply and system risks (scenario 2). These risk mitigation scenarios had only marginal effects on system costs (< 1%). The optimal solutions, however, involved a 4–5% reduction of truck transport output (m3km per period) and 7–8% increase in rail output. From the perspective of rail operations, interviews with service buyers and providers showed that the mitigation scenarios were fully feasible on an annual planning horizon. Further options are provided for quarterly, monthly, and weekly horizons.
Short-term passenger flow forecast of urban rail transit based on GAN

Short-term passenger flow forecasting plays an important role in better traffic management and organization. Emerging deep learning models offer a great way to improve short-term forecast accuracy. However, a large number of existing forecasting models are very complex in their model structure because they combine various neural network layers to improve the accuracy of the models. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the complexity of the models while ensuring their accuracy. Finally, we propose a Graph-GAN model based on deep learning with a simple structure and high prediction accuracy to predict short-term passenger flows in urban rail networks. Graph-GAN consists of two main components: (1) a graph convolutional network (GCN) for extracting topological information of the metro network; and (2) a generative adversarial network (GAN) for predicting passenger flow, where the generator and discriminator in the GAN consist of only simple fully connected neural networks. Graph-GAN was tested on real Beijing subway datasets in 2016 and 2018. The prediction performance of Graph-GAN is compared with several state-of-the-art models to illustrate the superiority of the model.
Evaluation of Methanotroph (Methylococcus capsulatus, Bath) Bacteria Protein as an Alternative to Fish Meal in the Diet of Juvenile American Eel (Anguilla rostrata)

Simple Summary It is an urgent issue to reduce the consumption of high-quality fish meal for the sustainable development of eel aquaculture. Methanotroph (Methylococcus capsulatus, Bath) bacteria protein is shown to be a promising alternative to fish meal due to its high nutritional values and lower production costs. In the present study, methanotroph bacteria protein was used to substitute the fish meal in the diet of the American eel (Anguilla rostrata); it could replace 6% of fish meal without negatively affecting on growth and health status of American eels. This study provides a first perspective on the feasibility of replacing fish meal with bacteria protein in the diet of the American eel. Abstract This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing fish meal (FM) with methanotroph (Methylococcus capsulatus, Bath) bacteria protein (MBP) in the diets of the juvenile American eel (Anguilla rostrata). Trial fish were randomly divided into the MBP0 group, MBP6 group, MBP12 group, and MBP18 group fed the diets with MBP replacing FM at levels of 0, 6%, 12%, and 18%, respectively. The trial lasted for ten weeks. There were no significant differences in weight gain or feed utilization among the MBP0, MBP6, and MBP12 groups (except for the feeding rate in the MBP12 group). Compared with the MBP0 group, the D-lactate level and diamine oxidase activity in the serum were significantly elevated in the MBP12 and MBP18 groups. In terms of non-specific immunity parameters in serum, the alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly decreased in the MBP18 group, and the complement 3 level was significantly elevated in the MBP12 and MBP18 groups. The activities of lipase and protease in the intestine were significantly decreased in the MBP12 and MBP18 groups. Compared with the MBP0 group, the total antioxidant capacity and activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase in the intestine were significantly decreased in the MBP18 group, while the malondialdehyde level was significantly increased. The villus height, muscular thickness, and microvillus density were significantly decreased in the MBP12 and MBP18 groups. There were no significant differences in the foresaid parameters between the MBP0 group and the MBP6 group. The intestinal microbiota of the MBP6 group was beneficially regulated to maintain similar growth and health status with the MBP0 group. The adverse effects on the intestinal microbiota were reflected in the MBP18 group. In conclusion, MBP could successfully replace 6% of FM in the diet without adversely affecting the growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, and intestinal health of juvenile American eels.
Energy spectra and pitch angle distributions of lightning-induced electron Precipitation: Analysis of an event observed on the S81-1(SEEP) satellite

Temporal and spectral signatures of a lightning-induced electron precipitation (LEP) burst observed on the S81-1 (SEEP) satellite are analyned and compared with the predictions of a test particle model of the gyroresonant whistler-particleinteractionin the magnetosphere. The flux to be detected by specific detectors on t'r. low altitude (- 220 ! an) satellite at L -- 2.24 is calculated in tern of the integrai ~~~UIIU~X rate as a func! nz of time and in tarns of the dynamic energy spectra during the initial - 300-ms precipitationpulse. For a whistler wave packet with frequency range 500 Hz to 6 kHz the dynamic energy spectra are found to depend sensitively on the electron angular distribution in the vicinity of the loss cone. In the case of a whistler wave originatingin northern hemisphere lightning the maximum whistler-induced pitch angle scattering of electrons occurs near - 10% geomagnetic latitude. However, scattering occurring over the latitude range of - 20°N to - 20"s is fooond to be significant md contributes to the observed LEP pulse. The dynamic energy spectra of the LEP pulse and the temporal profile of the integral counting rate arc ionsistent with the ~rcdictions of a tezt partiili . nodcl of the gymrcscnant scattering of the electrons by a whistler wave having an equatorialintensity at 6 kHz of -200 pT. The rneasurcd LEP pulse pi? ch angle distribution is %,wider than that eslin~atcd on the basis of the test particle model.
Optimal centralized state fusion estimation for multi-sensor system with correlated measurement noise

Many centralized fusion estimation algorithms assumed that measurement noises among sensors are uncorrelated, but it is not true when there exist the same unmodeled measurement noise source. In this paper, based on the matrix similarity transform, covariance matrix of correlated measurement noise is successfully parallel decomposed and the linear measurement models are transformed. Optimal centralized fusion estimation algorithm is presented. When measurement noises are uncorrelated, the results here are reduced to the standard optimal centralized fusion estimation algorithms.
DELAYED POLYNOMIAL ARITHMETIC AND APPLICATIONS

The goal of this thesis is to develop an environment for doing delayed polynomial arithmetic. We present the various known ‘heap’ methods for multiplication and division and adapt them to create a high performance implementation in C. We also present a storage-minimizing variant of this package that allows us to address some fundamental problems with Bareiss’ fraction-free method for calculating determinants and the subresultant algorithm. We show that the memory usage for both of these algorithms can be linearly related to the size of the output instead of the intermediate values.
Transcriptome and DNA Methylome Analysis of Two Contrasting Rice Genotypes under Salt Stress during Germination

With climate change and labor shortages, direct-seeding rice cultivation is becoming popular worldwide, especially in Asia. Salinity stress negatively affects rice seed germination in the direct-seeding process, and the cultivation of suitable direct-seeding rice varieties under salinity stress is necessary. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism of salt responses during seed germination under salt stress. To investigate the salt tolerance mechanism at the seed germination stage, two contrasting rice genotypes differing in salt tolerance, namely, FL478 (salt-tolerant) and IR29 (salt-sensitive), were used in this study. We observed, that compared to IR29, FL478 appeared to be more tolerant to salt stress with a higher germination rate. GD1 (germination defective 1), which was involved in seed germination by regulating alpha-amylase, was upregulated significantly in the salt-sensitive IR29 strain under salt stress during germination. Transcriptomic data showed that salt-responsive genes tended to be up/downregulated in IR29 but not in FL478. Furthermore, we investigated the epigenetic changes in FL478 and IR29 during germination under saline treatment using whole genome bisulfite DNA sequencing (BS-seq) technology. BS-seq data showed that the global CHH methylation level increased dramatically under salinity stress in both strains, and the hyper CHH differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were predominantly located within the transposable elements regions. Compared with FL478, differentially expressed genes with DMRs in IR29 were mainly related to gene ontology terms such as response to water deprivation, response to salt stress, seed germination, and response to hydrogen peroxide pathways. These results may provide valuable insights into the genetic and epigenetic basis of salt tolerance at the seed germination stage, which is important for direct-seeding rice breeding.
Literature review on the interdisciplinary biomarkers of multi-target and multi-time herbal medicine therapy to modulate peripheral systems in cognitive impairment

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the deposition of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. The approved drug for AD has certain limitations such as a short period of cognitive improvement effect; moreover, the development of drug for AD therapeutic single target for Aβ clearance in brain ended in failure. Therefore, diagnosis and treatment of AD using a multi-target strategy according to the modulation of the peripheral system, which is not only limited to the brain, is needed. Traditional herbal medicines can be beneficial for AD based on a holistic theory and personalized treatment according to the time-order progression of AD. This literature review aimed to investigate the effectiveness of herbal medicine therapy based on syndrome differentiation, a unique theory of traditional diagnosis based on the holistic system, for multi-target and multi-time treatment of mild cognitive impairment or AD stage. Possible interdisciplinary biomarkers including transcriptomic and neuroimaging studies by herbal medicine therapy for AD were investigated. In addition, the mechanism by which herbal medicines affect the central nervous system in connection with the peripheral system in an animal model of cognitive impairment was reviewed. Herbal medicine may be a promising therapy for the prevention and treatment of AD through a multi-target and multi-time strategy. This review would contribute to the development of interdisciplinary biomarkers and understanding of the mechanisms of action of herbal medicine in AD.
Structured Products Modelled as Stochastic Processes

In this thesis, the value of the two composed financial products (structured products), sprinters and auto-calls, are studied and compared to the European call option. The study is preformed using both analytical and numerical solutions, where the underlying is either said to follow a GBM-process (Geometric Brownian Motion) or a GARCH-process (Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity). One of the main results is that the GARCHdt-model is optimistic to a larger extent than the GBM-model. This is shown by a generally higher price of derivatives. Many times this is an effect of the individually high payoffs resulting from the simulations. This effect is clearest seen in the simulations of option, where the GARCHdt-simulations reach payoffs ten times higher than the highest GBM pay off. With the introduction of structured products and several underlies, this effect is somewhat damped, but still substantial. Although the GARCHdt-model gave unreasonable high payoffs occasionally, it many times out-performed the GBM-model. When compared to structured products with real data as underlies, the GARCHdt- simulations showed a higher number of similarities than the GBM-simulations.
Orthogonal Procrustes rotation for matrices with missing values

A method is offered for orthogonal Procrustes rotation of two or more matrices with missing values, and an extension to Generalized Procrustes Analysis is given. The method is based on the idea that missing values, in arbitrary places, can be replaced by optimal values according to the least squares criterion. Commandeur has offered a method of orthogonal Procrustes rotation and Generalized Procrustes Analysis for the case where entire rows of the data matrices are missing. It is proved that our method yields essentially the same results as Commandeur's method, in that case. A simulation study for Procrustes rotation is described in which complete columns of matrices, derived from a common underlying structure, are deleted, and either replaced by zeros or estimated on the basis of the newly proposed method. In those conditions where the underlying structure can adequately be disentangled from the error, our method appears to recover the underlying structure more accurately than when the missing columns are replaced by zeros.
Entrainment and suspension of sediments into a turbulent flow over ripples

We have analysed the trajectories of small particles released into a turbulent flow over a wavy wall in order to clarify the role of coherent structures in controlling the suspension and entrainment of sediments when ripples are present. LES was used to simulate the turbulent flow, while the motion of individual particles was calculated in a Lagrangian framework considering the effects of drag, lift and added mass. The results show that the process of suspension can be divided into two phases: the formation of a cloud in the lee of the ripples and the subsequent ejection of the particles across the shear layer capping the sediment cloud. Strong vortical structures on the upslope are shown to control the amounts of sediment entrained along the upslope, which feed the cloud. The implications for modelling are discussed.
NON-NEGATIVE AUTOREGRESSIVE PROCESSES

Abstract. Consider a stationary autoregressive process given by Xt=b1Xt‐1+…+bpXt‐p+Yt, where the Yt are independent identically distributed positive variables and b1,…,bp are non‐negative parameters. Let the variables X1,…,Xn be given. If p= 1 then it is known that b1*= min(Xt/Xt‐1) is a strongly consistent estimator for b1 under very general conditions. In this paper the case p= 2 is analysed in detail. It is proved that min(Xt/Xt‐1)→b1 almost surely (a.s.) and min(Xt/Xt‐2)→b2+b12 a.s. as n→ 8. The convergence is very slow. Denote by b1* and b2* values of b1 and b2 respectively which maximize b2+b2 under the conditions Xt‐b1Xt‐1‐b2Xt‐2≥ 0 for t= 3,…, n. We prove that b1*b1 and b2*b2 a.s. Simulations show that b1* and b2* are better than the least‐squares estimators of the autoregressive coefficients when the distribution of Yt is exponential.