Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
1030nm DBR tapered diode laser with up to 16 W of optical output power

A 1030 nm distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) tapered diode laser with optimized vertical layer structure and lateral design is presented. At a heatsink temperature of 15°C the developed laser provides up to 16 W of optical output power. The maximum electro-optical efficiency is 57%. Intrinsic wavelength stabilization is obtained by a 7th order DBR grating and results in a narrowband emission over the whole power range. Ion implantation next to the ridge-waveguide is applied in order to suppress propagation of unwanted lateral side modes. The highest diffraction-limited central lobe power measured for this device is 9.1 W. With these properties the presented high brightness laser is suitable for applications such as nonlinear frequency conversion.
L-arginine application triggered soil hydrolytic activity

Application of amino acids to soils is reportedly associated with controversial responses in soil enzyme activities. The effects of L-arginine application on the ﬂ uorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolysis and protease activity in an oak forest soil was investigated. The FDA hydrolysis and protease activity were regularly measured over a standard incubation period. The addition of L-arginine increased both FDA hydrolysis and protease activity after a lag time of 10 days. After 30 days, the ratio of FDA hydrolysis and protease activity in L-arginine-amended soil samples to those in the control reached 2.0 and 3.7, respectively. Moreover, FDA hydrolysis was found signi ﬁ cantly (r = 0.67, P < 0.05) correlated with protease activity. It was concluded that L-arginine was able to stimulate FDA hydrolysis and protease activity, thereby making the soil hydrolytic system capable of facing more complicated substrates.
Nonconforming mixed finite element approximation of a fluid-structure interaction spectral problem

We aim to provide a finite element analysis for the elastoacoustic vibration problem. We use a dual-mixed variational formulation for the elasticity system and combine the lowest order Lagrange finite element in the fluid domain with the reduced symmetry element known as PEERS and introduced for linear elasticity in [1]. We show that the resulting global nonconforming scheme provides a correct spectral approximation and we prove quasi-optimal error estimates. Finally, we confirm the asymptotic rates of convergence by numerical experiments.
Automatic measurement method for the size of large forgings based on scattering on rough surface

The size measurement of large hot forgings plays an important role during the process of production. In order to realise the size measurement of large forgings in thermal state, an automatic size measurement method for large forgings based on the scattering of rough surface is proposed in this study. In the method, the theory of random facets is applied to research the characteristic of laser scattering on the surface of hot forgings. The model of laser scattering on the random rough surface of cylinder is built. According to the model, the edges of forgings can be detected and the size of forgings can be got. First, the charge coupled device (CCD) camera and the green laser are driven by the motor to move on the guide rail. The real-time images of forgings are captured by CCD camera and the positional information of laser is acquired by pulse coder. Then according to the change of the intensity of the scattered light, whether the laser line is on the edge of forgings is decided. Second, the positional information of two edges is got by pulse coder and the size of forgings is figured out by the positional information. Finally, the feasibility of the method is verified by the experiment of size measurement.
The Ultrafast Laser Pump-Probe Technique for Thermal Characterization of Materials With Micro/Nanostructures

ABSTRACT Advances in nano-electronics, nano-optics, energy harvesting materials, and nanoparticle-based photothermal therapies are motivating studies of the thermal properties of micro/nanostructures. Thus, the demands for highly sensitive and accurate thermal measurement techniques are encouraged for both fundamental studies and industrial applications. The time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) method, based on an ultrafast pump-probe technique, enables high-fidelity thermal measurements at the micro/nanoscale and the observation of dynamic processes with sub-picosecond time resolution. TDTR is an optical technique, capable of measuring the thermal properties of micro/nanostructures, including thermal conductivity and interfacial thermal conductance of bulk substrates, thin films, and nanoparticles, among others. Here we review some recent developments in the state-of-the-art ultrafast pump-probe method applied to study the thermal and magnetic properties of materials at the micro- and nanometer scales. We also discuss in detail improvements to this technique by presenting several example extensions to its capabilities.
Major California faults are smooth across multiple scales at seismogenic depth

Surface traces of earthquake faults are complex and segmented on multiple scales. At seismogenic depth the detailed geometry of faults and earthquake rupture is mainly constrained by earthquake locations. Standard earthquake locations are usually too diffuse to constrain multi-scale fault geometry, while differential-timing relocation mainly improves finest scale precision. NLL-SSST-coherence, an enhanced, absolute-timing earthquake location procedure, iteratively generates traveltime corrections to improve multi-scale precision and uses waveform similarity to improve fine-scale precision. Here we apply NLL-SSST-coherence to large-earthquake sequences and background seismicity along strike-slip faults in California. Our relocated seismicity at seismogenic depth along major fault segments and around large-earthquake ruptures often defines smooth, planar or arcuate, near-vertical surfaces across the sub-km to 10’s of km scales. These results show that multi-scale smooth fault segments are characteristic of major, strike-slip fault zones and may be essential to large earthquake rupture. Our results suggest that smoothness and curvature of faults influences earthquake initiation, rupture, rupture direction and arrest, and can define earthquake hazard. The results corroborate that surface traces of strike-slip fault zones reflect complex, shallow deformation and not directly simpler, main slip surfaces at depth, and support use of planar or smoothly curved faults for modeling primary earthquake rupture.
Recent advances in access to overcome cancer drug resistance by nanocarrier drug delivery system

Cancer is currently one of the most intractable diseases causing human death. Although the prognosis of tumor patients has been improved to a certain extent through various modern treatment methods, multidrug resistance (MDR) of tumor cells is still a major problem leading to clinical treatment failure. Chemotherapy resistance refers to the resistance of tumor cells and/or tissues to a drug, usually inherent or developed during treatment. Therefore, an urgent need to research the ideal drug delivery system to overcome the shortcoming of traditional chemotherapy. The rapid development of nanotechnology has brought us new enlightenments to solve this problem. The novel nanocarrier provides a considerably effective treatment to overcome the limitations of chemotherapy or other drugs resulting from systemic side effects such as resistance, high toxicity, lack of targeting, and off-target. Herein, we introduce several tumor MDR mechanisms and discuss novel nanoparticle technology applied to surmount cancer drug resistance. Nanomaterials contain liposomes, polymer conjugates, micelles, dendrimers, carbon-based, metal nanoparticles, and nucleotides which can be used to deliver chemotherapeutic drugs, photosensitizers, and small interfering RNA (siRNA). This review aims to elucidate the advantages of nanomedicine in overcoming cancer drug resistance and discuss the latest developments.
OCCURRENCE OF ACCELERATING FIELD, FORMATION AND DYNAMICS OF RELATIVISTIC ELECTRON BEAM NEAR JUPITER

The possible dynamics of the electron beam, formed in the vicinity of Io, the natural satellite of Jupiter, and injected toward Jupiter, has been investigated analytically. When a beam penetrates the Jupiter plasma to a certain depth, the beam-plasma instability can be developed. In this case, the distribution function of electrons is expanded additionally by excited oscillations. These electrons, when their energy is of order of a required certain value, cause UV polar light. For closing of a current, the formation of a double electric layer is necessary. The necessary parameters and conditions for the formation of a double layer with a large jump of an electric potential at a certain height have been formulated, its properties, stability, behavior over time and beam reflection in its field for closing of a current have been described. Reflection of the beam can lead to its vortex dynamics.
New transient source, Cepheus X-4, observed by OSO-7.

A new, apparently transient, X-ray source, Cep X-4, was observed from June 20 to July 7, 1972, by the UCSD X-ray telescope on OSO-7. Subsequent observations by the lower-energy MIT X-ray telescope on the same satellite confirmed the source and provided an improved position of alpha = 21 hr 37 min, delta = 56.78 deg (1950 coordinates) with an error circle radius of about 0.4 deg. Best fits to the UCSD data in the 7- to 37-keV range were obtained on June 20 to 28 and June 29 to July 6, 1972, respectively.
Photocontrol of helix handedness in curled liquid crystal elastomers

ABSTRACT In this manuscript, we describe a photo-responsive dual-layer polysiloxane-based liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) soft actuator with switchable handedness of helical curling motions. Benefited from the embedded organic near-infrared (NIR) absorbing dye, the LCE ribbon can perform an impressive one-handed helical curling deformation under NIR light irradiation, meanwhile execute another-handed helical curling deformation under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation due to the trans-cis isomerisation effect of azobenzene. This work demonstrates that the handedness of helical curling motions of LCE soft actuators can be reversibly altered by modulating the wavelength band of light stimuli (UV vs. NIR), which might have potential applications in control devices. Graphical Abstract
The Effects of Regular Treadmill Exercise on Some Blood Parameters in Diabetes Mellitus

This study aims to determine the effects of regular treadmill exercise on some blood parameters in rats with an experimental diabetes model. In the study, 36 Wistar Albino rats were divided into four groups Control (C), Exercise (E), Diabetes (D), and Diabetes+Exercise (DE). A single dose of 60 mg/kg STZ solution was injected intraperitoneally (i.p) into the D and DE groups to create a diabetes model. After diabetes induction, E and DE groups were given running exercises at 20 m/min and 45 minutes daily for four weeks. According to the data obtained, while lipid profile (TC, LDL, TG) and liver enzyme (ALT, AST) levels increased significantly in group D compared to group C, HDL and TP levels were found to decrease. However, a decrease was observed in parameters other than HDL and TP in the DE group. It was also observed that the mineral and vitamin (Vit D, Ca, Mg, and Zn) levels decreased in the D group compared to the C group, while these values tended to increase in the DE group. As a result, the experiment shows that a four week regular exercise program in rats with diabetes has a therapeutic, preventive, and protective effect on lipoprotein levels, liver enzyme markers, and micronutrient levels.
Anticonvulsant activities of Quercus infectoria (galls) and Trewia nudiflora (seeds) in Nepalese varieties

Background and objectives: Epilepsy is defined as the heterogeneous, synchronized abnormal electrical discharge from the brain area. The numerous synthetic antiepileptic drugs currently available are ineffective to many patients and plant-derived drugs could be an alternative. The aim of this study was to evaluate anticonvulsant activities of Quercus infectoria (galls) and Trewia nudiflora (seeds) found in Nepal. Materials and methods: Anticonvulsant activity was carried out using Isoniazide-induced clonic convulsion (INH 250 mg/kg) using rat model. Onset and duration of clonic convulsion, percentage protection and death were observed. Results: T. nudiflora showed a dose dependent hindrance on the onset of clonic convulsions when compared with the control group. Treatment with higher doses of T. nudiflora (400 mg/kg) showed significant increase (p < 0.01) in latency of clonic convulsions whereas, lower dose showed significant increase (p < 0.05) in latency of clonic convulsion. The extract of T. nudiflora protected 25% of animals from convulsion at a dose 400 mg/kg. However, Q. infectoria did not display dose dependent delay on the onset of clonic convulsion, Q. infectoria (100 and 400 mg/kg) showed insignificant increases in latency of clonic convulsions. The extract of Q. infectoria protected the 25% of animals when used at a lower dose of 100 mg/kg. Positive control group treated with diazepam at a dose 4 mg/kg showed 100% protection from clonic seizures and death. Q. infectoria (100 mg/kg) T. nudiflora (400 mg/kg) and Diazepam (4 mg/kg) showed significant decrease (p<0.01) in seizure duration (s). Q. infectoria (400 mg/kg) and T. nudiflora (100 mg/kg) showed significant decrease (p < 0.05) in seizure duration compared to control group (Normal saline 10 ml/kg). Study reports the antiepileptic effects Q. infectoria and T. nudiflora. Conclusion: The methanolic extract galls of Q. infectoria and seeds of T. nudiflora showed protective effect on Isoniazide induced convulsion.
High-gain narrow-band slotted antenna based on ENZ SIW structure

The development of a slotted substrate integrated waveguide antenna with an epsilon near zero (ENZ) material is presented. Here, an ENZ waveguide structure is used in the design. The ENZ material is used to realize unconventional tunneling of electromagnetic energy with ultra-thin subwavelength channels and it is considered to attain a highly directive narrow band antenna. The effect of the various parameters of the antenna is studied by simulation. A prototype is fabricated and the measurement results are compared with the simulated values.
PIR Array Codes With Optimal Virtual Server Rate

There has been much recent interest in private information retrieval (PIR) in models where a database is stored across several servers using coding techniques from distributed storage, rather than being a simply replicated. In particular, a recent breakthrough result of Fazelli, Vardy, and Yaakobi introduces the notion of a PIR code and a PIR array code, and uses this notion to produce efficient PIR protocols. In this paper, we are interested in designing PIR array codes. We consider the case when we have <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$m$ </tex-math></inline-formula> servers, with each server storing a fraction <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$(1/s)$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of the bits of the database; here <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$s$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is a fixed rational number with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$s > 1$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. A PIR array code with the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$ </tex-math></inline-formula><italic>-PIR property</italic> enables a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-server PIR protocol (with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k\leq m$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) to be emulated on <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$m$ </tex-math></inline-formula> servers, with the overall storage requirements of the protocol being reduced. The communication complexity of a PIR protocol reduces as <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$ </tex-math></inline-formula> grows, so the <italic>virtual server rate</italic>, defined to be <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k/m$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, is an important parameter. We study the maximum virtual server rate of a PIR array code with the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-PIR property. We present upper bounds on the achievable virtual server rate, some constructions, and ideas how to obtain the PIR array codes with the highest possible virtual server rate. In particular, we present constructions that asymptotically meet our upper bounds and the exact largest virtual server rate is obtained when <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1 < s \leq 2$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. A <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-PIR code (and similarly a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-PIR array code) is also a locally repairable code with symbol availability <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k-1$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. Such a code ensures <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$ </tex-math></inline-formula> parallel reads for each information symbol. So the virtual server rate is very closely related to the symbol availability of the code when used as a locally repairable code. The results of this paper are discussed also in this context where subspace codes also have an important role.
Efectos del ejercio en pacientes con artritis reumatoide: Implicancias en parámetros inflamatorios, cardiovasculares, consumo de oxígeno y calidad de vida. Una revisión de la literatura

La Artritis Reumatoide (AR) se caracteriza por inflamación sistémica crónica, alterando a largo plazo las articulaciones. En Chile posee una prevalencia del 0,5-1% de la población adulta. Diversas publicaciones han demostrado efectos beneficiosos del ejercicio en este grupo, sin embargo, los sujetos con AR suelen tender al sedentarismo. El objetivo de esta revisión es exponer los beneficios de las diferentes formas de entrenamiento sobre este grupo de sujetos tanto a nivel inflamatorio, cardiovascular, consumo de oxígeno y calidad de vida. Se llevó a cabo una búsqueda en Pubmed con las palabras claves: enfermedades inflamatorias crónicas, actividad física, discapacidad y fitness cardio-respiratorio desde mayo de 2014 hasta agosto de 2016. De los artículos encontrados, se dio preferencia a los publicados desde el año 2010 hasta la fecha, seleccionando en total 91 publicaciones. Según lo descrito, se puede concluir que existe evidencia acerca de los beneficios del ejercicio en AR, como la disminución en los parámetros inflamatorios, mejoría en la función cardiovascular, consumo de oxígeno e, incluso, la calidad de vida de estos pacientes. El ejercicio demostró ser una herramienta útil en el tratamiento de la AR, sin embargo, falta establecer aún los mecanismos fisiológicos que subyacen las adaptaciones obtenidas.
Factors Affecting the Level Set Segmentation of the Heart Ventricles in Short Axis Cardiac Perfusion MRI Images

This paper studies the effect of the registration and initialization of the level set segmentation on the performance of the extracting the heart ventricles for perfusion MRI images. Through the registration experiments, the translational transformation was studied based on both the spatial and frequency domain. The frequency domain based registration is mainly established on the phase correlation methodology. As for the segmentation experiments, the level set initialization, was done through extracting the ventricles’ real shape from each slice, using threshold and a combination of morphological operations. Though, the final contour of any frame was used as the initial contour for the next frame. This proposed strategy differs from conventional ones in using the real shape of the ventricles as an initial contour than assuming it as circle or ellipse as in the literature. The second initialization strategy was based on defining the initial contour for each frame using the polar representation of the image. Two short axis view datasets of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) perfusion imaging were used in testing the proposed methods. Dice coefficient, sensitivity, specificity and Hausdorff distance have been used to evaluate and validate the segmentation results. The segmentation accuracy for left and right ventricles improved from 72% to 77% and from 70 % to 81% using the spatial domain based registration algorithm. The polar based initialization strategy improves the segmentation accuracy from 77 % to 81% and from 81% to 82% for the left and right ventricles respectively.
A Novel Blind Source Separation Algorithm using Bussgang Criterion and Natural Gradient

Objectives: In this paper, a novel algorithm based on Transform Domain Least Mean Square (TDLMS) is proposed for Blind Source Separation (BSS). The proposed algorithm is compared with several other BSS algorithms in detail and the results are discussed extensively. Methods/Statistical Analysis: To solve the problem of BSS employing the present approach, the ordinary gradient used in conventional LMS algorithm is replaced by natural gradient on the Stiefel manifold. The natural gradient is computed from a cost function based on Bussgang criterion. The proposed algorithm is compared with previously reported LMS type and Recursive Least Square (RLS) type algorithms for four different performance criteria – cross–talk error convergence, harmonic distortion in recovered signals, average deviation from orthogonality of demixing matrix and time complexity. Findings: Using simulations it is found that the proposed algorithm has best cross-talk error-convergence and least harmonic distortion as compared to other algorithms. However, the average deviation from orthogonality for demixing matrix and average simulation time for the proposed algorithm are comparable to LMS-type algorithms and estimates 35% as compared to RLS-type algorithms. Application/Improvements: The use of natural gradient and the pre-whitening process improves the performance of the algorithm. This algorithm is applied to separate signals from its mixture.
A novel approach to restoration of Poissonian images

The problem of reconstruction of digital images from their degraded measurements is regarded as a problem of central importance in various fields of engineering and imaging sciences. In such cases, the degradation is typically caused by the resolution limitations of an imaging device in use and/or by the destructive influence of measurement noise. Specifically, when the noise obeys a Poisson probability law, standard approaches to the problem of image reconstruction are based on using fixed-point algorithms which follow the methodology proposed by Richardson and Lucy in the beginning of the 1970s. The practice of using such methods, however, shows that their convergence properties tend to deteriorate at relatively high noise levels (which typically takes place in so-called low-count settings). This work introduces a novel method for de-noising and/or de-blurring of digital images that have been corrupted by Poisson noise. The proposed method is derived using the framework of MAP estimation, under the assumption that the image of interest can be sparsely represented in the domain of a properly designed linear transform. Consequently, a shrinkage-based iterative procedure is proposed, which guarantees the maximization of an associated maximum-a-posteriori criterion. It is shown in a series of both computersimulated and real-life experiments that the proposed method outperforms a number of existing alternatives in terms of stability, precision, and computational efficiency.