Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance prediction of smart antennas in micro- and pico-cellular propagation environments

A new expression for SINR for systems using antenna arrays and adaptive beamforming at the base station of cellular systems has been derived. The common assumption of grouping multipaths arriving in the same bin to a single path has been relaxed in this work. In fact, we have treated sub-paths separately. Our results confirm that even in the presence of noncoherent multipath, an improvement proportional to the number of antenna elements is achievable, but it strongly depends on the distribution of the users and scatterers in the medium. Simulation results from our site-specific radiowave propagation model are presented which show that for micro- and pico-cellular environments multipath in the same bin may not be correlated as they have widely separated DOA's.
Modeling and characterization of a circular-shaped energy scavenger in MEMS surface micromachining technology

This work reports the analysis, modeling and characterization of an electrostatic vibration-to-electric energy scavenger. The scavenger was manufactured by the FBK in-house foundry by using a MEMS (Micro-Electro- Mechanical System) surface micro-machining technology. Extensive finite element analyses (FEA) were performed for the compact modeling of the device and presented here. The scavenger was characterized by means of dynamical measurements as a further validation of the FE model. A random vibration analysis is also utilized for the emulation of the real device operating conditions.
Sensitivity Analysis of Power Systems

Modern control theory is being used more and more in regulator design of synchronous generator automatic regulating equipment. Making use of the well-established linearized equations of the synchronous machine and its control equipment, the characteristic equation of the system is developed from which the eigenvalues of the system are found. The sensitivities of these eigenvalues to the various parameters of the control system are calculated. This approach can provide a basis for optimal design of the system. A detailed sensitivity analysis is made of a particular system under various operating conditions, and results are tabulated, making it possible to obtain a clear idea about the effect of any parameter on the system performance and dynamic stability limit.
The unique Akt inhibitor SC66 suppressed AMPK activity and abolished autophagy through the EGFR‐p62 pathway

Akt is usually considered to be a negative regulator of both autophagy and adenosine 5′‐monophosphate (AMP)‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling. In the present study, we found that SC66, a pyridine‐based allosteric Akt inhibitor, suppressed basal and H2O2‐induced autophagy concurrent with decreased phosphorylation and activity of AMPK. SC66 treatment led to the formation of a high molecular weight (HMW) form of SQSTM1/p62 (p62), which is an autophagic substrate and is essential for selective autophagy. Moreover, we observed that SC66 inhibited the binding of p62 and microtubule‐associated protein light chain 3 (LC3). The immunoprecipitation results revealed the interaction between p62 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and knockdown of EGFR reversed SC66‐mediated autophagy inhibition without affecting the phosphorylation of acetyl‐CoA carboxylase (ACC), a well‐known substrate of AMPK. SC66 increased the interaction between EGFR and Beclin 1 and markedly decreased the association of EGFR with VPS34, a critical protein for autophagy induction. Collectively, the data presented here indicate that EGFR‐p62 pathway plays a critical role in Akt‐mediated positive regulation of autophagy.
Comparison of Deep Learning Architectures for Short-Term Electrical Load Forecasting Based on Multi-Modal Data

Abstract Short-term load forecasting is a topic of considerable interest as it is of major importance for specifying and managing power resources and needs. In the literature, Deep Neural Networks have been successfully recently applied in load forecasting using single modalities as an improvement to traditional Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). In this paper, the main objective is to tackle the load forecasting problem with the intention of enhancing the prediction performance by combining and testing different multi-modal deep learning approaches and architectures in order to process and relate information from multiple modalities. The benefits of using multi-modality instead of one modality, applied to the time series modeling problem of short-term load forecasting is therefore investigated. The models are trained and evaluated using the hourly temperature and electrical consumption in addition to auto-regressive variables as the first modality. The day type characteristic, such as: weekends, week days, bank holidays, religious holidays etc., may be considered as a second modality. The approach liability is tested by comparing the empirical results of different Deep architectures namely: Stacked Denoising Auto- Encoders (SDAEs) and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), with multiple and single modalities where processing the same task of one day ahead load forecasting.
1.2.1 Recommended Verification Approach for Human Rated Systems Based on Lessons Learned on the Orion Launch Abort System

Orbital Sciences Corporation, under contract to Lockheed Martin, designed, built, and verified Orion Launch Abort System developmental flight test hardware intended for future use on human spaceflight missions. Human spaceflight necessitates increased scrutiny by the certifying government authority and customer in comparison to uncrewed space systems due to the risk to human life. This paper describes lessons learned and complications encountered with using a verification method based approach for the Pad Abort test. This paper recommends a comprehensive requirement based verification approach for human rated space systems based on this experience.
Improving the quality of sub-1.5-nm-thick oxynitride gate dielectric for FETs with narrow channel and shallow-trench isolation using radical oxygen and nitrogen

We have demonstrated that oxynitridation using radical-oxygen (radical-O) and radical-nitrogen (radical-N) improves reverse narrow channel effects (RNCE) and reliability in sub-1.5-nm-thick gate-SiO/sub 2/ FETs with narrow channel and shallow-trench isolation (STI), suitable for high-density SRAM and logic devices. The STI formation followed by oxidation for the gate-dielectric causes various orientations of the Si surface, and thus, thermal oxidation forms the partial thin SiO/sub 2/ and causes RNCE and reliability degradation. Oxidation using radical-O forms uniform SiO/sub 2/ on Si[100] and Si[111] surfaces and suppresses RNCE in a sub-1.5 nm-thick gate-SiO/sub 2/ FET with STI. Nitrifying the SiO/sub 2/ using radical-N increases the physical thickness while maintaining the oxide equivalent thickness on both Si[111] and Si[100] surfaces, thus producing a low-leakage and highly reliable sub-1.5 nm-thick gate-SiON.
Metabolite Damage and Damage Control in a Minimal Genome

Metabolite damage and repair mechanisms are being increasingly recognized. We present here compelling genetic and biochemical evidence for the universal importance of these mechanisms by demonstrating that stripping a genome down to its barest essentials leaves metabolite damage control systems in place. ABSTRACT Analysis of the genes retained in the minimized Mycoplasma JCVI-Syn3A genome established that systems that repair or preempt metabolite damage are essential to life. Several genes known to have such functions were identified and experimentally validated, including 5-formyltetrahydrofolate cycloligase, coenzyme A (CoA) disulfide reductase, and certain hydrolases. Furthermore, we discovered that an enigmatic YqeK hydrolase domain fused to NadD has a novel proofreading function in NAD synthesis and could double as a MutT-like sanitizing enzyme for the nucleotide pool. Finally, we combined metabolomics and cheminformatics approaches to extend the core metabolic map of JCVI-Syn3A to include promiscuous enzymatic reactions and spontaneous side reactions. This extension revealed that several key metabolite damage control systems remain to be identified in JCVI-Syn3A, such as that for methylglyoxal. IMPORTANCE Metabolite damage and repair mechanisms are being increasingly recognized. We present here compelling genetic and biochemical evidence for the universal importance of these mechanisms by demonstrating that stripping a genome down to its barest essentials leaves metabolite damage control systems in place. Furthermore, our metabolomic and cheminformatic results point to the existence of a network of metabolite damage and damage control reactions that extends far beyond the corners of it that have been characterized so far. In sum, there can be little room left to doubt that metabolite damage and the systems that counter it are mainstream metabolic processes that cannot be separated from life itself.
Compact Microstrip Ring Branch-Line Coupler with Harmonic Suppression

A novel ring branch-line coupler is presented in this paper. To minimize the physical size of the coupler, four high-low impedance resonator cells are loaded within the free area of the conventional coupler. A design methodology calling for united optimization is used to optimize the structure parameters of the main transmission lines and loading high-low impedance resonators. Furthermore, an equivalent circuit of one loaded cell is proposed to model the operation of the coupler. The proposed new coupler not only effectively reduces the occupied size to 22% of the conventional one at the operating frequency of 1.39 GHz, but also has high third harmonic suppression.
Expanding HLRS Academic HPC Simulation Training Programs to More Target Groups

For a long time, high-performance computers and simulations were of interest only at universities and research institutes. In recent years, however, their application and relevance in a wider field has grown; not only do industry and small and medium-sized businesses benefit from these technologies, but their social and political impacts are also increasing significantly. Therefore, there is an increasing need for experts in this field as well as better understanding of the importance of high-performance computing (HPC) and simulations among the general public. For this reason, the German National Supercomputing Center HLRS has broadened its academic training program to include courses for students and teachers as well as for professionals. Specifically, this expansion involves two projects: “Simulated Worlds,” which offers a variety of educational programs for middle and high school students, and the “MoeWE” project with its “Supercomputing Academy” for professionals. These projects complement the center's academic educational focus by addressing the special needs of these new target groups who have otherwise not been able to benefit from HLRS’ academic training program. In this paper, we present background concepts, programmatic offerings, and exemplary content of the two projects; discuss the experiences involved in their development and implementation; and provide insights that may be useful for improving education and training in this area.
PROPUESTA DE MEDICIÓN DE LA CONFIANZA EN LA INFORMACIÓN UTILIZANDO UN SISTEMA DIFUSO

Este articulo de investigacion inicialmente establece un marco teorico y unarelacion entre la confianza y la informacion, y presenta los conceptos necesarios parael entendimiento del modelo propuesto. A continuacion se establece el papel de lainformacion en la organizacion y como su gestion impacta recursos de la misma.Posteriormente se plantea un modelo de logica difusa para la confianza en la gestionde informacion, que asigna valores cuantitativos a variables no deterministicas(cualitativas) para luego agregarlas en un resultado cuantitativo. En el planteamientode este modelo se identificaron las principales variables que componen la confianzaen la informacion, y el como interactuaban con ayuda de los integrantes del areade compras y un panel de expertos. Finalmente, se presentan algunas conclusionesderivadas del analisis de la propuesta desarrollada en el articulo.
PCSK9 Imperceptibly Affects Chemokine Receptor Expression In Vitro and In Vivo

Proprotein convertase subtilin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a protease secreted mainly by hepatocytes and in lesser quantities by intestines, pancreas, and vascular cells. Over the years, this protease has gained importance in the field of cardiovascular biology due to its regulatory action on the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR). However, recently, it has also been shown that PCSK9 acts independent of LDLR to cause vascular inflammation and increase the severity of several cardiovascular disorders. We hypothesized that PCSK9 affects the expression of chemokine receptors, major mediators of inflammation, to influence cardiovascular health. However, using overexpression of PCSK9 in murine models in vivo and PCSK9 stimulation of myeloid and vascular cells in vitro did not reveal influences of PCSK9 on the expression of certain chemokine receptors that are known to be involved in the development and progression of atherosclerosis and vascular inflammation. Hence, we conclude that the inflammatory effects of PCSK9 are not associated with the here investigated chemokine receptors and additional research is required to elucidate which mechanisms mediate PCSK9 effects independent of LDLR.
Optimization of dissolved oxygen levels in extender prevents development of cryocapacitation like changes, oxidative stress and augments zona binding capacity of crossbred bull spermatozoa

The present study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of partial deoxygenation of extender at constant temperature (35°C) in freezability of crossbred bull semen. The dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were reduced by the use of newly developed technique of nitrogen effervescence at a flow rate of 2–3 bubbles per second. Four different levels of oxygen in semen extender, that is 11.7, 2, 4 and 8 ppm as control (Group‐I), Group‐II, Group‐III and Group‐IV, respectively, were used to assess the effect of partial deoxygenation on semen quality parameters. The 4 ppm level of DO resulted in higher (p < 0.05) progressive motility in comparison with non‐treated group at post‐thaw stage, whereas reduction up to 2 ppm resulted in drastic fall in motility. Oxidative stress status revealed low superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in Group‐II, whereas higher (p < 0.05) SOD and TAC activities were observed in Group‐III in comparison with non‐treated group at pre‐freeze and post‐thaw stages. The sperm‐zona binding at 4 ppm level of DO was significantly higher than control group, 2 and 8 ppm levels of DO. In conclusion, reduction of DO in the extender up to 4 ppm reduced oxidative stress and improved in vitro fertility of crossbred bull spermatozoa.
On the Relationship between Oil and Exchange Rates of Oil-Exporting and Oil-Importing Countries: From the Great Recession Period to the COVID-19 Era

This paper is dedicated to studying and modeling the interdependence between the oil returns and exchange-rate movements of oil-exporting and oil-importing countries. Globally, twelve countries/regions are investigated, representing more than 60% and 67% of all oil exports and imports. The sample period encompasses economic and natural events like the Great Recession period (2007–2009) and the COVID-19 pandemic. We use the dynamic conditional correlation mixed-data sampling (DCC-MIDAS) model, with the aim of investigating the interdependencies expressed by the long-run correlation, which is a smoother (but always daily observed) version of the (daily) time-varying correlation. Focusing on the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the long-run correlations of the oil-exporting countries (Saudia Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Canada, United States, United Arab Emirates, and Nigeria) and (lagged) WTI crude oil returns strongly increase. For a subset of these countries (that is, Saudia Arabia, Iraq, United States, United Arab Emirates, and Nigeria), the (lagged) correlations turn out to be positive, while for Canada and Russia they remain negative as before the advent of the pandemic. In addition, the oil-importing countries and regions under investigation (Europe, China, India, Japan, and South Korea) experience a similar pattern: before the COVID-19 pandemic, the (lagged) correlations were negative for China, India, and South Korea. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the correlations of these latter countries increased.
Factors Affecting Schedule Delay, Cost Overrun, and Quality Level in Public Construction Projects

AbstractAs a result of the loss of financial resources and the need to optimize projects, academics, politicians, and the construction industry have become increasingly aware of the challenges presented by the frequent time and cost overruns and reduced quality of construction projects. The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors that project managers experience as having the greatest effect on time, cost, and quality, and to discover whether the effects of these factors are significantly different from each other. A questionnaire with 26 factors identified from interviews was sent to the full population of publicly employed project managers. Factors were ranked using the relative importance index and tested for significant differences using Friedman’s test. Wilcoxon’s test was used in a post-hoc analysis. From the findings it was determined that the most influential factor for time is unsettled or lack of project funding; for cost, errors or omissions in consultant material; and for quality, err.
Scientific basis for uncertainty factors used to establish occupational exposure limits for pharmaceutical active ingredients

Abstract The traditional “safety factor”; method has been used for years to establish occupational exposure limits (OELs) for active ingredients used in drugs. In the past, a single safety factor was used to address all sources of uncertainty in the limit setting process. The traditional 100‐fold safety factor commonly used to derive an acceptable daily intake value incorporates a default factor of 10 each to account for interindividual variability and interspecies extrapolation. Use of these defaults can lead to overly conservative health‐based limits, especially when they are combined with other (up to 10‐fold) factors to adjust for inadequacies in the available database. In recent years, attempts have been made to quantitate individual sources of uncertainty and variability to improve the scientific basis for OELs. In this paper we discuss the science supporting reductions in the traditional default uncertainty factors. A number of workplace‐specific factors also support reductions in these factors. Re.
Promoting behaviour change through personalized energy feedback in offices

A body of research suggests that the provision of energy feedback information to building users can elicit significant energy reductions through behaviour change. However, most studies have focused on energy use in homes and the assessment of interventions and technologies, to the neglect of the non-domestic context and broader issues arising from the introduction of feedback technologies. To address this gap, a non-domestic case study explores the delivery of personalized energy feedback to office workers through a novel system utilizing wireless technologies. The research demonstrates advantages of monitoring occupancy and quantifying energy use from specific behaviours as a basis for effective energy feedback; this is particularly important where there are highly disaggregated forms of energy use and a range of locations for that activity to take place. Quantitative and qualitative data show that personalized feedback can help individuals identify energy reduction opportunities. However, the analysis also highlights important contextual barriers and issues that need to be addressed when utilizing feedback technologies in the workplace. If neglected, these issues may limit the effective take-up of feedback interventions.
Effects of switching frequency modulation on EMI performance of a converter using spread spectrum approach

A novel approach to simulate the EMI emissions comparable to EMC standards (CISPR 16/22) from the point of view of average (AV) and quasi-peak (QP) detection are presented. In addition an algorithm to convert the high-resolution FFT data to correspond with the defined measurement bandwidths is presented. A homodyne receiver approach was found to be useful for modeling the frequency selective process of EMI measurement equipment. The developed methods can be effectively used to study the effect of spread-spectrum technique to reduce EMI emissions. It was noticed that in order to optimize EMI in respect to AV detection a low frequency jittering is optimal. From a QP detection point of view it is favorable to apply a modulation frequency in the order of the same magnitude as the measurement of the bandwidth demanded.
Customising a tennis racket by adding weights

Most elite tennis players customise their rackets by adding weights at various points to enhance the performance of the racket and to improve its balance and feel. The additional weights also alter the swing weight, vibration frequency, amplitude and node location, the centre of percussion, apparent coefficient of restitution and racket power. In this paper, experimental data is presented on the effects of adding a 30-g mass at several points on the racket frame. The data is consistent with a one-dimensional, nonuniform beam model of the racket, with a few minor exceptions. Mass added at the tip of a racket is more effective in increasing racket power than mass added at any other location, and has the additional advantage of shifting the point of maximum power towards the tip of the racket. For a serve, the point of maximum power can be shifted to a point near the tip of the racket, giving the player a significant height advantage. For a groundstroke, the added mass will shift the point of maximum power to a point near the centre of the strings, where players normally impact the ball.
6.7 GHz high- Q active inductor design using parasitic cancellation with process variation control

A correction to a previously published Q- and bandwidth-enhancing design technique using parasitic cancellation to obtain a high-Q active inductor operating at frequencies above 6 GHz using non-minimal-length CMOS technologies is presented. A measured inductance of 1.9 nH is acheived at 6.75 GHz with a Q of 38 occupying only 0.0026 mm 2 silicon chip area. The active inductor is then used to obtain a narrowband output matching element for an LNA with its input unmatched in 130 nm CMOS technology. The input-unmatched inductorless LNA parameters measured at 6.7 GHz are: S 2I 12.8 dB, 3.5 GHz BW, NF 7.2 dB (with simulated NFmin of 3.3 dB) and S 22 less than ―20 dB, while consuming only 6.4 mW with a 1.2 V supply. The high NF can be easily reduced to NFmin with input matching.