Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estudio de Confiabilidad en Diodos Basados en AlGaN/GaN Durante el Estado de Encendido

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo estudiar la degradación de los diodos de barrera Schottky (SBD) con una terminación de borde cerrado (GET) bajo condiciones de estrés en estado de encendido en tecnologías de 200V y 650V. Después de todos los experimentos de estrés, se observa un comportamiento recuperable, que indica el atrapamiento de cargas en defectos preexistentes y no creación de nuevas trampas. Un análisis estadístico amplio demuestra una mayor confiabilidad y una vida útil más larga en comparación con trabajos anteriores en una tecnología de 200 V. Para la tecnología de 650V, se analizaron variaciones en el ánodo como una doble capa GET y el uso de Al2O3/SiO2 como dieléctrico. Se obtuvo una menor degradación total en el segundo caso gracias a la compensación entre los mecanismos de resistencia de encendido (RON) y voltaje de encendido (VTON). Se observan algunas diferencias sistemáticas en la degradación de los parámetros según la ubicación de la oblea, probablemente causadas por variaciones relacionadas con el proceso. Mediante el uso de la técnica de pares coincidentes (MP), se ha demostrado que se pueden obtener distribuciones de probabilidad caracterizadas por pendientes de Weibull únicas sobre la oblea que podrían permitir una mejor caracterización de la confiabilidad intrínseca de estos dispositivos.
Exercising with a Single Ventricle: Limitations and Therapies

Treatment for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) and other single ventricle conditions requires a series of surgical interventions for long-term survival, typically culminating in the Fontan procedure. The result is an abnormal circulatory physiology with an absence of a sub-pulmonary ventricle. Exercise capacity in the Fontan circulation is often limited and is due to multiple factors, both central and peripheral. Multiple interventions, both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic, have been studied to attempt to overcome these inherent limitations. This review will focus on the physiology of the exercising Fontan patient and on the interventions aimed at the enhancement of exercise capacity studied thus far.
The Role of Exercise Training in Delaying Kidney Function Decline in Non-Dialysis-Dependent Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a progressive condition characterised by declining eGFR and associated, particularly in advanced stages, with increased morbidity and cardiovascular mortality. Current treatment options for delaying disease progression are limited to a small number of pharmacological agents. Considering that rates of kidney function decline are greater in patients with lower levels of habitual physical activity, there is interest in the potential benefits of structured exercise training in delaying CKD progression. This discursive review summarises the current state-of-play in this field of research by critically analysing the published systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials of structured exercise training in the non-dialysis CKD population. Several issues are highlighted that hamper definite conclusions as to the therapeutic effectiveness of exercise training for this purpose. However, following an overview of the pathophysiology and risk factors for kidney function decline, several potential mechanisms explaining how exercise training may benefit CKD progression are offered. Finally, suggestions for future research in this area are made. The review concludes that there is a need for further research on the effectiveness of exercise before it can be recommended as part of routine care for the purpose of delaying CKD progression. Exercise can be recommended, however, to individual patients because of a potential benefit to kidney function, and definite benefits to other outcomes such as quality of life, with no apparent evidence of harm.
Direct and Sensitive Detection of Dopamine Using Carbon Quantum Dots Based Refractive Index Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor

Abnormality of dopamine (DA), a vital neurotransmitter in the brain’s neuronal pathways, causes several neurological diseases. Rapid and sensitive sensors for DA detection are required for early diagnosis of such disorders. Herein, a carbon quantum dot (CQD)-based refractive index surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor was designed. The sensor performance was evaluated for various concentrations of DA. Increasing DA levels yielded blue-shifted SPR dips. The experimental findings revealed an excellent sensitivity response of 0.138°/pM in a linear range from 0.001 to 100 pM and a high binding affinity of 6.234 TM−1. The effects of varied concentrations of DA on the optical characteristics of CQD thin film were further proved theoretically. Increased DA levels decreased the thickness and real part of the refractive index of CQD film, according to fitting results. Furthermore, the observed reduction in surface roughness using AFM demonstrated that DA was bound to the sensor layer. This, in turn, explained the blue shift in SPR reflectance curves. This optical sensor offers great potential as a trustworthy solution for direct measurement due to its simple construction, high sensitivity, and other sensing features.
Oncostatin M Receptor as a Therapeutic Target for Radioimmune Therapy in Synovial Sarcoma

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a pediatric muscle cancer that primarily affects adolescents and young adults and has few treatment options. Complicating the treatment of synovial sarcoma is the low mutational burden of SS. Inflammatory pathways have been identified as being upregulated in some SS, leading to the discovery of upregulated oncostatin M receptor (OSMR). It was found that OSMR is upregulated in SS by RNAseq analysis and quantitative PCR, highlighting its potential in the treatment of SS. Also, OSMR is upregulated in mouse models for synovial sarcoma as demonstrated by western blot and immunohistochemistry, and the protein is present in both primary and metastatic sites of disease. Using a radioimmune therapy drug model, targeted therapy was synthesized for use in OSMR expressing SS and it was demonstrated that this drug is stable, while capable of efficient OSMR binding and isotope capture. Finally, this antibody conjugate exhibited ideal pharmacokinetics and targeted sites of disease in our mouse model and was taken up in both primary and metastatic diseased tissue. This suggests OSMR as an ideal target for therapy and this radioimmune therapy provides a novel treatment option for a disease with few therapy choices.
Effect of High-Rise Residential Building Layout on the Spatial Vertical Wind Environment in Harbin, China

Reasonable building height distribution in urban residential areas is conducive to smoother vertical airflow exchange and promotes sustainable development. This paper studies the influence of building layouts on vertical ventilation in high-rise residential areas in Harbin, China, and discusses typical building layout objectives. The ideal area of 220 × 220 m was determined using statistical analysis and specification requirements, and seven typical layouts were defined based on the distribution of building heights. The computation fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was verified using wind tunnel testing to improve the accuracy of the Phoenics simulation software. Wind speed, wind pressure, and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) in residential areas distributed at different heights were analyzed and evaluated. The results indicated that the Phoenics simulation parameter settings, verified via wind tunnel testing, could achieve reasonable simulation results and different height distribution modes had an impact on the changes in wind speed and wind pressure. The equal-height layout that conformed to the row spacing of the buildings and the layout of taller buildings on the east side could provide higher comfort, and did not require enclosed and downwind layouts. This research can inform the green and livable design of residential buildings and provide a new perspective for the construction of high-rise residential areas in cold cities.
GPU-Accelerated Incremental Euclidean Distance Transform for Online Motion Planning of Mobile Robots

In this letter, we present a volumetric mapping system that effectively calculates Occupancy Grid Maps (OGMs) and Euclidean Distance Transforms (EDTs) with parallel computing. Unlike these mappers for high-precision structural reconstruction, our system incrementally constructs global EDT and outputs high-frequency local distance information for online robot motion planning. The proposed system receives multiple types of sensor inputs and constructs OGM without down-sampling. Using GPU programming techniques, the system quickly computes EDT in parallel within local volume. The new observation is continuously integrated into the global EDT using the parallel wavefront algorithm while preserving the historical observations. Experiments with datasets have shown that our proposed approach outperforms existing state-of-the-art robot mapping systems and is particularly suitable for mapping unexplored areas. In its actual implementations on aerial and ground vehicles, the proposed system achieves real-time performance with limited onboard computational resources.
The Involvement of Human Papilloma Virus in Gastrointestinal Cancers

Simple Summary Mounting evidence suggests a relationship between Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection and the occurrence of neoplastic transformations within oral, pharyngeal, and anal cancers. Other segments of the intestinal tract can also be involved. Knowledge about the association between HPV infection and gastrointestinal carcinogenesis is crucial for both cancer prevention and patient care. Unfortunately, definite conclusions cannot be drawn yet, due to the high number of contradictions in the published papers. Abstract Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide. HPV infection has a strong relationship with the onset of cervix uteri, vagina, penis, anus, and oropharynx, but also tonsils and tongue cancers. Some epidemiological data indicate that except for gynecologic cancers, HPV infection can be one of the risk factors associated with a greater risk of induction and progression of gastrointestinal cancers. Data, however, remain contradictory and definite conclusions cannot be drawn, so far. The following review aims to organize recent evidence and summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the association between HPV infection and gastrointestinal tumors primarily focusing on esophageal, liver, gastric, colorectal, and anal cancers.
Impact of charging of electrical vehicles on the Norwegian distribution grid and possibilities for demand response

The increasing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) may have an impact on the distribution network as penetration through EV charging may cause transformer overload. This study analyzes the impact of various EV penetration scenarios on a rural distribution transformer in Norway. The results of the case study indicate that although the transformer has sufficient capacity in some scenarios EV charging may lead to overload. Demand response (DR) strategies are proposed to reduce harmful new peaks and minimize investments in infrastructure upgrade. Both EV stagger charge and household load control were tested in a simulation. I conclude in the case of this particular site the distribution grid has sufficient capacity for EV penetration. Further development in smart grid and demand response technologies is recommended in order to increase grid reliability and efficiency. A review on relevant literature is included to give a better understanding on the subject.
Improving the Patch-Based Crossovers by Parasitic Modes and a Sub-Element Technique

This brief introduces new methodologies to design microstrip line crossovers on a high-speed interconnection circuit. The crossover is based on a simple square patch, which employs TM100 and TM001 to achieve mode orthogonality so that two sets of intersecting signals can transmit along microstrip lines with a high isolation. Compared with rectangular waveguide crossovers that employ high modes, namely TE102 and TE201, it shows advantages like a smaller size and easier manufacturing. Then, the relevant techniques for performance improvement, including radiation suppression and bandwidth widening, are studied for practical circuit designs. Finally, based on the sub-element technique, the study designs a controllable frequency response for two intersecting signals and miniaturization of patch based crossovers. Two examples are implemented, manufactured and measured to justify the validity of the sub-element technology. In addition, the design steps of this method are simplified compared with relying on full-wave simulations entirely.
The Potential Application of Pickering Multiple Emulsions in Food

Emulsions stabilized by adsorbed particles—Pickering particles (PPs) instead of surfactants and emulsifiers are called Pickering emulsions. Here, we review the possible uses of Pickering multiple emulsions (PMEs) in the food industry. Food-grade PMEs are very complex systems with high potential for application in food technology. They can be prepared by traditional two-step emulsification processes but also using complex techniques, e.g., microfluidic devices. Compared to those stabilized with an emulsifier, PMEs provide more benefits such as lower susceptibility to coalescence, possible encapsulation of functional compounds in PMEs or even PPs with controlled release, etc. Additionally, the PPs can be made from food-grade by-products. Naturally, w/o/w emulsions in the Pickering form can also provide benefits such as fat reduction by partial replacement of fat phase with internal water phase and encapsulation of sensitive compounds in the internal water phase. A possible advanced type of PMEs may be stabilized by Janus particles, which can change their physicochemical properties and control properties of the whole emulsion systems. These emulsions have big potential as biosensors. In this paper, recent advances in the application of PPs in food emulsions are highlighted with emphasis on the potential application in food-grade PMEs.
Technological Advances in Winery Wastewater Treatment: A Comprehensive Review

The commercial production of wine is directly linked to the use of large amounts of fresh water coupledwith the generation of copious amounts of wastewater containing significant amounts of organic andinorganic substances. The impact of this waste stream on the environment has required the wine industryto implement certain protocols in wastewater management to comply with respective effluent dischargeregulations as set out by local authorities. Reduced accessibility to good quality water resources in recentyears has forced wineries to consider more efficient wastewater management strategies to improve waterrecovery and re-use, thereby promoting more sustainable wine production and minimizing the impact onstressed water resources. This review presents a comprehensive overview of established and emerging,physicochemical, biological, advanced oxidation and hybrid wastewater treatment technologies specificallyapplicable to the wine producing industry. Herein, winery wastewater composition and treatmenttechniques, environmental implications, knowledge gaps, technological operational challenges, alternativedisposal and recycling options of treated winery wastewater are critically evaluated.
Automatic Target Recognition of SAR Images Using Collaborative Representation

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) automatic target recognition (ATR) is one of the key technologies for SAR image interpretation. This paper proposes a SAR target recognition method based on collaborative representation-based classification (CRC). The collaborative coding adopts the global dictionary constructed by training samples of all categories to optimally reconstruct the test samples and determines the target category according to the reconstruction error of each category. Compared with the sparse representation methods, the collaborative representation strategy can improve the representation ability of a small number of training samples for test samples. For SAR target recognition, the resources of training samples are very limited. Therefore, the collaborative representation is more suitable. Based on the MSTAR dataset, the experiments are carried out under a variety of conditions and the proposed method is compared with other classifiers. Experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve superior recognition performance under the standard operating condition (SOC), configuration variances, depression angle variances, and a small number of training samples, which proves its effectiveness.
Prevalence of frailty and its association with lifestyle factors among elderly in rural Bengaluru

Background: There are nearly 10.4 crores elderly in India, with 65% of them living in rural areas. Accessibility to healthcare is limited in rural areas. Primary care physicians deal with a fairly large number of patients from the geriatric age group. With the steady increase in the proportion of elderly, there is a corresponding increase in the prevalence of frailty. Frailty among the elderly leads to increased dependency, adverse health outcomes and mortality. Early identification and targeted interventions by primary care physicians could prevent these adverse outcomes and even reverse its occurrence. Knowledge about environmental and lifestyle influences on frailty would further assist primary care physicians to prevent and manage it optimally. Methods: We interviewed 502 participants (>60 years of age) from four taluks of rural Bengaluru. Participants with frailty scores of 3 and above were considered frail, scores of 1-2 were considered prefrail. Association of frailty with lifestyle and environmental factors were tested using the Chi-square test. A value of P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Prevalence of frailty was 24.70% and prefrailty was 62.75%. Elders in age group 60 to 74 years, those living alone or with others (other than the spouse), illiterate, working elders, elderly with less than two diagnosed comorbidities, elderly with low social score and low physical activity were associated with frailty. Conclusion: The young old population seems vulnerable to frailty. Health programs aimed at prevention, early detection and treatment of morbidities and frailty will improve their health.
Thermal cure effects on electromechanical properties of conductive wires by direct ink write for 4D printing and soft machines

Recent developments in soft materials and 3D printing are promoting the rapid development of novel technologies and concepts, such as 4D printing and soft machines, that in turn require new methods for fabricating conductive materials. Despite the ubiquity of silver nanoparticles (NPs) in the conducting electrodes of printed electronic devices, their potential use in stretchable conductors has not been fully explored in 4D printing and soft machines. This paper studies the effect of thermal cure conditions on conductivity and electro-mechanical behaviors of silver ink by the direct ink write (DIW) printing approach. We found that the electro-mechanical properties of silver wires can be tailored by controlling cure time and cure temperature to achieve conductivity as well as stretchability. For the silver NP ink we used in the experiments, silver wires cured at 80 °C for 10–30 min have conductivity >1% bulk silver, Young’s modulus <100 MPa, yield strain ∼9%, and can retain conductivity up to 300% strain. In addition, under stress controlled cyclic loading/unloading conditions, the resistance of these wires is only about 1.3 times the initial value after the 100th repeat cycle (7.6% maximum strain in the first cycle). Silver wires cured at 120 °C for 10–20 min are more sensitive to strain and have a yield strain of around 6%. These properties indicate that the silver ink can be used to fabricate stretchable electrodes and flex sensors. Using the DIW fabrication method, we printed silver ink patterns on the surface of 3D printed polymer parts, with the future goal of constructing fully 3D printed arbitrarily formed soft and stretchable devices and of applying them to 4D printing. We demonstrated a fully printed functional soft-matter sensor and a circuit element that can be stretched by as much as 45%.
Design of noise barrier inspection system for high-speed railway

The damage of noise barriers will highly reduce the transportation safety of the high-speed railway. In this paper, an online inspection system of noise barrier based on laser vision for the safety of high-speed railway is proposed. The inspection system, mainly consisted of a fast camera and a line laser, installed in the first carriage of the high-speed CIT(Composited Inspection Train). A Laser line was projected on the surface of the noise barriers and the images of the light line were received by the camera while the train is running at high speed. The distance between the inspection system and the noise barrier can be obtained based on laser triangulation principle. The results of field tests show that the proposed system can meet the need of high speed and high accuracy to get the contour distortion of the noise barriers.
Net Energy Metering and Community Shared Solar Deployment in the U.S.: Policy Perspectives, Barriers, and Opportunities

NET ENERGY METERING AND COMMUNITY SHARED SOLAR DEPLOYMENT IN THE U.S.: POLICY PERSPECTIVES, BARRIERS, AND OPPORTUNITIES By Gilbert L. Michaud, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2016 Major Director: Damian Pitt, Ph.D., Assistant Professor L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy has become a topic of intense policy debate at the state level in the United States (U.S.). Solar supporters have pointed to the economic development, environmental, and public health benefits this technology can provide. However, electric utilities and other interests have fought to scale back or cut favorable state PV policies as gridconnected solar PV installations have increased, due to decreased profits, grid complications, and customer fairness, among other reasons. This research first uses a hierarchical regression analysis with cross-sectional data from the years 2012–2013 to examine the suite of state-level policies used to encourage state non-utility PV installations. Comparing the impact of various policy approaches to other factors such as electricity costs, electricity market deregulation, per capita income, and the availability of solar energy resources, this research finds net energy metering to be the most important policy driver of non-utility PV installed capacity. Given this finding, the research shifts its focus to community net energy metering or shared solar, which is an innovative policy approach that allows multiple consumers to share the costs and benefits of ownership in an off-site solar PV facility, opening market access to a wide variety of individuals. Using the punctuated equilibrium framework and semi-structured telephone interviews with policy experts across the U.S. from the solar industry, environmental groups, government, and electric utilities, this research discovers that electric utility lobbying and an overall lack of attention have hindered community solar enabling legislation. However, opportunities exist for future development via increased participation, collaboration, and key events that may alter the policy equilibrium. Finally, this method is utilized in Virginia to more narrowly study why the state has dismissed community solar legislation multiple times. Such an approach is useful in understanding how other historically laggard states may adopt community net energy metering or shared solar legislation in the future.