Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Urinary Cotinine and Nicotine Dependence Levels in Regular Male Electronic Cigarette Users

Objective Found in plasma, urine, and saliva, cotinine can be used as a biomarker for nicotine in electronic cigarette (e-cig) users. Nicotine is addictive and causes dependence. Thus, it becomes a problem in smoking cessation programs. This study aimed to determine the relationship between urinary cotinine (UCot) and nicotine dependence levels in regular male e-cig users. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study consecutively included regular male e-cig users and non-smokers. All subjects were interviewed and had their UCot levels measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The regular e-cig users completed the Penn State Nicotine Dependence Index questionnaire. Results This study recruited 71 males aged 18-45 years divided into e-cig users and non-smokers group. The predominating characteristics in e-cig users are as follows: 23 males (67.6%) aged <30 years, the highest education of senior high school 25 (73.5%) and 25 (73.5%) subjects had occupation. The UCot levels among the e-cig users in the non-dependency group were lower than that of the medium-high dependency group (P = .008). The median value for UCot level in the regular e-cig users was higher than that of the non-smoker group (276.11 [58.01-284.15] ng/mL vs 5.21 [4.65-23.72] ng/mL, P < .001). Factors influencing the UCot levels of the e-cig users were age (P = .041), nicotine level of the e-cig liquid (P = .013), and the flavor of the e-cig liquid (eg, menthol or non-menthol; P = .040). Conclusion UCot and nicotine dependence levels in the regular male e-cig users were significantly related. Nicotine dependence was found in 76.5% of the regular male e-cig users. The UCot levels in the e-cig users were significantly higher than in the non-smokers.
30 GHz picosecond pulse generation from actively mode-locked erbium-doped fibre laser

Ultrafast picosecond optical pulse generation by harmonic mode-locking of an erbium-doped fibre ring laser is successfully demonstrated. A Ti:LiNbO3 electro-optical modulator driven by a 15 GHz RF signal is used as the mode-locker. Transform-limited pulses with a duration of 7.6 ps arc achieved at a repetition rate of 30 GHz.
Integration and the Support Service: Changing Roles in Special Education

The integration of children with special needs into mainstream schools demands a reorganisation of staff and support levels both in schools and in the advisory services. Integration and the Support Service, illustrated with examples from a detailed case study of one Local Education Authority, shows how support services can most effectively be matched to needs and how new strategies for integration can be developed.
Intermittent Magnetic Field Monitoring System Based on Passive RFID Sensor Tags

The monitoring of magnetic fields is extremely important in many industrial environments, e.g., power grids. Despite of its importance, the existing monitoring methods either are large in size, require high power consumptions and manual observation, or although integrated in small wireless devices, need the use of batteries, increasing maintenance costs. This paper proposes an intermittent magnetic field monitoring system based on passive ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. A magnetic field magnitude sensor has been integrated into a micro-controller unit (MCU) based tag, and the standard RFID communication protocol ISO/IEC 18000-6 Type C has been partially modified to allow faster sensed data transfer, especially for multiple tag situations rarely considered in the open literature. Static or 50 Hz magnetic field sensing accuracy lower than 3% have been experimentally measured with reasonable tag charging times and read distances, making possible for example to monitor magnetic fields on more than 10 locations simultaneously with a 60 s of updating time with a tag read range of 3 m.
Analysis on BMWS Automatic Transmission Problems

The article analyses the principles AT work, and a detailed analysis of BMW's automatic transmission failures, and maintenance process. Maintenance of other automatic transmission provides a certain degree of significance. It is made up of components such as pump, turbine and stator, which directly enter the engine power and torque, while a clutch role.
Zipping dielectric elastomer actuators: characterization, design and modeling

We report on miniature dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) operating in zipping mode with an analytical model that predicts their behavior. Electrostatic zipping is a well-known mechanism in silicon MEMS to obtain large deformations and forces at lower voltages than for parallel plate electrostatic actuation. We extend this concept to DEAs, which allows us to obtain much larger out-of-plane displacements compared to silicon thanks to the softness of the elastomer membrane. We study experimentally the effect of sidewall angles and elastomer prestretch on 2.3 mm diameter actuators with PDMS membranes. With 15° and 22.5° sidewall angles, the devices zip in a bistable manner down 300 μm to the bottom of the chambers. The highly tunable bistable behavior is controllable by both chamber geometry and membrane parameters. Other specific characteristics of zipping DEAs include well-controlled deflected shape, tunable displacement versus voltage characteristics to virtually any shape, including multi-stable modes, sealing of embedded holes or channels for valving action and the reduction of the operating voltage. These properties make zipping DEAs an excellent candidate for applications such as integrated microfluidics actuators or Braille displays.
Optimizing the RF-parameters for an III-V FinFET

Using the 3D finite element tool COMSOL a III-V FinFET was mod- eled based on Cezar Zota, Erik Lind and Lars-Erik Wernerssons work. Using this model, the gate-source parasitic capacitance, the gate-drain parasitic capacitance, the source and drain resistances were simulated. Changing the geometry of the FinFET was done in order to optimize the transistor in regard for the transition frequency and the maximum oscillation frequency and improving the frequencies with over 350%.
On the Application of DSP Technology in Real-Time Voice Communication System

This paper describes the advantages of DSP TMS320VC5402 in the voice coding communication and focuses on interface design of real-time voice signal processing as well as the hardware and software design of the system from the aspect of voice signal acquisition and processing. Besides, it also introduces the corresponding design principle of hardware and software.
Rays, waves, SU(2) symmetry and geometry: toolkits for structured light

Structured light refers to the ability to tailor optical patterns in all its degrees of freedom, from conventional 2D transverse patterns to exotic forms of 3D, 4D, and even higher-dimensional modes of light, which break fundamental paradigms and open new and exciting applications for both classical and quantum scenarios. The description of diverse degrees of freedom of light can be based on different interpretations, e.g. rays, waves, and quantum states, that are based on different assumptions and approximations. In particular, recent advances highlighted the exploiting of geometric transformation under general symmetry to reveal the ‘hidden’ degrees of freedom of light, allowing access to higher dimensional control of light. In this tutorial, I outline the basics of symmetry and geometry to describe light, starting from the basic mathematics and physics of SU(2) symmetry group, and then to the generation of complex states of light, leading to a deeper understanding of structured light with connections between rays and waves, quantum and classical. The recent explosion of related applications are reviewed, including advances in multi-particle optical tweezing, novel forms of topological photonics, high-capacity classical and quantum communications, and many others, that, finally, outline what the future might hold for this rapidly evolving field.
Basic characteristics of magnet wheels with rotating permanent magnets

Two new types of magnet wheels are proposed for both magnetic levitation and linear drives. The permanent magnets (PMs) of the magnet wheel are rotated over the conducting plate to obtain an induction type of repulsive lift force which is useful for simple and self-stabilizing magnetic levitation. The drug torque induced simultaneously is put to good use to obtain thrust by two simple ways. In one type, called "tilt type", the surface of rotating PM is tilted against the surface of the conducting plate. In another type, called "partial overlap type", the rotator installed PM is set over near the edge of the conducting plate. The static characteristics of the magnet wheels are confirmed by experimental work and approximate analyses. <<ETX>>
A Temporal Diversity using Vector Perturbation

In this paper, we propose a temporal diversity scheme based on the vector perturbation for a multiuser multipleinput multiple-output (MIMO) broadcasting system. Our method is inspired by the fact that precoding process of the vector perturbation designed to suppress the multiuser interference causes a reduction of the transmitted signal power. In order to boost up the transmit power, we employ a non-integer based vector perturbation together with temporal transmit diversity. We show from the simulation on 10×10 multiuser MIMO system that the proposed method outperforms the epetition coded vector perturbation scheme as well as the standard vector perturbation.
Fluid structure interaction of a morphed wind turbine blade

One serious challenge of energy systems design, wind turbines in particular, is the need to match the system operation to the variable load. This is so because system efficiency drops at off‐design load. One strategy to address this challenge for wind turbine blades and obtain a more consistent efficiency over a wide load range, is varying the blade geometry. Predictable morphing of wind turbine blade in reaction to wind load conditions has been introduced recently. The concept, derived from fish locomotion, also has similarities to spoilers and ailerons, known to reduce flow separation and improve performance using passive changes in blade geometry. In this work, we employ a fully coupled technique on CFD and FEM models to introduce continuous morphing to desired and predetermined blade design geometry, the NACA 4412 profile, which is commonly used in wind turbine applications. Then, we assess the aerodynamic behavior of a morphing wind turbine airfoil using a two‐dimensional computation. The work is focused on assessing aerodynamic forces based on trailing edge deflection, wind speed, and material elasticity, that is, Young's modulus. The computational results suggest that the morphing blade has superior part‐load efficiency over the rigid NACA blade. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Compatibility of wrist exoskeletons with human biomechanical and neural constraints

Daily motor tasks are often kinematically redundant as they involve more degrees-of-freedom (DoF), for example in the human limbs, than strictly required. Humans are known to adopt motor strategies which consist of a stereotypical selection of specific postures for a given task. Such natural strategies are also known to be perturbed when, for example, operating in contact with machines or robots. To this end, a wrist exoskeleton, specifically designed to minimally perturb motor strategies, was used to study the effects of ergonomic factors and mechanical impedance on human motor strategies during redundant tasks. The novelty of this work is in accounting for the neural constraints imposed by the brain during redundant tasks. Special attention is devoted to wrist robots since the human wrist, together with the hand, is involved in most manipulation tasks, from cooking to micro-surgery, from dart-throwing to calligraphy. To comply with kinematic constraints, ergonomic considerations are introduced at an early stage of structural design of passive exoskeleton, matching the biomechanical constraints imposed by human anatomy. Due to inter-subject anatomical differences, subject-specific kinematic models are determined through a non-invasive protocol. The kinematic models are used to design subject-specific exoskeletons. The effects of kinematic compatibility on motor strategies are assessed through numerical and experimental studies and solutions from literature are adapted to avoid over-constrained configurations. Finally, confirming that perceived inertia is responsible for the perturbation of natural motor strategies during redundant tasks, a low-inertia wrist exoskeleton with one active DoF is devised and tested to be compatible with both biomechanical and neural constraints during pointing tasks.
Academic Career Development in Indonesia and the United Kingdom: A Systematic Literature Review

Lecturers are an essential element of a higher education institution. The lecturer has two functions in Indonesia, namely an educator and a researcher who has the job in developing and deploying science, technology, and art to the community through the Three Pillars of Higher Education activities: education, research, and community services. This study aims to investigate and answer the three research questions, which involve how the academic career development system for lecturers, how the academic career development patterns for lecturers, and the factors which affect the academic career in Indonesia and the United Kingdom (UK). We chose the UK since it is one of the countries with the most robust higher education system globally. This research was required to capture the gap in academic career development for lecturers in Indonesia and the UK. There are 23 journal articles and other literature included and found using systematic literature review and PRISMA protocol. These journal articles and other literature analyzed by meta-synthesis and could describe the comparative perspectives between an academic career in Indonesia and the UK. These review results can be an excellent comparison for improving higher education systems, specifically in the academic career development for Indonesian lecturers. A significant improvement will encourage universities in Indonesia to embrace the vision as a world-class university.
Development and application of quality measures of clinical pharmacist services provided in inpatient/acute care settings

As health care transitions to value‐based care, it is more critical than ever to emphasize and quantify the impact on patient outcomes made by inpatient/acute care pharmacists and pharmacist extenders as members of the interprofessional care team. Thus, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) took to task the development of quality measures that were broadly applicable to the diverse inpatient/acute care landscape and important for standardizing practice, measuring impact, contextualizing benefit within the health care landscape, and allowing benchmarking within and between institutions. A framework was established by the writing committee of this paper in order to develop quality measures in a methodical manner. The resulting process led the writing committee to devise 31 foundational quality measures to be used in efforts to champion the pharmacist's role in achieving the quadruple aims in health care. Application and evaluation of quality measure performance as well as limitations and future implications of the measures are addressed to further highlight the evolving role of the inpatient/acute care pharmacist and pharmacist extender.
Pathways of participation in paid and unpaid work in mid to later life in the United Kingdom

Abstract Policy responses to population ageing have focused on lengthening working lives, overlooking inequalities in older adults’ participation in unpaid activities. This paper examines participation in paid and unpaid activities between the ages of 55 and 70 to answer two questions: how do people navigate pathways of paid work, informal care, volunteering, civic participation and housework in mid to later life? ; and how do these pathways relate to gender, socio-economic and health inequalities? Two-staged latent class analysis was used to identify activity pathways using data from the British Household Panel Survey (1996–2008). Multinomial logistic models assessed associations between latent pathways and socio-demographic and health characteristics. Three pathways were observed: full-time work to low activity (49%), part-time and in-home work (34%) and multiple activities (16%). Aside from retirement from full-time work, the pathways of participation in paid and unpaid activities were characterised by continuity; substitution between different forms of paid and unpaid work was not observed. Participation in multiple paid and unpaid activities was more common for respondents in better health and of higher socio-economic status. Since the promotion of paid work and volunteering in later life may mainly benefit individuals in advantaged circumstances, policies should avoid taking a blanket approach to encouraging participation in multiple activities, a key component of active ageing.
ISO 9000 among Australian companies: impact of time and reasons for seeking certification on perceptions of benefits received

Utilizes a survey of 272 Australian ISO 9002 quality certified companies to examine two issues: first, the relationship between a company’s initial motivation for seeking certification (QCert) and its perception of the benefits it has received; and, second, the impact of time on perceptions of benefits received. Companies which sought QCert because of an externally‐imposed perception of the necessity to “obtain a certificate” were found to experience fewer beneficial outcomes of QCert, in comparison with companies which sought QCert because of an internally‐driven desire to improve organizational performance. Additionally, no evidence was found that longer‐certified companies experience more benefits than recently‐certified companies, regardless of the initial motivation for seeking QCert. Cautions against the drive towards “forcing” companies to seek QCert as a result of a perception of an external threat. Such a process appears to be counterproductive.
The Effectiveness and Safety of Traffic and Non-Traffic Related Messages Presented on Changeable Message Signs—Phase II

In Phase II of this investigation, the authors used a fully interactive PC-based STISIM driving simulator, to conduct two experiments which were similar to experiments in Phase I. The participants were 120 licensed drivers from three age groups—18-24, 32-47, and 55-65 years old—who drove, in free flow traffic, for approximately 20 miles on a four-lane freeway before encountering target messages on Changeable Message Signs (CMSs). The Phase II CMS messages were clearer and less complex than those used in Phase I. In the first experiment the target message was changed to “Road Closed/Crash Ahead/Use Thompson Exit:” 93.3% of the participants took the exit—as compared to 55.8% in Phase I. In the second experiment, the message was changed to “Abducted Child/Tune To/Radio 88.5 FM:” 71.7% of the participants (71.7%) could remember enough information to enable them tune to 88.5 FM—as compared to 8.3% who could recall some vehicle information and at least five license plate letters and numbers from the Phase I CMS (“AMBER Alert/Red Ford Truck/ MN Lic# SLM 509”). Some participants reduced speed on approaching the CMSs, suggesting similar reductions could occur in real world driving in free flow conditions. However, when traffic is congested speeds are typically slower, and drivers are less likely to reduce speed still further to read CMSs. The authors conducted a survey which showed drivers think it is very useful to have information about traffic problems and roadway maintenance schedules on CMSs. Also, they analyzed real-world traffic speed data obtained when CMS messages were deployed. Finally, the authors conducted observations at Mn/DOT’s Regional Transportation Management Center (RTMC), focusing on the decision-making processes involved when traffic-related CMS messages are deployed.
Comparison of SVC and TCSC Installation in Transmission Line with Loss Minimization and Cost of Installation via Particle Swarm Optimization

The paper presents a comparison of performance Static Var Compensator (SVC) and Thyristor Controlled Series Compensator (TCSC) with objective function to minimize the transmission loss, improve the voltage and monitoring the cost of installation. Simulation performed on standard IEEE 30-Bus RTS and indicated that EPSO a feasible to achieve the objective function.
Hybrid control strategy for robotic leg prosthesis using artificial gait synthesis

This paper presents a hybrid control strategy for robotic leg prosthesis. We first synthesise an artificial gait based on human data. A mathematical dynamic model of robotic leg having three degree of freedom, i.e., one each at hip, knee and ankle joint is developed here. Since the dynamics of leg is a highly complex and nonlinear system, radial basis neural network is trained offline for inverse dynamics of leg and is used as a part of control strategy. The simulation environment contains a model of the robotic leg dynamics, a subsystem for artificial gait synthesis, three independent neural network and PD controllers to control the movements of three joints separately in order to achieve the level walking. The simulation work is carried out in Matlab 6.5 and Simulink 5.0. The results showed that the gait of the prosthetic leg can be controlled to a near normal one for level walking.
Assessment and certification of safety critical software

The B formal development method in the safety critical software has changed the development methodology in particular on how to combine the verification and the proof activities of software. This paper provides a new approach for assessing a safety critical software developed by using B formal method. After presenting an overview of the assessment requirements, the paper presents and discusses the impact of the B formal software development methodology. The approach for assessing a safety critical software developed by using B formal method is the central point of this paper. This assessment approach is based on the traceability analysis, the safety properties validation, the complementary tests and the metrics.
Atypical Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Variant

Leishmaniasis is a complex group of parasitic infectious diseases caused by intracellular protozoa of the genus Leishmania. It is a zoonosis mainly transmitted by the bite of infected female Phlebotomus or Lutzomyia sandflies. Clinical manifestations of leishmaniasis are diverse and can range from asymptomatic presentations to disseminated systemic disease. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in more than 80 countries in the world, having a predominance in tropical and subtropical regions. Although the majority of cases follow a classic development, an increasing number of new and rare variants of cutaneous leishmaniasis have been reported. These variants should be suspected as a cause of diverse clinical presentations, especially in endemic regions and travelers, being a diagnostic challenge for physicians. We present a case of atypical cutaneous leishmaniasis found as a single verrucous plaque of eight months of evolution in the left posterior thigh of a 35-year-old man, who presented mild pruritus. The patient reported shrimp farming as his main occupational activity and was living in a rural region surrounded by forest on the Pacific coast of Ecuador. On dermatological examination, a single 4 x 5 cm verrucous plaque with irregular borders and a scaly erythematous violaceous aspect was found. Histopathological analysis revealed the presence of lymphohistiocytic inflammatory infiltrate with plasmocytes and granulomatous inflammation. On the Giemsa stain, intracellular amastigotes (Leishman-Donovan bodies) were observed. The treatment consisted of intramuscular meglumine antimoniate, presenting significant improvement on follow-up.