A fully integrated single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) using a high-voltage quenching circuit fabricated in a 0.35-μm CMOS process is proposed. The quenching circuit features a quenching voltage of 9.9 V, which is three times the nominal supply voltage to increase the photon detection probability (PDP). To prove the quenching performance, the circuit has been integrated together with a large-area SPAD having an active diameter of 90  μm. Experimental verification shows a maximum PDP of 67.8% at 9.9 V excess bias at a wavelength of 642 nm.

Synthesis, characterization and interaction with BSA and apo-transferrin of novel water-soluble ruthenium complexes having differently coordinated alliin (S-allyl-l-cysteine sulfoxide).

Analysis of vertex-varying spectral content of signals on graphs challenges the assumption of vertex invariance and requires the introduction of vertex-frequency representations as a new tool for graph signal analysis. Local smoothness, an important parameter of vertex-varying graph signals, is introduced and defined in this paper. Basic properties of this parameter are given. By using the local smoothness, an ideal vertex-frequency distribution is introduced. The local smoothness estimation is performed based on several forms of the vertex-frequency distributions, including the graph spectrogram, the graph Rihaczek distribution, and a vertex-frequency distribution with reduced interferences. The presented theory is illustrated through numerical examples.

The aim of this paper is to explain microclimatic indicators in the winter inside buildings for of goat housing in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Data processed in this paper were collected from ten goat farms which are deployed throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the housing facilities for goats for whose were determined the microclimate status, the average temperature was in the range of optimal values. Average airflow in facilities for goats in Bosnia and Herzegovina was below the 0.2 m/s during the winter period. The average relative humidity in the goat barns in Bosnia and Herzegovina ranged permitted values. The average determined concentration of ammonia in the air barn goat farm is located above the allowable limit. On based of established levels of CO 2 in goat barns in Kozara region of Bosnia and Herzegovina could be concluded that there is above the allowable limit. Reducing the levels of harmful gases in the facilities may be required in increasing the air change in buildings either natural or artificial ventilation.

We address the problem of state estimation, attack isolation, and control of discrete-time linear time-invariant systems under (potentially unbounded) actuator and sensor false data injection attacks. Using a bank of unknown input observers, each observer leading to an exponentially stable estimation error (in the attack-free case), we propose an observer-based estimator that provides exponential estimates of the system state despite actuator and sensor attacks. Exploiting sensor and actuator redundancy, the estimation scheme is guaranteed to work if a sufficiently small subset of sensors and actuators is under attack. Using the proposed estimator, we provide tools for reconstructing and isolating actuator and sensor attacks, and a control scheme capable of stabilizing the closed-loop dynamics by switching off isolated actuators. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the performance of our tools.

We address the problem of state estimation and attack isolation for general discrete-time nonlinear systems when sensors are corrupted by (potentially unbounded) attack signals. For a large class of nonlinear plants and observers, we provide a general estimation scheme, built around the idea of sensor redundancy and multi-observer, capable of reconstructing the system state in spite of sensor attacks and noise. This scheme has been proposed by others for linear systems/observers and here we propose a unifying framework for a much larger class of nonlinear systems/observers. Using the proposed estimator, we provide an isolation algorithm to pinpoint attacks on sensors during sliding time windows. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the performance of our tools.

Abstract 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) may have a prognostic value in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. However, as 25-OHD concentration is strongly impacted by surgery, it is uncertain what is the most reliable time-point for 25-OHD assessment, pre- or post-operative. Therefore, we examined 515 CRC patients (AJCC I-III) who underwent surgery. Blood samples were collected either pre-operatively (n = 286; median = 1 day before surgery) or post-operatively (n = 229; median = 8 days). Serum 25-OHD concentration was determined by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Association between 25-OHD and survival was tested in the whole cohort, followed by stratified analyses in pre- and post-operatively sampled. Median 25-OHD in the cohort was 36.7 nmol/L and median follow-up time was 5.9 years. There were no differences between pre- and post-operative cohort in age, sex, 25-OHD, AJCC stage, or localization of tumor. After adjustment, higher 25-OHD (>50 nmol/L) was associated with better overall survival only in post-operative (HR = 0.53; 95% CI: 0.33–0.84; P = 0.006), but not in pre-operative cohort (HR = 1.13; 95% CI: 0.77–1.65; P = 0.53). In conclusion, higher post-operative 25-OHD levels were associated with better survival outcome in CRC patients, while no such association was found for pre-operative levels. Time-point of blood collection should be addressed carefully in future research as it might affect the prognostic value of 25-OHD in CRC.

Two-dimensional second-order topological superconductors (SOTSCs) have gapped bulk and edge states, with zero-energy Majorana bound states localized at corners. Motivated by recent advances in Majorana nanowire experiments, we propose to realize a tunable SOTSC as a two-dimensional nanowire array. We show that the coupling between the Majorana modes of adjacent wires can be controlled by phase-biasing the device, allowing to access a variety of topological phases. We characterize the system using scattering theory, which provides access to its transport properties and its topological invariants. The setup is robust against disorder, both in the nanowires themselves and in the Josephson junctions formed between adjacent wires. Further, we identify a parameter regime in which an initially trivial system is rendered topological upon adding disorder, providing an example of a second-order topological Anderson phase.

Knowing about dependencies and similarities between test cases is beneficial for prioritizing them for cost-effective test execution. This holds especially true for the time consuming, manual execution of integration test cases written in natural language. Test case dependencies are typically derived from requirements and design artifacts. However, such artifacts are not always available, and the derivation process can be very time-consuming. In this paper, we propose, apply and evaluate a novel approach that derives test cases' similarities and functional dependencies directly from the test specification documents written in natural language, without requiring any other data source. Our approach uses an implementation of Doc2Vec algorithm to detect text-semantic similarities between test cases and then groups them using two clustering algorithms HDBSCAN and FCM. The correlation between test case text-semantic similarities and their functional dependencies is evaluated in the context of an on-board train control system from Bombardier Transportation AB in Sweden. For this system, the dependencies between the test cases were previously derived and are compared to the results our approach. The results show that of the two evaluated clustering algorithms, HDBSCAN has better performance than FCM or a dummy classifier. The classification methods' results are of reasonable quality and especially useful from an industrial point of view. Finally, performing a random undersampling approach to correct the imbalanced data distribution results in an F1 Score of up to 75% when applying the HDBSCAN clustering algorithm.

Banija spotted pig breed was created at the end of 19th century by crossing domestic white sows with drooping ears and/or Turopolje pig sows with black Berkshire. After a period of stagnation in breeding, the population is newly recognized only few years ago and is currently in the process of breed valorisation. The aim of this study was to assess genetic diversity and structure of Banija spotted pig (BS) in comparison with geographically close populations, and to assess the differentiation level of Banija spotted pig. Based on the genotypes obtained for 24 ISAG-FAO recommended pig microsatellite markers, basic genetic diversity indicators were determined for 30 samples of BS, 20 samples of Turopolje and Crna Slavonska pig each, and 17 samples of Landrace population. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.36 to 0.6 and was high in BS population (0.58). Average allelic richness (range 2 – 5.2) and the rarefacted number of private alleles (range 9 to 27) were the highest in BS. Inbreeding coefficient in BS was estimated 0.06 (bootstrapping confidence interval 0.022 to 0.123). Structure analysis showed that there are five clusters in the four analysed populations, where BS are clearly distinguished from other populations and substructured. Wright’s fixation index estimates are in accordance with the clustering results. In conclusion, the population of Banija spotted pig shows great genetic diversity and is genetically different from neighbouring (geographically close) pig populations.