Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Plant Growth-Promoting Microorganisms (PGPMs) and Their Feasibility in Hydroponics and Vertical Farming

There are many reasons for the increase in hydroponics/soil-free systems in agriculture, and these systems have now advanced to the form of vertical farming. The sustainable use of space, the reduction in water use compared to soil-based agriculture, the lack of pesticides, the ability to control nutrient inputs, and the implementation of user-friendly technology for environmental control and harvesting are all factors that have made the global market for vertical farming predicted to reach more than USD 10.02 billion by 2027. By comparison, soil-based agriculture consumes 20 times more water, and some agricultural practices promote soil deterioration and cause environmental pollution. Plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) have been used extensively in traditional agriculture to enhance plant growth, environmental stress tolerance, and the efficacy of phytoremediation in soil-based farming. Due to the controlled atmosphere in hydroponics and vertical farms, there is strong potential to maximize the use of PGPMs. Here, we review the leveraging of plant growth-promoting microorganism mechanisms in hydroponics and vertical farming. We recommend a synchronized PGPM treatment using a biostimulant extract added to the hydroponic medium while also pre-treating seeds or seedlings with a microbial suspension for aquaponic and aeroponic systems.
Climbing and Clinging of Urban Lizards are Differentially Affected by Morphology, Temperature, and Substrate

Synopsis Urbanization alters the environment along many dimensions, including changes to structural habitat and thermal regimes. These can present challenges, but may also provide suitable habitat for certain species. Importantly, the functional implications of these habitat shifts can be assessed through the morphology–performance–fitness paradigm, though these relationships are complicated by interactions among habitat choice, other abiotic factors, and morphology across scales (i.e., micromorphology and gross anatomy). The common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) is one example of a cosmopolitan and successful urban colonizer. Quantifying both shifts in morphology over time and morphology–performance relationships under various ecological contexts can provide insight into the success of species in a novel environment. To examine how morphological variation influences performance, we measured seven gross morphological characteristics and utilized scanning electron microscopy to obtain high-resolution images of a claw from individuals living in established populations in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. We used a geometric morphometric approach to describe variation in claw shape and then compared the claws of contemporary lizards to those of museum specimens collected approximately 40 years ago, finding that claw morphology has not shifted over this time. We then performed laboratory experiments to measure the clinging and climbing performance of lizards on materials that mimic ecologically relevant substrates. Each individual was tested for climbing performance on two substrates (cork and turf) and clinging performance on three substrates (cork, turf, and sandpaper) and at two temperatures (24ºC and 34ºC). Clinging performance was temperature insensitive, but determined by substrate-specific interactions between body dimensions and claw morphology. Conversely, the main determinant of climbing performance was temperature, though lizards with more elongate claws, as described by the primary axis of variation in claw morphology, climbed faster. Additionally, we found strong evidence for within-individual trade-offs between performance measures such that individuals who are better at clinging are worse at climbing and vice versa. These results elucidate the complex interactions shaping organismal performance in different contexts and may provide insight into how certain species are able to colonize novel urban environments.
What Is a Recession

In the course of its studies of business cycles, the National Bureau of Economic Research has identified successive periods of business expansion and contraction in the United States and several other countries. Business cycle peak dates mark the end of a period of expansion and the beginning of a period of contraction; trough dates mark the end of a period of contraction and the beginning of a period of expansion. For the United States the chronology goes back to 1854 on a monthly and quarterly basis, and to 1834 on an annual basis. Between 1854 and 1961 (the last trough date) some 26 peaks and 27 troughs have been recognized. These dates identify 26 expansions and 26 contractions. The 10 contractions since 1920 are recorded in Table 1.
Electromigration in Sn-Pb solder strips as a function of alloy composition

Using thin film solder strips, we have investigated the electromigration of six different compositions of Sn–Pb solders at current density of 105 A/cm2 near ambient temperature. The six compositions are pure Sn, Sn80Pb20, Sn70Pb30, Sn62Pb38 (eutectic), Sn40Pb60, and Sn5Pb95. The eutectic alloy, with the lowest melting point and a high density of lamella interfaces, was found to have the fastest hillock growth. As composition moving toward the two terminal phases, the hillock growth rate decreases; but it increases again in pure Sn. The interface between Sn and Pb, being the fastest kinetic path of mass transport, also serves as the place to initiate hillock and void formation.
Analysis of a Discrete-time Model for Periodic Diseases with Pulse Vaccination

We construct a discrete-time mathematical model for so-called periodic diseases. Most of these diseases occur during the early years of life and appear in cycles that are approximately periodic. Our three variable model effectively reduces to two variables. We study the nature of its fixed-point and its linear stability properties, and obtain an estimation of small oscillations about the fixed-point. This model, unlike many continuous-time ODE models, has an increasing total population. The major goal of this work is to examine the response of the model to a pulse vaccination strategy. We show that under the proper conditions the disease can be eliminated from the total population.
Presence, Tissue Localization, and Gene Expression of the Adiponectin Receptor 1 in Testis and Accessory Glands of Male Rams during the Non-Breeding Season

Simple Summary Adiponectin (ADIPOQ) is the most abundant adipocytokine secreted by adipocytes in white adipose tissue and exerts its action by two receptors, ADIPOQ receptor 1 and -2, respectively (ADIPOR1 and -R2). ADIPOQ has an important role in various physiological mechanisms modulating whole-body energy homeostasis. Besides these metabolic aspects, ADIPOQ has been shown to affect the reproductive system through its actions on the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis. ADIPOQ and its cognate receptors are expressed in different cell types of the male gonad, indicating that this adipocytokine directly regulates the testicular function. To better understand the role of the ADIPOQ/ADIPOQ receptor system in modulating ovine reproductive processes, we have evaluated the ADIPOR1 presence and gene expression in male ram reproductive tissues during the non-breading season. The reported results support the idea that the mammalian reproductive processes are also modulated by the ADIPOQ/ADIPOR1 system, particularly the testicular activity of male rams, during the non-breading season. The study on reproductive activities regulated by the ADIPOQ/ADIPOQ receptors system is helpful for better knowledge of the physiological mechanisms that link adipose tissue with the mammalian reproductive processes, specifically on how altered energy metabolism can induce reproductive pathologies in humans and animals. Abstract Adiponectin (ADIPOQ) is a member adipocytokines, and its actions are supported by two receptors, ADIPOQ receptor 1 and -2, respectively (ADIPOR1 and -R2). Our study was performed to evaluate the ADIPOR1 presence and location and its gene expression in reproductive tissues of the male ram, during its non-breading season. The different portions of the male ram reproductive system (testis, epididymis, seminal vesicle, ampoule vas deferens, bulb-urethral gland) were collected in a slaughterhouse. Immunohistochemistry showed ADIPOR1 positive signals in the cytoplasm of all the glandular epithelial cells, with a location near the nucleus; in the testes, the positive reaction was evidenced in the cytoplasm in the basal portion of the germinal epithelial cells. The immune reaction intensity was highest (p < 0.001) in the prostate and seminal vesicles glands than that of other parts of the ram reproductive tract. RT-qPCR detected the ADIPOR1 transcript in the testes, epididymis, vas deferens, bulbourethral glands, seminal vesicles, and prostate; the expression levels were high (p < 0.01) in the prostate and low (p < 0.01) in the testis, epididymis, and bulbourethral glands. The present results evidenced the possible ADIPOQ/ADIPOR1 system’s role in regulating the testicular activity of male rams during the non-breading season.
Numerical study of magnetohydrodynamic duct flow at high Reynolds and Hartmann numbers

Abstract High-resolution direct numerical simulations are conducted to analyse turbulent states of the flow of an electrically conducting fluid in a duct of square cross-section with electrically insulating walls and imposed transverse magnetic field. The Reynolds number of the flow is $1{0}^{5} $ and the Hartmann number varies from $0$ to $400$ . It is found that there is a broad range of Hartmann numbers in which the flow is neither laminar nor fully turbulent, but has laminar core, Hartmann boundary layers and turbulent zones near the walls parallel to the magnetic field. Analysis of turbulent fluctuations shows that each zone consists of two layers: the boundary layer near the wall characterized by small-scale turbulence and the outer layer dominated by large-scale vortical structures strongly elongated in the direction of the magnetic field. We also find a peculiar scaling of the mean velocity, according to which the reciprocal von Kármán coefficient grows nearly linearly with the distance to the wall.
Development of a 2x2 optical switch for plastic optical fiber using liquid crystal cells

A 2x2 optical switch for plastic optical fibre (POF) has been developed, able to work for both 660 and 850nm simultaneous and independently of the input light's polarization, improving previous developments. The device has four bidirectional optical ports, and is able to switch from each port to any other. In this way, there are three operation modes: straight (each input connected to the corresponding output), crossed (inputs and outputs crosses) and closed (inputs connected on the one part, and output connected on the other part). As the device is bidirectional, inputs and outputs are interchangeable. The switching process is carried out by a set of Polarized Beam Splitters, Liquid Crystal cells, λ/4 plates, lens and mirrors. An electronic circuitry has been developed to control the state of the optical switch, which is shown in a Liquid Crystal Display. The system has been tested for both 660nm and 850nm, and the optical switch exhibits miliseconds switching times, an optical interchannel crosstalk better than -25 dB, and low power consumption. Applications of the switch include systems where a redundant path is needed to guarantee communication, such as safety systems in automobiles, LANs, telemedicine, heavy machinery in the industry along with coarse WDM GI (graded index) POF networks. Device size reduction is under development.
Study of terahertz-radiation-induced DNA damage in human blood leukocytes

We have carried out the studies aimed at assessing the effect of terahertz radiation on DNA molecules in human blood leukocytes. Genotoxic testing of terahertz radiation was performed in three different oscillation regimes, the blood leukocytes from healthy donors being irradiated for 20 minutes with the mean intensity of within the frequency range of . Using the comet assay it is shown that in the selected regimes such radiation does not induce a direct DNA damage in viable human blood leukocytes.
Blind phase recovery in cross QAM communication systems with the reducedconstellation eighth-order estimator (RCEOE)

The eighth-order (EOE) phase estimator (K.V. Cartwright, 1999) is modified to work for an eight-symbol symmetrical constellation, so that the large signal-to-noise (SNR) performance is not limited by self-noise. By using only the eight highest energy points of cross-QAM constellations, a reduced constellation eighth-order estimator (RCEOE) is proposed. Computer simulations for 128-QAM show that this new method performs substantially better than the recently introduced APP phase estimator of Wang et al. (2003). However, simulations with 32-QAM show little performance advantage of the RCEOE over the APP estimator, for SNR values normally of interest, whereas for low SNR, the improvement is significant. Application to any constellation which can be reduced to an 8-symbol quadrant symmetrical sub-constellation is straight-forward
Elastic, dielectric and optical constants of 4'-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl

4'-n-Pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) is a room temperature nematic liquid crystal with a high positive dielectric anisotropy and a high chemical stability. Many experimental results concerning the elastic and dielectric constants of 5CB are available in the literature, although there is often no satisfactory agreement between the experimental data obtained by different groups, especially as far as the dielectric constants are concerned. Furthermore, no detailed investigation of the temperature dependence of the elastic and dielectric constants close to the nematic-isotropic transition temperature T NI has yet been reported. In this paper, we report the measurement of the elastic and dielectric constants of 5CB, and the temperature behaviour close to T NI has been investigated in detail. The experiment consists in the measurement of the director deformation induced by an electric field using simultaneously both a dielectric and an optical method. The simultaneous use of these two methods provides an indirect check on the reliability of the measurements. Special attention has been devoted to control possible sources of uncertainty. In particular, the effects of finite anchoring energy and of finite pretilt angle have been considered. The temperature dependence of the anisotropy of the refractive indices is also obtained in the experiment.
Peeling of convection cells and the generation of sheared flow

A periodic array of convection cells is subject to a ‘‘shear flow’’ instability. The generation of the sheared flow is a consequence of ‘‘peeling’’ of the convection cells. Fluid simulations demonstrate that the efficiency of shear flow generation is high. Implications for understanding poloidal rotation in tokamaks are discussed.
Epithelial cell death markers in bronchoalveolar lavage correlate with chronic lung allograft dysfunction subtypes and survival in lung transplant recipients—a single‐center retrospective cohort study

Chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) remains the leading cause of late death after lung transplantation. Epithelial injury is thought to be a key event in the pathogenesis of CLAD. M30 and M65 are fragments of cytokeratin‐18 released specifically during epithelial cell apoptosis and total cell death, respectively. We investigated whether M30 and M65 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) correlate with CLAD subtypes: restrictive allograft syndrome (RAS) versus bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS). BALs were obtained from 26 patients with established CLAD (10 RAS, 16 BOS) and 19 long‐term CLAD‐free controls. Samples with concurrent infection or acute rejection were excluded. Protein levels were measured by ELISA. Variables were compared using Kruskal–Wallis, Mann–Whitney U test and Chi‐squared tests. Association of M30 and M65 levels with post‐CLAD survival was assessed using a Cox PH models. M65 levels were significantly higher in RAS compared to BOS and long‐term CLAD‐free controls and correlated with worse post‐CLAD survival. Lung epithelial cell death is enhanced in patients with RAS. Detection of BAL M65 may be used to differentiate CLAD subtypes and as a prognostic marker in patients with established CLAD. Understanding the role of epithelial cell death in CLAD pathogenesis may help identify new therapeutic targets to improve outcome.
Zonal Detached-Eddy Simulation of Separated Flow Around a Finite-Span Wing

The unsteady turbulent flow around a three-dimensional finite-span wing at stall is investigated by means of a zonal detached-eddy simulation. The computation captures a nondelayed development of unsteady structures at the beginning of the separation and accurately resolves the energy cascade in the fully turbulent mixing layer over a large frequency range. A comparison with the experimental data shows that the zonal detached-eddy simulation approach clearly improves the prediction of the mean flow, whereas classical Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes methods usually fail. A spectral analysis of pressure signals highlights the origin and the characteristics of the various unsteady mechanisms involved in this complex flow.
The effect of overlying absorbing aerosol layers on remote sensing retrievals of cloud effective radius and cloud optical depth

Two types of partially absorbing aerosol are included in calculations that are based on intensive aircraft observations: biomass burning aerosol characterized during the Southern AFricAn Regional science Initiative (SAFARI 2000) and mineral dust aerosol characterized during the SaHAran Dust Experiment (SHADE). Measurements during SAFARI 2000 reveal that the biomass burning aerosol layer is advected over the South Atlantic ocean at elevated altitudes above the marine boundary layer which is capped by semi‐permanent stratocumulus cloud sheets. Similarly, the mineral dust is measured at elevated altitudes during SHADE resulting in transport above cloud for distances of several thousands of kilometres. We perform theoretical calculations of the effect of these partially absorbing aerosol layers on satellite retrievals of cloud effective radius and cloud optical depth, and show that, in these cases, retrievals of cloud optical depth or liquid water path are likely to be subject to systematic low biases. The theoretical calculations suggest that the cloud effective radius may be subject to a significant low bias for Moderate resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) retrievals that rely on the 0.86 and 1.63 µm radiance pair for an overlying aerosol layer of either biomass burning aerosol or mineral dust. Conversely, the cloud effective radius may be subject to a significant high bias for Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer or MODIS retrievals that rely on the 0.63 and 3.7 µm radiance pair for an overlying aerosol layer of mineral dust. Analysis of 1 km resolution MODIS data for the SAFARI 2000 period suggests that the effective radius derived from the 0.86 and 1.63 µm radiance pair is, indeed, subject to a low bias in the presence of overlying biomass burning aerosol. These results show the difficulties associated with remote sensing retrievals, which must be kept in mind when attempting to assess any potential indirect effect. © Crown copyright 2004.
Thoughts on Core-Collapse Supernova Theory†

Abstract An emerging conclusion of theoretical supernova research is that the breaking of spherical symmetry may be the key to the elusive mechanism of explosion. Such explorations require state-of-the-art multi-dimensional numerical tools and significant computational resources. Despite the thousands of man-years and thousands of CPU-years devoted to date to studying the supernova mystery, both require further evolution. There are many computationally-challenging instabilities in the core, before, during, and after the launch of the shock, and a variety of multi-dimensional mechanisms are now being actively explored. These include the neutrino heating mechanism, the MHD jet mechanism, and an acoustic mechanism. The latter is the most controversial, and, as with all the contenders, requires detailed testing and scrutiny. In this paper, we analyze recent attempts to do so, and suggests methods to improve them.
Can We Predict Failure of Mitral Valve Repair?

Objective: To identify echocardiographic and surgical risk factors for failure after mitral valve repair. Methods: We identified a total of 77 consecutive patients from our institutional mitral valve surgery database who required redo mitral valve surgery due to recurrence of mitral regurgitation after primary mitral valve repair. A control group of 138 patients who had a stable echocardiographic long-term result was included based on propensity score matching. Systematic analysis of echocardiographic parameters was performed before primary surgery; after mitral valve repair and prior to redo surgery. Risk factor analysis was performed using multivariate Cox regression model. Results: Redo surgery was associated with the presence of pulmonary hypertension ≥ 50 mmHg (p = 0.02), a mean transmitral gradient > 5 mmHg (p = 0.001), left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 45% (p = 0.05) before surgery and mitral regurgitation ≥moderate at time of discharge (p = 0.002) in the whole cohort. Patients with functional mitral valve regurgitation had a higher tendency to undergo redo surgery if preoperative left ventricular end-diastolic diameter exceeded 65 mm (p = 0.043) and if postoperative tenting height exceeded 6 mm (p = 0.018). Low ejection fraction was not significantly associated with the need for redo mitral valve surgery in the functional subgroup. Conclusions: Recurrent mitral regurgitation is still a valuable problem and is associated with relevant perioperative mortality. Patients with severe mitral regurgitation should undergo early mitral valve repair surgery as long as systolic pulmonary artery pressure is low, left ventricular ejection fraction is preserved, and LVEED is deceeds 65 mm.
Magnetic field resistant quantum interferences in Josephson junctions based on bismuth nanowires

We investigate proximity-induced superconductivity in micrometer-long bismuth nanowires connected to superconducting electrodes with a high critical field. At low temperature we measure a supercurrent that persists in magnetic fields as high as the critical field of the electrodes (above 11 T). The critical current is also strongly modulated by the magnetic field. In certain samples we find regular, rapid SQUID-like periodic oscillations occurring up to high fields. Other samples exhibit less periodic but full modulations of the critical current on Tesla field scales, with field-caused extinctions of the supercurrent. These findings indicate the existence of low dimensionality, phase coherent, interfering conducting regions through the samples, with a subtle interplay between orbital and spin contributions. We relate these surprising results to the electronic properties of the surface states of bismuth, strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling, large effective g factors, and their effect on the induced pair correlations. In particular, we emphasize the possible contribution of topological edge states of specific facets of the nanowires.