Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonwoven/Nanomembrane Composite Functional Sweat Pads

Sweat is a natural body excretion produced by skin glands, and the body cools itself by releasing salty sweat. Wetness in the underarms and feet for long durations causes itchiness and an unpleasant smell. Skin-friendly reusable sweat pads could be used to absorb sweat. Transportation of moisture and functionality is the current challenge that many researchers are working on. This study aims to develop a functional and breathable sweat pad with antimicrobial and quick drying performance. Three layered functional sweat pads (FSP) are prepared in which the inner layer is made of an optimized needle-punched coolmax/polypropylene nonwoven blend. This layer is then dipped in antimicrobial ZnO solution (2, 4, and 6 wt.%), and super absorbent polymer (SAP) is embedded, and this is called a functional nonwoven (FNW1) sheet. Electrospun nanofiber-based nanomembranes of polyamide-6 are optimized for bead-free fibers. They are used as a middle layer to enhance the pad’s functionality, and the third layer is again made of needle-punched optimized coolmax/polypropylene nonwoven sheets. A simple nonwoven-based sweat pad (SSP) is also prepared for comparison purposes. Nonwoven sheets are optimized based on better comfort properties, including air/water vapor permeability and moisture management (MMT). Nonwoven webs having a higher proportion of coolmax show better air permeability and moisture transfer from the inner to the outer layer. Antimicrobial activity of the functional nonwoven layer showed 8 mm of bacterial growth, but SSP and FSP showed only 6 mm of growth against Staphylococcus aureus. FSP showed superior comfort and antibacterial properties. This study could be a footstone toward highly functional sweat pads with remarkable comfort properties.
On Statistical Design of the S 2 Control Chart

ABSTRACT The usual S 2 chart is constructed with equal false alarm probabilities for the lower and upper control limits. An alternative is the ARL-unbiased S 2 chart, where the ARL (average run length) curve attains its maximum when the common-cause variance is at its in-control value. We examine the ARL properties of these S 2 charts, and show that neither the usual S 2 chart nor the ARL-unbiased S 2 chart is optimal in a natural sense. We propose two criteria, under which optimal S 2 charts can be constructed. The effects of parameter estimation on our designs are also discussed, and suggestions are made regarding practical implementation.
Molecular Diversity of Linear Peptides Revealed by Transcriptomic Analysis of the Venom Gland of the Spider Lycosa poonaensis

Spider venom is a complex mixture of bioactive components. Previously, we identified two linear peptides in Lycosa poonaensis venom using mass spectrometric analysis and predicted the presence of more linear peptides therein. In this study, a transcriptomic analysis of the L. poonaensis venom gland was conducted to identify other undetermined linear peptides in the venom. The results identified 87 contigs encoding peptides and proteins in the venom that were similar to those in other spider venoms. The number of contigs identified as neurotoxins was the highest, and 15 contigs encoding 17 linear peptide sequences were identified. Seven peptides that were representative of each family were chemically synthesized, and their biological activities were evaluated. All peptides showed significant antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, although their selectivity for bacterial species differed. All peptides also exhibited paralytic activity against crickets, but none showed hemolytic activity. The secondary structure analysis based on the circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that all these peptides adopt an amphiphilic α-helical structure. Their activities appear to depend on the net charge, the arrangement of basic and acidic residues, and the hydrophobicity of the peptides.
Feasibility of AR-VR use in autonomous cars for user engagements and its effects on posture and vigilance during transit

: Autonomous driving system (ADS) is anticipated to revo- lutionize travel by reclaiming lost time and improve safety on the roads. With automation, user-engagements that enhances road monitoring should be considered to maintain vigilance and safety. From the litera- ture, virtual reality (VR) usage in cars offer productivity and increased privacy. This paper explores the efficacy of passenger use of VR headsets to enhance user-engagement during transit. User-engagement was quan- tified using physiological measures (pupillary response and electrodermal activity) during an in-car VR game/activity experiment. Further, the impacts of engaging with secondary tasks was evaluated using reaction time of pop-up objects. We designed a driving simulation with inbuilt entertaining activities, no-task, game-task, video-task, and mixed-task, played in a real car with a FOVE VR headset on the perimeter track of the Gifu University campus with 15 subjects (average 25.6 years, SD = 6.4). From reaction time, significant difference between tasks was found us- ing one-way ANOVA (F(3,231) = 2.75, p = . 0437). A post-hoc test revealed that game and mixed task reaction times were significantly different (p = .0126 and p = .016, respectively) suggesting that task design should consider hazard recognition in a real car. From physiological measures, an increased/sustained effect of user engagement was noted compared with baseline (no-task) suggesting effectiveness in maintaining vigi- lance. The results also reported a 10-fold improvement in sitting posture compared to baseline. The methodology employed is applicable as an indirect measure of engagement that would find use in productivity and vigilance study in an ADS.
Finite Sample Performance of Likelihood Ratio Tests for Cointegrating Ranks in Vector Autoregressions

This paper investigates through Monte Carlo simulation the finite sample properties of likelihood ratio tests for cointegrating ranks that were proposed by Johansen (1991, Econometrica 59, 1551–1580). We transform the model into a canonical form so that the experiment is well controlled without loss of generality and then conduct a comprehensive simulation study. As expected, the test performance is very sensitive to the value of the stationary root(s) of the process. We also find that the test performance depends crucially on the correlation between the innovations that drive the stationary and the nonstationary components of the process. We conclude that 100 observations are not sufficient to ensure reasonably good performance uniformly over the values of the nuisance parameters that affect the distributions of the test statistics.
Efficient Lightweight Multimodel Deep Fusion Based on ECG for Arrhythmia Classification

An arrhythmia happens when the electrical signals that organize the heartbeat do not work accurately. Most cases of arrhythmias may increase the risk of stroke or cardiac arrest. As a result, early detection of arrhythmia reduces fatality rates. This research aims to provide a lightweight multimodel based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) that can transfer knowledge from many lightweight deep learning models and decant it into one model to aid in the diagnosis of arrhythmia by using electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. Thus, we gained a multimodel able to classify arrhythmia from ECG signals. Our system’s effectiveness is examined by using a publicly accessible database and a comparison to the current methodologies for arrhythmia classification. The results we achieved by using our multimodel are better than those obtained by using a single model and better than most of the previous detection methods. It is worth mentioning that this model produced accurate classification results on small collection of data. Experts in this field can use this model as a guide to help them make decisions and save time.
Probiotics for preventing or treating COVID-19; a systematic review of research evidence and meta-analyses of efficacy for preventing death, severe disease, or disease progression [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review

Background: COVID-19 variants threaten health globally. Despite improving vaccines and treatments, there is an urgent need for alternative strategies to prevent or reduce the severity of COVID-19. Potential strategies include probiotics, which are safe, inexpensive, globally available and have been studied previously in relation to respiratory infections. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analyses of experimental, trial or observational research evidence evaluating probiotics compared with control groups for preventing or treating COVID-19. We searched PubMed, ProQuest, Google Scholar and Web of Science bibliographic databases for studies published until December 6, 2021. We then performed meta-analyses for outcomes reported consistently across studies. Outcomes reported inconsistently or not amenable to meta-analysis were compared descriptively. Results: We identified six eligible studies, which were all published in 2020 and 2021: one randomized controlled trial and five retrospective cohort studies.
The Role of Psychological Resilience and Family Dysfunction in the Relationship Between Parental Behavioural Addictions and Adult Mental Health

The current study assesses the mediating role that family dysfunction and psychological resilience have in the relationship between growing up with a parent with parental addictions and developing mental health difficulties and/or addiction in adulthood. Participants included 292 adults (76.1% women), who completed an online questionnaire reporting on whether their parent(s) had behavioural addictions, their family environment during childhood, the degree of substance and behaviours dependence, and psychological symptoms and psychological resilience in the present. It was found that parental behavioural addictions were linked to more disruptive family environments during childhood and that disruptive family environments were then linked to reduced levels of psychological resilience, which in turn were linked to lower levels of mental health. Overall, the results suggest that a disruptive family environment during childhood together with psychological resilience seem to play a key role when looking at long–term negative impact of parental behavioural addictions.
Dopant-induced bandgap shift in Al-doped ZnO thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

A series of 1 at. % Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films were deposited onto glass substrates by a spray pyrolysis technique. We find that the observed blue shift in the optical bandgap of 1% AZO films is dominated by the Burstein Moss effect. The Fermi level for an 807 nm thick AZO film rose by some 0.16 eV with respect to the edge of the conduction band. By controlling the film thickness, all AZO films exhibit the same lattice strain values. The influence of strain-induced bandgap shift was excluded by selecting films with nearly the same level of bandgap volume-deformation potentials, and the differences in out-plain strain and in-plain stress remained effectively constant.
A new approach to the finite element modelling of beams with warping effect

As a first step toward developing a finite element formulation that can model coupling among extensional, bending and torsional behaviour of beams, a new method is proposed to properly represent the warping of arbitrary cross-sections. The basic approach is to introduce a small warping displacement superimposed over flat cross-sections of a shear-flexible beam in a deformed configuration. Numerical tests involving simple isotropic beams undergoing a small elastic displacement demonstrate the validity of the new approach. The present approach can be extended to composite beams as well as isotropic beams experiencing a large deflection or finite rotation.
Molecular Bird Sexing of Small Yellow-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea, Gmelin 1788) Using Polymerase Chain Reaction Method

The yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea, Gmelin 1788) is an endemic bird in eastern part of Indonesia with monomorphic characteristics and included in the list of endangered birds. A method of sex determine in monomorphic birds is by molecular sexing which is based on the PCR amplification of the chromodomain helicase DNA-binding 1 (CHD-1) gene of the bird sex chromosome. This study was aimed to sex determine of the C. sulphurea by amplifying the CHD-1 gene on the Z and W chromosomes and comparing the PCR amplification results from peripheral blood and plucked feathers samples. The samples used were four birds of C. sulphurea from the Wildlife Rescue Centre (WRC), Yogyakarta. The feathers obtained from the ventral wings of each bird were plucked. Through the cutting of the birds' nails, the peripheral blood samples were collected into microhematocrit tubes which contained Heparin. The amplification of the CHD-1 gene used the PCR method with specific primers, such as NP, P2, and MP. Moreover, the PCR results were visualized on 1.5% agarose gel using UV-Transilluminator, at a wavelength of 280 nm. The PCR products (amplicons) were in 297 bp and 392 bp DNA bands, depending on the sex of the bird being tested. It was also observed that the male C. sulphurea produced single 392 bp DNA fragment of the Z chromosome. However, the female birds produced two DNA fragments of the Z and W chromosomes, with a length of 297 bp and 392 bp. The results showed that samples obtained from peripheral blood produced clearer DNA bands compared to plucked feather. It concludes that the extracted DNA from peripheral blood samples have a better quality compared to samples from plucked feathers. Amplification of the CHD-1 gene in male C. sulphurea generated only a single DNA fragment in size of 392 bp, so the four C. sulphurea were male birds.
Antonov Instability and Gravothermal Catastrophe---Revisited

A straightforward and simplified derivation of the Antonov instability and gravothermal catastrophe is obtained by explicitly solving the zero eigenvalue equation associated with the second variation of the entropy. This solution also makes it possible to study the nature of the mode which triggers the instability. It turns out that this mode has a core-halo structure. 21 refs.
Evaluation of the Efficiency of Photoelectrochemical Activity Enhancement for the Nanostructured LaFeO3 Photocathode by Surface Passivation and Co-Catalyst Deposition

Perovskite-type lanthanum iron oxide, LaFeO3, is a promising photocathode material that can achieve water splitting under visible light. However, the performance of this photoelectrode material is limited by significant electron-hole recombination. In this work, we explore different strategies to optimize the activity of a nanostructured porous LaFeO3 film, which demonstrates enhanced photoelectrocatalytic activity due to the reduced diffusion length of the charge carriers. We found that surface passivation is not an efficient approach for enhancing the photoelectrochemical performance of LaFeO3, as it is sufficiently stable under photoelectrocatalytic conditions. Instead, the deposition of a Pt co-catalyst was shown to be essential for maximizing the photoelectrochemical activity both in hydrogen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions. Illumination-induced band edge unpinning was found to be a major challenge for the further development of LaFeO3 photocathodes for water-splitting applications.
Evolution of Buoyant Bubbles in M87

The morphology of the X-ray- and radio-emitting features in the central ~50 kpc region around the galaxy M87 strongly suggests that buoyant bubbles of cosmic rays (inflated by an earlier nuclear active phase of the galaxy) rise through the cooling gas at roughly half the sound speed. In the absence of strong surface tension, initially spherical bubbles will transform into tori as they rise through an external medium. Such structures can be identified in the radio images of the halo of M87. During their rise, bubbles will uplift relatively cool X-ray-emitting gas from the central regions of the cooling flow to larger distances. This gas is colder than the ambient gas and has a higher volume emissivity. As a result, rising "radio" bubbles may be trailed by elongated X-ray features, as indeed is observed in M87. We performed simple hydrodynamic simulations to illustrate qualitatively the evolution of buoyant bubbles in the M87 environment.
Experimental Investigation of Single-Phase Micro Jets Impingement Cooling for Electronic Applications

Impinging jets for cooling of electronic equipment have been used by many researchers. Only few studies using arrays composed of a small number of jets are available in the literature. When very small jet diameters are used, the jet Reynolds number becomes quite small and no data are available for Reynolds number values below 500. In this work attention has been focused on circular arrays of free surface micro jets. Experiments were conducted by employing three jet pitches, 1, 2 and 3 mm and four jet diameters 50, 100, 150 and 250 μm and two different fluids, DI water and FC 40. The jet Reynolds number range was varied between 90 and 2000 while the Prandtl number varied from 6 to 84. Heat fluxes as high as 250 W/cm2 could be removed when water was utilized. Experimental data have been correlated within ±20%. Copyright © 2003 by ASME
An Altered Skin and Gut Microbiota Are Involved in the Modulation of Itch in Atopic Dermatitis

Skin and gut microbiota play an important role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD). An alteration of the microbiota diversity modulates the development and course of AD, e.g., decreased microbiome diversity correlates with disease severity, particularly in lesional skin of AD. Itch is a hallmark of AD with unsatisfying treatment until now. Recent evidence suggests a possible role of microbiota in altering itch in AD through gut–skin–brain interactions. The microbial metabolites, proinflammatory cytokines, and impaired immune response lead to a modulation of histamine-independent itch, disruption of epidermal barrier, and central sensitization of itch mechanisms. The positive impact of probiotics in alleviating itch in AD supports this hypothesis, which may lead to novel strategies for managing itchy skin in AD patients. This review summarizes the emerging findings on the correlation between an altered microbiota and gut–skin–brain axis in AD, especially in modulating itchy skin.
ProAKAP4 Concentration Is Related to Sperm Motility and Motile Sperm Subpopulations in Frozen–Thawed Horse Semen

Simple Summary ProAKAP4 is the precursor of AKAP4 protein, whose principal function is to anchor protein complexes to regulate the long-term motion and flagellum structure of mammal spermatozoa. The objective of the present study was to evaluate how proAKAP4 sperm concentrations correlate with the motion parameters of equine spermatozoa. We showed that proAKAP4 concentrations are associated with motility and velocity parameters. Low proAKAP4 concentrations reflect a loss of spermatozoa functionality. In conclusion, proAKAP4 concentrations are associated with better motion parameters in stallions. Abstract ProAKAP4 is the precursor of AKAP4 (A-kinase Anchor protein 4), the main structural protein of the fibrous sheath of sperm. The amount of proAKAP4 reflects the ability of spermatozoa to maintain the flagellum activity and functionality up to the site of fertilization and is positively correlated with progressive motility in several mammalian species. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between proAKAP4 concentration with horse sperm motility descriptors and spermatic motile subpopulations. For this purpose, a total of 48 ejaculates from 13 different stallions were analyzed. Spermatic motility descriptors were obtained by the CASA system, and four motile subpopulations (SP) with specific motility patterns were statistically identified. ProAKAP4 concentrations were evaluated by ELISA. The relationship between motility descriptors of sperm subpopulations and proAKAP4 concentrations was evaluated. Following a hierarchical cluster statistical analysis, ejaculates were divided into two groups according to their proAKAP4 concentrations, either having low proAKAP4 concentrations (5.06–35.61 ng/10M spz; n = 23) or high (39.92–82.23 ng/10M spz; n = 25) proAKAP4 concentrations (p < 0.001). ProAKAP4 concentrations were positively correlated (p < 0.05) with total and progressive motility, as well as with parameters of velocity. ProAKAP4 amount also showed a negative correlation (p < 0.05) with sperm motile subpopulation number 3, which was the subpopulation with the lowest velocity parameters. In conclusion, proAKAP4 concentration in stallion semen positively reflects sperm progressive motility with the functional velocity kinematic descriptors. Concentrations of proAKAP4 higher than 37.77 ng/10M spz were correlated with a very good quality frozen/thawed stallion semen.
Autoencoder Networks Decipher the Association between Lung Cancer and Alzheimer's Disease

Lung cancer is the most common malignancy and is responsible for the largest cancer-related mortality worldwide. Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative neurological disease that burdens healthcare worldwide. While the two diseases are distinct, several transcriptomic studies have demonstrated they are linked. However, no concordant conclusion on how they are associated has been drawn. Since these studies utilized conventional bioinformatics methods, such as the differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis, it is naturally expected that the proportion of DEGs having either the same or inverse directions in lung cancer and Alzheimer's disease is substantial. This raises the inconsistency. Therefore, a novel bioinformatics method capable of determining the direction of association is desirable. In this study, the moderated t-tests were first used to identify DEGs that are shared by the two diseases. For the shared DEGs, separate autoencoder (AE) networks were trained to extract a one-dimensional representation (pseudogene) for each disease. Based on these pseudogenes, the association direction between lung cancer and Alzheimer's disease was inferred. AE networks based on 266 shared DEGs revealed a comorbidity relationship between Alzheimer's disease and lung cancer. Specifically, Spearman's correlation coefficient between the predicted values using the two AE networks for the Alzheimer's disease test set was 0.825 and for the lung cancer test set was 0.316. Novel bioinformatics methods such as an AE network may help decipher how distinct diseases are associated by providing the refined representations of dysregulated genes.