Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental study of response of Bragg acousto-optic bistable system to rectangular wave signals

Response of Bragg acousto-optic bistable system to external rectangular wave signals has been studied in this paper. When there is not external signals, the system is set up into stable state, and external signals are input into the system, response waves are observed on the bottoms of rectangular waves of external signals. As bifurcation parameters are changed, bifurcation and chaos are observed in the response waves of the system.
Numerical study of water addition on the combustion characteristics in an HCCI ethanol engine

Low-temperature combustion modes have attracted global attention in recent years, especially the homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) mode. The HCCI combustion produces high-speed combustion, achieving relatively high thermal efficiencies while emitting low NOX and soot. However, due to the lack of direct control to start the combustion, one of the main challenges in this type of engine is to ensure that auto-ignition occurs close to the top dead center for a wide operation range. There are a few combustion phase control techniques to solve this limitation, and one of them is water injection. In this regard, this paper explores the influence of water concentration in an ethanol HCCI engine as a form of combustion phasing control. The work was conducted numerically using a zero-dimensional single-zone model with a chemical kinetic mechanism containing 56 species and 383 reactions. The numerical model results were well agreed with the reported experimental data. The water fraction ranged from 0 to 18% by mass at 3% intervals. The results demonstrate that water injection is an efficient strategy to control the combustion phasing by adjusting the charge reactivity. The increase in water fraction reduced in-cylinder pressure and heat release rates. Furthermore, the combustion phase was advanced, the combustion duration was extended, and thermal efficiency was about 44.3% with the increase in water concentration.
Traceable total ozone column retrievals from direct solar spectral irradiance measurements in the ultraviolet

Abstract. Total column ozone (TCO) is commonly measured by Brewer and Dobson spectroradiometers. Both types of instruments are using four wavelengths in the ultraviolet radiation range to derive TCO. For the calibration and quality assurance of the measured TCO both instrument types require periodic field comparisons with a reference instrument. This study presents traceable TCO retrievals from direct solar spectral irradiance measurements with the portable UV reference instrument QASUME. TCO is retrieved by a spectral fitting technique derived by a minimal least square fit algorithm using spectral measurements in the wavelength range between 305 nm and 345 nm. The retrieval is based on an atmospheric model accounting for different atmospheric parameters such as effective ozone temperature, aerosol optical depth, Rayleigh scattering, SO2, ground air pressure, ozone absorption cross sections and top-of-atmosphere solar spectrum. Traceability means, that the QASUME instrument is fully characterized and calibrated in the laboratory to SI standards (International System of Units). The TCO retrieval method from this instrument is independent from any reference instrument and does not require periodic in situ field calibration. The results show that TCO from QASUME can be retrieved with a relative standard uncertainty of less than 0.8 %, when accounting for all possible uncertainties from the measurements and the retrieval model, such as different cross sections, different reference solar spectra, uncertainties from effective ozone temperature or other atmospheric parameters. The long-term comparison of QASUME TCO with a Brewer and a Dobson in Davos, Switzerland, reveals, that all three instruments are consistent within 1 % when using the ozone absorption cross section from the University of Bremen. From the results and method presented here, other absolute SI calibrated cost effective solar spectroradiometers, such as array spectroradiometers, may be applied for traceable TCO monitoring.
An AAV gene therapy computes over multiple cellular inputs to enable precise targeting of multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma in mice

Description Gene therapy that regulates an antitumor gene via a multi-input biomolecular logic module treats multifocal tumors in a mouse model of liver cancer. Computing a therapy for cancer Biomolecular computing is an expanding field, but demonstrations of clinical utility remain scarce. Here, Angelici and colleagues developed and optimized a biomolecular logic module to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in mice. Using transcription factors and the microRNA let-7c as inputs to AND and NOT gates, they developed cell classifiers that were packaged with the gene encoding herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) into an adeno-associated virus vector and administered intravenously with ganciclovir to immunocompromised mice bearing multiple HepG2 HCC tumors. The module sensed the presence of the transcription factors and let-7c to express the suicide gene therapy only in HCC cells and not normal tissues, resulting in markedly reduced tumor burden and improved survival without obvious toxicity in the mice. This approach highlights how biomolecular computing can develop future therapeutics. Clinical translation of multi-input biomolecular computing systems holds potential to lead to disease-tailored, data-driven rational design of next-generation therapeutic modalities. However, practical demonstrations of this potential are lacking. Here, we developed a clinically translatable approach for the design and implementation of therapeutic agents comprising biomolecular multi-input logic modules for precision cell targeting, compatible with adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors. We used this approach to engineer an AAV-encoded gene therapy prototype that, when delivered systemically, successfully treated hepatocellular carcinoma in an orthotopic mouse tumor model. The therapy performed a molecular-scale computation over multiple transcriptional and microRNA inputs based on the differential molecular profiles of tumor and nontumor cells, to guide the activation of a herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) effector gene. Multi-input computation in individual cells was necessary and sufficient to drive in vivo and in situ tumor-specific expression of HSV-TK with minimal concomitant expression in nontumor liver and other organs. Intravenous vector injection in combination with ganciclovir resulted in marked reduction in tumor burden in treated mice compared with controls, without negative effects on general well-being or weight. The therapeutic approach has the capacity to perform logical integration of diseased and healthy cell–specific molecular inputs to precisely regulate therapeutic effector gene expression and is a promising avenue for the next generation of cancer therapies. Moreover, our systematic data-driven workflow illustrates how gene expression data can shape the molecular composition of future therapeutic candidates.
Long‐Term Changes in Runoff Generation Mechanisms for Two Proglacial Areas in the Swiss Alps II: Subsurface Flow

Lateral subsurface stormflow (SSF) is the most important runoff generation mechanism for most hillslopes in temperate climates. It is influenced by pedological, biological, and topographic factors that change during landscape evolution, but so far little is known about how SSF changes over long‐time scales. Therefore, we conducted sprinkling experiments on a silicate and carbonate moraine chronosequence in the Swiss Alps. Each chronosequence consisted of four moraines ranging between a couple of decades and ∼13,500 years in age. On each moraine, we installed three plots and measured shallow SSF in a trench. We added tracers (δ2H and NaCl) to the sprinkling water to identify mixing and flow pathways in the subsurface. The coarse and drainable sediments on the young moraines provoked more frequent and larger SSF responses than for the old moraines. There was no SSF during the sprinkling experiments on the older moraines at the calcareous study area, but SSF occurred during larger natural rainfall events. The pre‐event water fractions in SSF were higher for the old moraines than the young moraines due to the increase in silt, clay, and soil organic matter content, and subsequent increase in the amount of water stored in the soil. The results of this study suggest that soil and vegetation development affect SSF characteristics and help—together with the results for overland flow (companion paper; Maier & van Meerveld, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021WR030221)—to improve hydrological models and our understanding of the changes in near‐surface runoff generation processes during the first millennia of landscape evolution in Alpine areas.
EFFECT OF BATTLE ROPE TRAINING ON SELECTED PHYSICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES AMONG COLLEGE LEVEL ATHLETES

The purpose of the study was to find out the effect of Battle Rope Training on Selected Physical and Physiological Variables among College level Athletes. To achieve this purpose of the study, thirty (N=30) College level men Athletes were selected randomly as subjects from Mahatma Gandhi University Kerala, India. The subjects were aged between 18 to 25 years. They were divided into two equal groups consist of 15 each, Group I underwent Battle Rope Training and Group II acted as Control Group. The control group did not participate in any special training programme apart from the regular physical activities as per the curriculum. The selected physical and physiological variables such as endurance, explosive power were measured by Cooper 12 minutes run/walk test and standing broad jump respectively. In physiological variables such us respiratory rate and vital capacity were measured by using expirograph and wet spirometer respectively. The data were collected prior and after the training programme. The data were statistically analyzed by using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The criteria for statistical significance were set at 0.05 level of confidence (P<0.05). The results of the study indicated that systematic practice of Battle Rope Training has significantly improved the Selected Physical Physiological variables among College level Athletes.
Particle sizing by quantitative acoustic emission

Two methods of particle sizing using an acoustic method are presented. The technique relies on the detection and measurement of elastic waves arising from impact of the particles with a small target plate. The acoustic impact signal, as measured from a high fidelity piezoelectric transducer, is characterised by the first wave arrival (compression wave) amplitude and risetime. A theoretical approach, based upon Hertzian impact theory and elastic wave propagation theory, is developed and used to determine the relationship between the impact dynamics of the particle and the acoustic signal. The first method of particle sizing relies upon amplitude measurements alone but requires accurate system calibration and full knowledge of the particle impact velocity, incident angle and coefficient of restitution. The velocity measurements were determined using a laser Doppler technique. The second approach for particle sizing incorporates risetime measurement and only depends very weakly upon the compression wave amplitude, thus minimizing the need for accurate absolute calibration. Knowledge of the impact velocity, incident angle, and coefficient of restitution were not required.Spherical particles of glass in the size range 35 to 140 µm diameter were dropped onto an aluminium target plate at an incident velocity of 8.1 m/s and angle to the surface normal of 0°, 40°, and 61°. The two acoustic methods were used to size the particles, and the results were compared to the particle size distributions obtained from video microscope measurements. The first sizing method undersized the smaller particles by 20% to 30% and oversized the larger ones by 5% to 10%. However, the second approach gave much smaller errors and consistently undersized all sizes of particle by just a few percent. This undersizing was understood in terms of some plasticity in the target that occurred during particle impact.
Optimization of Mechanical Oil Expression from Sandbox (Hura crepitans Linn.) Seeds

Optimization of process variables has become very vital in oil extraction processes to obtain maximum oil yield from oilseeds and nuts. This work focussed on the optimization of process oil extraction process from sandbox seed by mechanical expression. Effects of moisture content, roasting temperature, roasting time, expression pressure and expression time on oil yield from sandbox seed was studied using a 5×5 Central Composite Rotatable Design of Response Surface Methodology experimental design. Results obtained were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and SPSS statistical tool at (p = 0.05). Optimum conditions predicted were validated by experiments. All the processing factors were significant at (p = 0.05) for the sandbox oil yield except roasting temperature. The experimental results and predicted values showed low deviation (0.01-0.62). Oil yields obtained from the sandbox seed at varying process conditions varied from 16.38-38.68%. The maximum oil yield of 38.68% was obtained when the sandbox seed was subjected to process conditions of 6% moisture content, 85°C roasting temperature, 15 min roasting time, expression pressure of 20 MPa and 8 min pressing time. Mathematical equations to predict sandbox seed oil yield at varying process conditions were developed with an R2 (0.8908). The optimum extractable oil yield of 38.95% was predicted for sandbox seed at processing conditions of 7.03% moisture content, 97.72°C roasting temperature, 11.32 min roasting time, 15.11 MPa expression pressure and 8.57 min expression time. The study results provide data for designs of process and equipment for oil extraction from sandbox and other oilseeds.
Pre-Procedural Right Ventricular Longitudinal Strain and Post-Procedural Tricuspid Regurgitation Predict Mortality in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI)

Background: Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction has been linked to worse outcomes in patients undergoing TAVI. Assessment of RV function is challenging due to its complex morphology. RV longitudinal strain (LS) assessed by speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) is a novel measure that may overcome most of the limitations of conventional echocardiographic parameters of RV function. The aim of current study was to assess the prognostic value of RV LS in patients undergoing TAVI and to assess echocardiographic predictors of long-term mortality. Methods and results: A retrospective analysis of all consecutive patients who underwent TAVI at our hospital between 1 January 2015 and 1 June 2016. Indication for TAVI was approved by a local heart-team. Echocardiographic data at baseline and after TAVI were re-analyzed and RV LS was measured in all patients with adequate image quality. A total of 229 patients were included in our study (mean age 83.8 ± 5 years, 62% women, mean EuroSCORE II 5.7 ± 5%). All-cause mortality occurred in 17.3% over a mean follow-up of 929 ± 373 days. In multivariate analysis, only baseline average RV free-wall LS (HR 1.05, 95% CI (1.01 to 1.10), p = 0.049) and more than mild tricuspid valve regurgitation (TR) after TAVI (HR 4.39, 95% CI (2.22 to 8.70), p < 0.001) independently increased the risk of all-cause mortality at long- term follow-up (2.5 years), while conventional echocardiographic parameters of RV function did not predict mortality. Conclusion: Pre-procedural RV LS and post-procedural tricuspid regurgitation significantly predicted long-term all-cause mortality in patients undergoing TAVI while conventional echocardiographic parameters of RV function failed in predicting long-term outcome. RV longitudinal strain by STE should be considered in the routine echocardiographic assessments of patients with severe AS.
The Greek VAT Gap: The Influence of Individual Economic Sectors

Purpose: The size of the Greek VAT Gap has been consistently high throughout the last two decades in comparison with the European Union’s (EU) average. In order to better understand which specific productive sectors in the Greek economy play a more significant role in VAT revenue collection, VAT evasion and in measuring and limiting the Greek VAT Gap, an attempt to quantify and analyze the Gross Value Added/Gross Domestic Product (GVA/GDP) ratio of each productive sector was made. Design/Methodology/Approach: Specifically, using the NACE Revision 2 standard used by Eurostat, the various Greek productive sectors were broken down into fifteen (15) categories and examined for a period of 21 years (between 1997 and 2018) using econometric models based on time series data. In addition, the VAT Revenue Ratio (VRR) was used as a proxy dependent variable in order to measure the Greek VAT Gap. Findings: The analysis revealed that of the fifteen (15) economic sectors examined in this paper, four (4) were found to be statistically significant in regards with the Greek VAT gap. Specifically, the Catering and Accommodation services sector (I), the Public Administration sector (O) and the Agriculture sector (A), had a positive relationship, with the increase of their share in GDP being associated with an increase in the VAT gap. On the other hand, the Industrial sector’s (B, D, E) share of GDP is associated with a reduction in the VAT gap. Practical Implications/Originality/Value: The results of this paper can shed light into the complexity of identifying the economic activities that influence the Greek VAT Gap, as well as produce more sector-specific countermeasures for limiting VAT non-compliance and evasion.
Application of the Optimal Minimization of the Total Harmonic Distortion technique to the Multilevel Symmetrical Inverters and Study of its Performance in Comparison with the Selective Harmonic Elimination technique

Many interesting modulation strategies reported in literature are suitable to control multilevel power converters which presents several advantages over the conventional two-level counterpart. Since each of themes have its proper advantages and disadvantages, these strategies can be chosen according to certain performance aspects, which are required or desirable. The general performance specifications are: reducing harmonic distortion, reducing power losses and speeding transient response. In which, the Harmonic Elimination method and the Optimal Minimization technique are very important for reducing the harmonic distortion. In order to know which what control techniques the harmonic performance can be greatly enhanced or substantially improved, a detailed comparison between these two latest techniques with interpretation of its simulation results is the focus of this work.
Karst Collapse Risk Zonation and Evaluation in Wuhan, China Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process, Logistic Regression, and InSAR Angular Distortion Approaches

The current study presents a detailed assessment of risk zones related to karst collapse in Wuhan by analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and logistic regression (LR) models. The results showed that the LR model was more accurate with an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.911 compared to 0.812 derived from the AHP model. Both models performed well in identifying high-risk zones with only a 3% discrepancy in area. However, for the medium- and low-risk classes, although the spatial distribution of risk zoning results were similar between two approaches, the spatial extent of the risk areas varied between final models. The reliability of both methods were reduced significantly by excluding the InSAR-based ground subsidence map from the analysis, with the karst collapse presence falling into the high-risk zone being reduced by approximately 14%, and karst collapse absence falling into the karst area being increased by approximately 6.5% on the training samples. To evaluate the practicality of using only results from ground subsidence maps for the risk zonation, the results of AHP and LR are compared with a weighted angular distortion (WAD) method for karst risk zoning in Wuhan. We find that the areas with relatively large subsidence horizontal gradient values within the karst belts are generally spatially consistent with high-risk class areas identified by the AHP- and LR-based approaches. However, the WAD-based approach cannot be used alone as an ideal karst collapse risk assessment model as it does not include geological and natural factors into the risk zonation.
Enriching for orthologs increases support for Xenacoelomorpha and Ambulacraria sister relationship

Conflicting studies place a group of bilaterian invertebrates containing xenoturbellids and acoelomorphs, the Xenacoelomorpha, as either the primary emerging bilaterian phylum, or within Deuterostomia, sister to Ambulacraria. While their placement as sister to the rest of Bilateria supports relatively simple morphology in the ancestral bilaterian, their alternative placement within Deuterostomia suggests a morphologically complex ancestral Bilaterian along with extensive loss of major phenotypic traits in the Xenacoelomorpha. More recently, further studies have brought into question whether Deuterostomia should be considered monophyletic at all. Hidden paralogy presents a major challenge for reconstructing species phylogenies. Here we assess whether hidden paralogy has contributed to the conflict over the placement of Xenacoelomorpha. Our approach assesses previously published datasets, enriching for orthogroups whose gene trees support well resolved clans elsewhere in the animal tree of life. We find that the majority of constituent genes in previously published datasets violate incontestable clans, suggesting that hidden paralogy is rife at this depth. We demonstrate that enrichment for genes with orthologous signal alters the final topology that is inferred, whilst simultaneously improving fit of the model to the data. We discover increased, but ultimately not conclusive, support for the existence of Xenambulacraria in our orthology enriched set of genes. At a time when we are steadily progressing towards sequencing all of life on the planet, we argue that long-standing contentious issues in the tree of life will be resolved using smaller amounts of better quality data that can be modelled adequately.