Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydrolytic Degradation of Polylactic Acid Fibers as a Function of pH and Exposure Time

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a widely used bioresorbable polymer in medical devices owing to its biocompatibility, bioresorbability, and biodegradability. It is also considered a sustainable solution for a wide variety of other applications, including packaging. Because of its widespread use, there have been many studies evaluating this polymer. However, gaps still exist in our understanding of the hydrolytic degradation in extreme pH environments and its impact on physical and mechanical properties, especially in fibrous materials. The goal of this work is to explore the hydrolytic degradation of PLA fibers as a function of a wide range of pH values and exposure times. To complement the experimental measurements, molecular-level details were obtained using both molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with ReaxFF and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The hydrolytic degradation of PLA fibers from both experiments and simulations was observed to have a faster rate of degradation in alkaline conditions, with 40% of strength loss of the fibers in just 25 days together with an increase in the percent crystallinity of the degraded samples. Additionally, surface erosion was observed in these PLA fibers, especially in extreme alkaline environments, in contrast to bulk erosion observed in molded PLA grafts and other materials, which is attributed to the increased crystallinity induced during the fiber spinning process. These results indicate that spun PLA fibers function in a predictable manner as a bioresorbable medical device when totally degraded at end-of-life in more alkaline conditions.
Stresses induced by alkali–silica reactivity in prototypes of reinforced concrete columns incorporating various types of reactive aggregates

Prototypes of columns were cast with different percentages of rebars and stirrups and various alkali–silica reactive aggregates. The deformations of concrete were measured along the three directions using surface metal studs and internal vibrating wire gauges. The deformations of steel were measured using fiber-optic gauges and short rods welded to rebars and stirrups. Along each direction, the deformations of concrete and steel were quite similar up to 0.08% longitudinal expansion, beyond which the rebars were generally showing less (longitudinal) expansion than concrete. The rebars reduced the longitudinal expansion; the higher the percentage of longitudinal steel, the higher this reduction. On the other hand, the expansion increased in the other two transverse directions to give comparable volumetric expansions for all specimens of the same mixture, with or without relatively spaced-out stirrups. The transverse expansion perpendicular to the casting plane was always higher than the transverse expansion.
A polymeric suspension of amine functionalized silica nanoparticles derived from Moonj grass for the carbon capture and storage applications

Abstract Herewith, amine functionalization of low cost support from a novel and sustainable source has been entrenched to improve the carbon dioxide (CO2) capture efficiency. The support used is silica nanoparticles (SNPs), derived from a commonly available weed grass namely, Moonj (Saccharum munja L.). The amine functionality was anchored over the SNPs’s surface to obtain amine-functionalized SNPs (AFSNPs) using one step process. The SNPs and AFSNPs were characterized with FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM, and BET to confirm the structural and textural properties. Subsequently, AFSNPs were suspended in a polymeric solution of 1000 ppm hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) forming an AFSNP-HPAM nano-fluid. The nano-fluid remained stable for over 21 days and no sign of sedimentation was observed. Increasing the AFSNPs’s concentration in the nano-fluid increased the viscosity of the nano-fluid while increasing the amine loading over SNPs did not much affect the base viscosity. The nano-fluid showed improved CO2 absorption property for AFSNPs over SNPs. This improved CO2 absorption property can be attributed to the synergy between polymer and AFSNPs. The inclusion of the AFSNPs in the polymer matrix also enhanced thermal stability of polymer at high temperatures. Thus, the utilization of these AFSNPs is proposed in subsurface applications for effective carbon utilization and storage. Graphical Abstract
Fast and Environment-Friendly GC-MS Method for Eleven Organophosphorus Flame Retardants in Indoor Air, Dust, and Skin Wipes

Organophosphorus based flame retardants (OPFRs) extensively used as alternatives to banned polybrominated diphenyl ethers and hexabromocyclododecane have been garnering interest due to the possibility that these compounds may have less significant impact on human and environmental health. Long pretreatment time, larger consumption of organic solvents, matrix interferents, and cross-contamination were found in previous studies while assessing OPFRs in indoor environments. We developed and optimized the extraction methods and simultaneous analysis of 11 OPFRs in indoor air, dust and skin wipe samples using the GC-MS approach. The proposed methods were validated using a standard addition approach, dust SRM 2585 and the real samples. Our procedures enabled the analyst to effectively limit coextracted interferences and simultaneous analytical methods of 11 target OPFRs for three matrices were achieved. The validation was performed according to standard guidelines (relative errors were identified by the analytes: −19% to 18% for indoor air, −11% to 14% for house dust, −15% to 16% for skin wipe). Good practices for quality assurance and quality control were well stated. The current high-Eco-scored methods could be categorized as “an excellent green analysis”. All analytes for the target OPFRs were detected in the real samples of indoor air, house dust and skin wipe collected from ten Taiwanese homes. Tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate, tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate and tris(chloroisopropyl) phosphate were the most abundant OPFRs. Rapid, green and cost-effective GC-MS methods were developed and validated for the analysis of eleven OPFRs in indoor air, house dust and skin wipes.
Analysis of Leading-Edge Separation Bubbles on Rotating Blades

T HE regions of separated flow that form on blades govern the blade stall characteristics and the loading of wind turbine blades. The nature and extent of these regions are determined primarily (except for the airfoil shape, incidence, andReynolds number) by the two most important parameters that trigger three-dimensional (3-D) effects, and they are the radius by chord ratio r=c and the rotation parameter Vw= r defining the ratio of the wind velocity to the tangential velocity. The rotation parameter shows the interaction between the axial flow (wind) and the rotational flow induced by the rotor blades. The physical mechanism driving the 3-D effects is in conjunction with the interaction between the wind speed higher than the designvelocity and the flow induced by constant-rotational speed rotors. If the rotation parameter is less than unity along the entire span (Vw= r 1 at the inner part of the span producing both strong centrifugal andCoriolis forces that involve the separation of the boundary layer on the blade. Larger rotation parameters mean enhanced rotational flow that reduces the negative pressure peak from the leading edge and produces leading-edge separation bubbles (not leading-edge stall). On the other hand, the Coriolis forces contribute to stall delay by a favorable chordwise pressure gradient. The occurrence of what is termed inboard stall delay, characterized by an abrupt increase in lift and drag, can be attributed to the sudden suck of air from the separation bubble at the leading edge of the blade that is directed toward the radial direction. Of concern here are the small separation bubbles that form near the leading edge of the inboard sections of the blade, at r=c 1. At extreme inboard locations, separation bubble initiation and aft progression are closely associated with poststall lift force magnitudes that exceed those exhibited by nonrotating blades. The flow in the vicinity of the leading edge of a blade section subject to leading-edge stall is as sketched in Fig. 1. The laminar boundary layer, extending from the stagnation point over the leading edge, separates just downstream of the point of minimum pressure. Transition to turbulent flow occurs in the free-shear layer a short distance downstream of the separation point. The flow then reattaches to the section surface, with a turbulent boundary layer extending from the reattachment point to the trailing edge. If the r=c ratio is decreased, the bubble becomes slightly shorter and ultimately coalesces in a singular topological entity [1]. The interaction between the viscous and inviscid flows in the vicinity of the bubble is taken into account through a simplified procedure in the sequel.
Dose Estimation for Exposure to Radioactive Fallout from Nuclear Detonations

Abstract In recent years, the prospects that a nuclear device might be detonated due to a regional or global political conflict, by violation of present nuclear weapons test ban agreements, or due to an act of terrorism, has increased. Thus, the need exists for a well conceptualized, well described, and internally consistent methodology for dose estimation that takes full advantage of the experience gained over the last 70 y in both measurement technology and dose assessment methodology. Here, the models, rationale, and data needed for a detailed state-of-the-art dose assessment for exposure to radioactive fallout from nuclear detonations discussed in five companion papers are summarized. These five papers present methods and data for estimating radionuclide deposition of fallout radionuclides, internal and external dose from the deposited fallout, and discussion of the uncertainties in the assessed doses. In addition, this paper includes a brief discussion of secondary issues related to assessments of radiation dose from fallout. The intention of this work is to provide a usable and consistent methodology for both prospective and retrospective assessments of exposure from radioactive fallout from a nuclear detonation.
Narrowband Jamming Mitigation Based on Multi-Resolution Analysis for Land Vehicles

Autonomous and connected vehicles mainly rely on global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) for positioning and navigation, which is a key component for path planning and guidance. It is therefore crucial to ensure the reliability and robustness of the GNSS signals. Jamming has recently become one of the major concerns for GNSS receivers, especially with the widespread of in-car jammers that broadcast jamming signals. Therefore, future vehicle manufacturers must deploy advanced anti-jamming techniques that have to be extensively tested before being deployed in future self-driving vehicles. This motivates us to develop a robust anti-jamming technique based on wavelet packet transform to efficiently suppress jamming signals and enhance the performance of the acquisition, tracking, and navigation stages within a software-defined receiver. The developed technique is computationally efficient, thus, more suitable for real-time processing. Several experiments for different driving scenarios are performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method for mitigating various types of jamming signals. Experiments are conducted on global positioning system (GPS) L1 C/A signals obtained from Spirent system for a fully controlled environment. Moreover, a unique experimental setup was developed to assess the performance of the proposed technique in the presence of a jamming signal from a real jammer.
Twisted charge-density-wave patterns in bilayer 2D crystals and modulated electronic states

The twistronics of the atomic-thick two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals materials has opened a new venue to investigate the interlayer coupling. Till now, most studies focus on the twist of atomic lattices and the resulted moiré superstructures, while the reports about the twist of charge density waves (CDWs), the superstructures of which are from individual layers are limited. Here, using molecular beam epitaxy, we construct bilayer (BL) 1T-NbSe2 vertical structures. With high resolution scanning tunneling microscopy observations, we identify two cases of CDW twisted stacking with atomic precision. The typical twist angles are 0° and 60° between the 1st and the 2nd layer, although the top Se atomic lattices of these two layers are parallel. Compared to the single layer case, the dI/dV at BL shows an insulator-to-metal transition, with the Hubbard bands shrinking towards the Fermi level (E F). More intriguingly, interlayer coupling states rise near E F, which are related to the CDW twist angles. These findings give fresh insight into the engineering of 2D materials by CDW twisting and are potentially applicable for future nanoelectronic devices.
Clasificación de flujos en 10 Gbps Ethernet mediante Intel DPDK y GPUS

Internet is an ever-growing network. The network equipment has to be improved and cheaper to cope with this growth and its associated traffic. Internet service providers (ISPs), companies, and different organizations require to control and classify traffic inside its network in order to apply different Quality of Service (QoS) policies for specific protocols, to filter network traffic inside a link or to prevent different kind of attacks. Then, such classifying systems are critical. However, classification by port does not provide good results, and it is necessary to apply other more complex techniques. Nevertheless these classification techniques have to be fast enough to work at line rates. This end-of-degree project presents a system that unifies the entire process involved in flow classification at high speed. It captures the traffic, builds flows from the received packets on the fly and finally classifies them inside a GPU. All the process is possible at 10 Gbps using commodity hardware reducing costs against commercial DPI probes. The results show that the achieved performance is influenced by two factors: the number of protocols to find inside the GPU and the number of concurrent network flows in a link. Nevertheless, the probe can easily handle 10 Gbps in common situations and classify up to 12 Mega Flows per second on the fly using commodity hardware. Index Terms — Intel DPDK, DPI, GPU, CUDA, Flow processing, Flow building, Quality of Service, Network Probe
Model order reduction for transient simulation of active distribution networks

With the increasing penetration of distributed generation, distribution networks are evolving from passive to active. New transient simulation methods are required to study the detailed dynamic characteristics of large-scale active distribution networks. A model order reduction method based on Krylov subspace theory is introduced in this study to reduce the overall model scale of active distribution networks for transient simulations. A modified state-space model of linear distribution networks is developed to replace the conventional models for improvement in model reduction efficiency, while guaranteeing the passivity and stability of the reduced models. The proposed model order reduction method is validated with the IEEE 123-node test network. The results prove that the proposed method is effective for different applications to improve the simulation efficiency of large-scale active distribution networks.
The small turbine revolution

Until the mid-1960s, improvements in technology and economies of scale made each new generating unit installed less expensive than the previous one. Later, bigger was still better. Larger units cost less per kilowatt than smaller units. Today, that may be changing. In some situations, distributed generation -the use of small, dispersed units (usually gas turbines) in the place of large central stations- can be the most attractive option.
Analytical Characterization of the Widely Consumed Commercialized Fermented Beverages from Russia (Kefir and Ryazhenka) and South Africa (Amasi and Mahewu): Potential Functional Properties and Profiles of Volatile Organic Compounds

In this study, four commercialized indigenous fermented beverages most highly consumed in Russia (kefir and ryazhenka) and South Africa (amasi and mahewu) were analyzed for their potential health-promoting properties and flavor-forming volatile organic compounds (VOC). The analysis of antioxidant capacity demonstrated superiority of dairy-based beverages (kefir, ryazhenka and amasi) over the corn-based mahewu; however, mahewu outperformed dairy-based beverages in terms of its potential antihypertensive effect (i.e., the ability to inhibit angiotensin I converting enzyme). The fatty acid (FA) content of kefir and ryazhenka were more diverse compared to that of amasi, but included a lesser amount of branched chain FA. In terms of calculated FA nutritional indices (e.g., indices of atherogenicity and thrombogenicity), kefir and ryazhenka performed similarly and significantly better than amasi. The agreement between beverages theoretical flavor profiles, which was obtained based on the flavors of individual VOC, and consumers’ flavor perception allow hypothesizing about the contribution of detected VOC to the overall products’ flavor. The obtained data expand current knowledge regarding traditional fermented beverages and their values in terms of national dietary recommendations. Additionally, reported VOC profiles will promote the inclusion of traditional fermented beverages into the rations based on the flavor pairing concept (which is controversial but widely applied).
Cervical Length as a Predictor of Success of Induction of Labor

Background: Vaginal delivery is the most important event occurring in women’s life. It carries many risks of significant concerns to the physicians. Predicting the chances of vaginal delivery is of paramount concern for the pregnant woman. Antenatal cervical length measurement has paramount importance in the prediction of labor. Objective: This study aimed to study the role of cervical length in prediction of success of induction of labor in term pregnancy. Patients and Methods: A prospective study where 140 pregnant women undergoing induction of labor for various indications were included, the cases were recruited from Obstetric Department of Shebin El-Kom Teaching Hospital in the period from October 2019 to December 2020. Results: Methods of induction was misoprostol in (75) females and amniotomy with oxytocin in (65) females. 97 Females were delivered by simple vaginal delivery, 79 females were delivered within 24 hours of induction, 18 females were delivered after 24 hours, and 43 females were delivered by caesarian section (C.S.). Indications of C.S. were mainly due to failed induction and fetal distress. Conclusions: We concluded that successful induction of labor was correlated significantly with detection of insulinlike growth factor-binding protein 1 (iGFBP-1) in cervical secretions and measurement of cervical length by transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS), IGFBP-1 detection by Actim Partus test is simple, easy bed side test that can predict successful induction of labor and measurement of cervical length by TVUS is a good predictor factor for successful induction of labor.
Local Opt-Out Provisions in a State Gambling Expansion: An Analysis of Pennsylvania Municipalities

A 2017 gambling expansion bill in Pennsylvania included a provision that gave municipalities the option to ban a new casino from opening within their borders. This paper examined how different factors influenced local decisions on whether to allow casino gambling. Multilevel linear probability models indicated that municipalities were influenced by economic characteristics, as evidenced by a higher likelihood of allowing casinos in communities with lower levels of household income. Results also suggested that municipalities were influenced by variables related to tax competition and the percentage of residents who were black. The findings of this study identify factors that may influence municipal governments when given the authority to opt out of a state gambling expansion capable of generating a new source of local tax revenue.
Predictive Modelling of Landslide Susceptibility in the Western Carpathian Flysch Zone

Landslides are the most common geodynamic phenomenon in Slovakia, and the most affected area is the northwestern part of the Kysuca River Basin, in the Western Carpathian flysch zone. In this paper, we evaluate the susceptibility of this region to landslides using logistic regression and random forest models. We selected 15 landslide conditioning factors as potential predictors of a dependent variable (landslide susceptibility). Classes of factors with too detailed divisions were reclassified into more general classes based on similarities of their characteristics. Association between the conditioning factors was measured by Cramer’s V and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients. Models were trained on two types of datasets—balanced and stratified, and both their classification performance and probability calibration were evaluated using, among others, area under ROC curve (AUC), accuracy (Acc), and Brier score (BS) using 5-fold cross-validation. The random forest model outperformed the logistic regression model in all considered measures and achieved very good results on validation datasets with average values of AUCval=0.967, Accval=0.928, and BSval=0.079. The logistic regression model results also indicate the importance of assessing the calibration of predicted probabilities in landslide susceptibility modelling.
Heppa III Intercomparison Experiment on Electron Precipitation Impacts: 2. Model‐Measurement Intercomparison of Nitric Oxide (NO) During a Geomagnetic Storm in April 2010

Precipitating auroral and radiation belt electrons are considered to play an important part in the natural forcing of the middle atmosphere with a possible impact on the climate system. Recent studies suggest that this forcing is underestimated in current chemistry‐climate models. The HEPPA III intercomparison experiment is a collective effort to address this point.
THE EFFECT OF CONSUMPTION VALUE ON ORGANIC FOOD PURCHASE INTENTION WITH THE MEDIATING ROLE OF CONSUMER INVOLVEMENT

Throughout the past years, worldwide interest in organic food has increased, as well as in Turkey. This study is done in Turkey to understand what affects the organic food purchase intention in terms of consumption values theory with the mediation of involvement. The findings of this study showed that there is a positive direct significant relationship between functional value (quality + price), and emotional value with the organic food purchase intention, there is a negative direct relationship between social value and organic food purchase intention. Involvement fully mediates the relationship between functional value-price and purchase intention, whereas it partially mediates the relationship between emotional value and purchase intention. Involvement positively affects the organic food purchase intention. Anahtar Kelimeler: Organic Food, Consumption Value Theory, Involvement, Purchase Intention TÜKETİM DEĞERİNİN TÜKETİCİ İLGİNLİĞİ MODERATÖRLÜĞÜNDE ORGANİK GIDA SATINALMA TUTUMUNA ETKİSİNİN İNCELENEMESİ ÖZ Son yıllarda, tüm dünyada olduğu gibi Türkiye'de de organik gıdaya olan ilgi artmıştır. Bu çalışmada, ilginlik değeri teorisi çerçevesinde, Türkiye'de organik gıda satın alma niyetinin hangi faktörler tarafından etkilendiği, ilginlik faktörü aracılığı ile anlaşılmaya çalışılmıştır. Bu çalışmanın bulguları, organik gıda satın alma niyetinde, fonksiyonel değer (kalite + fiyat) ve duygusal değer arasında pozitif yönde doğrudan anlamlı bir ilişki olduğunu, sosyal değer ile organik gıda satın alma niyeti arasında negatif doğrudan bir ilişki olduğunu göstermiştir. İlginlik, işlevsel değer-fiyat ile satın alma niyeti arasındaki ilişkiye tam aracılık ederken, duygusal değer ile satın alma niyeti arasındaki ilişkiye kısmen aracılık etmektedir. Son olarak, ilginlik organik gıda satın alma niyetini pozitif yönde etkilemektedir.