Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Graph Matrices: Norm Bounds and Applications.

Graph matrices are a type of random matrix which has the following properties: 1. The entries of the matrix depend on a random input. Moreover, this dependence can be described by a small graph. 2. The matrix (as a function of the input) is symmetric under permutations of $[n]$. Graph matrices are important objects to study because they are closely connected to the sum of squares hierarchy, one of the most powerful techniques we know of for solving combinatorial optimization problems as well as inference problems arising from physics and machine learning. However, since graph matrices generally have dependent entries, they are not captured by current results in random matrix theory. In this paper, we use the trace power method to prove a general norm bound on all graph matrices which is accurate up to polylogarithmic factors. We then describe several applications of this norm bound. In particular, we show that for several technical lemmas in the literature, while the original analyses were quite involved, we can give direct proofs using graph matrices and this norm bound.
The Evolving AGN Duty Cycle in Galaxies Since z ∼ 3 as Encoded in the X-Ray Luminosity Function

We present a new modeling of the X-ray luminosity function (XLF) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) out to z ∼ 3, dissecting the contributions of main-sequence (MS) and starburst (SB) galaxies. For each galaxy population, we convolved the observed galaxy stellar mass (M⋆) function with a grid of M⋆-independent Eddington ratio (λEDD) distributions, normalized via empirical black hole accretion rate (BHAR) to star formation rate (SFR) relations. Our simple approach yields an excellent agreement with the observed XLF since z ∼ 3. We find that the redshift evolution of the observed XLF can only be reproduced through an intrinsic flattening of the λEDD distribution and with a positive shift of the break λ*, consistent with an antihierarchical behavior. The AGN accretion history is predominantly made by massive (1010 < M⋆ < 1011 M⊙) MS galaxies, while SB-driven BH accretion, possibly associated with galaxy mergers, becomes dominant only in bright quasars, at log(LX/erg s−1) > 44.36 + 1.28 × (1 + z). We infer that the probability of finding highly accreting (λEDD > 10%) AGNs significantly increases with redshift, from 0.4% (3.0%) at z = 0.5%–6.5% (15.3%) at z = 3 for MS (SB) galaxies, implying a longer AGN duty cycle in the early universe. Our results strongly favor a M⋆-dependent ratio between BHAR and SFR, as BHAR/SFR ∝ , supporting a nonlinear BH buildup relative to the host. Finally, this framework opens potential questions on super-Eddington BH accretion and different λEDD prescriptions for understanding the cosmic BH mass assembly.
An Easy-to-implement Construction for (k, n)-threshold Progressive Visual Secret Sharing Schemes

Visual cryptography encrypts the secret image into $n$ shares (transparency) so that only stacking a qualified number of shares can recover the secret image by the human visual system while no information can be revealed without a large enough number of shares. This paper investigates the $(k,n)$-threshold Visual Secret Sharing (VSS) model, where one can decrypt the original image by stacking at least $k$ shares and get nothing with less than $k$ shares. There are two main approaches in the literature: codebook-based schemes and random-grid-based schemes; the former is the case of this paper. In general, given any positive integers $k$ and $n$, it is not easy to design a valid scheme for the $(k,n)$-threshold VSS model. In this paper, we propose a simple strategy to construct an efficient scheme for the $(k,n)$-threshold VSS model for any positive integers $2\leq k\leq n$. The crucial idea is to establish a seemingly unrelated connection between the $(k,n)$-threshold VSS scheme and a mathematical structure -- the generalized Pascal's triangle. This paper improves and extends previous results in four aspects: Our construction offers a unified viewpoint and covers several known results; The resulting scheme has a progressive-viewing property that means the more shares being stacked together the clearer the secret image would be revealed. The proposed scheme can be constructed explicitly and efficiently based on the generalized Pascal's triangle without a computer. Performance of the proposed scheme is comparable with known results.
Turbulent convection in strong vertical magnetic field

Direct numerical simulations are carried out to study flow structure and transport properties in turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection in a cylindrical cell of aspect ratio one with an imposed axial magnetic field. Flows at the Prandtl number 0.025 and the Rayleigh and Hartmann numbers up to $10^9$ and 1400 are considered. The results are consistent with those of earlier experimental and numerical data. As anticipated, the heat transfer rate and kinetic energy are suppressed by strong magnetic field. At the same time, their growth with the Rayleigh number is found to be faster in flows at high Hartmann numbers. This behaviour is attributed to the newly discovered flow regime characterized by prominent quasi two-dimensional structures reminiscent of vortex sheets observed earlier in simulations of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. Rotating wall modes similar to those in the Rayleigh-Benard convection with rotation are found in flows near the Chandrasekhar linear stability limit. Detailed analysis of the spatial structure of the flows and its effect of global transport properties is reported.
Preeclampsia Among African American Pregnant Women: An Update on Prevalence, Complications, Etiology, and Biomarkers.

Importance Preeclampsia is a devastating disease of pregnancy associated with increased risk of fetal and maternal complications. African American pregnant women have a high prevalence of preeclampsia, but there is a need of systemic analyses of this high-risk group regarding complications, etiology, and biomarkers. Objective The aim of this study was to provide a synopsis of current research of preeclampsia specifically related to African American women. Evidence Acquisition A comprehensive search was performed in the bibliographic database PubMed with keywords "preeclampsia" and "African American. " Results African American women with preeclampsia were at an increased risk of preterm birth, which resulted in low-birth-weight infants. Intrauterine fetal death among African American preeclamptic patients occurs at twice the rate as in other races. On the maternal side, African American mothers with preeclampsia have more severe hypertension, antepartum hemorrhage, and increased mortality. Those who survive preeclampsia have a high risk of postpartum cardiometabolic disease. Preexisting conditions (eg, systemic lupus erythematosus) and genetic mutations (eg, sickle cell disease in the mother, FVL or APOL1 mutations in the fetus) may contribute to the higher prevalence and worse outcomes in African American women. Many blood factors, for example, the ratio of proteins sFlt/PlGF, hormones, and inflammatory factors, have been studied as potential biomarkers for preeclampsia, but their specificity needs further investigation. Conclusions Further studies of preeclampsia among African American women addressing underlying risk factors and etiologies, coupled with identification of preeclampsia-specific biomarkers allowing early detection and intervention, will significantly improve the clinical management of this devastating disease.
The Characteristics and Nomogram for Primary Lung Papillary Adenocarcinoma

Abstract Background Primary pulmonary papillary adenocarcinoma (PA) is a specific and rare subtype of invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma (ADC). The knowledge concerning the clinicopathologic features and prognosis of patients with primary pulmonary PA has not been clarified because of its rarity. Methods The clinical data of a total of 3391 patients with primary pulmonary PA were retrospectively analyzed to confirm their clinical characteristics and factors influencing prognosis and were in comparison with 3236 patients with non- PA pulmonary adenocarcinoma. All patients were histologically diagnosed between 1988 and 2015 in The Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. A nomogram with satisfactory predictive performance was established to visually predict long-term survival of these patients. Results and conclusion Collectively, primary pulmonary PA is a rare pathological cancer and its prognosis is analogous to that of non-PA pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Older age, larger lesions, distant metastases, lymph node invasion, and poor pathological differentiation are correlative with unacceptable prognosis. Surgical intervention is conducive to reaping favorable prognosis. Unfortunately, radiotherapy or chemotherapy results of no significant effects on patient survival. In our study, a nomogram with prognostic function is formulated to confer individual prediction of overall survival (OS).
Significant Influence of Welding Heat Input on the Microstructural Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of the Simulated CGHAZ in High Nitrogen V-Alloyed Steel

Abstract The microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of the simulated coarse grained heat affected zone (CGHAZ) in high N V-alloyed steel have been conducted under different welding heat input, characterized by the cooling time taken from 800°C to 500°C (t8/5). The experimental results show that the microstructure is dominantly composed of lath bainite (LB) and granular bainite (GB) at t8/5 30 s– 90 s. The content of LB decreases with t8/5 increasing, and that of GB increases. When t8/5 further increases to 120 s and 180 s, the microstructure mainly consists of intragranular polygonal ferrite (IPF) and acicular ferrite (IAF). The higher t8/5 leads to the increased content of intragranular ferrite (IGF). Meanwhile, the prior austenite grain size (PAGS) progressively increases from 56 ± 6.0 μm to 148 ± 9.9 μm as t8/5 increases from 30 s to 180 s. Besides, EBSD analysis indicates that the fraction of high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) is 0.570, 0.427 and 0.624, respectively, corresponding to t8/5 30, 90 and 180 s. Moreover, the impact toughness decreases as t8/5 increases from 30 s to 90 s caused by the increased PAGS and GB content, and then sharply increases with t8/5 exceeding 90 s due to the increased formation of IGF, especially IAF. Furthermore, the high nitrogen content accelerates V(C,N) precipitation, which not only inhibits the coarsening of prior austenite grains, but promotes the formation of IGF, resulting in the increased number of HAGBs and raising impact toughness.
Factors Affecting the Adoption of Agricultural Automation Using Davis’s Acceptance Model (Case Study: Ardabil)

Abstract Taking into account that traditional agricultural methods reduce the farm performance and make agriculture economically ineffective, development of intelligent machinery is essential for improving the quality of crops and agricultural activities. The most important issue in development of agricultural technologies lies in users’ willingness to adopt it. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the key factors of Davis’s model in automation acceptance in agriculture. Presented paper describes an applied research with a survey approach through a questionnaire. Questionnaire data were collected from 378 people and respondents include university students, farmers and experts in a randomized sampling from the Ministry of Agriculture. Firstly, the questionnaire data were described in a form of statistical numerical characteristics. Secondly, in order to verify the data normality, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was calculated in SPSS and the relationship between the variables was investigated in the conceptual model. Subsequently, hypotheses were tested via appropriate statistical models using LISREL and SPSS software. The results showed that for all hypotheses, the T-test exceeds 1.96 and the significance level is less than 0.05. In such a manner, all hypotheses were confirmed at 95% level, and the path coefficients in the hypotheses H1, H2 and H6 were negative – indicating the negative effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable in the hypothesis. In the other hypotheses, these were positive – indicating the positive effect of the independent variable on dependent variable. By means of modelling, it was found that there was an inverse relationship between social and individual factors with perceived usefulness, as well as an inverse relationship between social factors with perceived ease-of-use, while there was a positive and significant relationship between other factors. According to a set of fitting indices, the research conceptual model was appropriate and Cronbach’s coefficients for each factor were greater than 0.7, suggesting that the questionnaire was valid. On the basis of findings, the better a person understands the usefulness of automation, the more likely this person is to adopt it. Since the risk and issues related to it play an important role in farmers’ decision making, it is recommended that future studies address the issue of risk in adopting precision farming technology.
Nutritional and functional properties of maize-oyster mushroom (Zea mays-Pleurotus ostreatus) based composite flour and its storage stability

Abstract The over reliance on starchy foods such as maize flour may lead to protein energy malnutrition (PEM) in children. The enrichment of maize with protein-rich oyster mushroom will improve the nutritional composition of maize flour. This study determined the effects of oyster mushroom flour on nutritional, functional and storage stability properties of composite flour containing maize and oyster mushroom. Oyster mushroom flour was added at 0, 5, 10 and 15% to maize flour. Proximate, functional, minerals, amino acid profile, free fatty acids and peroxide value of the composite flours were determined. An increase in the addition of oyster mushroom flour led to an increase in proximate and the minerals content of the composite flour, but the functional properties decreased. Oyster mushroom flour increased the amino acid profile of the composite flour, with leucine being the highest (26.3 mg/g). The flours were relatively stable (25ºC) during storage. Enriching maize flour with 15% oyster mushroom flour improved the nutritional quality of maize flour which makes the resulting composite flour a better raw material for human consumption.
Evaluating the perception of farmers towards pesticides and the health effect of pesticides: A cross-sectional study in the oil palm plantations of Papar, Malaysia

Abstract Agriculture is an important occupation in Malaysia that generates a major portion of the national revenue. Similar to the rest of the world, pesticides are used to boost agricultural production in Malaysian farms. However, chemical pesticides are associated with human health hazard and are not environment-friendly as they persist in nature for long periods of time. Therefore, pesticide use should be reduced and farmers should be trained on correct and/or alternative ways of pesticide use. In this cross-sectional study, we surveyed 19 palm oil plantations in the Sabah district of Malaysia and evaluated the perception of the workers towards pesticide use and awareness regarding the health effects post-pesticide exposure. Analysis of the survey shows that most of the workers among the 270 respondents were 30-year-old males with average education, and belonged to the low income group. Majority opined that they were aware of the health hazards of pesticide use and suffered from symptoms (with mean duration of three days) such as vomiting, diarrhea, skin irritation, and dizziness. Surprisingly, the opinion was almost equally divided on whether they perceived pesticides to be the cause of their health problems, and a major percentage did not avail medical help. Most of the workers responded that they did not receive any training in pesticide handling and used partial personal protective equipment (glasses, hats, shirt, and gloves) during working hours. Interestingly, a large percentage responded that they would not read the safety material even if it was provided. These observations clearly highlight the urgency of improving the awareness, education, and attitude of these plantation workers towards the short- and long-term effects of pesticide use. They should also be educated about alternative and eco-friendly ways of farming. Finally, the plantation management should intervene and proactively advocate the use of safe farming practices.
Short communication: Chlorpromazine causes a time-dependent decrease of lipids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract Chlorpromazine (CPZ) is still a commonly prescribed antipsychotic which causes poorly understood idiosyncratic toxicity such as cholestasis, phospholipidosis and steatosis. CPZ has diverse cellular targets and exerts various toxicity mechanisms whose exploration is necessary to understand CPZ side effects. We report here that CPZ causes a decrease of total lipid content in Saccharomyces cerevisiae at the same dose range as that used on mammalian cells. The observed lipid decrease was obvious after 4 and 9 hours of treatment, and disappeared after 24 hours due to cells adaptation to the chemical stress. The inhibitory effect of CPZ was antagonized by the antioxidant N-acetyl L-cysteine and is likely caused by the parent compound. The obtained results demonstrate that yeast model is valid to investigate the involved CPZ toxicity mechanisms, particularly in terms of lipids alteration. This would contribute to understand CPZ side effects in simple model and reduce experimentation on animals.
From Decoding a Graph to Processing a Multimodal Message: Interacting with data visualisation in the news media

Abstract Data visualisation – in the forms of graphs, charts, and maps – represents a text type growing in prevalence and impact in many cultural domains; education, journalism, business, PR, and more. Research on data visualisation reception is scarce, particularly that related to interactive and dynamic forms of data visualisation in digital media. Taking an approach inspired by grounded theory, in this article I investigate the ways in which young students interact with data visualisations found in digital news media. Combining observations from reading sessions with ten in-depth interviews, I investigate how the informants read, interpreted, and responded emotionally to data visualisations including visual metaphors, interactivity, and animation.
Evaluation of acute toxicity of vinasse by means of Daphnia magna and Aliivibrio fischeri: a comparative study

Abstract In the bioethanol industry, per liter of the produced alcohol 9 to 14 liters of vinasse are obtained as a byproduct. If the vinasse is directly shed into bodies of water without an adequate treatment, it may have negative effects on the existing biota and human health due to its high turbidity and color, low pH and high content of organic material. The purpose of this study was to assess the acute toxicity of vinasse by means of a rapid test with Aliivibrio fischeri and compare it with a standard immobilization assay with Daphnia magna. The standard assay of D. magna by means of its EC50 of 4.7% showed that organism was more sensitive to the contaminant, in comparison with the 69.6% obtained with the A. fischeri which suggests that it should be continuesly used as one of the organisms of first choice for the evaluation of the acute toxicity of this effluent.
Biodegradable Nanocomposite Developed from the PLA/PCL Blends and Silk Fibroin Nanoparticle: Study on the Microstructure, Thermal Behavior, Crystallinity, and Performance

Recently, the use of natural materials has grown in the plastics industry. In this study, silk fibroin nanoparticle (SFNP) was successfully synthesized from silk fibroin (SF) and analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The obtained results revealed that the well-ordered domains in SF were changed to an amorphous structure in SFNP and it was attributed to the cleavage of SF polypeptide chains upon acid hydrolysis. Then several blends of poly(lactic acid)/poly(Ԑ-caprolactone) (PLA/PCL) containing different amounts of PCL were prepared and characterized. Based on the test results the best properties were achieved in the blend with 30% of PCL. The addition of 1% of SFNP into this blend enhanced the compatibility between PLA and PCL and reduced the PCL droplet size from 1.170±92 μm to 794±46 nm, this was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermal analysis indicated that the presence of SFNP caused an improvement of thermal degradation stability of the PLA/PCL blend in the end set temperature range. The crystallization process also slowed and the crystal growth rate decreased from 0.34 to 0.31 min -1 . Additionally, the use of SFNP increased (9.7%) the hardness value and reduced (15.7%) the water vapor permeability value of the PLA/PCL blend. The results of these experiments demonstrated that the prepared PLA/PCL/SFNP green nanocomposites have good potential for the food packaging applications.
HYDRO-ABRASIVE EROSION OF PELTON BUCKETS AND SUSPENDED SEDIMENT MONITORING

Wear of turbine parts due to abrasive particles in the water of hydroelectric power plants (HPP) is of special importance for Pelton turbines where extreme redirection and deceleration of the flow occurs. In an on-going research project at HPP Fieschertal, Switzerland, wear on coated runner buckets is measured with a 3D optical scanner and a thickness gauge, turbine efficiency is periodically evaluated by “sliding needle” index tests and suspended sediment is monitored using various devices. 3D digitizations (measurements) of selected Pelton buckets allow quantifying material losses of the main splitter or of the cut-out section due to turbine operation during a sediment season. In the sediment season 2012 the splitter height decreased in the range of 3 to 5 mm, i.e. approximately 0.5 to 0.8 percent of the inner bucket width of 650 mm. The erosion on the splitter is influenced by the initial geometric condition of the splitter, the particle load and the operating hours. The history of the index efficiency permits to identify relevant efficiency variations due to hydro-abrasive erosion or due to mechanical works on the turbine runner (e.g. grinding of the splitters). Measurements before and after mechanical works and during the sediment season (with no mechanical works) allow to separate both effects. For one runner the efficiency decrease was 0.9 percent for more than the half sediment season 2012. Turbidimeters, an acoustic method and a laser diffractometer (LISST) were site-specifically calibrated based on automatically taken water samples. The measurements confirm that suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and particle size distribution (PSD) in turbine water may vary strongly in time. The LISST provides not only SSC but also PSD which is important in the context of hydro-abrasive erosion. All devices yielded similar SSC at low to moderate levels while the LISST measured SSC more accurately during periods of increased SSC with transport of coarser particles. Accepting a temporary bias, turbidimeters and the acoustic method can be used as pragmatic contributions to a real-time decision making system for the operation and maintenance of HPPs.