Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reductive Dechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane to Ethylene by Anaerobic Enrichment Culture Containing Vulcanibacillus spp.

Bioremediation has been widely used for clean-up of 1,2-dichloroethane (DCA) at contaminated sites. Only a small number of specific anaerobes, halorespiring bacteria (HRB), have been reported to degrade DCA. The goals of this research were the screening and isolation of HRB with capable dechlorination of DCA. HRB were screened and isolated from 7 enrichment cultures (ES1-ES7), from DCA-contaminated soils, on bicarbonate-buffered basal salts medium containing 10 mM acetate and 250 µM DCA under anaerobic conditions and analyzed by gas chromatography. The results showed that the mixed cultures of ES3 and ES5 could reductively dechlorinate DCA to ethylene via a direct reductive dihaloelimination pathway. In particular, ES5 showed rapid transformation of 250 µM DCA to ethylene within 6 days at 30 °C. Specific microbial populations of Vulcanibacillus spp. , elucidated by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, were found only in ES3 and ES5, which was related to reductive dihaloelimination activities on DCA. A 16S rRNA gene analysis of isolate es5d8 from mixed culture ES5 revealed 2 strains of Vulcanibacillus spp. (KKU-DCA1 and KKU-DCA2) concerned with dechlorinating DCA. These findings suggested that Vulcanibacillus spp. were HRB that have the potential for detoxifying DCA.
The Groningen radiocarbon series from Tel Rehov: OxCal Bayesian computations for the Iron IB-IIA boundary and Iron IIA destruction events.

The stratified series of Iron Age radiocarbon dates from Tel Rehov, based on short-lived samples, measured in Groningen, is the most detailed and dense chronometric record currently available for the Levant in this period. The more detailed IntCal98 calibration curve was used, though some comparisons were made with the smoothed IntCal04 curve. The current Bayesian stratigraphic model for Tel Rehov gave a number of significant results. The data strongly favour an early Iron Age IB–IIA transition, as the statistically sampled boundary in the 1 range is 992–961 BCE (68.2%). Considering the 2 range, the older time option, 998–957 BCE, further increases in probability to 75.2%, but a second option also appears, 953–921 BCE, albeit with a significantly lower relative probability of 20.2%. Our Bayesian model was also tested with the IntCal04 calibration curve, which gave similar but slightly older results: the 1 range is 993–961 BCE (68.2%) and the 2 range is 1001–927 BCE (95.4%). The peak probability remains the same at ca. 970 BCE. The Stratum VI dates have the most likely position within the 1 range 971–958 BCE (62.4%). The City of Stratum V had a possible duration of 26 to 46 years, in the 1 and 2 ranges, respectively. The 1 sampled destruction of City V is 924–902 BCE (68.2%). This time range could fit a possible association with the Asian campaign of Shoshenq I (Shishak), solely based on Egyptian criteria (see Shortland [Chapter 4, this volume]). Running the Bayesian model with the IntCal04 calibration curve yielded a slightly older date in the 1 range: 929–906 BCE (68.2%). The latter range does include the date 925 BCE for the Shoshenq campaign as suggested by Kitchen (1986, 2000). The City of Stratum IV had a possible duration of 28–55 years, in the 1 and 2 ranges, respectively. The 1 sampled destruction of City IV is 903–892 (13.4%), 885–845 BCE (54.8%). Thus, the Bayesian statistical computation results of the Tel Rehov stratigraphic model generally strengthen earlier conclusions concerning a revised traditional chronology, and do not indicate support for the low chronology viewpoint.
Electron trapping in polymer insulators : A new approach using molecular modelling

It is well known that the presence of space charge in the polymeric insulation of high voltage buried cables is correlated with electric breakdown. Many studies have been carried out on the experimental characterisation of space charge and on phenomenological models of space charge formation and discharge. In this paper we suggest a new scheme based on a molecular modelling approach that employs both quantum calculations and classical molecular dynamics. Although our aim is to understand space charge in polyethylene and the role of defects at the molecular level in electron trapping in polyethylene, we start by considering model materials; the wax tridecane (C 13 H 28 ), It is clear that both physical and chemical defects (i.e. conformational/free volume and additives/broken bonds, respectively) may be present in insulating materials and may both trap electrons. In the present paper we focus on the role of physical defects. Our analysis suggests that by writing down the defect energy in terms of the molecular electron affinity, a relationship is established between the electron trap and the molecular properties of the waxes. The electron affinity and its variation with wax molecule conformation have been calculated using Density Functional Theory (DFT, as implemented in the code DMol). By performing molecular dynamics simulations of amorphous waxes, we are able to observe the most probable conformational defects, and by using the ab-initio results estimate the trapping energies. Conformational defects in these waxy materials are predicted to produce shallow traps with energies below ∼0.2 eV.
Prosodic Features Control by Symbols as Input of Sequence-to-Sequence Acoustic Modeling for Neural TTS

SUMMARY This paper describes a method to control prosodic features using phonetic and prosodic symbols as input of attention-based sequence-to-sequence (seq2seq) acoustic modeling (AM) for neural text-to-speech (TTS). The method involves inserting a sequence of prosodic symbols between phonetic symbols that are then used to reproduce prosodic acoustic features, i.e. accents, pauses, accent breaks, and sentence endings, in several seq2seq AM methods. The proposed phonetic and prosodic labels have simple descriptions and a low production cost. By contrast, the labels of conventional statistical parametric speech synthesis methods are complicated, and the cost of time alignments such as aligning the boundaries of phonemes is high. The proposed method does not need the boundary positions of phonemes. We propose an automatic conversion method for conventional labels and show how to automatically reproduce pitch accents and phonemes. The results of objective and subjective evaluations show the e ﬀ ectiveness of our method.
Design of dye-sensitized TiO2 materials for photocatalytic hydrogen production: light and shadow

Visible light-driven production of fuels and value-added chemicals is currently one of the most intensely investigated research topics across various scientific disciplines, due to its potential to ease the World’s dependence on fossil fuels. In this perspective, we recapitulate some of the main features of dye-sensitized photocatalytic systems aimed at solar H2 production, focusing in particular on TiO2-based three-component assemblies with organic sensitizers. Relevant aspects include the structural and electronic properties of the sensitizers, the nature of the semiconductor and the hydrogen evolution catalysts, the role of the sacrificial donor and the effect of the reaction parameters on H2 production rate and stability. Besides presenting the most significant recent developments of the field, we also analyse some of its common practices in terms of experimental design, laboratory procedures and data presentation, trying to highlight their weaknesses and suggesting possible improvements. We then conclude with a short paragraph discussing the possible future development of this exciting research area.
The Characterization of Heavy Metals in the Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) Cultivar Rkatsiteli and Wild Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) from East Serbia by ICP-OES and BAFs

ABSTRACT Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, in combination with calculation of various biological factors, was used in this study not only for a simple illustration of the present status of some essential and non-essential metals such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and cadmium (Cd) in the grapevine cultivar Rkatsiteli and wild blackberry from East Serbia but also for the estimation of plant bioaccumulation potentials. Great majority of detected metal concentrations were in normal ranges except in few cases: Zn concentrations were at the level of deficiency in almost all plant parts, and some Cu and As concentrations were at the levels that could be considered phytotoxic. Biological accumulation factors provided very informative data on metal accumulation and translocation in both plants and pointed to low accumulation rates of metals except in the case of Cu, Zn, and As in some wild blackberry tissues.
Application of an adaptive fuzzy logic controller to optimize the performances of the P&O algorithm

In this work, an Adaptive Fuzzy Logic Controller is studied to optimize the transfer of the power provided by a photovoltaic generator. The adaptation process is carried out online in two tasks: the adaptation of the rules consequences and the self-organization of the internal structure of the Fuzzy Controller. In comparison with two types of traditional controls, the performance of the controller studied is validated. The simulation results show that the controller studied makes it possible to reduce the response time by 3 % compared to the conventional controller, and minimizes the steady-state error by eliminating the phenomenon of oscillation around the PPM and that the proposed controller exhibits good behavior with a wide range of power.
Understanding Post-Career adjustment in Ex-Professional Ice Hockey Enforcers: Concussion history and chronic pain

Abstract Abstract: Media reports of difficulties with post-career functioning and death in ex-professional hockey enforcers have led to concerns within the ice hockey community. The purpose of the study was to interview 10 ex-professional ice hockey enforcers and integrate their lived experiences into the narrative on post-retirement problems experienced by these athletes. Based on the existing literature, it was hypothesised that ex-professional hockey enforcers would be at high risk for development of symptomology consistent with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). A mixed methods analytical approach informed by Pragmatic and Indigenous methodologies was employed. Participants had a significant history of fighting in their sport (range 100–250; mean = 218.5). All had significant concussion histories related to their careers in hockey. One participant reported problems post-career associated with concussions sustained while playing hockey. Five participants reported issues with chronic pain that mildly impacted their sleep and/or daily functioning. The majority reported relatively good post-career functioning. In summary, the hypothesis that ex-professional hockey enforcers are at high risk for developing symptomology consistent with CTE was not supported. The pattern of results is in opposition to the commonly held perspective that fighting in hockey leads to a cascade of events that results in poor post-career outcome.
Low-cost Transverse Electromagnetic (TEM) cell design for radiated emission measurement

The increasing use of electronic and electrical equipment that continuously emits radiated emissions in the industrial, military, communications, household, and medical fields has increased dramatically over the past few decades. Radiated emission can interfere performance of other electronic devices around it. There is a demand for electric devices to comply with electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standards before being marketed, requiring manufacturers to carry out EMC testing before devices enter the market. Transverse Electromagnetic (TEM) cells are usually used by designers to ensure that electronic devices comply with EMC standards. TEM cells for radiated emission measurement are widely used because they are cheap and time-saving before full compliance testing is carried out, which expensive for one-time screening. The main problems of commercial open TEM cells are relatively high price, weight, handling problems and portability. In this study, low-cost TEM cells were designed that could be used to test radiated emission generated by electronic devices. The fabricated TEM cells can operate up to 960 MHz and it can be used to test radiated emission generated from small electronic devices. It has better performance and more sensitive than branded TEM cells in the radiated emission test of a mobile phone.
Structure Consistency-Based Graph for Unsupervised Change Detection With Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Remote Sensing Images

Change detection (CD) of remote sensing (RS) images is one of the important problems in earth observation, which has been extensively studied in recent years. However, with the development of RS technology, the specific characteristics of remotely sensed images, including sensor characteristics, resolutions, noises, and distortions in imagery, make the CD more complex. In this article, we propose a structure consistency-based method for CD, which detects changes by comparing the structures of two images, rather than comparing the pixel values of images. Because the image structure is imaging modality-invariant and not sensitive to noise, illumination, and other interference factors, the proposed method can be applied to a variety of CD scenarios and has strong robustness. Structural comparison is realized by constructing and mapping an improved nonlocal patch-based graph (NLPG) to avoid the data leakage of two images. First, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the method in homogeneous and heterogeneous CD, which shows that the proposed method can be used as a unified CD framework. Second, we extend the method to the heterogeneous CD with multichannel synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image, which can provide a reference for future research as the heterogeneous CD with multichannel SAR is rarely studied. Third, through the decomposition and in-depth analysis of NLPG, we modify the graph construction process, structure difference calculation, and the difference image fusion to make it more robust and accurate. Experiments on six scenarios 12 data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Diabetic nephropathy: early markers for monitoring and prevention

Background: Type 2 diabetes, with its complications is perpetually on the rise more so in India . Diabetic Nephropathy progresses silently, and manifests at a stage where, patient can be offered only renal replacement. This study was undertaken to detect early markers of Diabetic Nephropathy. Aims and objective of the study was to study early nephropathy by UACR (urinary albumin/creatinine ratio), RFT (renal function test) and e-GFR in Type 2 diabetic patients of more than 2 years duration, with and without hypertension. Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional observational study, of 100 patients, 18-60 years of age, of type 2 Diabetes of 2 year duration and above, of which 50 were only diabetic and 50 had diabetes and hypertension. Patients who had an established renal disease were excluded from study. Results: Our study of 100 patients, 18-60 years of age, had 23 male and 77 female patients. Maximum patients were in age group 41-50 years, and 52% had diabetes of 2-4 years duration. Of the renal parameters studied, BUN was normal in 72% and S. Creatinine normal in 67%. UACR was normal in only 38%, and e-GFR was normal in 49%. Conclusions: In our study age and sex, duration of Diabetes and HbA1c did not have any bearing on renal parameters. UACR followed by e-GFR, were deranged early. UACR was more deranged in diabetics with hypertension.
Mixed‐phase MoS2 decorated reduced graphene oxide hybrid composites for efficient symmetric supercapacitors

In this work, we demonstrated the phase‐tuned MoS2 layers (2H‐ MoS2, 1 T‐ MoS2, and 2H/1 T‐MoS2) using a one‐pot reaction, scientifically significant due to their impermeable characteristics. Strongly‐bonded, vertically‐aligned layers were perceived by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for 2H/1 T‐MoS2 layers. The spacing between the two layers was expanded to 0.67 nm, which is favorable for intercalation process. Further, mixed‐phase MoS2 sheets were successively blended with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to form 2H/1 T‐MoS2@rGO hybrid. Spectroscopic studies verified the formation of phase‐tuned MoS2 and 2H/1 T‐MoS2@rGO hybrid. The resulting 2H/1 T‐MoS2@rGO hybrid TEM micrograph shows the layered MoS2 lattices decorated rGO nano‐structure. Symmetric supercapacitors constructed from 2H/1 T‐MoS2@rGO hybrid electrodes demonstrated improved storage capacity with solid pseudo‐capacitive behavior compared to the pure phases. Surface‐modified 2H/1 T‐MoS2@rGO nanostructures exhibited a high energy density of 55 Wh·kg−1 at a power density of 3 kW·kg−1 with a symmetric capacitance of 275 F·g−1 at a current density of 1 A·g−1, along with an excellent cyclic constancy (~97% capacity after 5000 cycles).
Intersection-Based V2X Routing via Reinforcement Learning in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

With the rapid development of the Internet of vehicles (IoV), routing in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) has become a popular research topic. Due to the features of the dynamic network structure, constraints of road topology and variable states of vehicle nodes, VANET routing protocols face many challenges, including intermittent connectivity, large delay and high communication overhead. Location-based geographic routing is the most suitable method for VANETs, and such routing performs well on paths with an appropriate vehicle density and network load. We propose an intersection-based V2X routing protocol that includes a learning routing strategy based on historical traffic flows via Q-learning and monitoring real-time network status. The hierarchical routing protocol consists of two parts: a multidimensional Q-table, which is established to select the optimal road segments for packet forwarding at intersections; and an improved greedy strategy, which is implemented to select the optimal relays on paths. The monitoring models can detect network load and adjust routing decisions in a timely manner to prevent network congestion. This method minimizes the communication overhead and latency and ensures reliable transmission of packets. We compare our algorithm with three benchmark algorithms in an extensive simulation. The results show that our algorithm outperforms the existing methods in terms of network performance, including packet delivery ratio, end-to-end delay, and communication overhead.
Genome-Wide Identification of the NHX Gene Family in Punica granatum L. and Their Expressional Patterns under Salt Stress

Most cultivated lands are suffering from soil salinization, which is a global problem affecting agricultural development and economy. High NaCl concentrations in the soil result in the accumulation of toxic Cl− and Na+ in plants. Na+/H+ antiporter (NHX) can regulate Na+ compartmentalization or efflux to reduce Na+ toxicity. This study aims to identify the NHX genes in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) from the genome sequences and investigate their expression patterns under different concentrations of NaCl stress. In this study, we used the sequences of PgNHXs to analyze the physicochemical properties, phylogenetic evolution, conserved motifs, gene structures, cis-acting elements, protein tertiary structure and expression pattern. A total of 10 PgNHX genes were identified, and divided into three clades. Conserved motifs and gene structures showed that most of them had an amiloride-binding site (FFI/LY/FLLPPI), except for the members of clade III. There were multiple cis-acting elements involved in abiotic stress in PgNHX genes. Additionally, protein-protein interaction network analysis suggested that PgNHXs might play crucial roles in keeping a balance of Na+ in cells. The qRT-PCR analysis suggested that PgNHXs had tissue-specific expressional patterns under salt stress. Overall, our findings indicated that the PgNHXs could play significant roles in response to salt stress. The theoretical foundation was established in the present study for the further functional characterization of the NHX gene family in pomegranate.
Effects of a gradual increase in temperature on the antioxidant defense system and plasma metabolic parameters in Antarctic fish Notothenia rossii

Antarctica is considered a thermally stable ecosystem; however, climate studies point to increases in air and surface water temperatures in this region. These thermal changes may affect the biological processes of animals inhabiting such regions because they are stress factors and may promote metabolic changes, rendering the animals more vulnerable to oxidative damage. Plasma parameters are also good indicators of stress and allow analysis of the metabolic status of fish under temperature increases. The present study assessed the effect of acclimation temperature on the levels of plasma, osmoregulatory and oxidative metabolism parameters and antioxidant defenses in kidney, gill, liver and brain tissues of Notothenia rossii subjected to gradual temperature changes of 0.5°C/day until reaching temperatures of 2, 4, 6 and 8°C. Under the effect of the 0.5°C/day acclimation rate, gill tissue showed increased glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity, and kidney tissue showed increased H⁺-ATPase at 9 days of the experiment (2°C). In the liver, consistent increases in the MDA concentration as an indicator of lipid peroxidation (9 (2°C),13 (4°C),17 (6°C) and 21 (6°C) days) were noted, as well as an increase in GSH at 9 days (2°C). In plasma, gradual decreases in the concentrations of total proteins and globulins were observed. These responses indicate the presence of thermal plasticity and an attempt at regulation to mitigate thermal stress. The changes showed that a gradual increase in temperature may cause opposite responses to the thermal shock model in N. rossii.
Hexapod Robot Gait Switching for Energy Consumption and Cost of Transport Management Using Heuristic Algorithms

Due to the prospect of using walking robots in an impassable environment for tracked or wheeled vehicles, walking locomotion is one of the most remarkable accomplishments in robotic history. Walking robots, however, are still being deeply researched and created. Locomotion over irregular terrain and energy consumption are among the major problems. Walking robots require many actuators to cross different terrains, leading to substantial consumption of energy. A robot must be carefully designed to solve this problem, and movement parameters must be correctly chosen. We present a minimization of the hexapod robot’s energy consumption in this paper. Secondly, we investigate the reliance on power consumption in robot movement speed and gaits along with the Cost of Transport (CoT). To perform optimization of the hexapod robot energy consumption, we propose two algorithms. The heuristic algorithm performs gait switching based on the current speed of the robot to ensure minimum energy consumption. The Red Fox Optimization (RFO) algorithm performs a nature-inspired search of robot gait variable space to minimize CoT as a target function. The algorithms are tested to assess the efficiency of the hexapod robot walking through real-life experiments. We show that it is possible to save approximately 7.7–21% by choosing proper gaits at certain speeds. Finally, we demonstrate that our hexapod robot is one of the most energy-efficient hexapods by comparing the CoT values of various walking robots.