Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling and Analysis of Cooperative and Large-scale Molecular Communication Systems

Molecular communications (MC) is the use of molecules as carriers of information between devices. In MC, there are several main research challenges: 1) Low reliability of diffusionbased MC systems, 2) optimal MC system design, 3) understanding cooperation among the microscopic population with noisy signaling, and 4) realistic molecular information propagation environments. To deal with these challenges in MC, this thesis focuses on the four main issues: 1) How to improve reliability of diffusion-based MC systems, 2) how to design practical suboptimal cooperative MC systems, 3) what the impact of noisy molecular signaling on the bacterial cooperation behavior is, and 4) how the communication performance changes when molecules transport in a realistic environment. First, we study cooperative detection among multiple distributed receivers (RXs) in a diffusion-based MC system. Unlike most existing studies that consider one-phase noisy transmission or one-symbol transmission for simplicity, we consider multiple-symbol transmission and two-phase noisy transmission from a transmitter (TX) to a fusion center (FC) via multiple RXs. The FC uses hard fusion rules to arrive at a final decision. We derive the system error probability. We formulate the suboptimal convex optimization problems to determine the optimal decision thresholds. We show that the system error performance is greatly improved by combining the detection information of distributed RXs. Second, we propose symbol-by-symbol maximum likelihood (ML) detection for a cooperative diffusion-based MC system. Different from the first work, the FC uses the likelihood of its observations from all RXs to make a decision on the transmitted symbol in each interval. We propose three ML detection variants according to different RX behaviors and different knowledge at the FC. We derive the system error probabilities for two ML detector variants. We also optimize the molecule allocation among RXs for one variant. We show that simpler and non-ML cooperative variants studied in the first work have error performance comparable to ML detectors. Third, we present an analytically tractable model for predicting the statistics of the number of cooperative microorganisms. Unlike prior studies that considered abstract signal propagation channels among microorganisms, we use diffusion-reaction equations to accurately characterize signal received at each microorganism due to independent diffusion and degradation of molecules. Microorganisms are randomly distributed in a two-dimensional (2D) environment where each one continuously releases molecules at random times. We derive the 2D channel response due to one bacterium or randomly-distributed bacteria. We then derive the expected probability of cooperation at the bacterium. We finally derive the moment generating function
AN EVALUATION OF THE CURRENT APPROACHES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MORE RATIONAL APPROACHES FOR ASSESSING THE SEISMIC TORSIONAL STABILITY OF BUILDINGS

Building codes for seismic resistant design of building structures generally include requirements for imposing an “accidental” torsion response. Methods for incorporating such effects into the analysis are ad-hoc at best and have not changed significantly over the past 50 years. This is despite the tremendous advanced in analytical and computational capabilities over the same period. The current building code methodology for including accidental torsion depends on the analytical method. For linear static approaches, lateral forces are applied at an eccentricity that depends on the sensitivity of the system to torsional effects. Where modal response spectrum analysis (MRSA) is used, the torsion may be included by imposing a mass offset or adding the accidental torsion as in linear static analysis. Where linear or nonlinear time history analysis is utilized, the mass offset approach has been used almost exclusively. In a recent report published by FEMA (FEMA P-2012), it was found that the dynamic mass offset procedure could produce grossly unsafe designs relative to the static load approach for torsionally sensitive systems. For this reason, it was recommended that the mass-offset approach not be used in MRSA or in linear time history analysis (LTHA) for systems with ex-treme torsional irregularities. A recent supplement to ASCE 7-16 included the restriction on MRSA but not on time history analysis. In this paper, the mass-offset approach for including accidental torsion in the dynamic analysis is evaluated in detail and compared with the static analysis for different building configurations.
A Survey on Smart Agriculture: Development Modes, Technologies, and Security and Privacy Challenges

With the deep combination of both modern information technology and traditional agriculture, the era of agriculture 4.0, which takes the form of smart agriculture, has come. Smart agriculture provides solutions for agricultural intelligence and automation. However, information security issues cannot be ignored with the development of agriculture brought by modern information technology. In this paper, three typical development modes of smart agriculture (precision agriculture, facility agriculture, and order agriculture) are presented. Then, 7 key technologies and 11 key applications are derived from the above modes. Based on the above technologies and applications, 6 security and privacy countermeasures (authentication and access control, privacy-preserving, blockchain-based solutions for data integrity, cryptography and key management, physical countermeasures, and intrusion detection systems) are summarized and discussed. Moreover, the security challenges of smart agriculture are analyzed and organized into two aspects: 1) agricultural production, and 2) information technology. Most current research projects have not taken agricultural equipment as potential security threats. Therefore, we did some additional experiments based on solar insecticidal lamps Internet of Things, and the results indicate that agricultural equipment has an impact on agricultural security. Finally, more technologies (5 G communication, fog computing, Internet of Everything, renewable energy management system, software defined network, virtual reality, augmented reality, and cyber security datasets for smart agriculture) are described as the future research directions of smart agriculture.
Evaluation of soil and water conservation measures in a semi‐arid river basin in Tunisia using SWAT

The Merguellil catchment (central Tunisia) is a typical Mediterranean semi‐arid basin, which suffers from regular water shortage aggravated by current droughts. Over recent decades, the continuous construction of small and large dams and soil and water conservation works (i.e. contour ridges) have taken place within this watershed. However, little is known about the effect of these water‐harvesting systems on the water balance components of arid or semi‐arid basins. In this paper, we present the results of a study, which evaluates the impact of the contour ridges on water balance components and erosion at basin scale by using the soil and water assessment tool model (SWAT). Large dams were modelled as reservoirs, small dams as ponds and contour ridges as potholes that fill with water and increase the percolation into the aquifer. The model predicts that contour ridges produce annually a reduction of 32 and 21% in surface run‐off and river discharge, respectively, and an increase in aquifer recharge of 50%. At the same time, retention of a large proportion of entrained sediment (26%) was modelled.
How well do we know the flux of CO2 from land-use change?

Five new estimates of global net annual emissions of carbon from land use and land-use change collectively describe a gradually increasing trend in emissions, from ∼0.6 PgC yr−1 in 1850 to ∼1.3 PgC yr−1 in the period 1950–2005, with an annual range that varies between ±0.2 and ±0.4 PgC yr−1 of the mean. All estimates agree in the upward trend from 1850 to ∼1950 but not thereafter. In recent decades, when rates of land-use change and biomass density should be better known than in the past, the estimates are more variable. Most analyses have used three quasi-independent estimates of land-use change that are based on national and international agricultural and forestry data of limited accuracy in many countries. Further, the estimates of biomass used in the analyses have a common but limited literature base, which fails to address the spatial variability of biomass density within ecosystems. In contrast to the sources of information that have been used to date, a combination of existing ground and remote sensing data are available to determine with far higher accuracy rates of land-use change, aboveground biomass density, and, hence, the net flux of carbon from land use and land-use change.
Does workplace violence reduce job satisfaction levels of emergency service workers

Purpose : The aim of this study to evaluate the exposure to workplace violence of emergency service workers and its effects on job satisfaction. Methods: Research data were collected from 136 emergency se rvice workers of one university hospital between May and September 2019. Structured self-administere d qu stionnaire and job satisfaction scale were use d a data collection form. The findings obtained from the stu dy were evaluated with the SPSS 22.00 package progr am and the significance level was accepted as p <0.05 in a ll an lyses. Results: The mean age of the participants in the study was 30.94 ± 6.77, and the working year of the emergency service was 3.91 ± 4.01. It was determined that 61 % of the participants were single, 38.2% were gradu ated from high school and 41.9% were nurses. It was determine d that 86.6% of the participant was exposed to viol ence during the time they worked in the emergency servic , 84.6% of the violence they suffered was verbal a use, and 84.6% of the participants have been subjected to vi olence by patients' relatives. A statistically sign ificant difference was found between the emergency service workers' exposure to workplace violence in the emer gency service and their job satisfaction levels (p = 0.04 ). Conclusion: It was concluded that workplace violence reduces j ob satisfaction level, most of the emergency service workers are exposed to violence, the type o f violence experienced is mostly verbal abuse and i s practiced by the patient's relative.
Flow distribution and ozonolysis in gas-liquid multichannel microreactors

Multichannel microreactors for gas−liquid reactions are designed and fabricated using silicon and Pyrex wafers. We perform oxidation of organic reagents by ozone (ozonolysis) in these microreactors motivated by the difficulty of handling ozone, its high reactivity, the potentially high selectivity for oxygenated products, and the reaction often being mass transfer limited. Pressure drop zones are included in the microreactors to achieve a uniform gas−liquid flow regime across the multiple channels. Flow visualization experiments show less than 3% variation in mass flow across the channel for a range of operating conditions. Microfabricated silicon posts are included in the channels as a means to increase mass transfer, and their effectiveness is evaluated by comparing conversion and selectivity to those obtained for microreactors without posts. Oxidations with ozone of phosphite, amine, and olefin as model compounds serve as case studies. In all cases, both conversion and selectivity are high, up to 100% .
Essential Oils of the Leaf, Bark and Branch of Cinnamomum buramannii Blume

ABSTRACT Twenty-one compounds have been identified in essential oils from the leaf, bark and branches of Cinnamomum burmannii. The main components were 1,8-cineole (6.9–52.9%), borneol (1.7–34.2%), camphor (0–9.8%), terpinen-4-ol (4.1–9.3%), and α-terpineol (6.4–13.0%), depending upon the plant part used to produce the oil.
A Wizard of Oz Study Simulating API Usage Dialogues With a Virtual Assistant

Virtual Assistant technology is rapidly proliferating to improve productivity in a variety of tasks. While several virtual assistants for everyday tasks are well-known (e.g., Siri, Cortana, Alexa), assistants for specialty tasks such as software engineering are rarer. One key reason software engineering assistants are rare is that very few experimental datasets are available and suitable for training the AI that is the bedrock of current virtual assistants. In this paper, we present a set of Wizard of Oz experiments that we designed to build a dataset for creating a virtual assistant. Our target is a hypothetical virtual assistant for helping programmers use APIs. In our experiments, we recruited 30 professional programmers to complete programming tasks using two APIs. The programmers interacted with a simulated virtual assistant for help – the programmers were not aware that the assistant was actually operated by human experts. We then annotated the dialogue acts in the corpus along four dimensions: illocutionary intent, API information type(s), backward-facing function, and traceability to specific API components. We observed a diverse range of interactions that will facilitate the development of dialogue strategies for virtual assistants for API usage.
Use of response surface methodology in the development of guava concentrate

A response surface methodology (RSM) was used for the determination of optimum pH, processing temperature and oBrix to produce an acceptable guava concentrate. These three factors were used as independent variables whose effects on colour and viscosity of the concentrate, as well as on titratable acidity, body (mouthfeel), flavour and overall acceptability of the reconstituted juice were evaluated. The R2 values for colour, titratable acidity and overall acceptability were greater than 0·9. Analysis of the regression coefficients showed that the pH of the concentrate was the most important factor affecting the characteristics of the product as it exerted a highly significant influence on the colour of the concentrate as well as on titratable acidity, flavour and overall acceptability of the juice. The colour, titratable acidity and overall acceptability were affected by oBrix whereas temperature influenced only the colour of the product. The combinations required to achieve suitable colour were pH 2·4–2·9, 75–81°C and 48–55°Brix, orpH 4·0, 87–95°C and 46°Brix. For acceptable flavour, pH 3·3–3·6, 78–86°C and 50·9°Brix are required, and for maximum overall acceptability, pH 3·3–3·9, 79·l°C and 35–55°Brix.
NONLINEAR STRUCTURAL BEHAVIOUR OF AN ARCH DAM UNDER STATIC AND DYNAMIC LOADS

The present work deals with the analysis of the structural behaviour of the Alto Lindoso arch dam under static and dynamic loads, considering fluid-structure interaction with the evaluation of service and ultimate capacity. The analysis of the maximum stresses in the super structure is obtained with undeformable foundation, since the development of the nonlinear model to evaluate these stresses, seems not to be influenced by the boundary condi-tions in the case of the ultimate load capacity. The fluid-structure interaction is formulated by the discretisation of the reservoir with infinite elements that gives a simple accommodation to complex geometries and reduced computing time in the case of concrete large dams. The nonlinearity of the material becomes from the concrete cracking. Under tensile stresses the cracking behaviour is approximated by the smeared crack model within a small band. The width of the band may coincide with the dimension of the element. After cracking a softening behaviour control the release of the tensile stresses and the crack opening dependent on the fracture energy according to the softening behaviour. Since the dimension of the mesh affects the results of the structural analysis the independence of the mesh is obtained in this case considering linear elastic fracture mechanics. The Alto Lindoso double curvature dam, constructed in 1992 and owned by EDP (Eletricid-ade de Portugal), is used as an example of the application of the model and compared to other results.
Sistemas de cultivo e características do solo afetando a estabilidade de agregados

This research was carried out in Rio Grande do Sul State, Southern Brazil, during the 1990/1991 summer harvest. The main objective was to evaluate the aggregation and aggregate stability of two clayey soils classified as Dusky Latosol (Haplorthox) and Dark-Red Podzolic (Paleoudult). Two treatments were used in the Haplorthox: grass (Setaria anceps L.); and crop rotation under conventional tillage (wheat (Triticum aestivum) soybean (Glycine max L.)). On the other hand, four treatments were used in the Paleoudult: grass (Digitaria decumbens L.), leguminous (Macroptilium atropurpureum L.), crop rotation under no-tillage (oat (Avena bizantina) corn (Zea mays)) and bare soil. Soil aggregation and aggregate stability were greatly enhanced through the action of the grass roots. Soil aggregation was also related to the contents of organic carbon, oxalate-extractable iron and aluminum, clay and water-dispersed clay. However, these factors were not sufficient to explain differences observed in the weighed mean diameter of soil aggregates among the treatments.
Measurement of gold and sulfur mass fractions in L-cysteine-modified gold nanoparticles by ICP-DRC-MS after acid digestion: validation and uncertainty of results

Measurement of mass fractions of trace element sulfur and main element gold in L-cysteine-modified gold nanoparticles was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with dynamic reaction cell (DRC) technology after aqua regia digestion. Sulfur concentration was measured at m/z 48 as 32S16O+ in a reaction cell with O2 to reduce the effect of polyatomic interferences at m/z 32. Following a study of the main interferences affecting the signal from 32S16O+, optimization of instrument parameters by an experimental design along with an investigation of the effect of aqua regia in matrix on the signal-to-background ratio of 32S16O+ were carried out to improve the detection limit for sulfur. Under the optimum experimental conditions the detection limits were 1.43 μg L−1 for S and 0.033 μg L−1 for Au. 45Sc was selected as the internal standard for measurement of 32S16O+. The presence of Au at high concentrations showed a negligible effect on the intensity of 32S16O+ and 45Sc+ under DRC mode. The method was in-house validated and the combined uncertainty was estimated according to the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement. Preliminary studies show that the method may be transferred to other ICP-MS systems by re-optimizing cell gas flow (e.g. 1.8 mL min−1 used for NexION 300D). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed that a self-assembled monolayer of cysteine was formed on the surface of colloidal gold nanoparticles via sulfur-to-gold bonding.
Stress-Induced Transistor Degradation Studied by an Indentation Approach

The strain impact on integrated circuit performance is investigated by applying a novel indentation technique. The approach aims to investigate stress caused by CPI, particularly highly localized stress/strain with respect to the actual device geometry. Non-destructive elastic indentation is used to induce homogenous stress fields in the vicinity of the test structure by applying a contact with a spherical tip. Strain-sensitive ring oscillator structures manufactured in the 22 nm FDSOI CMOS technology node are designed to monitor the device and simultaneously the NMOS and PMOS strain behavior separately. Complementary FE-simulations provide a deeper insight into the obtained experimental results by transferring them from contact force into the stress/strain space and validating the indentation approach. Relevant layout and indentation dependent parameters are investigated and evaluated. The simulation of the strain-induced mobility shift and the comparison with the established correlation verifies the accuracy of the approach. The results provide an insight into package-related stress and resulting transistor degradation, aiming at establishing a versatile tool to estimate the effect of specific real-usage conditions.
AN INTEGRATIVE VIEW OF SODIUM CHLORIDE STRESS AND PHAEOMONIELLA SP. INOCULATION ON GROWTH AND NUTRIENT ACCUMULATION AND PATTERNING IN IN VITRO GRAPEVINE PLANTS

Combined effects of salt stress and esca disease in grapevines were studied. Grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) were exposed to 0, 20, and 100 mM sodium chloride (NaCl) and inoculated with Phaeomoniella chlamydospora conidia. Salt stress and inoculation reduced plant RGR and LAR and this effect was higher when both stressors were present. Salt stress decreased potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and phosphorus (P) in roots and shoots with K being more affected in roots, and Ca more affected in shoots. Fungi inoculation per se also affected accumulation and/or allocation of all nutrients. These effects were aggravated with time and combination of both stresses, showing that salt stress and inoculation acted in synergy. Some micronutrients decreased in shoots, but accumulated in roots, suggesting effects on translocation, while others were reduced in both. This is the first report on temporal evaluation of combined effects of salt stress and P. chlamydospora inoculation on grapevine growth and nutrient changes.
Democracy and Money: Lessons for Today from Athens in Classical Times

Athens was a direct democracy where decisions were taken at the Assembly by voting [ ]the citizens-decision makers were the real stakeholders of the state and had strong incentives to keep the currency sound (in its silver content) and stable Whoever had silver bullion (mainly the operators-entrepreneurs who obtained after the auction tracks in the silver producing district of Laurion) could turn it into drachmae at a small fabrication and seignorage cost [ ]supply was driven also by the private sector During the 4th century the Athenian drachma circulated in parallel with all sound foreign currencies, thus reducing transaction costs Since a great part of the citizens were employed and remunerated by the state as rowers in the fleet, jurors, civil servants, participating at the Assembly by being paid (the first 6,000 to attend) a small fee, and the same to attend theatrical plays they had a very strong incentive to be paid in sound money, and this is the reason why the drachma was not devalued, leading to an inverse of Gresham's law, where good money drove out the bad
Adsorption and Desorption of Boron as Influenced by Soil Properties in Temperate Soils of Lesser Himalayas

Boron (B) adsorption increased with increasing concentration. Langmuir adsorption isotherm was curvilinear. The maximum value of adsorption maxima (b1) was observed Sagipora soil and maximum bonding energy (k) constant was in Anantnag soil. The Langmuir isotherm best explains the adsorption trend at low adsorbent concentrations. A significant correlation among b1, clay, and cation exchange capacity was observed. Linear affiliation was observed in all the soils at all concentration, indicating that B adsorption data conform to the Freundlich equation. Soils with greater affinity for B adsorption, like Sagipora, tended to desorb less B. Boron desorption was positively and significantly correlated with sand content and negatively with clay content and cation exchange capacity. The maximum value of 50.76 mg g−1 for desorption maxima (Dm) was observed in Sagipora soil, and mobility constant (Kd) was maximum in Khag soil (0.412 ml kg−1).