Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel β-Hairpin Peptide Z-d14CFR Enhances Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Clearance in a Murine Model of Mastitis

The widespread prevalence of antimicrobial resistance has spawned the development of novel antimicrobial agents. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have gained comprehensive attention as one of the major alternatives to antibiotics. However, low antibacterial activity and high-cost production have limited the applications of natural AMPs. In this study, we successfully expressed recombinant Zophobas atratus (Z. atratus) defensin for the first time. In order to increase the antimicrobial activity of peptide, we designed 5 analogues derived from Z. atratus defensin, Z-d13, Z-d14C, Z-d14CF, Z-d14CR and Z-d14CFR. Our results showed that Z-d14CFR (RGCRCNSKSFCVCR-NH2) exhibited a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity to both Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria, including multidrug-resistant bacteria. It possessed less than 5% hemolysis and 10% cytotoxicity, even at a high concentration of 1 mg/mL. Antimicrobial mechanism studies indicated that Z-d14CFR performed antimicrobial effect via inhibiting biofilm formation, disrupting bacterial membrane integrity and inducing cellular contents release. Furthermore, Z-d14CFR showed a great therapeutic effect on the treatment of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection by enhancing bacterial clearance, decreasing neutrophils infiltration and the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) in a murine model of mastitis. Our findings suggest that Z-d14CFR could be a promising candidate against multidrug-resistant bacteria.
Ultrasound-Guided Right Internal Jugular Vein Cannulation by Operators of Different Experience: A Randomized, Pilot Study

Background and aim: Currently, ultrasound-guided (US-guided) internal jugular vein (IJV) cannulation is the recommended technique. However, it has a learning curve and might be unsafe in inexperienced hands. The present study aimed to compare the performance and complications with two levels of experience in performing US-guided right IJV cannulation. Methods: With informed consent, 108 procedures were performed after random allocation into two groups based on operator experience. An operator with experience in performing 30 or more ultrasound-guided IJV cannulation was considered an expert. The rate of successful cannulation, the time needed, number of attempts, and complication rate were measured. Quantitative continuous variables were compared using the unpaired student's t-test, and the chi-square test or Fisher's-exact test was used for the comparison of qualitative variables; P-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The successful cannulation rates were 100% versus 94.44% in the expert and non-expert groups, respectively; (P=0.0803). The mean time for successful cannulation and the percentage of patients who required ≥ two attempts were significantly lower in the expert group (33.28 seconds and 12.96% versus 95.42 seconds and 61.12%). Although the incidence of carotid artery puncture and hematoma (7.4% and 5.56%) was higher in the non-expert group, it was not statistically different; (P=1.00). Conclusion: US-guided right IJV cannulation has a learning curve, and procedures as many as 30 US-guided IJV cannulation need to be observed and performed under the guidance to achieve it.
The Antecedent of teachers' intention to use e-learning during a pandemic: TAM approach

Many education institutions implement e-learning to replace traditional face-to-face teaching and learning activities due to the Covid19 pandemic. The situation forced students and teachers to adapt to the new normal of teaching and learning activities. This study aimed to evaluate the teachers' intention to use e-learning after almost a year after the Covid19 pandemic widespread began, using Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) approach. The partial Least Square-Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) technique was employed to evaluate the intention to use e-learning. Using 291 samples of Teachers in Indonesia, this study shows that the TAM approach describes the antecedent of teachers' intention to use e-learning during a pandemic. Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and job relevance are determinant factors of teachers’ intention to use e-learning during the pandemic.
Enhanced Hybrid Ant Colony Optimization for Machining Line Balancing Problem with Compound and Complex Constraints

Targeted at the machining production line balancing problem, based on the precedence constraint relation of the present machining task, this article suggests adding practical constraints such as advanced station preparations, post-auxiliary tasks, and tool changing. The study introduced ‘tight’ and ’or’ constraints to bring the problem definition closer to the actual situation. For this problem, a mixed-integer programming model was constructed in this study. The model redefines the machining and auxiliary processing tasks and adds new time constraints to the station. The model considers two optimisation objectives: the number of stations and the machining line balancing rate. In view of the complexity of the problem, heuristic task set filtering mechanisms were designed and added to the ant colony optimisation, to satisfy the above compound and complex constraints. The processing task chain was constructed using the rules of ant colony pheromone accumulation and a random search mechanism. The study designed a Gantt chart generation module to improve the usability and visibility of the program. Ultimately, through an actual case study of a complex box part including 73 processing elements and realising the design and planning of machining production lines that meet complex constraints by substituting algorithms, the balance rates of several groups of optimisation schemes were higher than 90%, which showed that the algorithm is effective and has a good economy and practicability.
Towards a fault-tolerant border gateway protocol

Today, the Internet has become the nerve center of our society. However, the Internet has been faulty, insecure, unreliable and unavailable, which causes much financial loss and many security problems. Studies show that the current de facto inter-domain routing protocol, Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), is vulnerable to various attacks, and routing-based attacks have unfortunately become quite feasible. Enhancing the fault-tolerance property of BGP is a very important and timely issue for the sake of overall Internet robustness and security. At least in the short term, it is very hard to deploy a new protocol or upgraded version of BGP within today's Internet because BGP has been widely used for years. Therefore, this dissertation focuses on providing practical solutions to existing problems by using existing BGP mechanisms and fault detection techniques. Challenges exist because BGP only propagates aggregated information instead of raw information; the dynamics of BGP are difficult to understand; there is no common operational practice, and the coordination and cooperation between different administrative domains is hard to achieve. In this dissertation, BGP vulnerabilities have been analyzed from different perspectives. A set of critical BGP-related problems has been identified. One of them is called the Multiple Origin Autonomous System (MOAS) problem. A practical enhancement to BGP is presented to enable BGP to distinguish valid MOAS cases due to operational needs and invalid MOAS cases caused by faults. One key property of this solution is believed to be its resilience against any single point of failure. Solutions are also provided to solve other problems under the same framework and operations provided by BGP. Equally important, solutions have been fully evaluated against real BGP data or via simulations. The evaluation results show our solutions are very effective.
Robust Sensor Array Processing for Non-stationary Signals

Non-stationary signals arise in many practical applications such as radar, sonar and mobile communication. An important task in these applications is to estimate the direction-of-arrival (DOA) of the signals in order to locate the desired signals transmitted via inherently noisy wireless channels. The existing methods for non-stationary DOA estimation are based on the assumption that the noise is Gaussian. However, in practice, the noise is often non-Gaussian and impulsive which leads to a significant performance loss in traditional methods. Therefore, in this thesis, the problem of DOA estimation of non-stationary signals in the presence of impulsive noise is considered. The developed algorithm for robust DOA estimation is based on the robust instantaneous frequency (IFreq) estimation of the individual sources present in the mixture. Then robustly estimated spatial time-frequency distribution matrices (STFD) are averaged across each IFreq segment to obtain the DOA estimate of that particular signal. For IFreq estimation, the presented approach is based on morphological image processing of the spatially averaged, robustly computed auto time-frequency distribution (TFD) image. This thesis also provides robust methods to compute the STFD matrices which are widely used in array signal processing for blind source separation (BSS) and DOA estimation. The proposed methods for the robust estimation of STFD matrices can be categorized into three classes: pre-processing based, robust position based and robust non-iterative techniques. The pre-processing based STFDs are computationally lightweight, adaptive, easily implementable and are effective in highly impulsive noise environments. For the second class, methods are based on the robust estimation techniques from the statistical literature. This dissertation provides STFD estimation techniques based on M-estimator, highly robust S-estimator and MM-estimator. The robust position based STFD estimation methods provide improved impulsive rejection capability and at the same time enhanced efficiency when compared to the pre-processing based methods. The robust position based methods, however, require expansive computations in comparison to the pre-processing based techniques. To provide a compromise in terms of robustness, efficiency and computational burden, non-iterative robust methods are proposed. For all the proposed methods, simulations have been conducted to exhibit their efficacy. The proposed methods are compared in terms of their achieved root-meansquare-error (RMSE) for DOA estimation under varying signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) and under varying amount of impulsive contamination. The proposed robust methods provide an improved (lower) RMSE for DOA estimation as compared to the classical non-robust methods.
Redescription of two species of Capnia Pictet, 1841 (Capniidae: Plecoptera) and key to males of Capnia species from China

Abstract Males of two species of Capnia Pictet, 1841, Capnia s.l. qilianshana Li and Yang, 2009 from Qinghai Province, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and Capnia s.l. bilobata Chen and Song, 2019 from Shaanxi Province, Qinling Mountains of China, are redescribed with new colour images. In addition, the first descriptions of female and nymph of Capnia s.l. qilianshana and an updated adult male key to Capnia species of China are provided.
Determining Competitiveness of Indonesian Export Commodities using Revealed Comparative Analysis

This article aims to analyze Indonesian products’ competitiveness in the global market using the static revealed comparative advantage (SRCA) and the dynamic revealed comparative advantage (DRCA). DRCA is considered superior to RCA because it takes into account the time element. The current research combines DRCA and RCA to provide an analytical comparison. The data were collected from the International Trade Centre, classified according to the Harmonized System (HS) from 2013 to 2019. Using SRCA, Indonesia’s tin and articles’ competitiveness only contributes 0.95% of Indonesia's total exports. The most significant shares of exports are mineral fuels, mineral oils, and their distillation products; bituminous substances; animal or vegetable fats and oils, and their cleavage products; and prepared edible fats. Using DRCA, Indonesia’s most significant exports in the rising star category are natural rubber and its derivatives; cars and other motorized vehicles; fatty acids and their derivatives; lignite; unforged lead; ferroalloys; wires and cables; refined copper; petroleum and minerals; and margarine and its derivatives. These products showed positive growth higher than the global average, which means Indonesia is competitive in exporting these products. Thus, the government could prioritize these products for export.
An Entropy-Weighted Network for Polar Sea Ice Open Lead Detection From Sentinel-1 SAR Images

Sea ice leads in the Arctic Ocean and Antarctic Ocean are of great significance to polar ecology, climate change, and ship navigation. While rule-based remote-sensing classification methods, such as the threshold method, have been widely used for surveying and mapping polar sea ice leads, they have difficulty in overcoming the problems of noise and poor generalization. In this article, we presented an automated, deep learning sea ice open lead detection network in low wind speed conditions, entropy-weighted network (EW-Net). In EW-Net, a dense block was introduced into a U-Net baseline network to strengthen feature propagation, and an entropy sampling structure was designed to improve the pertinence of the network to leads and alleviate the influence of noise. Furthermore, an entropy-weighted feature fusion block was designed to better restore features. EW-Net was trained on the Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) dataset in order to obtain lead maps of different polar regions from Sentinel-1 images. The results showed that the proposed EW-Net model was more effective and more generalizable for polar sea ice lead detection than the threshold method and the deep learning methods U-Net and DeepLab V3 Plus, with an overall accuracy (OA) exceeding 0.97. In addition, EW-Net showed advantages in terms of outstanding generalization from cross-sensor image monitoring of leads. The method proposed in this article could be beneficial for providing accurate maps of polar sea ice leads in open water and contribute to further research on polar science.
Depositional age models in lacustrine systems from zircon and carbonate U‐Pb geochronology

The Yacoraite Formation (Salta rift, Argentina) consists of Maastrichtian–Danian lacustrine carbonate and siliciclastic deposits with interbedded volcanic ash layers, organized in four third‐order stratigraphic sequences. It offers the exceptional opportunity to jointly apply in situ zircon and carbonate U‐Pb geochronology that resulted in two distinct depositional age depth models. Ages of the youngest zircon population from ash layers were linearly interpolated to derive a zircon depositional age depth model. A carbonate depositional age depth model was instead obtained from dated carbonate phases including microbialites, ooids, oncoids of calcitic and dolomitic mineralogy as well as early lacustrine calcite cements. Mean ages were defined from different carbonate phases belonging to the same layer and then linearly interpolated. Sedimentation rates were calculated from both depth models between pairs of dated samples and used to estimate the age of sequence boundaries, as well as the duration of the four stratigraphic sequences. The zircon and carbonate depositional age depth models agree with biostratigraphic constraints and exhibit excellent consistency. The onset and end of sedimentation were estimated at 68.2 ± 0.9 Ma and 62.3 ± 0.6 Ma (duration ca 5.7 Ma) via zircon geochronology and at 67.9 ± 1.7 Ma and 61.9 ± 1.3 Ma (duration ca 6.0 Ma) via carbonate geochronology. Results from this study show that with suitable samples and a newly implemented working strategy, in situ U‐Pb dating of depositional and early diagenetic carbonates represent a valuable chronostratigraphic tool for estimating sedimentation rate and duration in poorly time‐framed depositional systems.
Numerical Insight Into Energy Partitioning During Stick‐Slip Events Based on the Framework of Rate‐and‐State Friction Law

Many attempts have been made to investigate the energy budgets of stick‐slip events, however, the strain energy contribution is still poorly understood. We developed a discrete element method (DEM)‐based method to mimic stick‐slip events and the associated energy partitioning. We found that stress drop Δσ, breakdown energy EG, and strain energy release ΔU scale with slip δc as Δσ∝δc1.1 ${\Delta}\sigma \,\propto {\delta }_{c}^{1.1}$ , EG∝δc2.05 ${E}_{G}\propto {\delta }_{c}^{2.05}$ , and ΔU∝δc2.1 ${\Delta}U\propto {\delta }_{c}^{2.1}$ , respectively, which is quantitatively consistent with data from manmade seismicity and natural earthquakes. We observed two different slip‐weakening behavior patterns: one without a postseismic phase (Type I) and one containing a postseismic phase (Type II). We show that ΔU contributes 20%∼90% (63% on average) and 10% ∼ 60% (38% on average) to the total energy budget for Type I and Type II events, respectively. Formations that store higher strain energy play a more vital role in the earthquake energy budget, regardless of the distance to the fault.
The development and optimization of potential germanium on silicon single photon avalanche diodes

The work presented in this thesis explores a potential single photon detection technology using Silicon and Germanium, and a possible direction for the future. Instead of the more commonly used III-V materials, the desirable characteristics of each of the Group IV materials is implemented in designing a separate absorption and multiplication region device. Key structural features of the device are investigated and optimised, so that single photon detection in the near infrared is made possible. Growth of these layers is performed using an RP-CVD system, the ultimate industry tool in this field of research. Doping profiles and smooth crystalline growth is implemented using a range of techniques, to produce suitable epitaxial structures which are ideal for further fabrication. Several techniques are used to ensure that the quality of these layers are fully optimised. This optimisation work has resulted in the first single photon detection at a wavelength of 1550 nm, and has also brought the Silicon and Germanium device onto a comparable level to their III-V counterparts at 1330 nm. The superior repetition rate of these Group IV devices also holds an advantage over those designed using InGaAs/InP. The boron doping of Silicon has also been investigated. It has been shown that fully crystalline Silicon boron layers can be produced with boron concentrations (4.5x1020 cm-3) that are higher than their solubility limit at 700oC. The reproducibility of these layers, along with quick turnaround, offers an excellent possibility for industrial use, with a significant advantage over other competing growth techniques. In relation to the work on the single photon detection devices, these B-doped layers offer an interesting etch resistant capability. Suspended structures (wires and membranes) have been produced and characterized using synchrotron measurements. Layers have shown small levels of strain, similar to structures made using Germanium, but overall exhibit a flat platform for further growth. This has led to the idea that suspending a single photon detector that incorporates a reflective mirror could enhance detection efficiency.
The Role of Stimuli Complexity and Handedness on Visual Symmetry and Asymmetry Preference

Previous research results indicate visual information processing asymmetry in case of visual verbal stimuli. However, other studies that investigate nonverbal stimuli processing show inconsistent effect of laterality. Although differences between left- and right-handers can be found in tasks that involve letters, spatial attention stimuli and visuomotor control performance, the differences between the two groups almost disappear in several directional preference tasks, suggesting that direction preference is influenced mainly by writing and reading habits. Perceiving visual art involves visual attention, that is driven by the bottom-up aspects of the visual stimuli, therefore perception of nonverbal images, that contain geometrical forms might be influenced by handedness. To assess the possible differences in visual symmetry- asymmetry preference, university students (N = 65) were divided into two groups based on handedness, and as a measurement we used simple- complex- symmetrical and asymmetrical geometrical forms. Our main result shows a significant effect of stimuli complexity on symmetry-asymmetry preference. The interaction effect between handedness and symmetry-asymmetry type was not significant. After conducting a pairwise comparison our results show that right-handers evaluate simple and complex symmetrical forms as more preferable than simple and complex asymmetrical forms. We also found that there is a preference for symmetry over asymmetry in both groups, however these differences are significant only in the right-handed group. We conclude that preference for symmetrical geometrical forms is not influenced by handedness, however preference for complexity is affected by right-handedness. To extend these results, further investigations are needed.
Older People’s Use of Digital Technology During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact on the lives of everyone, but in particular on the health and well-being of older people. It has also disrupted the way that individuals access services and interact with one another, and physical distancing and “Stay at Home” orders have seen digital interaction become a necessity. While these restrictions have highlighted the importance of technology in everyday life, little is known about how older adults have responded to this change. Methods: Two surveys, one in 2019 and another in 2020 collected data on a combined total of 1923 older adults aged 65 years and older in Canada. These looked at how older adults think about and use technology, with the 2020 survey additionally questioning how COVID-19 has impacted their use and attitudes towards technology. Results: While older adults feel more isolated in 2020, many feel positive about the benefits of technology and have increased technology use during the pandemic to support their health, wellness, and communication needs. Discussion: The results highlight the potential of technology for supporting older adults in various aspects of healthy aging. While these results point to the opportunities afforded by technology, challenges remain, such as how social and economic factors influence technology uptake.