Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EPIGENOMICS: ROLE, APPROACHES AND APPLICATIONS IN PLANTS

Epigenetic changes are caused due to change/activation of certain genes in DNA microstructure and not in DNA sequences. With continuous growth in existing knowledge about the mechanisms and potential role of epigenomics in plants, there is a lot of enthusiasm and eagerness about the prospective for three epigenetic information systems (EIS) viz. DNA methylation, Histone modification and RNA interference. The various genetic and biochemical approaches along with epigenomics will broaden our understanding of plant genomes and metabolic pathways. Insight into epigenomics can also help in improving strategies for better control over the transgene expression during development of transgenics. Although there were many studies about epigenetic modifications in previous decades, it is only through high-performing approaches and developments in bioinformatics technology that made possible to analyse this globally. Epigenomic information is important in understanding gene regulation during early stages of plant development, plants’ responses to the external stimulants and in natural variation for crop improvement. Therefore, the present review aims at discussing the role of epigenomics, the combination of approaches used and the applications of epigenomics in context to plants.
Effect of Gold on the Reliability of Fine Pitch Surface Mount Solder Joints

The effect of gold (Au) on the reliability of 0.65 mm pitch surface mount solder joints between plastic quad flat packs and Cu‐Ni‐Au FR‐4 printed circuit boards was investigated. Cu‐Ni‐Au is a desirable printed circuit board finish for multi‐chip modules or printed circuit boards that would otherwise require a selective Au finish, for example for edge connectors or wire bondable parts. However, Au is known to embrittle solder when it is present in sufficiently high concentrations, creating a concern that solder joint fatigue life in service will also be adversely affected. This paper reports the results of mechanical shock, mechanical vibration and thermal cycling testing of fine pitch solder joints containing varying amounts of Au. Tests were performed on as‐soldered joints and on joints that had been heat‐treated to evolve the microstructure towards equilibrium. The tests were designed to accelerate in‐service conditions in a typical industrial environment. Under these conditions, the Au concentrations tested did not promote solder joint failures. Microstructural characterisation of the distribution and morphology of the Au‐, Ni‐ and Cu‐Sn intermetallics in the joint before and after accelerated testing was also performed. On the basis of these observations it is recommended that the Au concentration in solder joints between plastic quad flat packs and Cu‐Ni‐Au FR‐4 printed circuit boards not exceed 3.0 wt. %.
An ant colony optimisation approach considering jointly scheduling and preventive maintenance in the flowshop sequencing problem

This paper presents INTACO, a hybrid Ant Colony Optimisation (ACO) algorithm coupled with a local search applied to the joint production and preventive maintenance scheduling problem in the flowshop sequencing problem. INTACO uses pheromone trail information to perform modifications on complete joint production and preventive maintenance solutions unlike more traditional ant systems that use pheromone trail information to construct complete solutions. Several new interesting features are proposed and evaluated. In particular, the use of a common representation of preventive maintenance and production data to optimise a common objective function which takes into account both preventive maintenance and production criteria with a new pheromone evaluation rule. Moreover, to enhance the performances of the proposed ACO algorithm, new local search procedures for ants are proposed. INTACO is tested on a set of non-standard test problems. We compare the results obtained to those of a genetic algorithm developed in previous works. The results and experiments carried out indicate that the proposed ant-colony algorithm provide very effective solutions for this problem.
Perceived Health and Stress among Primary Care visitors - a comparative cross-sectional study between Greece and Scandinavia

Background: Health behavior varies highly across European countries, and stress and stress-related disorders are commonly seen in European Primary Health Care. Greece has suffered deeply from the 2008 international financial crisis, whereas Scandinavian countries were less affected. Several reports of increasing mental health issues and poorer perceived health among the Greek population have been published. Self-reported health and stress are established public health indicators. A novel physiological marker of long-term stress, cortisol in hair, is at hand and applied in this study. Here, our aim was to study perceived health, including mental health, and self-reported and biological stress in Greece compared to Scandinavia. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study of adult (18-65) Primary Health Care visitors from semi-rural areas in Greece (n=84) and Scandinavia (n=140). Data collection encompassed a questionnaire with a variety of health and stress indicators and hair samples for analyzes of cortisol levels. Results: The Greek sample reported significantly poorer overall health (p<0.0001) than the Scandinavians and significantly higher perceived stress (p<0.0001). The Greeks were also less hopeful of the future (p<0.0001), and to a larger extent fulfilled the HAD criteria for depression (p<0.0001) and anxiety (p=0.002). There were no significant differences in cortisol levels between the study-groups. The strongest predictors explaining ill health in logistic regressions were being Greek (p=0.001) and feeling hopeless about the future p=0.001, OR= 6.00 (CI; 2.10-14.88). Strong predictors in logistic regressions for high perceived stress were anxiety: high (p=<0.0001) and medium, (p=0.0001), as well as medium depression (p=0.02). Participants with either low or high cortisol levels, and those that reported ill health, had elevated self-reports of high stress, but these did not reach statistical significance.Conclusions: The results suggest that Greek adult Primary Health Care visitors perceived their health more negatively than the Scandinavians, including a higher presence of depression, anxiety, and a lower hope for the future. The Greeks also reported higher perceived stress, not reflected in higher cortisol levels. These findings could be interpreted against the background of socio-cultural differences in northern and southern Europe, and might also reflect the economic crisis that the Greek population experienced at that time.
Effect of conducted EMI on the DC performance of operational amplifiers

Electromagnetic interference can affect the performance of operational amplifiers even when the frequency is well above the usable frequency range of the amplifier. This can result in an apparent change in offset voltage. This effect is investigated experimentally with a number of device types. An attempt was made to compare the DC performance of various operational amplifiers in the presence of conducted impulsive EMI, as might be experienced in mixed analogue and digital circuitry. This Letter describes the test procedure and notes the results obtained.
Impact of Corporate Attributes on Human Resource Disclosure Practices, Evidences from Commercial Banks of Bangladesh

The present study intends to investigate the impact of corporate attributes in disclosing Human Resource information from the lens of Stakeholder theory. A sample of 100 annual reports of 20 commercial banks operating in Bangladesh for five years starting from 2015 to 2019 has been considered for this research. Content analysis and multiple linear regression have been used to meet the objectives. The results reveal that large firms disclose more information due to higher social reputation and greater accountability towards stakeholders. Further, human resource cost and human resource disclosures (HRDs) are positively related. It implies that corporations that invest more in human capital disclosure it in the annual report to let people know about it and enhance their credibility. The findings also demonstrate a negative relationship between HRDs and the firm’s age, which implies that, to be trustworthy, reliable, and retain public confidence, young firms disclose more information. In contrast, established firms tend to disclose less information. The findings of the study may exert remarkable contribution in devising corporate policy and setting measures of regulatory and accounting standard-setting bodies.
The effect of normal load, speed and moisture on footwear traction

Background: Numerous studies have tested footwear traction using various normal loads and movement speeds, and on different surfaces. However, because of the divergence from Amontons’ laws of friction, the results of studies that tested footwear traction using different normal loads or movement speeds are difficult to compare. The purpose of this study was to investigate how alterations of normal load, speed of testing and surface moisture affect footwear traction. Method: Data were collected on three types of footwear using a portable traction tester on the field of play of a natural grass and an artificial turf football field. Testing was conducted with different normal loads (335, 433, 580, 678 and 776 N), movement speeds (50, 100, 150 and 200 mm s−1, and 30, 60, 90° s−1) and amounts of moisture added to the field to determine the effect each variable had on traction. Results: Surface moisture had a large effect on traction and was shoe and surface specific. Normal load had a linear effect on traction with the ranking of the footwear staying consistent, indicating that testing at small normal loads may be sufficient. Movement speed had a linear relationship for translational traction but was constant for rotational traction, with the ranking of the footwear staying consistent again, indicating that slow speeds may be sufficient for testing. Conclusions: The relationships found are only valid for the method of testing used in this study, and for the range of loads and speeds tested. The relationship may fail to remain linear at higher or lower loads or speeds. Future studies should continue to examine the effect that moisture has on footwear traction to better understand how shoes react to changing conditions.
An Analytical Method for Calculating Microstrip Transmission Line Parameters

When finite difference techniques are applied to the solution of coupled-line parameters for microstrip transmission lines, the computation times become prohibitively long. This paper describes an analytical method for calculating such parameters if TEM propagation is assumed. The method is applicable to a wide range of planar TEM mode transmission line calculations where the boundaries and dielectric interfaces are rectilinear. The accuracy of the analytical technique has been verified by experimental work on 10 dB and 6 dB coupled-line directional couplers and a parallel-coupled Cohn type 6 resonator filter.
Flooding and food security: A case study of community resilience in Rockhampton

Abstract In early 2011 the regional city of Rockhampton was cut-off from its main sources of food supply by unprecedented flooding across the State of Queensland. Despite the existence of local and state government disaster management plans, the Rockhampton community was highly vulnerable to food insecurity during this time. We argue that this vulnerability was due both to its reliance on long food supply chains that were disrupted due to loss of transport access and infrastructure, as well as to the relative lack of local, alternative, food distribution channels. However, the experience of Rockhampton also illustrates numerous examples of community resilience. In this article, we consider the ways that different actors within the community (including government, private sector, industry and community groups) mobilised resources, information and relationships in order to ensure food security for the city during the flooding crisis of 2011. This draws upon an understanding of community resilience as the capacity to thrive and transform in an environment of change. Based on policy analysis and qualitative interviews with key actors in Rockhampton, we found that despite many examples of positive ‘collective community capacity’ in the immediate period of crisis, such as flexible and innovative use of personal ‘networking’ to move food from one location to another, numerous challenges arose in relation to formal decisionmaking and information-sharing processes. Finally, we question the extent to which the 2011 events might be influencing community-led changes to the structure of the regional food system so that it may become more resilient to climate change-induced crises into the future. This highlights key aspects of resilience that contribute to well-being and food security at the community-level both in the short- and long-term.
Steering Law of Control Moment Gyros using Optimization of Initial Gimbal Angles for Satellite Attitude Control

Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) has been expected to be applied to a spacecraft such as an earth observation satellite in recent years. However it is not easy to control it because CMG has a singularity condition and a major source of disturbance. Although there are many singularity avoidance logics, these optimal methods from the viewpoint of singularity avoidance may cause inner disturbance by fast and furious motion of gimbals in avoiding singularity. This paper presents a new but simple CMG steering law using preferred initial gimbal angles and null motion for high accurate attitude control system on an agile spacecraft. The preferred initial gimbal angles are decided by evaluating function considering inner state of CMG. From the simulation results, the effectiveness of the proposed method was verified.
INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY IN MATERIALS INSPECTION AND THERMO-FLUID DYNAMICS

Infrared thermography is becoming ever more popular and is being used in an ever-increasing number of applications mainly due to its accuracy as well as non-contact and two-dimensional characters. In particular, the thermal signatures, which are visualized over a body surface through the use of a remote infrared imaging device, may be exploited to gain information in both the body and the fl uid surrounding it. In fact, thermal images may contain either information about the body’s material conditions at a given instant (e.g. material integrity or presence of defects), or its behaviour under mechanical load (e.g. during bending or impact) or about the ability of the fl uid fl ow passing over the body surface to convey heat (i.e. cooling or heating it). Of course, what is important is the choice of the technique and of the procedure used in taking thermographic images, as well of the computational method applied in reducing data for a correct representation and interpretation of the thermal phenomena under study. The specifi c intention of this work is to highlight the usefulness of infrared thermography within two main tasks of materials inspection and thermo-fl uid dynamics. With regard to the fi rst one, the different thermographic techniques, which can be used for non-destructive testing, are described with the data processing procedures; then some key examples, mainly involving composite materials, are reported and discussed. The second topic is illustrated through different fl ow confi gurations, such as impinging jets, which are encountered in the industrial context for heating or cooling purposes, a free stream fl owing over a body to assess separation and/or reattachment location and a disk rotating in still air. However, a part is spent in the description of theoretical approaches and standard procedures for acquisition of thermographic images, as well of methods for data reduction and computation of the required quantities.
Optimal Allocation of Service Frequencies over Transit Network Routes and Time Periods

This study proposes a formulation for the transit network frequency setting problem. The formulation provides an optimal allocation of resources over space and time while recognizing the existence of multiple service patterns along each bus route. Transit agencies must allocate their limited resources optimally to maximize user benefits, operator benefits, or a combination of the two. The coupling of the routes with the service patterns provided along all or portions of the routes is effectively captured, and the user perspective and the operator perspective are merged into one formulation. The service patterns may be scheduled with different subsets of stops for a given route. Users see the resulting combined route headways at the stops. The number of riders varies with the prevailing number of bus trips at a given stop, which is the combination of different pattern dispatch frequencies. Two main formulations are introduced. The first extends work of Furth and Wilson and seeks to maximize the number of riders and the total wait time savings under budget, fleet, policy headway, and bus loading constraints. The second minimizes the net cost under fleet, policy headway, bus loading, minimum ridership, and minimum wait time savings constraints. In both formulations, pattern headways in different time-of-day intervals are the decision variables. This paper provides the mathematical formulation underlying the proposed methodology, describes the solution method and implementation, and demonstrates, by example, important properties of the frequency setting problem in this context, including some that may at first appear counterintuitive.
Simulation-based evaluation of supply chains for stump fuel

Current concerns about climate change and fossil-fuel dependency have intensified interest in renewable energy and increased demand for suitable substrates. Softwood tree stumps could be a very interesting renewable fuel assortment, since large volumes of unutilized stump biomass are available. The stump-root system constitutes about 25% of stem volume. However, optimization of logistics issues within the supply chain of stump fuel is crucial in ensuring low procurement costs, particularly for transport and comminution operations. Bulky stumps can be transported and comminuted in different ways, and if the system is planned properly it can reduce the supply costs and help deliver a fuel at a competitive price. This study evaluated various systems for stump transport and comminution in terms of cutting unnecessary costs and making the systems more resource-efficient. A discrete-event simulation approach was applied, using the ExtendSim simulation software. Simulation results obtained using the model developed show large variations in system performance and system costs. The costs of the best and worst alternatives differed by around a factor of 2, irrespective of transport distance. The most cost-effective option proved to be crushing stumps into the ground and using a self-loading truck for wood fuel transport.
Thermal Design and Dynamic Analysis of Metallic Thermal Protection System

Metallic thermal protection system (MTPS) is a key component in space vehicle design. By introducing thermal contact resistance (TCR) on the interface between different layers of MTPS, an one dimensional (1D) thermal conduction model for MTPS with multiple functions is established for thermal design. An optimization method is proposed to determine the thermal parameter by comparing the results of 1D finite differential simulation with the test ones. The thermal mode is analyzed by three dimensional FEM analysis and the results show that the mechanical characteristics of MTPS appear to be asymmetric which provides a new consideration to insulate the fluctuating load.
Implementation of Online Learning in The Pandemic Covid-19: Student Perception in Areas with Minimum Internet Access

The application of online learning was carried out massively during the Covid-19 pandemic. Its implementation certainly raises many new things, especially for areas with minimal internet access. For that, it is necessary to conduct a study of how students perceive online learning. The study was conducted to determine students’ perceptions of implementing online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic in minimal internet access areas. This type of research is a qualitative descriptive study, where the research subjects are students of a private university in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. This research was conducted in four stages, namely (1) data collection, (2) data reduction, (3) data presentation, (4) concluding. The instrument used was a questionnaire consisting of 21 questions. Data analysis was carried out descriptively. The results showed that students had different perceptions of the administration of online lectures. These perceptions include perceptions of online learning infrastructure by 57%, online learning skills by 53%, perceptions of the quality of online academic interactions by 69%, benefits of online learning by 53%, obstacles faced by 42%, supporting factors for online learning by 38%, and future online learning expectations of 54%. This study concludes that students’ various online learning perceptions during the Covid-19 pandemic, starting from infrastructure, quality of interaction, and students’ benefits.
Influence of Transportation Access on Individual Firm Location Decisions

Several studies of transportation and economic development impact have recognized the extent to which transportation investments may improve access to markets and, by doing so, influence firms’ location decisions. A study specified and empirically tested a firm-level model that captures the relationship between the propensity of a particular firm to relocate from its current business location as a function of local and regional accessibility, agglomeration economies, firm-specific characteristics, business-specific activity attributes, attitudes toward regional considerations, and factors that influenced the initial business location decision. The geographic area of analysis considers a four-county region in Maryland. The econometric analysis establishes significant association between transportation supply and firm-level relocation decisions in the study area and underscores the role of other firm and area-of-influence attributes in this process. The findings suggest a positive association between access to primary highway facilities and the level of economic activity. The results also confirm expectations that roads with higher functional form and capacity are likely to be more influential in the location and relocation decisions of businesses. The described model estimates could provide a basis for predicting the potential impact of local economic development policies in firm retention strategies.
Modeling and Analysis of a Piezoelectric Energy Harvester with Varying Cross-Sectional Area

This paper reports on the modeling and on the experimental verification of electromechanically coupled beams with varying cross-sectional area for piezoelectric energy harvesting. The governing equations are formulated using the Rayleigh-Ritz method and Euler-Bernoulli assumptions. A load resistance is considered in the electrical domain for the estimate of the electric power output of each geometric configuration. The model is first verified against the analytical results for a rectangular bimorph with tip mass reported in the literature. The experimental verification of the model is also reported for a tapered bimorph cantilever with tip mass. The effects of varying cross-sectional area and tip mass on the electromechanical behavior of piezoelectric energy harvesters are also discussed. An issue related to the estimation of the optimal load resistance (that gives the maximum power output) on beam shape optimization problems is also discussed.