Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Finite Element Analysis of the Cross-Section of Wind Turbine Blades; A Comparison between Shell and 2D-Solid Models

A very detailed 2D-solid finite element model is developed representing the load-carrying box girder of a wind turbine blade. Using typical geometrical values for the girder dimensions and public available material data, the overall cross-sectional behaviour is analysed for a simple compressive line load. The results are compared with result from similar shell models, which typically are used for practical design. Usually, good agreement between the shell models and the detailed 2D-solid model is found for the deflections, strains and stresses in regions with loads from pure bending. However, large differences can exist in regions where the loading is dominated by shear. It is found that geometrical non-linearity starts to become important when deflections are of the same order as the laminate thickness.
Emerging Trends in the Epidemiology of COVID-19: The Croatian ‘One Health’ Perspective

During the four pandemic waves, a total of 560,504 cases and 10,178 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in Croatia. The Alpha variant, dominant from March 2021 (>50% of positive samples), was rapidly replaced by Delta variants (>90%) by August 2021. Several seroprevalence studies were conducted in different populations (general population, children/adolescents, professional athletes, healthcare workers, veterinarians) and in immunocompromised patients (hemodialysis patients, liver/kidney transplant recipients). After the first pandemic wave, seroprevalence rates of neutralizing (NT) antibodies were reported to be 0.2–5.5%. Significantly higher seropositivity was detected during/after the second wave, 2.6–18.7%. Two studies conducted in pet animals (February-June 2020/July–December 2020) reported SARS-CoV-2 NT antibodies in 0.76% of cats and 0.31–14.69% of dogs, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 NT antibodies were not detected in wildlife. Environmental samples taken in the households of COVID-19 patients showed high-touch personal objects as most frequently contaminated (17.3%), followed by surfaces in patients’ rooms (14.6%), kitchens (13.3%) and bathrooms (8.3%). SARS-CoV-2 RNA was also detected in 96.8% affluent water samples, while all effluent water samples tested negative. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in humans, animals and the environment suggests that the ‘One Health’ approach is critical to controlling COVID-19 and future pandemics.
C-AVDI: Compressive Measurement-Based Acoustic Vehicle Detection and Identification

As society grows ever more interconnected, the need for sophisticated signal processing and data analysis techniques becomes increasingly apparent. This is particularly true in the field of intelligent transportation systems (ITSs), where various sensing applications generate data at an exponential rate. In this paper, we present C-AVDI, a compressive measurement-based acoustic vehicle detection and identification architecture capable of extracting information from vehicle audio signals while sampling at sub-Nyquist rates. In addition, we further reduce the overall complexity by performing any necessary signal filtering during the acquisition process, removing the need for a separate filtering stage in the system’s front-end. Our results obtained from data collected under a range of weather conditions present an accuracy of 80% with a back-end analog-to-digital converter (ADC) sample rate of 3 kHz, with initial results from a microcontroller (MCU) implementation of our proposed system presenting an accuracy of 72%.
Investigating Structural Property Relationships to Enable Repurposing of Pharmaceuticals as Zinc Ionophores

The importance of zinc in biology has gained greater recognition in recent years due to its essential contributions to the function of many endogenous enzymes. Disruption of zinc homeostasis may be useful in treating pathological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, and for antiviral purposes. Despite the growth of knowledge and increased interest in zinc, little is known about the structure and function of zinc ionophores. In this study we analyse the Cambridge Structural Database and solution complexation studies found in the literature to identify key functional groups which may confer zinc ionophorism. Pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and amino acids with these functionalities were selected to enable us to explore the translatability of ionophoric activity from in vitro assays to cellular systems. We find that although certain species may complex to zinc in the solid and solution states, and may carry ions across simple membrane systems, this does not necessarily translate into ionophoric activity. We propose that the CSD can help refine key functionalities but that ionophoric activity must be confirmed in cellular systems.
Dietary Magnesium Alleviates Experimental Murine Colitis through Modulation of Gut Microbiota

Nutritional deficiencies are common in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). In patients, magnesium (Mg) deficiency is associated with disease severity, while in murine models, dietary Mg supplementation contributes to restoring mucosal function. Since Mg availability modulates key bacterial functions, including growth and virulence, we investigated whether the beneficial effects of Mg supplementation during colitis might be mediated by gut microbiota. The effects of dietary Mg modulation were assessed in a murine model of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis by monitoring magnesemia, weight, and fecal consistency. Gut microbiota were analyzed by 16S-rRNA based profiling on fecal samples. Mg supplementation improved microbiota richness in colitic mice, increased abundance of Bifidobacterium and reduced Enterobacteriaceae. KEEG pathway analysis predicted an increase in biosynthetic metabolism, DNA repair and translation pathways during Mg supplementation and in the presence of colitis, while low Mg conditions favored catabolic processes. Thus, dietary Mg supplementation increases bacteria involved in intestinal health and metabolic homeostasis, and reduces bacteria involved in inflammation and associated with human diseases, such as IBD. These findings suggest that Mg supplementation may be a safe and cost-effective strategy to ameliorate disease symptoms and restore a beneficial intestinal flora in IBD patients.
A simple, tacho-less, IM drive with direct torque control down to zero speed

This paper investigates the operation of a sensorless induction motor drive using direct torque control with a constant switching frequency. The constant frequency direct torque controller utilizes a predictive-type current regulator to achieve dead-beat torque and flux control. Satisfactory torque control can also be maintained under transient conditions and when operating in overmodulation conditions or in the "transition region" to six-step operation, with excellent dynamic response. In the steady-state, the stator voltage vector which drives the torque and flux to the reference value is calculated during each fixed switching period. Under transient or overmodulation conditions, an alternative switching algorithm must be used since dead-beat control is no longer possible. A simple method in overmodulation utilizes the voltage reference vector from the direct torque control algorithm. This scheme, although not resulting in dead-beat control, has been shown to provide very satisfactory performance in overmodulation. In this paper, sensorless torque control is maintained down to zero speed and light load using only stator voltage integration to determine the flux, i.e. no complex speed or flux observers are employed. With this approach, excellent dynamic performance in the "normal" or "high speed" range is achieved together with operation down to zero speed.
A Secure and Efficient Wireless Charging Scheme for Electric Vehicles in Vehicular Energy Networks

To address the limited driving range of electric vehicles (EVs) and promote EVs’ penetration, vehicular energy networks (VENs) have emerged and opened possibility to charge EVs in motion via dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT) technology. However, security and efficiency concerns arise due to the untrusted operating environment and EVs’ selfish charging/discharging behaviors. Existing trust models rely on the personal recommendations from neighboring EVs to identify malicious entities in VENs, which may cause potential privacy breaches and data misuse for recommenders. Besides, it is challenging to optimally schedule EVs’ energy behaviors by considering complex interactions among three energy entities (i.e., energy nodes, charging EVs, and discharging EVs). To this end, by leveraging blockchain technology and game theory, this paper proposes a secure and efficient wireless charging scheme to address these issues in VENs. Firstly, a blockchain-based fine-grained access control mechanism with traceability and auditability is presented to enable EV users to fully control and audit their personal rating data usage during trust management by logging data activities and issuing access tokens into decentralized ledgers. In this manner, the privacy of recommenders can be preserved by fully controlling the access and usage of personal rating data. Furthermore, by introducing cooperative wireless energy transfer mode, a hierarchical game-based energy scheduling algorithm is developed to optimize the strategies of three energy parties tier by tier, while considering their cooperation and competition. Finally, extensive simulations are conducted, which demonstrate that the proposed scheme can effectively improve users’ utility and security of energy transmission for EVs, compared with existing representative approaches.
Harassment’s Toll on Democracy: The Effects of Harassment Towards US Journalists

ABSTRACT Journalists in democratically “free” countries have faced harassment from those external to the newsroom for decades, though that has recently increased in the United States by many accounts. To assess the effects of such harassment in the United States, 32 journalists were interviewed and more than 500 surveyed about their experiences with harassment, and how it has affected their professional work. Journalists’ emotions, gender, and the frequency at which they experience harassment were predictors of affect-driven work behaviors such as avoiding interviewing someone, being less active on social media, and even considering leaving journalism. Younger journalists were also more likely to engage in affect-driven work behaviors. Harassment also affected journalists’ work attitude of job satisfaction—specifically incivility and disruptive harassment. This type of harassment is likely to decrease job satisfaction while supervisor support and larger organizational size are likely to increase satisfaction. In sum, harassment from viewers, readers, and strangers affects how journalists act and think about their work. This research adds to literature on Affective Events Theory by highlighting harassment from organizational outsiders (readers, viewers, and strangers) as an affective event with significant affect-driven behaviors and attitudes. Furthermore, there are practical implications for practitioners discussed at the end of this paper.
A thin multi‐slotted dual patch UHF‐band metal‐mountable RFID tag antenna

This article presents an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag antenna, which works in the 902–928 MHz band. The multi‐slotted dual patch tag antenna is designed for a 1.6‐mm‐thick substrate, and it can be mounted on metal without degradation in performance. Due to a low‐profile and simple structure, this antenna has more potential for mass production compared to earlier antenna designs. It is shown by simulations how the bandwidth can be increased by incorporating multiple slots in the radiating patch elements of the antenna. Design curves showing the effect of different tuning parameters on the tag performance are presented. The performance of the tag is evaluated both in free‐space and on metal plate and the simulated input impedance, power reflection and radiation patterns are presented. A prototype of this multi‐slotted dual patch tag antenna has been constructed and impedance measurements are performed for the proposed tag in free‐space and on metal plate. Finally, maximum readable distances for the tag are calculated. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 53:40–47, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.25622
Alterations of Chromatin Regulators in the Pathogenesis of Urinary Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma

Simple Summary Urinary bladder cancer is one of the ten major cancers worldwide, with higher incidences in males, in smokers, and in highly industrialized countries. New therapies beyond cytotoxic chemotherapy are urgently needed to improve treatment of these tumors. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying their development may help in this regard. Recently, it was discovered that a group of proteins regulating the state of chromatin and thus gene expression is exceptionally and frequently affected by gene mutations in bladder cancers. Altered function of these mutated chromatin regulators must therefore be fundamental in their development, but how and why is poorly understood. Here we review the current knowledge on changes in chromatin regulators and discuss their possible consequences for bladder cancer development and options for new therapies. Abstract Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is the most frequent histological type of cancer in the urinary bladder. Genomic changes in UC activate MAPK and PI3K/AKT signal transduction pathways, which increase cell proliferation and survival, interfere with cell cycle and checkpoint control, and prevent senescence. A more recently discovered additional category of genetic changes in UC affects chromatin regulators, including histone-modifying enzymes (KMT2C, KMT2D, KDM6A, EZH2), transcription cofactors (CREBBP, EP300), and components of the chromatin remodeling complex SWI/SNF (ARID1A, SMARCA4). It is not yet well understood how these changes contribute to the development and progression of UC. Therefore, we review here the emerging knowledge on genomic and gene expression alterations of chromatin regulators and their consequences for cell differentiation, cellular plasticity, and clonal expansion during UC pathogenesis. Our analysis identifies additional relevant chromatin regulators and suggests a model for urothelial carcinogenesis as a basis for further mechanistic studies and targeted therapy development.
Estimation Standard And Seeded Pan Evaporation Using Modelling Approach

Abstract. Evaporation is an important meteorological variable that has also a great impact on water management. In this study, FAO-56 Penman-Monteith equation (FAO56-PM), multiple stepwise regression (MLR) and Kohonen self-organizing map (K-SOM) techniques were used for the estimation of daily pan evaporation (Ep) in three treatments, where C was the standard class A pan with top water, S was A pan with sediment covered bottom, and SM was class A pan containing submerged macrophytes (Myriophyllum sipctatum., Potamogeton perfoliatus, and Najas marina), in an six-season experiment. The modelling approach included six measured meteorological variables; daily mean air temperatures (Ta), maximum and minimum air temperatures, global radiation (Rs), relative humidity (RH), and wind speed (u) in the 2015–2020 growing seasons (from June to September), at Keszthely, Hungary. Average Ep varied from 0.6 to 6.9 mm d−1 for C, 0.7 to 7.9 mm d−1 for S, whereas from 0.9 to 8.2 mm d−1 for SM during the growing seasons studied. Correlation analysis and K-SOM visual representation revealed that Ta and Rs had stronger positive correlation, while RH had a negative correlation with the Ep of C, S and SM. Performances of the different models were compared using statistical indices, which included the root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), scatter index (SI) and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE). The results showed that the MLR method provided close compliance with the observed pan evaporation values, but the K-SOM method gave better estimates than the other methods. Overall, K-SOM has high accuracy and huge potential for Ep estimation for water bodies where freshwater submerged macrophytes are present.
Surface Properties of Polymer Resins Fabricated with Subtractive and Additive Manufacturing Techniques

This study aimed to compare the surface roughness, hardness, and flexure strength of interim indirect resin restorations fabricated with CAD-CAM (CC), 3D printing (3D), and conventional techniques (CV). Twenty disk (3 mm × Ø10 mm) and ten bar specimens (25 × 2 × 2 mm) were fabricated for the CC, 3D, and CV groups, to be used for surface roughness, micro-hardness, and flexural strength testing using standardized protocol. Three indentations for Vickers micro-hardness (VHN) were performed on each disk and an average was identified for each specimen. Surface micro-roughness (Ra) was calculated in micrometers (μm) using a 3D optical non-contact surface microscope. A three-point bending test with a universal testing machine was utilized for assessing flexural strength. The load was applied at a crosshead speed of 3 mm/min over a distance of 25 mm until fracture. Means and standard deviations were compared using ANOVA and post hoc Tukey–Kramer tests, and a p-value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Ra was significantly different among the study groups (p < 0.05). Surface roughness among the CC and CV groups was statistically comparable (p > 0.05). However, 3D showed significantly higher Ra compared to CC and CV samples (p < 0.05). Micro-hardness was significantly higher in 3D samples (p < 0.05) compared to CC and CV specimens. In addition, CC and CV showed comparable micro-hardness (p > 0.05). A significant difference in flexural strength was observed among the study groups (p < 0.05). CC and 3D showed comparable strength outcomes (p > 0.05), although CV specimens showed significantly lower (p < 0.05) strength compared to CC and 3D samples. The 3D-printed provisional restorative resins showed flexural strength and micro-hardness comparable to CAD-CAM fabricated specimens, and surface micro-roughness for printed specimens was considerably higher compared to CAD-CAM and conventional fabrication techniques.
Arch-Support Induced Changes in Foot-Ankle Coordination in Young Males with Flatfoot during Unplanned Gait Termination

Objective: The efficacy of arch orthoses in posture adjustment and joint coordination improvement during steady-state gait is well documented; however, the biomechanical changes of gait sub-tasks caused by arch support (AS), especially during gait termination, are poorly understood. Hence, this study aimed to investigate how the acute arch-supporting intervention affects foot–ankle coordination and coordination variability (CV) in individuals with flatfoot during unplanned gait termination (UGT). Methods: Twenty-five male patients with flatfoot were selected as subjects participated in this AS manipulation study. A motion capture system was used for the collection of the metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) and ankle kinematics during UGT. MPJ-Ankle coordination and CV were quantified using an optimized vector coding technique during the three sub-phases of UGT. A paired-sample t-test from the one-dimensional statistical parametric mapping of one-dimensional was applied to examine the data significance. Results: Significant differences for the joint kinematics between non-arch-support (NAS) and AS were exhibited only in the MPJ transverse plane during the middle and later periods of UGT (p = 0.04–0.026). Frontal plane MPJ-ankle coordination under AS during stimulus delay significantly decreased from 177.16 ± 27.41° to 157.75 ± 32.54° compared with under NAS (p = 0.026); however, the coordination pattern had not changed. Moreover, no significant difference was found in the coupling angle variability between NAS and AS in three planes during sub-phases of UGT (all p > 0.5). Conclusions: The detailed intrinsic characteristic of AS induced acute changes in lower extremity segment coordination in patients with mild flatfoot has been recorded. This dataset on foot-ankle coordination characteristics during UGT is essential for explaining foot function and injury prediction concerning AS manipulation. Further studies are expected to reflect lower limb inter-joint coordination during gait termination through the long-term effects of AS orthoses.
Silica Coating of Ferromagnetic Iron Oxide Magnetic Nanoparticles Significantly Enhances Their Hyperthermia Performances for Efficiently Inducing Cancer Cells Death In Vitro

Increasing the biocompatibility, cellular uptake, and magnetic heating performance of ferromagnetic iron-oxide magnetic nanoparticles (F-MNPs) is clearly required to efficiently induce apoptosis of cancer cells by magnetic hyperthermia (MH). Thus, F-MNPs were coated with silica layers of different thicknesses via a reverse microemulsion method, and their morphological, structural, and magnetic properties were evaluated by multiple techniques. The presence of a SiO2 layer significantly increased the colloidal stability of F-MNPs, which also enhanced their heating performance in water with almost 1000 W/gFe as compared to bare F-MNPs. The silica-coated F-MNPs exhibited biocompatibility of up to 250 μg/cm2 as assessed by Alamar Blues and Neutral Red assays on two cancer cell lines and one normal cell line. The cancer cells were found to internalize a higher quantity of silica-coated F-MNPs, in large endosomes, dispersed in the cytoplasm or inside lysosomes, and hence were more sensitive to in vitro MH treatment compared to the normal ones. Cellular death of more than 50% of the malignant cells was reached starting at a dose of 31.25 μg/cm2 and an amplitude of alternating magnetic field of 30 kA/m at 355 kHz.
Mechanism of winter precipitation variations in the southern arid Central Asia

The southern arid central Asia (SACA, 35.25°–45°N, 46.25°–80°E) is influenced by Mediterranean type of climate with wet cool season. This study analysed the variations of winter precipitation and their mechanisms during 1979–2017. The results suggest the variations of winter precipitation in SACA are influenced by two water vapour pathways, which are closely linked to a low‐latitude high‐pressure anomaly near Indian subcontinent and the mid‐high latitude North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), respectively. Specifically, at low latitudes, the northern Indian Ocean heated by El Niño causes the anomalous intensification of the subtropical high throughout the low latitude region, especially over the Indian subcontinent, resulting in increased water vapour transport from the northern Indian Ocean to SACA. This result of low latitude is also supported by model simulations. At middle and high latitudes, the negative NAO phase leads to a southward displacement of the water vapour pathway and carries water vapour to pass over number of upwind water bodies, resulting in the transport of more westerly‐associated water vapour to SACA. Further analysis showed that there is a northwest‐southeast teleconnection wave train, from the North Atlantic to Central Asia and to the Indian subcontinent, which allows wave fluxes originating in the North Atlantic and the northern Indian Ocean to propagate from high and low latitudes, respectively, to the study area. At the same time, high‐latitude cold air advection, brought by the low‐pressure system in Central Asia, converges with the flow of warm water vapour from the low‐latitude northern Indian Ocean, generating an ascending motion and reducing atmospheric static stability, and thereby lead to increasing precipitation in SACA. Therefore, the key to determining the origin of precipitation variations in SACA is understanding the interaction of large‐scale circulation systems at low and mid‐high latitudes.