Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Mepiquat Chloride on Phenology, Yield and Quality of Cotton as a Function of Application Time Using Different Sowing Techniques

Mepiquat chloride (MC) is a plant growth regulator used to manage the rampant vegetative growth of cotton. A two-year field experiment was conducted at the Postgraduate Agricultural Research Station, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, during 2017 and 2018 to investigate the influence of MC applied at different times on phenology, morphology, lint yield and quality of cotton cultivated using different sowing techniques. MC was applied 50 days after sowing (DAS), 60 DAS and 70 DAS to cotton planted in flat fields (flat sowing), ridges (ridge sowing) and beds (bed sowing). The interactive effect of MC application time and sowing technique did not influence crop phenology, morphology, and lint yield and quality. It was revealed that the crop planted on beds took fewer days to flower (10%) as compared to that on the flat field, and the bed-sown crop produced a higher number of opened bolls (60%) and was characterized by a higher boll weight (32%) and seed cotton yield (50%) in comparison to the flat-sown crop. A late application of MC (at 70 DAS) caused a significant reduction in the time to flowering (8%), with a simultaneous increase in the number of opened bolls (60%), boll weight (32%), ginning out turn (8%) and lint yield (27%) as compared to MC application at 50 DAS. In terms of lint quality, cotton planted on beds had better fiber uniformity (8%) compared to that on the flat field, while MC applied at 70 DAS produced better fiber fineness by 27% in comparison to MC applied earlier. Overall, cotton planting on beds and MC application at 70 DAS may help improve cotton yield and fiber quality and may help in the mechanical picking of cotton.
Combinatorial perspective on ideas, concepts, and policy change

ABSTRACT The evolution of environmental policy is increasingly driven by the emergence and interaction of policy concepts and the frameworks, knowledge, and ideas they employ. We argue that policy actors’ creative use of policy concepts often leads to their combinatorial development. In this policy process, the concepts interact and shape each other’s policy relevance and future development under the influence of ideas, knowledge, and political factors. We formulate this new research approach using ideational and policy process theories. In particular, we explicate internal and contextual combinatory elements that enable policy change resulting from mutual development of policy concepts. For an empirical demonstration, we analyze the conceptual innovation, rise, and ramifications of nutrient recycling as a new segment of Finnish environmental policy.
CD8+ T Cells in OA Knee Joints Are Differentiated into Subsets Depending on OA Stage and Compartment

Osteoarthritis (OA) is no longer considered a purely degenerative disease. OA is defined as a disease of the entire joint, in which inflammation occurs in various joint tissues. The overall aim of this study was to analyze the presence and polarization of CD8+ T cell subsets in OA knee joints, in relation to the OA stage and compartment (synovial fluid (SF), synovial membrane (SM,) peripheral blood (PB)). A quantitative flow analysis of CD8+ T cell subsets to compare the SF, SM, PB, was performed in patients with different stages of OA (early, unicondylar and bicondylar OA). Samples of the SF, SM and PB were harvested from a total of 55 patients at the time of surgery. Early OA was confirmed by independent surgeons intraoperatively. Uni- and bicondylar OA was confirmed and graded by two plane radiographs. Samples were analyzed by flow cytometry for surface markers, and cytokines by intracellular staining (ICS). CD8+ T cells were shown to be differentiated into pro-inflammatory IFN-γ producing Tc1 and IL-17A producing Tc17, as well as anti-inflammatory IL-4 producing Tc2. All CD8+ T cell subsets (Tc1, Tc17, and Tc2) were detected in both the SM and SF. The percentage of CD8+ T cell subsets of the total CD8+ T cell population was dependent on the OA stage and compartment. Compared with the peripheral blood (PB), the proportion of CD8+IFN-γ+ Tc1 and CD8+IL-17A+ Tc17 was significantly increased in OA SF. This was confirmed in our data for both early OA and end-stage OA. In the SM samples of end-stage OA patients, the proportion of CD8+IL-17A+ Tc17 was significantly increased compared to the PB. Comparing SF and SM samples of end-stage OA patients, the proportion of CD8+IFN-γ+ Tc1 was significantly increased in SF, whereas there were no differences concerning CD8+IL-4+ Tc2 and CD8+IL-17A+ Tc17. End-stage OA samples showed a significant increase of CD8+IL-4+ Tc2 in the SM for both unicondylar and bicondylar OA compared to early OA. CD8+ T cells infiltrating the SM and SF in OA knees are differentiated into IFN-γ-, IL-17A-, and IL-4-producing CD8+ T cell subsets (Tc1, Tc17, Tc2). This differentiation depends on the OA stage and OA compartment. Further investigation of CD8+ T cell subsets and their interaction with other inflammatory cells such as CD4+ T cells and macrophages may help to identify novel therapeutic anti-inflammatory strategies for containing OA progression.
Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Extraradical Mycelium Promotes Si and Mn Subcellular Redistribution in Wheat Grown under Mn Toxicity

Manganese (Mn) and aluminum (Al) toxicities are serious edaphic limitations to crop production in acidic soils. Excess Mn can be countered using a stress-adapted soil microbiota that establish symbiotic relationships with native plants. The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associated with Lolium rigidum L. develop extraradical mycelia (ERM) that quickly colonize wheat and lead to greater shoot growth by promoting stress-evading mechanisms that are not yet completely explained. In the present study, wheat growth was assessed after 3 weeks on disturbed and undisturbed (intact ERM) acidic soil where the native non-mycotrophic Silene gallica L. or strongly mycotrophic L. rigidum were previously developed. The physiological and biochemical mechanisms responsible for increased growth were analyzed by assessing wheat leaf chlorophyll content, photosystem II quantum yield and performance index, enzymatic activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and contents and subcellular localization of Mn, Mg, Si and K. The soil from native plants had a beneficial effect on shoot weight and chlorophyll levels. The highest benefits were obtained for wheat grown in soil with intact ERM associated with L. rigidum. In this condition, where earlier mycorrhization was favored, the Mn content decreased, alongside the content of Si, while the Mg/Mn ratio increased. Mn was redirected to the apoplast, while Si was redirected to the symplast. The activity of APX, GPX and SOD increased, probably due to increased metabolic growth (higher shoot weight and chlorophyll content). Understanding the mechanisms induced by native AMF responsible for increasing wheat performance can contribute to the establishment of sustainable approaches for crop production in acidic soils with Mn toxicity. The use of native plant AMF developers can improve the sustainable use of natural resources in the scope of greener agricultural practices.
Molten Chlorides as the Precursors to Modify the Ionic Composition and Properties of LiNbO3 Single Crystal and Fine Powders

Modifying lithium niobate cation composition improves not only the functional properties of the acousto- and optoelectronic materials as well as ferroelectrics but elevates the protonic transfer in LiNbO3-based electrolytes of the solid oxide electrochemical devices. Molten chlorides and other thermally stable salts are not considered practically as the precursors to synthesize and modify oxide compounds. This article presents and discusses the results of an experimental study of the full or partial heterovalent substitution of lithium ion in nanosized LiNbO3 powders and in the surface layer of LiNbO3 single crystal using molten salt mixtures containing calcium, lead, and rare-earth metals (REM) chlorides as the precursors. The special features of heterovalent ion exchange in chloride melts are revealed such as hetero-epitaxial cation exchange at the interface PbCl2-containing melt/lithium niobate single crystal; the formation of Li(1−x) Ca(x/2)V(x/2)Li+ NbO3 solid solutions with cation vacancies as an intermediate product of the reaction of heterovalent substitution of lithium ion by calcium in LiNbO3 powders; the formation of lanthanide orthoniobates with a tetragonal crystal structure such as scheelite as the result of lithium niobate interaction with trichlorides of rare-earth elements. It is shown that the fundamental properties of ion-modifiers (ion radius, nominal charge), temperature, and duration of isothermal treatment determine the products’ chemical composition and the rate of heterovalent substitution of Li+-ion in lithium niobate.
Portable FT-NIR spectroscopic sensor for detection of chemical precursors of explosives using advanced prediction algorithms

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has acquired widespread adoption in various sectors as a result of its benefits over other analytical techniques, the most notable of which is the ability to record spectra for solid samples without any prior manipulation. Furthermore, advances in instrumentation have led to the creation of compact and high-speed spectrometers that can be used in a variety of scenarios, including hazardous materials identification. Fourier Transform NIR (FT-NIR) technology is one of the most useful tools for onsite analysis of chemical and biological substances. Herein, we propose a compact, portable FT-NIR spectroscopic sensor for field measurements, based on commercial broadband light source and spectrometer for detection of chemical precursors of explosives. We mainly focus on four compounds, ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate and urea, some of the best-known chemical precursors of explosives with NIR content. A customized spectral library is constructed, including the forementioned substances under different environmental conditions. We emphasize on two basic factors that can affect the NIR spectra: the relative humidity and the ambient temperature. For the unknown spectrum identification, we evaluate prediction models which involve the use of Random Forest and Support Vector Machine, as well as the Hit Quality Index (HQI) value. The FT-NIR spectroscopic sensor additionally includes an integrated communication module that provides measurement spectra and results to a novel edge computing platform, called DECIoT. We demonstrate the operation of the FT-NIR spectroscopic sensor in real settings under humidity, straight sunlight, and temperature fluctuations, achieving maximum accuracy of 0.96.
Effect and Mechanism of Endothelin Receptor A Inhibitor BQ-123 Combined with Electroacupuncture on Tibia Cancer Pain in Rats

Objective To research the impact and mechanism of endothelin receptor A inhibitor BQ-123 combined with electroacupuncture on tibia cancer pain in rats. Methods Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into sham group (SHAM group) and bone cancer pain model group (BCP group). The behavior of SD rats was measured. The histology of the right tibia was observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The remaining rats were randomly divided into model, BQ-123, electroacupuncture, and BQ-123+ electroacupuncture group. Behavioral tests were performed, and mechanical pain threshold (MWT) and thermal pain threshold (TWL) were measured. The expressions of α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA), ETAR (endothelin A receptor), ETB (End of Transmission Block), P-Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and P-Protein kinase B (Akt) were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and western blot. Results In the BCP group, bone structure was severely damaged, local tissue swelling was obvious, bone trabecula was missing, and bone cortex was discontinuous. The optical density of Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and CD11b immunoreactive signal in BCP group was significantly increased, and most of the ETAR of endothelin receptor was comapped with NeuN, and a small part of GFAP was comapped with CD11b, but no comapped with CD11b. The AS score of BQ-123+ electroacupuncture group was significantly lower than that of BQ-123 group and electroacupuncture group (P < 0.05), whereas the MWT and TWL values were significantly higher than that of the BQ-123 group and electroacupuncture group (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of α-SMA and ETAR in BQ-123+ electroacupuncture group was lower than that in BQ-123 and electroacupuncture group, and the protein expression of P-PI3K and P-Akt in BQ-123+ electroacupuncture group was lower as well. Conclusion BQ-123 may inhibit the activation of PI3K/Akt signal path combined with electroacupuncture to alleviate the effects of tibia cancer pain in rats.
Empirical analysis of Ridge, Lasso, and Dropout regularizations

This paper analyzes the performance of Lasso, Ridge and Dropout Regression using different synthetic and real datasets covering classification and regression problems. The MNIST dataset displayed relatively satisfying results but little difference created by regularization. The Synthetic dataset displays a growing Mean Square Error(MSE) with greater signal to noise ratio as well as growing dimension of dataset. The comparison among the three regularizations reveals how Dropout regularization performs better with decreasing SNR, potentially related to the attribute of Dropout. However, the training model displayed mediocre results when tested upon real datasets and insignificant difference after the usage of regularizations, which could potentially be attributed to the depth of the training model being insufficient with the given data.
Airborne Ultrafine Particle and Acute Physiological Effects during Maximal Aerobic Power Test

BACKGROUND: The practice of physical exercise in polluted areas could lead to adverse health effects that may contribute to the incidence and/or worsening of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and some types of cancer. METHODS : Male recreational cyclists performed tests in a manner randomized crossover in two environmental conditions: low (environmental noise exposure) and high ultrafine particle concentration. For each trial, oxygen consumption ( V � O 2 ), carbon dioxide production (VĊO 2 ), respiratory frequency (Rf), tidal volume (Vt), pulmonary ventilation ( V � E), and mechanical workload (WL) were measured. Gross efficiency (GE) was determined using the ratio between mechanical power output and metabolic power input. Repeated-measures ANOVA was applied to evaluate differences (P < 0.05) between physiological and mechanical parameters and compare oxygen consumption trends in the two scenarios. RESULTS : HR, Rf, and VE values do not show any significant difference. On the contrary, V � O 2peak increased (P < 0.05) under high exposure (41.6 ± 4.31 mL kg –1 min –1 ), during high-intensity exercise, compared to a low exposure (38.4 ± 4.05 mL kg –1 min –1 ). V � O 2 and GE show differences (p < 0.05) between low and high ultrafine particle concentration conditions during exercise above 80% WL peak . CONCLUSIONS: Present data suggest that high airborne UFPs levels impair recreational cyclists' gross efficiency.
How to Classify Your Dragons: On Teaching Tree-Reading with the Use of Fantastical Creatures

Abstract We present material and instructions to teach the construction of phylogenetic trees using specifically designed images of dragons. Using fictional creatures, we can control the number and properties of characteristics, as well as present students with a context they might consider interesting. Besides creating evolutionary trees from data, students can learn that trees based on morphological characteristics might contradict and trees based on genetic analysis are a more reliable tool in classification. The material used in this learning environment is freely available, so educators can use and customize it freely. Students working with this material declared a high motivation to work with the fictional animals and engaged in very active discussions about different classifications of the dragons.
Characterization and Cancellation of High-Frequency Parasitics for EMI Filters and Noise Separators in Power Electronics Applications

Five chapters of this dissertation concentrate on the characterization and cancellation of high frequency parasitic parameters in EMI filters. One chapter addresses the interaction between the power interconnects and the parasitic parameters in EMI filters. The last chapter addresses the characterization, evaluation and design of noise separators. Both theoretical and experimental analyses are applied to each topic. This dissertation tries to explore several important issues related to EMI filters and noise separators. The author wishes to find some helpful approaches to benefit the understanding and design of EMI filters. The contributions of the dissertation can be summarized below: 1) Identification of mutual couplings and their effects on EMI filter performance 2) Extraction of mutual couplings using scattering parameters 3) Cancellation of mutual couplings to improve EMI filter performance 4) Cancellation of equivalent series inductance to improve capacitor performance
GENERATION OF REFERENCE VEHICLE TRAJECTORIES IN REAL-WORLD SITUATIONS USING AERIAL IMAGERY FROM A HELICOPTER

Abstract. Highly accurate reference vehicle trajectories are required in the automotive domain e. g. for testing mobile GNSS devices. Common methods used to determine reference trajectories are based on the same working principles as the device under test and suffer from the same underlying error problems. In this paper, a new method to generate reference vehicle trajectories in real-world situations using simultaneously acquired aerial imagery from a helicopter is presented. This method requires independent height information which is coming from a LIDAR DTM and the relative height of the GNSS device. The reference trajectory is then derived by forward intersection of the vehicle position in each image with the DTM. In this context, the influence of all relevant error sources were analysed, like the error from the LIDAR DTM, from the sensor latency, from the semi-automatic matching of the vehicle marking, and from the image orientation. Results show that the presented method provides a tool for creating reference trajectories that is independent of the GNSS reception at the vehicle. Moreover, it can be demonstrated that the proposed method reaches an accuracy level of 10 cm, which is defined as necessary for certification and validation of automotive GNSS devices.
A Finite Element approach to understanding constitutive elasto-plastic, visco-plastic behaviour in lead free micro-electronic BGA structures

This work investigates the non-linear elasto-plastic and visco-plastic behaviour of lead free solder material and soldered joints. Specifically, Finite Element (FE) tools were used to better understand the deformations within Ball Grid Array solder joints (BGA), and numerical and analytical methods were developed to quantify the identified constituent deformations. FE material models were based on the same empirical constitutive models (elastic, plastic and creep) used in analytical calculations. The current work recognises the large number of factors influencing material behaviour which has led to a wide range of published material properties for near eutectic SnAgCu alloys. The work discovered that the deformation within the BGA was more complex than is generally assumed in the literature. It was shown that shear deformation of the solder ball could account for less than 5% of total measured displacement in BGA samples. Shear displacement and rotation of the solder balls relative to the substrate are sensitive to the substrate orthotropic properties and substrate geometry (relative to solder volume and array pattern). The FE modelling was used to derive orthotropic FR4 properties independently using published data. An elastic modulus for Sn3.8Ag0. 7Cu was measured using homologous temperatures below 0.3. Suggested values of Abaqusspecific creep parameters m and f (not found in literature) for Sn3.8Ag0. 7Cu have been validated with published data. Basic verification against simple analytical calculations has given a better understanding of the components of overall specimen displacement that is normally missing from empirical validation alone. A combined approach of numerical and analytical modelling of BGAs, and mechanical tests, is recommended to harmonise published work, exploit new material data and for more informed analysis of new configurations.
Real-Time Correction of a Laser Beam Wavefront Distorted by an Artificial Turbulent Heated Airflow

This paper presents a FPGA-based closed-loop adaptive optical system with a bimorph deformable mirror for correction of the phase perturbation caused by artificial turbulence. The system’s operating frequency of about 2000 Hz is, in many cases, sufficient to provide the real-time mode. The results of the correction of the wavefront of laser radiation distorted by the airflow formed in the laboratory conditions with the help of a fan heater are presented. For detailed consideration, the expansion of the wavefront by Zernike polynomials is used with further statistical analysis based on the discrete Fourier transform. The result of the work is an estimation of the correction efficiency of the wavefront distorted by the turbulent phase fluctuations. The ability of the bimorph adaptive mirror to correct for certain aberrations is also determined. As a result, it was concluded that the adaptive bimorph mirrors, together with a fast adaptive optical system based on FPGA, can be used to compensate wavefront distortions caused by atmospheric turbulence in the real-time mode.
A hybrid volume of fluid and level set interface capturing scheme with quartic surface representation for unstructured meshes

In this article, we developed a hybrid volume of fluid (VOF) and level set interface capturing scheme with quartic surface representation for unstructured meshes. The so‐called tangent of hyperbola interface capturing‐scaling scheme with quartic surface representation (THINC‐scaling/QSR) preserves the merits of the mass/volume conservativeness from the VOF scheme along with the geometric faithfulness from the level set scheme. Compared with linear/quadratic surface representation used in many other interface capturing schemes, the fluid interface is defined more precisely as a quartic polynomial surface of the THINC function which synchronize the interface between the VOF and level set functions in a straightforward solution procedure. We update the VOF function using a finite volume formulation. The level set function is first locally updated via a semi‐Lagrangian method for interface cells and then reinitialized within each time step. Two‐dimensional algorithm has been developed and verified by some benchmark tests on unstructured meshes. Convincing evidence suggests that the present scheme, with quartic surface representation, can provide high‐fidelity solution with more pronounced sub‐grid interface capturing capability than other most advanced methods.