Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Topological liquid crystal superstructures as structured light lasers

Significance Liquid crystals (LCs) are used in a number of optical devices including lasers. However, until now, only relatively simple LC structures have been employed inside laser cavities. LCs enable the self-assembly of extremely complex birefringent structures, which would be impossible to manufacture in any other way. LC molecules also orient the emission dipoles of the dye, delivering efficient gain only to modes with the desired polarization. Further, due to sensitivity of the LCs to external stimuli, they enable large tunability. This study provides experimental and simulation insights into coupling of light with the complex LC topological superstructures inside a laser cavity, realizing nontrivial intensity and polarization of the generated structured light. Liquid crystals (LCs) form an extremely rich range of self-assembled topological structures with artificially or naturally created topological defects. Some of the main applications of LCs are various optical and photonic devices, where compared to their solid-state counterparts, soft photonic systems are fundamentally different in terms of unique properties such as self-assembly, self-healing, large tunability, sensitivity to external stimuli, and biocompatibility. Here we show that complex tunable microlasers emitting structured light can be generated from self-assembled topological LC superstructures containing topological defects inserted into a thin Fabry–Pérot microcavity. The topology and geometry of the LC superstructure determine the structuring of the emitted light by providing complex three-dimensionally varying optical axis and order parameter singularities, also affecting the topology of the light polarization. The microlaser can be switched between modes by an electric field, and its wavelength can be tuned with temperature. The proposed soft matter microlaser approach opens directions in soft matter photonics research, where structured light with specifically tailored intensity and polarization fields could be designed and implemented.
Investigation of the function of disproportionating enzyme in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Disproportionating enzyme (D-enzyme, 4-a-glucanotransferase, EC 2.4.1.25) catalyses the breakage and reformation of cc-1,4 links in I ,4-a-D-glucans. The enzyme catalyses glucan transfer from one a-i ,4-glucan molecule to another, to glucose or to itself to form cyclic molecules. The preferred substrates of the enzyme in vitro are malto-oligosaccharides (MOS). In potato, D-enzyme is present in leaves throughout the diurnal cycles of light and dark but is particularly abundant in tubers. From analysis of transgenic potato plants with lowered Denzyme activity and a D-enzyme knock-out mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, evidence has been found to support a role for D-enzyme in starch degradation. However, a D-enzyme mutant from Chiamydomonas reinhardtii has provided evidence that D-enzyme could also be involved in starch synthesis. In support of this, D-enzyme mRNA has been found to accumulate during periods of starch synthesis in many species including potato. Potentially then, D-enzyme could be involved in starch synthesis, degradation or both. In this study potato plants with lowered D-enzyme activity were investigated. It was found previously that lack of D-enzyme resulted in a reduction in the tuber yield of these plants and a delay in tuber sprouting. In this study the reduction in tuber yield was characterised further. It was found that tuber fresh weight per plant was reduced but percentage dry matter and starch content were unaltered. In addition, the extent of the reduction in yield was dependent on irradiance. Lack of D-enzyme also resulted in a delay in sugar accumulation in tubers during prolonged storage. No differences were detected in rates of starch synthesis and starch turnover in tubers with lowered D-enzyme compared to controls. One reason for this could have been that the labelling experiments employed to investigate tuber metabolism were not sensitive enough to detect small differences. To address this, D-enzyme activity was lowered in transgenic potato plants which exhibit exaggerated rates of starch synthesis and turnover due to the expression of a heterologous ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase gene. It was hypothesised that differences in starch metabolism would be more likely to be resolved in tubers from these plants. Surprisingly, no appreciable differences between the starch metabolism of tubers with exaggerated rates of starch turnover and lowered D-enzyme activity and control tubers were detected. However, the level of D-enzyme activity in these tubers was 14 % of wild type and this could have been high enough for the in vivo role(s) of the enzyme to be fulfilled. Rates of starch breakdown in leaf tissue lacking D-enzyme were slightly reduced compared to controls during darkness. Lack of D-enzyme did not affect rates of starch synthesis during the light. These results are consistent with those from the D-enzyme mutant of A. thaliana and suggest that D-enzyme may have a role in potato leaf starch degradation during darkness and that this could in turn influence tuber growth.
Novel Healthy Eating Index to Examine Daily Food Guides Adherence and Frailty in Older Taiwanese

This study was conducted to investigate the adherence of Daily Food Guides (DFGs) among older Taiwanese, and the relationship of dietary quality and frailty. 154 functional independent older adults who were retirement home residents or community dwellers involved in congregate meal services were recruited. DFGs adherence was measured using a novel Taiwanese Healthy Index (T-HEI). Dietary quality was further assessed using Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS). Frailty was defined using modified Fried’s criteria. Of the total participants, 12.3% were considered non-frail individuals, while 77.3% were prefrail, and 10.4% were frail. Compared to non-frail participants, prefrail and frail individuals indicated significantly lower adherence to DFGs (ptrend = 0.025). Intake of dark or orange vegetables (ptrend = 0.010), whole grains (ptrend = 0.007), as well as nuts and seeds (ptrend = 0.029) by non-frail individuals were significantly higher than the levels by prefrail and frail individuals. Linear regression model adjusted for age, gender, and functional ability showed that T-HEI was inversely associated with frailty status (β = −0.16 ± 0, p = 0.047), but additional adjustment for nutritional status attenuated the association (β = −0.14 ± 0, p = 0.103). A similar relationship was observed for DASH but not MDS (DASH: β = −0.18 ± 0.01, p = 0.024; MDS: β = −0.06 ± 0.02, p = 0.465). After adjustment for confounders, the association was not observed. However, the distribution of whole grains component in both DASH and MDS was significantly higher in non-frail than prefrail and frail individuals, indicating the importance of whole grains intake in frailty prevention. In conclusion, higher adherence to DFGs and better dietary quality were associated with a lower prevalence of frailty. Higher nutrient-dense foods intake such as whole grains, dark or orange vegetables, nuts, and seeds mark a watershed in frailty prevention.
Wind Power Estimation Using Artificial Neural Network

Wind energy conversion systems appear as an attractive alternative for electricity generation. To maximize the use of wind generated electricity when connected to the electric grid, it is important to estimate and predict power produced by wind farms. The power generated by electric wind turbines changes rapidly because of the continuous fluctuation of wind speed and wind direction. Wind power can be affected by many other factors such as terrain, air density, vertical wind profile, time of a day, and seasons of a year and usually fluctuates rapidly, imposing considerable difficulties on the management of combined electric power systems. It is important for the power industry to have the capability to perform this prediction for diagnostic purposes—lower than expected wind power may be an early indicator of a need for maintenance. A multilayer perceptron (MLP) network can be used to estimate wind turbine power generation. It is usually important to train a neural network with multiple influence factors an.
Or ganic Tile Textures using Fragment Shaders

Tile textures are present in any modern 3D game. The basic concept is that of an image repeating itself in a seamless loop. However, the same pattern repeated over and over can look artificial, so variation on the texture is frequently needed. Variations are usually created by overlapping or alternating individual textures, a solution which is strongly limited by the number of textures and memory available. This paper describes a process for generating organic tiles using a small number of textures to generate infinite variations. With a custom fragment shader and a template created by the user, multiple textures can be combined and randomized in each tile. The result is a tile texture in which every cell is unique, without the need to design create each one individually.
Compression and Stretching of Confined Linear and Ring Polymers by Applying Force

We use Langevin dynamics to study the deformations of linear and ring polymers in different confinements by applying compression and stretching forces on their two sides. Our results show that the compression deformations are the results of an interplay among of polymer rigidity, degree of confinement, and force applied. When the applied force is beyond the threshold required for the buckling transition, the semiflexible chain under the strong confinement firstly buckles; then comes helical deformation. However, under the same force loading, the semiflexible chain under the weaker confinement exhibits buckling instability and shrinks from the folded ends/sides until it becomes three-folded structures. This happens because the strong confinement not only strongly reduces the buckling wavelength, but also increases the critical buckling force threshold. For the weakly confined polymers, in compression process, the flexible linear polymer collapses into condensed states under a small external force, whereas the ring polymer only shows slight shrinkage, due to the excluded volume interactions of two strands in the crowded states. These results are essential for understanding the deformations of the ring biomacromolecules and polymer chains in mechanical compression or driven transport.
Dominant Role of PI3K p110α over p110β in Insulin and β-Adrenergic Receptor Signalling

Attribution of specific roles to the two ubiquitously expressed PI 3-kinase (PI3K) isoforms p110α and p110β in biological functions they have been implicated, such as in insulin signalling, has been challenging. While p110α has been demonstrated to be the principal isoform activated downstream of the insulin receptor, several studies have provided evidence for a role of p110β. Here we have used isoform-selective inhibitors to estimate the relative contribution of each of these isoforms in insulin signalling in adipocytes, which are a cell type with essential roles in regulation of metabolism at the systemic level. Consistent with previous genetic and pharmacological studies, we found that p110α is the principal isoform activated downstream of the insulin receptor under physiological conditions. p110α interaction with Ras enhanced the strength of p110α activation by insulin. However, this interaction did not account for the selectivity for p110α over p110β in insulin signalling. We also demonstrate that p110α is the principal isoform activated downstream of the β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR), another important signalling pathway in metabolic regulation, through a mechanism involving activation of the cAMP effector molecule EPAC1. This study offers further insights in the role of PI3K isoforms in the regulation of energy metabolism with implications for the therapeutic application of selective inhibitors of these isoforms.
Development of A Spatiotemporal Database for Evolution Analysis of the Moscow Backbone Power Grid

Currently in the field of transport geography, the spatial evolution of electrical networks remain globally understudied. Publicly available data sources, including remote sensing data, have made it possible to collect spatial data on electrical networks, but at the same time a suitable data structure for storing them has not been defined. The main purpose of this study was the collection and structuring of spatiotemporal data on electric networks with the possibility of their further processing and analysis. To collect data, we used publicly available remote sensing and geoinformation systems, archival schemes and maps, as well as other documents related to the Moscow power grid. Additionally, we developed a web service for data publication and visualization. We conducted a small morphological analysis of the evolution of the network to show the possibilities of working with the database using a Python script. For example, we found that the portion of new lines has been declining since 1950s and in the 2010s the portion of partial reconstruction reached its maximum. Thus, the developed data structure and the database itself provide ample opportunities for the analysis and interpretation of the spatiotemporal development of electric networks. This can be used as a basis to study other territories. The main results of the study are published on the web service where the user can interactively choose a year and two forms of power lines representation to visualize on a map.
Quantification of the Material’s Resistance to Damage by Lightning

The current work undertakes an attempt to establish a methodology towards determination of a universal constant of the material resistance to lightning. A proper quantification of the induced damage will enable a simultaneous comparison among various structural materials based on their dynamic responses in the simulated lightning environment. As an initial approach, evolution of damage was investigated in the lightning quasi electrostatic fields with the ensuing formation of the thermal plasma discharge characterized by the 200–500 A current in the 0.14–3.86 s time range in the unpainted aluminum cathodes at atmospheric pressure in air. Development of damage followed the 0th kinetics law, where the process rate constant, K, expressed as a dimensionless quantity of the relative change in damage volume or in material residual ultimate tensile strength, showed independence on current amplitude or material’s thickness with K=0.0016 C−1. Comparison of the damage volume and material’s loss through ablation sug.
15-nm Base Type-II InP/GaAsSb/InP DHBTs With GHz and a 6-V BV

Type-II InP/GaAsSb/InP double heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBTs) with a 15-nm base were fabricated by contact lithography: m emitter devices feature GHz GHz and BV V. This is the highest ever reported for InP/GaAsSb DHBTs, and an "all-technology" record BV product of 2304 GHz V. This result is credited to the favor- able scaling of InP/GaAsSb/InP DHBT breakdown voltages BV in thin collector structures. Index Terms—Breakdown voltage (BV), cutoff frequencies, double het- erojunction bipolar transistors (DHBTs), GaAsSb, GaInAs, heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), InP.
Genetic Diversity of Peach Cultivars from the Collection of the Nikita Botanical Garden Based on SSR Markers

The Nikita Botanical Garden (NBG) has a unique Prunus L. collection (peach, apricot, plum, cherry) comprising more than 3000 accessions. NBG is also a breeding center for stone fruits, including peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch). In the present study a set of 85 peach cultivars bred in NBG, Europe, and North America was analyzed using 12 SSR markers to assess their genetic diversity and relatedness. The detected polymorphism level was comparable to the previous estimates of genetic variability in peach cultivars. The average number of alleles per locus was 5.67, PIC value averaged 0.49, expected, and observed heterozygosity averaged 0.52 and 0.31, respectively. Among the detected alleles, 19 (27.94%) were rare and 12 (17.65%) were unique. All studied accessions except two could be identified with the used marker set. Cluster analysis revealed some groups according to the cultivars’ pedigrees. No clear differentiation of the studied sample according to geographic origin or fruit characteristics of peach cultivars was revealed. The results provide valuable information for identification and rational management of the material preserved in the NBG peach collection.
Motion Comparison Between a Conventional Deep Draft Semi-Submersible and a Dry Tree Semi-Submersible

One of the major requirements for a floating vessel designed to support top tensioned risers is to have the heave response within a minimum specified range in extreme environments. The heave has a significant influence on the riser stroke. Usually floater designs aim to use conventional riser tensioners, available commercially, which typically have a maximum stroke range in the order of 30 to 35ft. One of the limitations of traditional Semi-submersible designs to support dry trees is that the heave ranges seen in central Gulf of Mexico (GoM) are outside the range that can apply a conventional tensioner. The Extendable Semi-submersible (E-Semi) utilizes a retractable Second Tier Pontoon (STP) to suppress heave motions and reduce its heave motion in order to support top tensioned risers in central GoM ultra deep waters. The design is based on an established deep draft Semi-submersible with the STP attached. This paper presents a comparison between motion characteristics of the deep draft Semi-submersible with and without the STP attached. The comparison is based on numerical computations to predict the responses together with model test results in the same environments. The analysis essentially shows the effectiveness of the STP is suppressing the heave motion.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Evaluation of Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre

A b s t r a c t K e y w o r d s Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre belonging to the family Fabaceae is a medium sized evergreen tree popularly known as Karanja in Hindi, Indian beech in English. It is widely distributed in India, Bangladesh, China and Australia. P. pinnata has been recognized in different system of traditional medicines for the treatment of different disease and aliments of human beings. It contains several phytoconstituents such as alkaloids, tannins, steroids, glycosides, demethoxy-kanugin, glabrin, kanugin, karangin, flavonoids and fixed oils. Extract of the plant posse s significant anti-diarrhoeal, anti-fungul, antiplasmodial, anti-ulcerogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-nonciceptive, antihyperglycaemics, anti-lipoxidative, anti-hyperammonic, antioxidant and analgesic activities. Roots are used for cleaning gums, teeth and ulcers. Bark is used internally for bleeding piles. Different parts of this plant are traditionally claimed to be used for the treatment of bronchitis, whooping cough, rheumatism, diarrhea, dyspepsia, flatulence, gonorrhea and leprosy to list a few. Its oil is a source of biodiesel-an alternative source of energy, renewable, safe and non-pollutant. Therefore, the present review paper was aimed to compile up-to-date and comprehensive information of P. pinnata with special reference to its phytochemistry, various scientifically documented pharmacological activities, ethnopharmacology and traditional medicinal uses along with its potential use as source of biodiesel.
Identifying causes of failure: a case study in computerized stock control†

Abstract This case study considers the introduction of a computerized stock control system at a chocolate factory that is part of a large foods group. It focuses upon the problems faced by management and argues that such installations involve not merely quantifiable, technological issues, but also, qualitative, human concerns which management are apt to ignore. Management searched for a single causal factor—the reason why the computer was causing problems—which was to detract from the multiplicity of factors that were interacting and compounding to create system malfunctioning.
EXPERT SYSTEMS AS CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT TOOLS

Issues regarding the application of expert systems to construction management are discussed in this paper. Expert systems are viewed as powerful computer techniques that construction management can use in various ways to carry out its functions effectively and efficiently. Several possibilities of expert system applications, in construction management, are described. A critical review of capabilities and limitations of expert systems is also presented in the paper. Finally, an attempt to sketch the future trend of expert system development in construction is made.
Investigation of the Proteomes of the Truffles Tuber albidum pico, T. aestivum, T. indicum, T. magnatum, and T. melanosporum

Truffles of the Tuber species are known as expensive foods, mainly for their distinct aroma and taste. This high price makes them a profitable target of food fraud, e.g., the misdeclaration of cheaper truffle species as expensive ones. While many studies investigated truffles on the metabolomic level or the volatile organic compounds extruded by them, research at the proteome level as a phenotype determining basis is limited. In this study, a bottom-up proteomic approach based on LC-MS/MS measurements in data-independent acquisition mode was performed to analyze the truffle species Tuber aestivum, Tuber albidum pico, Tuber indicum, Tuber magnatum, and Tuber melanosporum, and a protein atlas of the investigated species was obtained. The yielded proteomic fingerprints are unique for each of the of the five truffle species and can now be used in case of suspected food fraud. First, a comprehensive spectral library containing 9000 proteins and 50,000 peptides was generated by two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (2D-LC-MS/MS). Then, samples of the truffle species were analyzed in data-independent acquisition (DIA) proteomics mode yielding 2715 quantified proteins present in all truffle samples. Individual species were clearly distinguishable by principal component analysis (PCA). Quantitative proteome fingerprints were generated from 2066 ANOVA significant proteins, and side-by-side comparisons of truffles were done by T-tests. A further aim of this study was the annotation of functions for the identified proteins. For Tuber magnatum and Tuber melanosporum conclusive links to their superior aroma were found by enrichment of proteins responsible for sulfur-metabolic processes in comparison with other truffles. The obtained data in this study may serve as a reference library for food analysis laboratories in the future to tackle food fraud by misdeclaration of truffles. Further identified proteins with their corresponding abundance values in the different truffle species may serve as potential protein markers in the establishment of targeted analysis methods. Lastly, the obtained data may serve in the future as a basis for deciphering the biochemistry of truffles more deeply as well, when protein databases of the different truffle species will be more complete.
Internal combustion engine fundamentals

1 Engine Types and Their Operations 2 Engine Design and Operating Parameters 3 Thermochemistry of Fuel-Air Mixtures 4 Properties of Working Fluids 5 Ideal Models of Engine Cycles 6 Gas Exchange Processes 7 SI Engine Fuel Metering and Manifold Phenomena 8 Charge Motion within the Cylinder 9 Combustion in Ignition Engines 10 Combustion in Compression Ignition Engines 11 Pollutant Formation and Control 12 Engine Heat Transfer 13 Engine Friction and Lubrication 14 Modeling Real Engine Flow and Combustion Processes 15 Engine Operating Characteristics Appendixes