Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BlockchainBus: A lightweight framework for secure virtual machine migration in cloud federations using blockchain

Cloud federations offer numerous advantages such as improved resilience, improved performance, and the prevention of vendor lock‐in. In order to function efficiently, however, they must be supported by automated solutions to deploy cloud resources securely and efficiently. In particular, a system which allows virtual machine (VM) migration from one cloud to another while recording this for charging and security purposes is particularly useful. This paper presents a lightweight framework called BlockchainBus which offers secure VM migration in cloud federations using blockchain. This framework is a VM migration Blockchain ledger which can be used to record these migrations. BlockchainBus framework is implemented using the HyperLedger solution and deployed on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. The overhead of this system is then evaluated. The performance of the BlockchainBus framework was compared with the overall VM migration time and was determined as 2.36 seconds. This result is shorter than the overall VM migration time of 5 seconds and indicates that the BlockchainBus gives better performance.
Low-loss non-volatile phase-change RF switching technology for system reconfigurability and reliability

A novel phase-change microelectronics technology is described to enable wideband reconfigurable RF systems and components for EW, RADAR and communications applications. This technology can lower the development time and cost of DoD systems for new missions by enabling factory or mission re-programmability. It can also support component redundancy in system architectures with little impact to system performance.
Phytophthora Root and Collar Rot of Paulownia, a New Disease for Europe

Paulownia species are fast growing trees native to China, which are being grown in managed plantings in several European countries for the production of wood and biomasses. In 2018, wilting, stunting, leaf yellowing, and collapse, as a consequence of root and crown rot, were observed in around 40% of trees of a 2-year-old planting of Paulownia elongata × P. fortunei in Calabria (Southern Italy). Two species of Phytophthora were consistently recovered from roots, basal stem bark, and rhizosphere soil of symptomatic trees and were identified as Ph. nicotianae and Ph. palmivora on the basis of both morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of rDNA ITS sequences. Koch’s postulates were fulfilled by reproducing the symptoms on potted paulownia saplings transplanted into infested soil or stem-inoculated by wounding. Both Phytophthora species were pathogenic and caused root rot and stem cankers. Even though P. palmivora was the only species recovered from roots of naturally infected plants, in pathogenicity tests through infested soil P. nicotianae was more virulent. This is the first report of Phytophthora root and crown rot of a Paulownia species in Europe. Strategies to prevent this emerging disease include the use of healthy nursery plants, choice of well-drained soils for new plantations, and proper irrigation management.
H2O2 Functions as a Downstream Signal of IAA to Mediate H2S-Induced Chilling Tolerance in Cucumber

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays a crucial role in regulating chilling tolerance. However, the role of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and auxin in H2S-induced signal transduction in the chilling stress response of plants was unclear. In this study, 1.0 mM exogenous H2O2 and 75 μM indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) significantly improved the chilling tolerance of cucumber seedlings, as demonstrated by the mild plant chilling injury symptoms, lower chilling injury index (CI), electrolyte leakage (EL), and malondialdehyde content (MDA) as well as higher levels of photosynthesis and cold-responsive genes under chilling stress. IAA-induced chilling tolerance was weakened by N, N′-dimethylthiourea (DMTU, a scavenger of H2O2), but the polar transport inhibitor of IAA (1-naphthylphthalamic acid, NPA) did not affect H2O2-induced mitigation of chilling stress. IAA significantly enhanced endogenous H2O2 synthesis, but H2O2 had minimal effects on endogenous IAA content in cucumber seedlings. In addition, the H2O2 scavenger DMTU, inhibitor of H2O2 synthesis (diphenyleneiodonium chloride, DPI), and IAA polar transport inhibitor NPA reduced H2S-induced chilling tolerance. Sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) increased H2O2 and IAA levels, flavin monooxygenase (FMO) activity, and respiratory burst oxidase homolog (RBOH1) and FMO-like protein (YUCCA2) mRNA levels in cucumber seedlings. DMTU, DPI, and NPA diminished NaHS-induced H2O2 production, but DMTU and DPI did not affect IAA levels induced by NaHS during chilling stress. Taken together, the present data indicate that H2O2 as a downstream signal of IAA mediates H2S-induced chilling tolerance in cucumber seedlings.
DHA Supplementation of Obese Rats throughout Pregnancy and Lactation Modifies Milk Composition and Anxiety Behavior of Offspring

We investigated if supplementing obese mothers (MO) with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) improves milk long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) composition and offspring anxiety behavior. From weaning throughout pregnancy and lactation, female Wistar rats ate chow (C) or a high-fat diet (MO). One month before mating and through lactation, half the mothers received 400 mg DHA kg−1 d−1 orally (C+DHA or MO+DHA). Offspring ate C after weaning. Maternal weight, total body fat, milk hormones, and milk nutrient composition were determined. Pups’ milk nutrient intake was evaluated, and behavioral anxiety tests were conducted. MO exhibited increased weight and total fat, and higher milk corticosterone, leptin, linoleic, and arachidonic acid (AA) concentrations, and less DHA content. MO male and female offspring had higher ω-6/ ω-3 milk consumption ratios. In the elevated plus maze, female but not male MO offspring exhibited more anxiety. MO+DHA mothers exhibited lower weight, total fat, milk leptin, and AA concentrations, and enhanced milk DHA. MO+DHA offspring had a lower ω-6/ω-3 milk intake ratio and reduced anxiety vs. MO. DHA content was greater in C+DHA milk vs. C. Supplementing MO mothers with DHA improves milk composition, especially LCPUFA content and ω-6/ω-3 ratio reducing offspring anxiety in a sex-dependent manner.
Structural Analysis, Phase Stability, Electronic Band Structures, and Electric Transport Types of (Bi2)m(Bi2Te3)n by Density Functional Theory Calculations

Thermoelectric power generation is a promising candidate for automobile energy harvesting technologies because it is eco-friendly and durable owing to direct power conversion from automobile waste heat. Because Bi−Te systems are well-known thermoelectric materials, research on (Bi2)m(Bi2Te3)n homologous series can aid the development of efficient thermoelectric materials. However, to the best of our knowledge, (Bi2)m(Bi2Te3)n has been studied through experimental synthesis and measurements only. Therefore, we performed density functional theory calculations of nine members of (Bi2)m(Bi2Te3)n to investigate their structure, phase stability, and electronic band structures. From our calculations, although the total energies of all nine phases are slightly higher than their convex hulls, they can be metastable owing to their very small energy differences. The electric transport types of (Bi2)m(Bi2Te3)n do not change regardless of the exchange–correlation functionals, which cause tiny changes in the atomic structures, phase stabilities, and band structures. Additionally, only two phases (Bi8Te9, BiTe) became semimetallic or semiconducting depending on whether spin–orbit interactions were included in our calculations, and the electric transport types of the other phases were unchanged. As a result, it is expected that Bi2Te3, Bi8Te9, and BiTe are candidates for thermoelectric materials for automobile energy harvesting technologies because they are semiconducting.
L’impact de la dette extérieure publique sur la croissance économique au Maroc : essai d’une modélisation économétrique

La relation entre la dette extérieure publique et la croissance économique dans les pays a toujours fait l’objet de controverses et a écoulé beaucoup d’encre. L’objet de cet article est d’analyser empiriquement l’impact de la dette extérieure publique sur la croissance économique au Maroc durant la période 1983 -2019. Pour ce faire, nous avons utilisé une méthodologie déductive, axée en premier lieu, sur la proposition d’une revue de littérature à la fois théorique et empirique traitant cette problématique. Ensuite, on s’est basé sur une étude économétrique, et précisément une modélisation VAR standard en vue de détecter l’impact du financement externe sur la croissance du PIB au Maroc. A travers l’analyse de fonction de réponse impulsionnelle et de la décomposition de la variance, il s’est avéré que la dette publique n’est pas un déterminant de la croissance économique au Maroc.
Leaf Vein Morphological Variation in Four Endangered Neotropical Magnolia Species along an Elevation Gradient in the Mexican Tropical Montane Cloud Forests

Climatic variations influence the adaptive capacity of trees within tropical montane cloud forests species. Phenology studies have dominated current studies on tree species. Leaf vein morphology has been related to specific climatic oscillations and varies within species along altitudinal gradients. We tested that certain Neotropical broad leaf Magnolia species might be more vulnerable to leaf vein adaptation to moisture than others, as they would be more resilient to the hydric deficit. We assessed that leaf vein trait variations (vein density, primary vein size, vein length, and leaf base angle) among four Magnolia species (Magnolia nuevoleonensis, M. alejandrae, M. rzedowskiana, and Magnolia vovidesii) through the Mexican Tropical montane cloud forest with different elevation gradient and specific climatic factors. The temperature, precipitation, and potential evaporation differed significantly among Magnolia species. We detected that M. rzedowskiana and M. vovidesii with longer leaves at higher altitude sites are adapted to higher humidity conditions, and that M. nuevoleonensis and M. alejandrae inhabiting lower altitude sites are better adjusted to the hydric deficit. Our results advance efforts to identify the Magnolia species most vulnerable to climate change effects, which must focus priorities for conservation of this ecosystem, particularly in the Mexican tropical montane cloud forests.
Prediction of Hardenability of Gear Steel Using Stepwise Polynomial Regression and Artificial Neural Network

The prediction of the hardenability of gear steel has been carried using stepwise polynomial regression and artificial neural networks (ANN). The software was programmed to quantitatively predict the hardenability of gear steel by its chemical composition using two calculating models respectively. The prediction results using artificial neural networks have more precise than the stepwise polynomial regression model. The predicted values of the ANN coincide well with the actual data. So an important foundation has been laid for prediction and controlling the production of gear steel.
Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin Ameliorates FB1-Induced Meiotic Defects in Porcine Oocytes

Fumonisin B1 (FB1), as the most prevalent and toxic fumonisin, poses a health threat to humans and animals. The cytotoxicity of FB1 is closely related to oxidative stress and apoptosis. The purpose of this study is to explore whether Grape seed proanthocyanidin (GSP), a natural antioxidant, could alleviate the meiotic maturation defects of oocytes caused by FB1 exposure. Porcine cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) were treated with 30 μM FB1 alone or cotreated with 100, 200 and 300 μM GSP during in vitro maturation for 44 h. The results show that 200 μM GSP cotreatment observably ameliorated the toxic effects of FB1 exposure, showing to be promoting first polar body extrusion and improving the subsequent cleavage rate and blastocyst development rate. Moreover, 200 μM GSP cotreatment restored cell cycle progression, reduced the proportion of aberrant spindles, improved actin distribution and protected mitochondrial function in FB1-exposed oocytes. Furthermore, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was significantly decreased and the mRNA levels of CAT, SOD2 and GSH-PX were obviously increased in the 200 μM GSP cotreatment group. Notably, the incidence of early apoptosis and autophagy level were also significantly decreased after GSP cotreatment and the mRNA expression levels of BAX, CASPASE3, LC3 and ATG5 were markedly decreased, whereas BCL2 and mTOR were observably increased in the oocytes after GSP cotreatment. Together, these results indicate that GSP could exert significant preventive effects on FB1-induced oocyte defects by ameliorating oxidative stress through repairing mitochondrial dysfunction.
Minimum settings calibration method for low-cost tri-axial IMU and magnetometer

This manuscript presents a minimum settings calibration method for low-cost tri-axial inertial measurement units (IMUs) and magnetometers. At first, we analyze the major defect of the traditional calibration methods for tri-axial accelerometers and magnetometers. To fix that problem, we utilize the ellipsoid model to calibrate the tri-axial accelerometer and magnetometer preliminarily, then complete the calibration work with at least two reference angular positions, and prove that two reference angular positions are minimum requirements in the calibration progress. Next, the tri-axial gyroscope is calibrated based on the nonlinear cost function with the aid of the pre-calibrated accelerometer. The simulation and real-world experiment results show that the proposed method is practical and effective, suggesting that this technique is a viable candidate for the applications that require IMUs and magnetometers.
Analysis of Controlled Beam Deflections Using SMA Wires

In this paper the active control of beam deflection through heating and cooling of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wires is examined. A phenomenological constitutive law for SMA wires is coupled with beam theory to provide predictions of beam shape upon temperature change in the SMA actuator. Both the linear and nonlinear beam theory are presented, enabling calculation of large deflections. Examples for a single wire attached at the tip of a uniform beam are given, but the procedure can easily be generalized for other configurations and utilized in control algorithms. Issues of design constraints for shape control with shape memory wires are addressed and the model is qualitatively verified by experiments.
Eco-Friendly Water-Processable Polyimide Binders with High Adhesion to Silicon Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Silicon is an attractive anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of its natural abundance and excellent theoretical energy density. However, Si-based electrodes are difficult to commercialize because of their significant volume changes during lithiation that can result in mechanical damage. To overcome this limitation, we synthesized an eco-friendly water-soluble polyimide (W-PI) precursor, poly(amic acid) salt (W-PAmAS), as a binder for Si anodes via a simple one-step process using water as a solvent. Using the W-PAmAS binder, a composite Si electrode was achieved by low-temperature processing at 150 °C. The adhesion between the electrode components was further enhanced by introducing 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid, which contains free carboxylic acid (–COOH) groups in the W-PAmAS backbone. The –COOH of the W-PI binder chemically interacts with the surface of Si nanoparticles (SiNPs) by forming ester bonds, which efficiently bond the SiNPs, even during severe volume changes. The Si anode with W-PI binder showed improved electrochemical performance with a high capacity of 2061 mAh g−1 and excellent cyclability of 1883 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at 1200 mA g−1. Therefore, W-PI can be used as a highly effective polymeric binder in Si-based high-capacity LIBs.
Developing a Spatial Data Infrastructure for use in the military, how to assess progress?

The future operations of the Dutch military will be characterized by uncertainty. Because the ”where, why, with whom, against whom and how” questions cannot be answered, flexibility, interoperability and operational readiness are key terms for the Armed Forces. The quality and timeliness of information is of great importance to reach a state of information superiority that is in turn necessary to achieve decision superiority and thus competitive advantage over the adversary. The vision on future war reflects the belief that information superiority will be lifeblood of a post-modern military and the key to success. Network Enabled Capabilities (NEC) is the enabling concept to achieve this and the Network Information Infrastructure (NII) serves as the envisioned set of facilities to support NEC. Geospatial information continues to be a critical force multiplier for the military and its operations. A Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) has the potential to distribute, share and to collaborate on geospatial data with large numbers of relevant stakeholders and communities. An SDI supports the decision making process and the role of geospatial information is rapidly changing and gaining importance. The Defence SDI (DSDI) is an integrated part of the NII as overarching infrastructure. This dissertation aims at the construction of a conceptual roadmap for a DSDI that is supposed to improve the geospatial information position within the military. Alignment and integration with the overarching NEC concept and the Strategic Vision on NII is necessary. A framework with methods to assess the DSDI is included. The organisational perspectives and the user‟s perspectives were investigated and relationships with afore mentioned NEC and NII are highlighted where appropriate.
Optimized Non-Dead-Time Control of Inverter with Two-Phase Modulated SVPWM

In the inverter control system, two-phase modulated space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) algorithm has the advantages of minimum switch loss and higher utilization of direct current (DC) bus voltage. Non-dead-time control strategy can eliminate the problems of the dead time effects. But the traditional non-dead-time control strategy heavily depends on the current zero-crossing detection, which may cause the output voltage distortion or even a short circuit. Based on the analysis of the reason for the distortion, a new optimized non-dead-time control method is proposed. Two methods for the detection of the overlapping area are enumerated. The conclusions are confirmed by the simulation results with MATLAB/ SIMULINK.
Induction motor robust control: an H/sub /spl infin// control approach with field orientation and input-output linearizing

This paper deals with the robustness and stability of an induction motor control structure against internal and external disturbances. In the proposed control scheme, the authors have used an H/sub /spl infin// controller with field orientation and input-output linearization to achieve the above-specified features. Simulation results are included to illustrate the control approach performances.
Microwave active filter in integrated waveguide technology

A new configuration for the microwave active filter based on integrated waveguide technology is described. A filtering structure is formed by an evanescent mode rectangular waveguide loaded with dielectric slabs. A Gunn diode is used to compensate for dissipative losses. The transmission matrix model has been used to determine a configuration of the microwave active filter and complex admittance of the active element providing full compensation of insertion loss. The measured results have confirmed theoretical predictions.
Self-assembling MEMS variable and fixed RF inductors

Inductors play a key role in wireless front-end circuitry, yet are not generally well suited for conventional RF integrated circuit fabrication processes. We have developed inductors that can be fabricated on a conventional RFIC silicon substrate, which use warping members to assemble themselves away from the substrate to improve quality factor (Q) and self-resonance frequency (SRF), and to provide a degree of variation in inductance value. These self-assembling variable inductors are realized through foundry provided microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) processing, and have demonstrated temperature stable Q values greater than 13, SRF values well above 15 GHz, and inductance variations greater than 18%. Simulations suggest that optimized processing should yield Q values above 20 and inductance variations greater than 30%.
Relationship of Conformity with Adolescent Impulsion Buying Behavior on Fashion Products in Marketplace with Self-Control as a Moderating Variable

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of conformity on adolescent impulsive buying behavior on fashion products in the marketplace moderated by self-control. The research method used in this research is quantitative. The data collection used in this research is by sharing the questionnaire in the form of Google Form starts from July to September. The researchers use non-probability sampling method with voluntary response sampling. Respondents in this study are 150 teenagers. The data analysis technique used in this research is multiple linear regression analysis. Based on the results of data analysis carried out, it is found that there is a significant relationship between conformity to adolescent impulsive buying behavior. Furthermore, the self-control variable as a moderating variable also has a significant effect on the independent and dependent variables in this study. The results of the study found that the conformity variable (X) simultaneously affected the impulsive buying variable (Y) by 73.1%, while 26.9% is influenced by other variables outside the regression equation or variables that are not examined. Other than that, the self-control as the moderation variable can moderate the effect between conformity and impulse buying in adolescents. For further research, there needs other variables that can be conducted to know what affects impulse buying with conducting to other types of society other than an adolescent.
Gasto Energético Corporal: Conceitos, Formas de Avaliação e sua Relação com a Obesidade

ABSTRACT Human Energetic Expenditure: Concepts, Assessment Methods and Relationship to Obesity. Despite many studies in the last years, obesity still needs more investigation, including its relation with energetic expenditure (EE). This manuscript consist-ed of a review considering: the existing techniques to measure EE, showing their advantages and limitations and modifications in EE due to obesity. EE can be evaluated by calorimetric methods, spectroscopic methods, or by question-naires. According to the research’s objectives and possibilities, all techniques present advantages and limitations. Obese individuals have been recognized as “economics” in metabolic point of view, which means that they are able to expend little energy, compared to non-obese individuals. This economy has been investigated in many aspects. They have been analyzed every component of daily energetic expenditure (resting EE, thermogenic response to feeding and EE by physical activity), and the results are controversial, mainly because of the lack on standardization of procedures and techniques. Together with evaluation of EE in humans, molecular studies have contributed to clarify many aspects. They have been identified hormones and cellular proteins located in different kinds of cells. Studies are still necessary, and it is imperative to stan-dardize the procedures and techniques to allow the reproducibility of the re-sults.