Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gold nanoparticle-coated silicon cone array for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

ABSTRACT We demonstrate a silicon cone array substrate coated with gold nanoparticles and which was highly sensitive, homogeneous, and provided a large area for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). A deep reactive ion-etching process was used to fabricate the high-density silicon cone array, and gold nanoparticles were formed on the silicon cone surface by magnetron sputtering. The substrate was tested with 10−6 M rhodamine 6 G solution. Enhancement of the substrate was about 60-fold greater than that of flat substrate. Moreover, SERS signals obtained from 24 random areas on the substrate showed good homogeneity with an average standard deviation of 3.9%.
COVID-19 pandemic: An outlook on its impact on air quality and its association with environmental variables in major cities of Punjab and Chandigarh, India

Abstract The present study aims to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on air quality and to explore the association of daily COVID-19 confirmed cases with meteorological parameters and criteria pollutants in the major cities of Punjab and Chandigarh, India during the different phase of pre-lockdown (March 1 to March 24), lockdown (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0; March 25 to May 31), and unlock (1.0, 2.0; > June 1) in 2020. Our results show that the COVID-19 lockdown has drastically improved the quality of air in major cities of Punjab and Chandigarh. Compared to pre-lockdown, maximum reduction of PM2.5 and PM10 levels (up to −52 and −53.5%, respectively) was witnessed during lockdown 1.0, but their levels were rising again during the last phase of lockdown and unlock phases. This is due to more relaxation and traffic returned on the road. Among other pollutants, NO2 also reduced during lockdown 1.0, but remained variable between cities and different phases of lockdown and unlock periods. However, surface-level ozone resulted in an overall increase trend during the lockdown and unlock phases. Regarding the relationship between COVID-19 and meteorological parameters, Spearman correlation test shows that ambient temperature is positively correlated with COVID-19 daily confirmed cases (r < 0.77, p < 0.01). This result indicates that the study region’s hot tropical weather is less effective in controlling the spread of COVID-19. Relative humidity and wind speed are also weakly correlated with COVID-19. Furthermore, among criteria pollutants, PM2.5 and PM10 are positively correlated (r < 0.55, p < 0.01) with COVID-19 pandemic, especially in Jalandhar and Ludhiana, suggesting that these pollutants could lead to the spreading of the virus. However, further in-depth studies are required to validate this finding. The results of this study can contribute to the understanding of the role of environmental factors in the transmission of COVID-19 in tropical and sub-tropical countries like India, Brazil, etc. This study also indicates that the temporary lockdown like COVID-19 can be emerged as an effective way to control environmental imbalance in the study area, as well as in other areas.
Mobile Banking Adoption Among Rural Consumers: Evidence from India

Recently, Financial Inclusion has received greater attention, as it is a key to economic growth and equality, growth of the business, and stability of financial and banking systems. In the process of understanding how technology is useful for financial inclusion, the study tries to understand the elements that prompt the perceived acceptability of mobile banking among the low income and low literate stratum. To explore these elements, the current piece of work utilized the Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and with the addition of component of perceived risk. The research utilized convenience sampling to collect data from the respondents having Jan Dhan account. The results show that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and perceived risk have a significant influence on intention to use mobile banking among financial inclusion stratum. Surprisingly, the facilitating conditions were found insignificant. The outcomes of the research can guide banks and technology houses to develop a more user-acceptable mobile banking system. Also, the outcome will help policymakers to enhance mobile banking system adoption for financial inclusion by considering influencing elements.
A remarkable sensitivity enhancement in a gold nanoparticle-based lateral flow immunoassay for the detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7

Because of the distinctive features of ease-of-use, low cost and portable detection, a gold nanoparticle (AuNP) based lateral flow immunoassay (LFA) is an effective and currently used method for the detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7; however, its low sensitivity limits its practical use. In the present study, the size and uniformity of AuNPs have been systematically optimized to maximally amplify both the visual inspection signals (the color of test line) and the quantitative data (light intensity) recorded using a bioassay reader. The remarkable enhancement of detection sensitivity can be increased to 102 colony forming units per mL by taking advantage of the optimized AuNPs and the separated incubation of the AuNPs/antibody/E. coli O157:H7 complex. Quantitative detection of E. coli O157:H7 was partially obtained in a wide concentration range with good repeatability. The new, optimized AuNPs-based LFA is well suited to fast quantitative and qualitative food analysis.
Live music ecologies and festivalisation: the role of urban live music policies

Many cities consider their live music ecologies to be a valuable asset to urban cul-ture. Many have adopted active live music policies, which is part and parcel of the trend of instrumentalization of urban cultural policies. In this paper we explore the reasons behind the increased political policy attention to live music and we will ex-amine how these policies deal with the changing landscape of live music and events and the trend of festivalisation. We argue that festivalization has become a widely applied policy configuration which has far reaching effects for urban cultures. Its implications can only be understood by looking beyond the instrumental use as an urban growth strategy or as the mere effects of the numerical increase of festivals.
Chamaecrista (Leguminosae) of the Diamantina Plateau, Minas Gerais, Brazil, with six new species and taxonomic novelties

Floras are still important for modern biodiversity studies, as they generate basic information, as well as improve understanding on the diversity of an area. This study aimed to the taxonomic study of the species of Chamaecrista from the Diamantina Plateau in Minas Gerais, Brazil, discussing morphological characteristics of the species and presenting taxonomic novelties. The work was based on the survey of herbaria collections, literature review and field expeditions. Descriptions, an identification key, illustrations of diagnostic features, photographic plates, and commentaries are presented for the 64 species of Chamaecrista from the Diamantina Plateau. Six new species are described, two lectotypifications (C. aurivilla and C. brachystachya) and one neotypification are made (C. echinocarpa), 11 new synonyms and taxonomic changes are proposed for C. astrochiton, C. claussenii, C. echinocarpa, C. exsudans, C. multipennis, and C. orbiculata. Chamaecrista sect. Xerocalyx is treated as a species complex with four taxa although more studies are needed to better understand this group.
Memristor-based ternary content addressable memory (mTCAM) for data-intensive computing

A memristor-based ternary content addressable memory (mTCAM) is presented. Each mTCAM cell, consisting of five transistors and two memristors to store and search for ternary data, is capable of remarkable nonvolatility and higher storage density than conventional CMOS-based TCAMs. Each memristor in the cell can be programmed individually such that high impedance is always present between searchlines to reduce static energy consumption. A unique two-step write scheme offers reliable and energy-efficient write operations. The search voltage is designed to ensure optimum sensing margins with the presence of variations in memristor devices. Simulations of the proposed mTCAM demonstrate functionalities in write and search modes, as well as a search delay of 2 ns and a search of 0.99 fJ/bit/search for a word width of 128 bits.
Sedimentation Potential and Velocity of Solid Spherical Particles

The electrical effects accompanying the steady fall of solid charged spherical particles under gravity in an electrolyte are examined theoretically. For a single particle falling in an infinite electrolyte, it is shown that, owing to fluid flow round the particle, the double layer field is modified. The effect in the double layer region is complicated, but outside this region a field is set up of the same form as that which would arise from a dipole fixed at the center of the particle with its axis vertical. A general expression is given for this dipole field in the case of nonconducting particles. The calculations extend previous work in that no restriction on the relative dimensions of the particle size and the double‐layer thickness is imposed.It is shown that the interaction between the charge on the particle and the modified field alters the sedimentation velocity of the particle. The calculations show that in practical cases the effect might, in favorable circumstances, reduce the velocity by a few .
Cognitive Component of the Image of a Rural Tourism Destination as a Sustainable Development Potential

Sustainable tourism should maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction, so identifying components of tourism destination image plays an important role in destination management and marketing. This study aims to explore issues related to the image of a rural tourism destination, with the focus on the cognitive component. It also aims to analyze three dimensions of the cognitive component: functional, mixed, and psychological. Furthermore, this study gives the answer to the question of which dimension of the cognitive component makes the most significant impact on the general image of a rural tourism destination. The sample comprised 562 respondents. Data analysis included exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate the existence of three dimensions of the cognitive component, and it can be concluded that the psychological dimension of the cognitive component has the most significant impact on the general image of a rural tourism destination.
Corpus Linguistics and Corpus-Based Research and Its Implication in Applied Linguistics: A Systematic Review

This article conveys a case-of-systematic survey of outstanding progress on corpora conducted by researchers affiliated with different common-section institutions all over the world. Such a range overview selected 20 outstanding types of research from multi research-pushing institutions all around the world. These projects employ corpus techniques and technology to treat an enormous domain of research queries that are relevant to linguistic studies, language teaching and learning, cultural studies, and discourse analysis. These varied implementations of corpus techniques and advances clearly explain the great stress and chances that corpora applied in linguistics can hand to those who have the intention to research, educate, and learn the language.
Dental Applications of Low-Temperature Nonthermal Plasmas

Oral cavity and teeth are important organs of human body. The attention and cost for dental treatments increase every year. In dental clinics, the most common diseases are dental caries, periodontal disease, and stomatitis. Dental aesthetics such as tooth whitening is one of important part of dental clinics. However, conventional treatment methods in dental clinics have limitations by pain and long-time treatment. Nonthermal plasmas have shown great potential as noble techniques to dental applications due to safety and multi-functional effects achieved by the abundant plasma components including charged particles, radiation, and reactive species. Reactive oxygen species generated from plasmas can effectively inhibit pathogen activity. The use of nonthermal plasmas is efficient in treating oral diseases because the construction of the plasma devices allows easy access to the oral cavity. However, few studies have been conducted on the use of plasmas in oral disease. Tooth aesthetics, as well as treatment of oral diseases, are important in determining the quality of human life. Recent studies have shown nonthermal plasmas to have strong tooth-bleaching effects. Studies on oral care using nonthermal plasmas will significantly contribute to oral health in the future.
Production of Cellulosic Ethanol from Enzymatically Hydrolysed Wheat Straws

The aim of this study is to find the optimal pretreatment conditions and hydrolysis in order to obtain a high yield of bioethanol from wheat straw. The pretreatments were performed with different concentrations of sulphuric acid 1, 2 and 3% (v/v), and were followed by an enzymatic hydrolysis that was performed by varying the solid-to-liquid ratio (1/20, 1/25 and 1/30 g/mL) and the enzyme dose (30/30 µL/g, 60/60 µL/g and 90/90 µL/g Viscozyme® L/Celluclast® 1.5 L). This mix of enzymes was used for the first time in the hydrolysis process of wheat straws which was previously pretreated with dilute sulfuric acid. Scanning electron microscopy indicated significant differences in the structural composition of the samples because of the pretreatment with H2SO4 at different concentrations, and ATR-FTIR analysis highlighted the changes in the chemical composition in the pretreated wheat straw as compared to the untreated one. HPLC-RID was used to identify and quantify the carbohydrates content resulted from enzymatic hydrolysis to evaluate the potential of using wheat straws as a raw material for production of cellulosic ethanol in Romania. The highest degradation of lignocellulosic material was obtained in the case of pretreatment with 3% H2SO4 (v/v), a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1/30 and an enzyme dose of 90/90 µL/g. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation were performed using Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast, and for monitoring the fermentation process a BlueSens equipment was used provided with ethanol, O2 and CO2 cap sensors mounted on the fermentation flasks. The highest concentration of bioethanol was obtained after 48 h of fermentation and it reached 1.20% (v/v).
Multi-responsive carbon nanotube gel prepared via ultrasound-induced assembly

Hyperbranched poly(amido amine) is grown from the surface of carbon nanotubesvia a multi-step Michael addition reaction, hence the amido and amine units are linked onto the surface of carbon nanotubes. These amido and amine units can facilitate the assembly of carbon nanotubes with other functional polymersviahydrogen bonds. The external ultrasound-stimulus is found to induce the assembly of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes with linear poly(amido amine) into a smart carbon nanotube gel viahydrogen bonds. The notable advantages of this method are that the gelation is very fast and controlled by ultrasound strength, the formed carbon nanotube gels are not only responsive to some mechanical stimuli such as vigorous agitating, but also responsive to some chemical stimuli such as water and acids. The carbon nanotubes are homogenously embedded in the gel network, and the sol–gel switching is easily realized via heating and ultrasonicating. It is interesting that sonication can untangle the bundles of MWNT via breaking the van der Waals forces between them to disperse MWNTs at high temperature, but induce the assembly of MWNTs functionalized with poly(amido amine) viahydrogen bonds into a smart carbon nanotube based gel at room temperature.
Learners’ Dialogical Interaction in the Service of Linguistic Knowledge Acquisition in Group Settings: Based on Contextual Factors

This paper highlights some connections between dialogical interaction and knowledge acquisition in group settings. In learners’ quest to develop communicative competence and self-identity or social identity and acquire knowledge, dialogical interaction is applied to three contexts of knowledge-acquiring process where learners’ identity, learners’ mindset, learners’ rapport, learners’ communicative competence and learners’ knowledge are involved. Simply speaking, learners in collaborative contexts tend to share existing knowledge to generate potential knowledge; learners in competitive contexts are inclined to build knowledge, learners in cohesive contexts just use knowledge as a tool to organize knowledge. However, it is contended that dialogues are supposed to be explicitly regarded as part of the knowledge-acquiring process. There is a tendency to enable more effective knowledge acquisition through communicative talk, especially dialogues, in the interactive contexts with scaffoldings, tutoring or even intervention.
Multigene characterization of a ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma australasia’ strain associated with Roystonea regia in Oman

Abstract Florida or Cuban royal palm (Roystonea regia (Kunth) O.F. Cook) is an important ornamental plant with many uses for humans. Royal palm trees grown in Muscat, Oman, were found exhibiting leaf yellowing, leaf decay starting on the mature leaves, and leaf stunting. Trunk tissue samples were collected and analysed with nested and semi-nested PCR assays for the 16S rRNA, translation elongation factor Tu (tuf), and immunodominant membrane protein (imp) genes, in order to characterize the phytoplasma associated with the affected trees. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA, tuf, and imp genes indicated that the phytoplasma strains detected in the trees were identical and belonged to the 16SrII-D subgroup. This is the first report of an association between ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asutralasia’-related strain and R. regia.
SIMPLIFIED IMPACT ANALYSIS IN FENICS USING HERTZ CONTACT LAW

The interaction of two bodies during and after impact results in complex behavior. Modelling such behaviour can be simplified by introducing a closed-form law, e.g. the Hertz law for frictionless contact. Such a model significantly reduces implementation challenges because the kinematic constraint of impenetrability is replaced by nonlinear force. This paper investigates such impact models focusing mainly on implementation details in the nowadays popular finite element solver FEniCS. This solver provides a high level of abstraction for PDEs description and solution techniques. The process of matrix assembling and localization is automated by the solver. The contribution shows usability of the FEniCS for Hertz law implementation and investigates the influence of the boundary conditions. Although the contribution focuses mostly on implementation details, example models correspond to real problem of glass plates subjected to low-velocity impact and are validated by experimentally obtained results.
Revitalization Of Batik Tulis Giriloyo Small Business After The Covid-19 Pandemic Through The Storytelling Approach

Batik Giriloyo is the oldest written batik center in Yogyakarta. The Batik Giriloyo tradition has a strong emotional connection with the Kraton Yogyakarta tradition due to the development of the courtiers who guarded the tombs of the kings in Imogiri. This historical background makes the Batik Giriloyo motifs have a strong market in a storytelling marketing platform. So far, sales of Batik Giriloyo have relied on direct sales. However, the Covid-19 outbreak caused sales to decline. Changes in consumer behavior will have a permanent impact on sales not anticipated. Changes in consumer social behavior will change their shopping behavior. Reduced contact (less contact) will be a threat. For information technology to be the preferred way of selling, several studies have stated that technology will be useful in supporting the sustainability of people's lives. On the other hand, technology is less able to persuade. This research tries to make a promotional model based on storytelling by utilizing technology 4.0 as a marketing medium. The method used is the exploratory method. Exploration is used to find potential stories in Batik Giriloyo. The results show that the Batik Giriloyo motif has various background stories that are very philosophical. Starting from the philosophy of Javanese Culture, Environmental Philosophy, and history.
The structural stability, lattice dynamics, electronic, thermophysical, and mechanical properties of the inverse perovskites A3OX: A comparative first‐principles study

We present a comparative study on the structural, electronic, elastic, and thermoelectric properties of the cubic inverse‐perovskites A3OX (where A = Li, Na, K and X = Cl, Br, I) by density functional theory (DFT). The cohesive, formation, and elastic properties analysis indicates that all studied materials are chemically, thermodynamically, and mechanically stable. Electronic properties reveal that all the inverse A3OX perovskite are direct bandgap semiconductors except Li3OCl and Li3OBr with ionic nature which is confirmed by electron localization function (ELF) analysis. We have also calculated Debye temperature (ΘD) and Grüneisen parameter (γ) to determine the lattice thermal conductivity for all the A3OX materials. Furthermore, thermoelectric (TE) properties are explored by calculating the Seebeck coefficient (S), electronic thermal conductivity, power factor (PF), electrical conductivity (σ/τ), lattice thermal conductivity, and ZT value. Our investigated A3OX inverse‐perovskites provide a fertile base that can improve the overall TE performance for TE applications and green energy production.
Potential Role of Glucose Transporter-1 Expression in Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Background: Glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) has been differentially expressed in various malignancies including gastric cancer (GC). Several previous meta-analyses of GLUT-1 have some significant limitations, such as researching the association between GLUT-1 and various cancer types with no specificity, not studying clinicopathological parameters with GLUT-1, existing conspicuous heterogeneity and so forth. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between GLUT-1 expression and survival of gastric cancer patients, as well as clinicopathological characteristics. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure for relevant studies in accordance with the applicable criteria up to Aug 2017. Hazard ratios (HRs) and odds ratios (ORs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used as the effective measures. Results: A total of 13 studies involving 1972 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results demonstrated that there was a significant association between GLUT-1 expression and overall survival (OS) (HR=1.45, 95% CI=1.13–1.87) or disease-free survival (DFS) (HR=2.18, 95% CI=1.46–3.25). Moreover, GLUT-1 expression was significantly correlated with worse tumor nodes metastases (TNM) stage (OR=0.34, 95% CI=0.28–0.43), presence of lymph node metastasis (OR=2.88, 95% CI=1.34–6.19), intestinal type of Lauren classification (OR=3.84, 95% CI=2.57–5.74) and invasion of serosa (OR=0.25, 95% CI=0.18–0.35). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis showed that GLUT-1 was significantly correlated with poor OS and DFS in gastric cancer. Additionally, GLUT-1 was also a potential prognostic indicator of aggressive clinicopathological parameters in gastric cancer.