Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improvement of reliability and dielectric breakdown strength of Nb-doped lead zirconate titanate films via microstructure control of seed

Correspondence: Song Won Ko, Xaar plc, 316 Science Park, Cambridge CB4 0XR, UK (songwon.ko@xaar.com). Abstract A Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) seed layer without Pb‐deficient defective areas was developed to improve the dielectric breakdown strength and lifetime of thin film piezoelectric actuators. The proportion of defective area in the seed layers was reduced by adjusting the amount of Pb excess in the solution, combined with implementation of a dense, large‐grained (>200 nm) Pt bottom electrode. The optimal Pb excess amount in the solution was about 20 at%; seeding was improved when a slightly Ti‐rich composition (relative to the morphotropic phase boundary) was utilized. It was found that the dielectric breakdown strength and lifetime of PZT films improved as the proportion of visible defective area on the PZT seed layer decreased. Dielectric breakdown strength increased from approximately 300 kV/cm to about 1 MV/cm. The lifetime, characterized by highly accelerated lifetime testing, was increased 60 times by reducing the fraction of defective area. The activation energy (Ea) and voltage acceleration factor (N) for failure of devices (eg, patterned PZT films) were 1.12 ± 0.03 eV and 4.24 ± 0.07 respectively.
Photoprotective effect of mycosporine‐like aminoacids extracts on natamycin, saffron carotenoids and epigallocatechin gallate in acidified beverages exposed to different light sources

Natamycin has been used as a natural food additive to control the growth of many microorganisms. However, this polyene is very sensitive to light exposure. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the photoprotective effect of mycosporine‐like aminoacids (MAA) in acidified beverages containing natamycin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and saffron carotenoids (SC) stored in three conditions: fluorescent, low and high intensity Light‐Emitting Diode (LED) light. Crude MAA extract addition resulted in faster degradation of natamycin, EGCG, and SG. Even in the presence of EDTA‐Na, there was higher degradation of natamycin in the presence of MAA extracts. Purification of the MAA extracts using solid‐phase extraction (SPE) resulted in slight, but significantly better retention of natamycin under fluorescent and low LED lighting; this was not seen at high LED, however. Therefore, purified MAA extract expressed a potential photoprotective effect on natamycin in acidified beverages.
Choosing a health behaviour theory or model for related research projects: a narrative review

Background Theories are integral to a research project, providing the logic underlying what, how, and/or why a particular phenomenon happens. Alternatively, models are used to guide a research project by representing theories and visualising the structural framework of causal pathways by showing the different levels of analysis. With the rise in chronic and behaviour-related diseases, health behaviour theories and models have a particular importance in designing appropriate and research led behavioural intervention strategies. However, there is a dearth of papers that explain the role of behavioural theories and models in research projects. Aims The aim of this paper is to synthesise existing evidence on the relevance of health behaviour theories and models in research projects. Methods This paper reviews health behaviour theories and models commonly underpinning research projects in public health and clinical practices. The electronic databases, such as MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Scopus, as well as the search engines Google and Google Scholar were searched to identify health behaviour theories and models. Results Theories and models are essential in a research project. Theories provide the underlying reason for the occurrence of a phenomenon by explaining what the key drivers and outcomes of the target phenomenon are and why, and what underlying processes are responsible for causing that phenomenon. Models on the other hand provide guidance to a research project and assist in visualising the structural framework of causal pathways by showing the different levels of analysis. Health behaviour theories and models in particular offer valuable insights for designing effective and sustainable research projects for improved public health practice. Conclusions By employing appropriate health behaviour theory and/or model as a research framework, researchers will be able to identify relevant variables and translate these into clinical and public health practices.
Constraint-based Recommender System for Commodity Realization

—In this paper, we suggest a novel recommender system where a set of appropriate propositions is formed by measuring how user query features are close to space of all possible propositions. The system is for e-traders selling commodities. A commodity has hierarchical-structure properties which are mapped to the respective numerical scales. The scales are normalized so that a query from a potential customer and any possible proposition from the e-trader is a multidimensional point of a nonnegative unit hypercube put on the coordinate origin. The user can weight levels. The distance between the query and propositions are measured by the respective metric in the Euclidean arithmetic space. The best proposition is defined by the shortest distance. Top N propositions are defined by N shortest distances. The system does not depend on any user experience, nor on the e-trader tendency to impose one’s preferences on the customer.
Collaboration-Aware Hit Song Analysis and Prediction

We propose tackling the Hit Song Prediction problem through a multimodal form with songs’ features fused together. Specifically, we describe songs from three feature modalities: music, artist and album. Initially, we identify collaboration profiles in a success-based musical network, unveiling how professional connections can significantly impact their success. Then, we use time series and the Granger Causality test for assessing whether there is a causal relationship between collaboration profiles and artists’ popularity. Finally, we model the Hit Song Prediction problem as two distinct tasks: classification and placement. The former is a classical binary classification model and directly applies our fusion strategies. The latter is a modeling approach that ranks a song relative to a given chart, predicts hit songs, and provides comparative popularity information of a set of songs. Furthermore, we emphasize collaboration artists’ profiles as important features when describing their songs. Overall, our empirical studies confirm the effectiveness of our method that fuses heterogeneous data for both tasks.
A Non-Rogue Mutant Line Induced by ENU Mutagenesis in Paramutated Rogue Peas (Pisum sativum L.) Is Still Sensitive to the Rogue Paramutation

The spontaneously emerging rogue phenotype in peas (Pisum sativum L.), characterized by narrow and pointed leaf stipula and leaflets, was the first identified case of the epigenetic phenomenon paramutation. The crosses of homozygous or heterozygous (e.g., F1) rogue plants with non-rogue (wild type) plants, produce exclusively rogue plants in the first and all subsequent generations. The fact that the wild phenotype disappears forever, is in clear contradiction with the Mendelian rules of inheritance, a situation that impedes the positional cloning of genes involved in this epigenetic phenomenon. One way of overcoming this obstacle is the identification of plant genotypes harboring naturally occurring or artificially induced neutral alleles, non-sensitive to paramutation. So far, such alleles have never been described for the pea rogue paramutation. Here, we report the induction via 1-ethyl-1-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis of a non-rogue revertant mutant in the rogue cv. Progreta, and the completely unusual fixation of the induced non-rogue phenotype through several generations. The reversion of the methylation status of two previously identified differentially methylated genomic sequences in the induced non-rogue mutant, confirms that the rogue paramutation is accompanied by alterations in DNA methylation. Nevertheless, unexpectedly, the induced non-rogue mutant showed to be still sensitive to paramutation.
Identifying corrosion forms on synthetic electrochemical noise signals by the Hilbert–Huang transform method

The analysis of electrochemical noise (EN), oriented to detect and to identify corrosion damages early, is a relevant task pursued by the researchers with the aim to obtain a reliable non-intrusive monitoring technique. Many analytical tools can be considered for this purpose: some of which are widely used (time analysis or frequency analysis), and others have been introduced only recently and are considered quite innovative, such as the Hilbert–Huang Transform (HHT). In this work, the efficiency and effectiveness of the HHT method to identify corrosion events on the basis of EN signals were evaluated. To achieve this aim, some synthetic signals structured to simulate real EN signals emitted during typical corrosion processes were generated. Uniform corrosion, passivation and pitting mechanisms were used as a reference for EN signal models. Furthermore, the signals have been combined in different ways and eventually the HHT model was applied to the so-obtained signals.
Corporate Social Responsibility as a Vehicle for Ensuring the Survival of Construction SMEs. The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction and Innovation

The purpose of this article is to analyze the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on performance through the mediating role of job satisfaction and innovation in a sample of 503 Spanish SMEs construction. Developing a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test our hypotheses, the results provide evidence that performance is influenced by CSR, job satisfaction, and innovation. These effects are not only direct and positive but, indirect effects which allow the positive effects of CSR to be enhanced are also obtained. This article by empirically examining the relationship between CSR, job satisfaction, innovation, and performance provides an essential contribution to the literature by filling a gap related to the direct effect of CSR on performance, and the indirect effect by the mediation of job satisfaction and innovation. The findings show significant implications for policymakers and managers. The findings can help managers to invest in CSR, which, by improving the well-being of their employees and the innovative capacity of their company, will lead to better performance and the capacity to adapt to the current changing environment. In addition, our results provide evidence that SMEs with fewer resources should be able to count on public support to carry out CSR practices.
Elastic‐Beam Triboelectric Nanogenerator for High‐Performance Multifunctional Applications: Sensitive Scale, Acceleration/Force/Vibration Sensor, and Intelligent Keyboard

Exploiting novel devices for either collecting energy or self‐powered sensors is vital for Internet of Things, sensor networks, and big data. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been proved as an effective solution for both energy harvesting and self‐powered sensing. The traditional triboelectric nanogenerators are usually based on four modes: contact‐separation mode, lateral sliding mode, single‐electrode mode, and freestanding triboelectric‐layer mode. Since the reciprocating displacement/force is necessary for all working modes, developing efficient elastic TENG is going to be important and urgent. Here, a kind of elastic‐beam TENG with arc‐stainless steel foil is developed, whose structure is quite simple, and its working states depend on the contact area and separating distance as proved by experiments and theoretical calculations. This structure is different from traditional structures, e.g., direct sliding or contact‐separation structures, whose working states mainly depend on contact area or separating distance. This triboelectric nanogenerator shows advanced mechanical and electrical performance, such as high sensitivity, elasticity, and ultrahigh frequency response, which encourage applications as a force sensor, sensitivity scale, acceleration sensor, vibration sensor, and intelligent keyboard.
Chromium removal from industrial wastewater using Phyllostachys pubescens biomass loaded Cu-S nanospheres

Abstract In this paper, a new surface modification method was reported for the preparation of Phyllostachys pubescens powder as an effective adsorbent for the removal of chromium. Complex copper sulfide (Cu-S)nanospheres were evenly dispersed and loaded into the internal surface of the adsorbent, which provided both the ion exchange and oxidative-reductive properties. The composite showed an excellent adsorption efficacy for Cr(III) and Cr(VI). The surface properties of the obtained materials were characterized by FTIR and SEM. Maximum adsorption for Cr(III) and Cr(VI) was observed at pH 6.1 and 1.9, respectively. The experimental sorption equilibrium data were modeled using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations. It was found that the maximum adsorption capacities of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) were 52.30 mg g-1 and 94.25 mg g-1, respectively. The adsorption mechanism analysis inferred that the major adsorption mode of Cr(III) was ion exchange, and Cr(VI) was oxide-reduction. Graphical Abstract
Effects of metal ions on the self-assembly of chitosan molecules investigated with atomic force microscopy

ABSTRACT The effect of different metal ions including K+, Na+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ at different concentrations on the self-assembly of chitosan molecules deposited on the new cleaved mica sheet was investigated using atomic force microscopy imaging techniques and other affiliated offline analysis methods. Chitosan molecules self-assembled porous film first when combined with K+, Na+, or Mg2+ ions, and then gradually fractured a granular structure with increasing concentration of metal ions. Chitosan molecules would be self-assembled to fibrous structure after adding calcium ions, and grew much thicker and more flat when the concentration increased. The investigations on the effects of metal ions on the self-assembly of chitosan molecules would be useful for food preservation, environmental protection, and pharmaceutical developments and industries.
Parental Education and Functional Connectivity between Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc) and Frontoparietal Network (FPN)

Introduction: While previous studies have indicated an association between socioeconomic status (SES) and children’s neuroimaging measures, weaker SES effects are shown for Black than White families. This is, in part, due to processes such as stratification, racism, marginalization, and othering of Black people in the US, which act as barriers to translating SES resources into health outcomes. Purpose: This study had two aims: First, to test the association between parental education and the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) with the frontoparietal network (FPN) in children; and second, to investigate racial heterogeneity in this association. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. We analyzed the resting-state functional connectivity data of 7959 US pre-adolescents who were between 9 and 10 years old. The main outcome was the NAcc resting-state functional connectivity with FPN. Parental education was considered as an independent variable. Family structure, sex and age were the study covariates. Finally, race was regarded as the moderator. We used mixed-effects regression for data analysis with and without interaction terms between parental education and race. Results: Parental education was associated with higher NAcc resting-state functional connectivity with FPN. Race showed a statistically significant interaction with parental education, suggesting that the effects of parental education on NAcc rsFC with FPN was significantly weaker for Black pre-adolescents compared to White pre-adolescents. Conclusions: In line with Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs), the association between parental education and pre-adolescents’ NAcc rsFC with FPN is weaker in Black pre-adolescents compared to their White counterparts. This finding is of interest because FPN’s rsFC with NAcc may have a role in cognitive flexibility and reward processing. The weaker links between SES indicators and children’s neuroimaging findings for Black than for White families may reflect the racialization of Blacks in the US. Social stratification, racism, and discrimination may minimize the returns of SES in Black communities.
Fourier-transform near infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics for discrimination of cold-pressed oils and determination of their chemical parameters

Principal component analysis was performed to discriminate commercial cold-pressed cosmetic oils based on their Fourier-transform near infrared spectroscopy spectra and chemical parameters such as the composition of fatty acids, content of tocopherols, total carotenoids, polyphenols, and chlorophylls, as well as calculated oxidizability and iodine values. It was found that the oils analyzed differed significantly in the chemical composition. The level of total unsaturated fatty acids ranged from 74.0 to 93.4%. The content of carotenoids in oils ranged from 3.1 to 197.1 mg/kg, total chlorophylls from 0.04 to 46.3 mg/kg, and total phenolics from 36 to 596 mg/kg. The oils tested differed also in the content of tocopherols (from 11 to 3836 mg/kg). Principal component analysis based on Fourier-transform near infrared spectroscopy spectra revealed a different pattern of discrimination of the oils compared to principal component analysis based on the chemical parameters. However, using partial least squares regression, good correlations were found between Fourier-transform near infrared spectroscopy spectra and the contribution of linoleic acid (18:2), monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids, calculated oxidizability, or calculated iodine values. Good models with coefficients of determination not lower than 0.989 and with low root-mean-square error for cross-validation were obtained when the range from 4800 to 4500 cm−1 was applied. Values of residual predictive deviation for these models were higher than 3.0 indicating very good prediction accuracy. The models obtained were successfully used to predict these parameters for new selected oils.
A Parallel Robot with Torque Monitoring for Brachial Monoparesis Rehabilitation Tasks

Robots for rehabilitation tasks require a high degree of safety for the interaction with both the patients and for the operators. In particular, high safety is a stable and intuitive control of the moving elements of the system combined with an external system of sensors able to monitor the position of every aspect of the rehabilitation system (operator, robot, and patient) and overcome in a certain measure all the events that may occur during the robotic rehabilitation procedure. This paper presents the development of an internal torque monitoring system for ASPIRE. This is a parallel robot designed for shoulder rehabilitation, which enables the use of strategies towards developing a HRI (human–robot interaction) system for the therapy. A complete analysis regarding the components of the robotic system is carried out with the purpose of determining the dynamic behavior of the system. Next, the proposed torque monitoring system is developed with respect to the previously obtained data. Several experimental tests are performed using healthy subjects being equipped with a series of biomedical sensors with the purpose of validating the proposed torque monitoring strategy and, at the same time, to satisfy the degree of safety that is requested by the medical procedure.
Evaluation of microwave radiances of GPM/GMI for the all-sky assimilation in RTTOV framework

Abstract. This study evaluates the all-sky GPM/GMI radiances towards assimilation in regional mesoscale model at 183 ± 7 GHz. The radiative transfer model (RTM) namely RTTOV-SCATT is used for the simulation of three tropical cyclones (hudhud, vardah and kyant respectively). Within the RTM, the performance of non-spherical Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA) shapes (sector snowflake, 6-bullet rosette, block-column and thinplate) are evaluated. The input data used in RTTOV-SCATT includes vertical hydrometeor profiles, humidity and surface fluxes. In addition, the first guess simulations from Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model were executed at 15 km resolution using ERA-Interim reanalysis datasets. Results indicate that observed minus first guess (FG departures) are symmetric with DDA shapes. The normalized probability density function of FG departures shows large number of spatially correlated samples between clear-sky and poorly forecasted region. Quality control (QC) method was performed to eliminate large FG departures due to instrumental anomalies or poor forecast of clouds and precipitation. The goodness of fit test, h-statistics and skewness of observed and simulated distribution show optimum results for thinplate shape in all the convective events. We also tested the high resolution ERA-5 reanalysis datasets for the simulation of all-sky radiances using thinplate shape. Results illustrate a potential to integrate the GMI sensor data within a WRF data assimilation system.
Contamination of lead (Pb) in the coastal sediments of north and south of Iran: a review study

ABSTRACT Coastal areas of Iran are heavily affected by urbanisation, industrialisation, and maritime activities. One consequence of this environmental pressure is the contaminants accumulation, as heavy metals, into the marine ecosystem. In this review, the coastal areas in the north and south of the country were assessed for lead (Pb) contamination of, one of the most toxic metals found in the environment. All studies conducted during 2006–2016 with at least 10 specimens that reported the mean and standard deviation of Pb were considered in this review. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed using the Q and I2 statistics. The Pb mean concentration overall studies was estimated to be 21.88 µg/g (95% CIs: 16.25–27.50). Random effect model showed no statistical difference in mean Pb concentration levels between south and north coasts. However, the variability in Pb mean concentrations within southern coasts was considerable and statistically significant. Moreover, the Pb concentrations in the northern coasts of Persian Gulf and Oman Sea, in south of Iran, decreased in the following order Hormozgan > Khuzestan > Sistan-VA-Balluchestan > Bushehr while in the southern coasts of Caspian Sea, in north of Iran, decreased in the order Guilan > Mazandaran > Golestan.
Biosorption of MnO4− in aqueous solutions using Pinus insularis

The batch adsorption capacity of Pinus insularis in the removal of Mn2+/7+ was 4.51 mg/g which was 90.73% removal. As the initial sorbate concentrations were increased, the amount adsorbed also increased. This is due to the presence of functional groups i.e. −OH, − CH, −COO, −C-OH, −C-H and −COO found in the FTIR results and the SEM results showing rough flat multi-layer surface with small amount of pores of the biosorbent. Elemental analysis also showed presence of counterion Ca2+ on the surface of the biosorbent that may undergo ion-exchange with the sorbate. The column adsorption study shows that the exhaustion point reached 60% of the influent value of 2 mg/L. The exhaust times correspond to C/C0 = 0.6 for Mn2+/7+ onto Pinus insularis at a very low initial concentration of MnO4− aqueous solution. The volumes of Mn2+/7+ spiked water treated at the breakthrough point was 1.254 mL at initial concentration of 2 mg/L, which was the total volume in the column computed by the breakthrough time multiplied by the flowrate. The study predicted the column breakthrough or S-shaped experimental curves of the adsorption wave front.