Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Millimeter-Wave High-Gain Magneto-Electric Dipole Antenna Array With Pillbox Corporate Feed Network

This article presents a high-gain antenna array with the use of magnetoelectric (ME) dipole antenna elements operating at millimeter-wave frequencies. The proposed array achieves wide bandwidth, high gain, and low sidelobe level (SLL) in its planar structure. A highly efficient power divider consisting of pillbox transition and corporate feed network is introduced to produce equal phase but nonuniform power distributions to all array elements such that it can be for suppressing the SLL of the array. The radiating element is constituted by a cavity-backed slot-coupled ME dipole, which offers a wide impedance bandwidth and a stable radiation pattern. A prototype of the antenna array is fabricated and measured to verify the proposed design. The array achieves an impedance bandwidth of 20.8% (for the reflection coefficient $\le -10$ dB), covering the frequency range from 54.2 to 66.8 GHz. The average gain of the array is 28.5 dBi in its operating bandwidth, with a peak gain of 29.6 dBi at 65 GHz. The lowest E-plane SLL level over the entire bandwidth is −18 dB. This proposed antenna array has potential applications in long-distance millimeter-wave communications due to its merits of wideband, high gain, and low SLL features.
Enhancing light scattering effect of white LEDs with ZnO nanostructures

Pc-LEDs, the lighting method that blends blue LED light with yellow light from phosphor to discharge white radiation, is one of the most advance known for high lumen output. However, pc-LEDs has inferior due to angular CCT deviation, which prevent pc-LEDs from reaching better performance. As a result, this research is conducted to address the need of pc-LEDs development by introducing a configuration doped with ZnO nanoparticles. The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method and the phosphor layer containing ZnO were applied in the experiments. The effect of ZnO-filled on the performance of color quality pc-LEDs is confirmed through calculated results. In particular, the uniformity of scattered light is improved with the presence of ZnO. In addition, ZnO particles also minimize the deviation of color temperature and enhance the color quality. Although there is a small decline in lumen output to achieve better color temperature uniformity, however, with suitable concentrations such as 0.25% N-ZnO, 0.25% S-ZnO, and 0. 75% R-ZnO, the decline is acceptable. The research on ZnO pc-LEDs demonstrates that this affordable and simple configuration can improve lighting properties and create other directions to enhance white light
Effect of lactose intolerance severity on food intake and quality of life in adults with lactose intolerance in Turkey

PurposeLactose intolerance is lactose digestive disorder due to lactase enzyme deficiency. This can affect the quality of life by restricting the intake of certain foods. The aim of this study is to show the lactose intolerance to the restriction in food intake and quality of life.Design/methodology/approachThis study was conducted with adults aged 18–60 years. A survey was used to gather information on the demographic characteristics of the patients and their symptoms related to lactose intolerance. In addition, the Visual Analog Scale was administered to identify common symptoms and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-Bref Quality of Life Scale to determine their quality of life.FindingsThe average quality of life subscale scores was 56.25 ± 14.06 for physical, 58.29 ± 11.72 for mental, 63.28 ± 21.35 for social and 62.36 ± 16.37 for environmental. When VAS scores obtained for the common digestive system symptoms in lactose intolerance were compared with Quality of Life scores; it was found that physical life quality scores decreased (r = −0.239, p = 0.030) as the complaints of diarrhea increased and physical and environmental life quality decreased (r = −0.316, p = 0.004/r = −0.277, p = 0.012, respectively) as abdominal pain increased.Originality/valuePeople reduce dairy consumption due to digestive system complaints. Therefore, it is important to inform the people about the effects of lactose intolerance because discomfort caused by intolerance can affect nutrient intake and lower the quality of life.
Nano- and Micropatterning on Optical Fibers by Bottom-Up Approach: The Importance of Being Ordered

The realization of advanced optical fiber probes demands the integration of materials and structures on optical fibers with micro- and nanoscale definition. Although researchers often choose complex nanofabrication tools to implement their designs, the migration from proof-of-principle devices to mass production lab-on-fiber devices requires the development of sustainable and reliable technology for cost-effective production. To make it possible, continuous efforts are devoted to applying bottom-up nanofabrication based on self-assembly to decorate the optical fiber with highly ordered photonic structures. The main challenges still pertain to “order” attainment and the limited number of implementable geometries. In this review, we try to shed light on the importance of self-assembled ordered patterns for lab-on-fiber technology. After a brief presentation of the light manipulation possibilities concerned with ordered structures, and of the new prospects offered by aperiodically ordered structures, we briefly recall how the bottom-up approach can be applied to create ordered patterns on the optical fiber. Then, we present un-attempted methodologies, which can enlarge the set of achievable structures, and can potentially improve the yielding rate in finely ordered self-assembled optical fiber probes by eliminating undesired defects and increasing the order by post-processing treatments. Finally, we discuss the available tools to quantify the degree of order in the obtained photonic structures, by suggesting the use of key performance figures of merit in order to systematically evaluate to what extent the pattern is really “ordered”. We hope such a collection of articles and discussion herein could inspire new directions and hint at best practices to fully exploit the benefits inherent to self-organization phenomena leading to ordered systems.
Measuring internal communication satisfaction: validating the internal communication satisfaction questionnaire

PurposeThe study examines the psychometric properties of internal communication satisfaction questionnaire (ICSQ), an instrument originally developed in Croatian. A need for a contemporary instrument validated among a non-English-speaking population of employees who use English as their second language motivated the authors to translate the scale.Design/methodology/approachICSQ was validated on a sample of 507 employees of a large Croatian subsidiary of a multinational bank, where English is the official corporate language.FindingsICSQ displayed satisfactory levels of psychometric properties, retaining the psychometric properties of the original version of the instrument. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed the acceptable model–data fit of the eight-factor model. Additionally, findings supported the reliability and construct validity of the English version of the instrument. Good internal consistencies of all eight internal communication satisfaction (ICS) dimensions and the total ICSQ and an adequate level of scale homogeneity according to the inter-item and inter-total correlations were found.Research limitations/implicationsIn order to generalize the study’s results to other business areas and industries, the study should be replicated in other contexts. Additionally, construct validity was tested by applying cross-sectional design, and therefore, no conclusion can be drawn on the causal direction of the relationship. Finally, the discriminant validity of ICSQ was not tested and should be examined in future studies.Practical implicationsThe resulting 32-item instrument, in English, can be used for empirical and practical purposes in improving internal communication.Originality/valueThe study confirms that internal communication is a multidimensional construct and should be measured as such.
Hygroscopicity of materials internally mixed with black carbon measured in Tokyo

Black carbon (BC) aerosols become internally mixed with non‐BC compounds (BC coatings) during aging in the atmosphere. In this study, we measured the hygroscopicity parameter κ on a single‐particle basis for both BC‐coating materials (κBC‐coat) and BC‐free particles (κBC‐free) in the urban atmosphere of Tokyo, using a single‐particle soot photometer (SP2). In our measurement system, dry ambient particles were first mass selected by an aerosol particle mass analyzer, then humidified, and then passed to the SP2 for detection of their refractory BC mass content and optical diameter. A quadrupole aerosol mass spectrometer was also employed to interpret the hygroscopicity data. During the observation period, the measured κBC‐coat generally agreed with κBC‐free to within ±25% and was usually in typical range for inorganic and organic aerosols. These results indicate that BC‐coating materials and BC‐free particles in Tokyo usually had similar chemical compositions, internal mixtures of inorganic and organic compounds, even in a source region. However, occasionally κBC‐coat was much higher than κBC‐free values, when the mass concentrations of BC and organic aerosols were poorly correlated. This indicates external mixing of BC‐containing and BC‐free particles from different sources. These findings improve our understanding of the cloud condensation nuclei activity of BC‐containing particles, which strongly influences their wet removal, and optical properties in the ambient air.
Oleaginous Yeasts as Cell Factories for the Sustainable Production of Microbial Lipids by the Valorization of Agri-Food Wastes

The agri-food industry annually produces huge amounts of crops residues and wastes, the suitable management of these products is important to increase the sustainability of agro-industrial production by optimizing the entire value chain. This is also in line with the driving principles of the circular economy, according to which residues can become feedstocks for novel processes. Oleaginous yeasts represent a versatile tool to produce biobased chemicals and intermediates. They are flexible microbial factories able to grow on different side-stream carbon sources such as those deriving from agri-food wastes, and this characteristic makes them excellent candidates for integrated biorefinery processes through the production of microbial lipids, known as single cell oils (SCOs), for different applications. This review aims to present an extensive overview of research progress on the production and use of oleaginous yeasts and present discussions on the current bottlenecks and perspectives of their exploitation in different sectors, such as foods, biofuels and fine chemicals.
Abiotic stress and biotic factors mediate range dynamics on opposing edges

In the face of global change, understanding causes of range limits are one of the most pressing needs in biogeography and ecology. A prevailing hypothesis is that abiotic stress forms cold (upper latitude/altitude) limits, whereas biotic interactions create warm (lower) limits. A new framework – Interactive Range‐Limit Theory (iRLT) – asserts that positive biotic factors such as food availability can ameliorate abiotic stress along cold edges, whereas abiotic stress can have a positive effect and mediate biotic interactions (e.g., competition) along warm limits.
Prevalence of Angiodysplasia Detected in Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Examinations

Background This study was performed to examine the prevalence of asymptomatic angiodysplasia detected in upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examinations and of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) suspected cases. Methodology The study participants were 5,034 individuals (3,206 males, 1,828 females; mean age 53.5 ± 9.8 years) who underwent an upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examination as part of a medical check-up. The presence of angiodysplasia was examined endoscopically from the pharynx to duodenal second portion. HHT suspected cases were diagnosed based on the presence of both upper gastrointestinal angiodysplasia and recurrent nasal bleeding episodes occurring in the subject as well as a first-degree relative. Results Angiodysplasia was endoscopically detected in 494 (9.8%) of the 5,061 subjects. Those with angiodysplasia lesions in the pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach, and duodenum numbered 44, 4, 155, 322, and 12, respectively. None had symptoms of upper gastrointestinal bleeding or severe anemia. Subjects with angiodysplasia showed significant male predominance and were significantly older than those without. A total of 11 (0.2%) were diagnosed as HHT suspected cases by the presence of upper gastrointestinal angiodysplasia and recurrent epistaxis episodes from childhood in the subject as well as a first-degree relative. Conclusions Asymptomatic angiodysplasia was detected in 9.8% of the subjects who underwent screening upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examinations.
A framework for assessing the contribution of UK local authorities toward compliance with the EU ambient air quality directive

Implementation outcomes of the Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD) (2008/50/EC)) are weak across European Union (EU) member states. In the UK, Local Authorities (LAs) must work toward reducing air pollution, however, means of assessing the extent and effectiveness of their contribution are limited. This paper develops a framework to evaluate policies implemented by UK LAs to address air pollution and applies it to Air Quality Action Plans (AQAP) of five cities. It looks at how, and the extent to which, LA air quality policies align with AAQD requirements, thus advancing empirical and academic knowledge on implementation literature surrounding multi-level governance, specifically the policy disconnect between the AAQD and UK Local Air Quality Management (LAQM). The application of the framework shows how LAs can better integrate AQAPs into their LAQM plans to assess, develop, improve and implement their air quality policies on the ground.
Impact of sleeping habits, physical activity and sleeping hours on Insomnia among patients visiting tertiary care hospitals, Lahore

Insomnia is a condition that affects an individual by inability to get sufficient quality sleep or problem in maintaining sleep that is important for healthy functioning, performance and wellbeing. The sleep quality of an individual is affected by sleeping hours, sleeping habits and amount of physical activity. A cross sectional study based on sample size of 1000 participants, was conducted at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore and The University of Lahore Teaching Hospital, Lahore, to find out impact of sleeping habits, sleeping hours and physical activity among patients of insomnia. 48.2% patients were watching Television before bed. 12.5 % were having snacks at bedtime. 8.9% patients were eating if they woke up and 35 % patients were waking up to go the bathroom during night. 10.9 % were reading before sleeping. 23.6 % were thinking more before sleeping. 19.1 % were waking up early, could not sleep again and were still tired. 6.7% patients were facing recurring nightmares. 5.6 percent patients were getting sleep for 1-3 hours, 42.6 percent patients were getting sleep for 4-6 hours, and 51.7 percent patients were getting sleep for 7-10 hours. 50.3% patients were less active, 43.9% were moderately active while 5.8% of them were vigorously active. The study concluded that sleeping habits, sleep hours and physical activity had a significant effect on Insomnia. Patients with poor sleeping habits and sleep duration and who were physically less active reported more symptoms of Insomnia.
Development of Coupled Data Assimilation With the BCC Climate System Model: Highlighting the Role of Sea‐Ice Assimilation for Global Analysis

The coupled data assimilation (CDA) system consisting of ocean, sea‐ice, and atmosphere data assimilation components with the Beijing Climate Center (BCC) Climate System Model has been developed to provide reliable analyses of the atmosphere, ocean, and sea‐ice states. It incorporates ocean temperature/salinity profiles, sea surface temperature, sea level height, and sea‐ice concentration observations at a daily frequency, and atmosphere reanalysis at a 6‐hourly frequency. Results show that the system is capable of realistically reproducing the climatology and variability of ocean, sea‐ice, and atmosphere. The performances in analyzing ocean component are comparable to those of well‐known ocean reanalyses that were once used to initialize the BCC model for climate predictions. A series of experiments with and without sea‐ice observations in the CDA framework are designed to explore the role of sea‐ice data assimilation (DA). The addition of sea‐ice DA exerts very small influence to the analysis of upper ocean temperature over the Arctic area, but leads to an evident reduction of temperature error in the upper 1000 m of ocean south of 60°S. Particularly, only the inclusion of sea‐ice DA can make the ocean/ocean‐atmosphere DA effective in providing skillful analysis in the high‐latitude Southern Ocean. Furthermore, we find that only on the basis of ocean DA, can the addition of sea‐ice concentration assimilation improve the analysis of tropical tropospheric atmosphere, along with a better analysis of mid‐ and high‐latitude stratospheric atmosphere. These results address the importance of coordination of sea‐ice observations and ocean observations in CDA.
The classification of relict extraterrestrial chrome spinels using STEM techniques on silicate inclusions

Remnant extraterrestrial chrome spinels from terrestrial sediments provide information on how the mixture of meteoritic materials falling to Earth has changed over Earth’s history. The parent meteorite type of each grain can be identified by characteristic elemental and oxygen‐isotope abundances. Some meteorite types can be difficult to classify because their chrome‐spinel compositional ranges overlap. Silicate inclusions within chrome spinels of modern ordinary chondrites have been shown to have discriminating power among meteorite subclasses. We employed energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and in a (scanning) transmission electron microscope (S/TEM) to investigate inclusions in chrome‐spinel grains from Ordovician and Jurassic sediments. Unaltered Ordovician inclusions allowed us to establish the size limits for reliable SEM analysis of inclusions. The Jurassic grains were more altered, but the use of STEM techniques on small inclusions (<3 μm diameter at their polished surfaces) allowed us to determine chemical compositions and mineral structures of inclusions in three chrome spinels. The parent meteorite type was determined for one Jurassic grain based on its inclusion compositions. Our study confirms that silicate inclusions can be used to classify parent meteorite types of chrome‐spinel grains, but the size of the inclusions and the complex effects of terrestrial alteration must be taken into account. During our study, we also found some interesting exsolution phenomena in the host chrome‐spinel grains.
Identification of Key Genes Related to the Prognosis of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Based on Chip Re-Annotation

Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. However, reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis, or those for the prognosis of therapy, remain unfulfilled goals for its subtype esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The purpose of this study was to identify reliable biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of ESCC by gene chip re-annotation technique and downstream bioinformatics analysis. In our research, the GSE53624 dataset was downloaded from the GEO database. Then, we reannotated the gene expression probe and obtained the gene expression matrix. Differential expressed genes (DEGs) were found by R packages and they were subjected to Gene Ontology enrichment analysis and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network construction. As a result, a total of 28,885 mRNA probes were reannotated, among which 210 down-regulated and 80 up-regulated DEGs were screened out. By combining these genes set in clinical prognosis information and Western blot analysis, we found four genes with diagnostic and prognostic significance, including MMP13, SPP1, MMP10, and COL1A1. Furthermore, markers of infiltrating immune cells exhibited different DEG-related immune infiltration patterns.
Automatic greenhouse pest recognition based on multiple color space features

Recognition and counting of greenhouse pests are important for monitoring and forecasting pest population dynamics. This study used image processing techniques to recognize and count whiteflies and thrips on a sticky trap located in a greenhouse environment. The digital images of sticky traps were collected using an image-acquisition system under different greenhouse conditions. If a single color space is used, it is difficult to segment the small pests correctly because of the detrimental effects of non-uniform illumination in complex scenarios. Therefore, a method that first segments object pests in two color spaces using the Prewitt operator in I component of the hue-saturation-intensity (HSI) color space and the Canny operator in the B component of the Lab color space was proposed. Then, the segmented results for the two-color spaces were summed and achieved 91.57% segmentation accuracy. Next, because different features of pests contribute differently to the classification of pest species, the study extracted multiple features (e.g., color and shape features) in different color spaces for each segmented pest region to improve the recognition performance. Twenty decision trees were used to form a strong ensemble learning classifier that used a majority voting mechanism and obtains 95.73% recognition accuracy. The proposed method is a feasible and effective way to process greenhouse pest images. The system accurately recognized and counted pests in sticky trap images captured under real greenhouse conditions. Keywords: ensemble learning classifier, greenhouse sticky trap, automated pest recognition and counting, HSI and Lab color spaces, multiple color space features DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe. 20211402.5098 Citation: Yang Z K, Li W Y, Li M, Yang X T. Automatic greenhouse pest recognition based on multiple color space features. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2021; 14(2): 188–195.
Excitability in an all-fiber laser with a saturable absorber section

We report the first demonstration of excitability in an all-fiber laser. We present clear experimental evidence in this passively $Q$-switched device with gain and absorber sections for defining properties of excitability, including a threshold-based excitable response and a decreasing reaction delay between input pulse and excitatory response with increasing perturbation amplitude. Our experimental results are consistent with the homoclinic/saddle-loop mechanism that forms the basis of excitability as demonstrated by a study of the Yamada model; they pave the way toward novel and reliable all-fiber architectures for neuro-inspired photonic memory and computing applications.