Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Clearance and Cavity Geometries on Leakage Performance of a Stepped Labyrinth Seal

This study evaluated the leakage characteristics of a stepped labyrinth seal. Experiments and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis were conducted for a wide range of pressure ratios and clearance sizes, and the effect of the clearance on the leakage characteristics was analyzed by determining the performance of the seal using a dimensionless parameter. It was observed from the analysis that the performance parameter of the seal decreases as the clearance size increases, but it tends to increase when the clearance size exceeds a certain value. In other words, it was revealed that there exists a specific clearance size (Smin) which minimizes the performance parameter of the seal. To identify the cause of this tendency change, a flow analysis was conducted using CFD. It was confirmed that the leakage characteristics of the stepped seal are affected by the size of the cavity, which is the space between the teeth. Therefore, a parametric study was conducted on the design parameters related to the cavity size (tooth height and pitch). The results show that the performance parameter decreases as the tooth height and pitch decreases. Moreover, Smin increases as the tooth height increases and the pitch decreases.
Characterization of the Polyphenolics Related to the Colour of Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata Donn) Heartwood

Summary Three quarters of the western red cedar's heartwood colour is due to a polymeric material easily isolated by methanol extraction. The nature of this polymer has not been fully investigated and published information is contradictory. Our initial examination of the coloured polymer by pyrolysis-gas chromatography, combined with mass spectrometry, indicated that the polymer was guaiacyl in nature and thus similar to softwood lignin. However, analysis by infrared spectroscopy indicated the presence of both lignin and lignan like moieties. To clarify this issue a more detailed analysis was conducted using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR, 31P NMR, 13C NMR). Analysis of the spectra and comparison with the spectra of plicatic acid and a product from mild acid treatment of plicatic acid, indicated that the polymeric fraction was derived almost entirely from lignans. During polymer formation, the highly reactive pyrocatechol moiety in the plicatic acid is destroyed, leaving a guaiacyl-like polymer. The reaction mechanism appears to proceed via an ortho-quinone intermediate followed by polymerization.
Study Ethnomedicine Betimun: The Traditional Steam Bath Herb of Saibatin Sub-tribe, Lampung

The study revealed as many as 6 species from 3 families used in the preparation of betimun herb, Zingiberaceae was the family with the highest number of species (4 species). The used part of all plant species was leaves, while the acquisition source was from homegarden. The betimun herb was made by boiling the plants leaves. The usage way by confining the user with a sarong then the herb placed between his/her legs. Biological activities contained in the secondary metabolite compound composition of betimun herb were anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, antioxidant, aromatherapy, anti-oxidant, anti-glycation, sedative, anti-hypertensive, and astringent. This study proved that the betimun concoction has roles in eliminating body odor, fatigue, and aches; preventing and treating vaginal discharge; recovering the postpartum women's condition; slowing down the aging process, and accelerating the metabolic process. Betimun concoction potentially to be developed as a ready-use product such as phyto-simplicia.
A Complete Si Photonics Platform Embedding Ultra-Low Loss Waveguides for O- and C-Band

We report ultra-low propagation losses in silicon sub-micrometric waveguides on a 200 mm CMOS compatible photonics platform. We show median losses in C-band (O-band) as low as 0.1 dB/cm and 0.7 dB/cm (0.14 dB/cm and 1.1 dB/cm) in monomode rib and strip waveguides, respectively, thanks to a H2 smoothing annealing. In addition to the significant loss reduction, we show that the performance characteristic of the main passive and active components of the photonics platform are preserved or even improved by the smoothing process.
Challenges to the role of media in reporting sport corruption: Insights from reporters in Balkan countries

Despite the influence and power that the media hold and the importance placed on the role that they can assume regarding corruption, little is known about the part the media can play in corruption in sport and any challenges they might face in reporting on it. This study aims to shed light on this unexplored area, by using insights from members of the media based in three Balkan countries, to help uncover the challenges and obstacles faced by sport media. The findings of this study allow for the multifold role of the media in sport corruption to be examined, while uncovering the internally and externally driven obstacles they face, ranging from personal greed to market-based pressures and media’s ostracism by the wider anti-corruption system.
“Let them not make me a stone”—repositioning entrepreneurship

ABSTRACT Entrepreneurs create our tomorrows and we have a responsibility to comprehend as well as appreciate what they do. A repositioning of entrepreneurship scholarship is essential, if we are to fulfill our purpose, enact our principles, and engage fully with the peoples, places, and processes of entrepreneuring’s edgy ecotones. We argue for embracing the biosphere and exploring the in-between. We confirm the need for research that champions everyday entrepreneurs and challenges dominant ideal types. We propose and support an ethics of creative and circular frugality. To achieve these consistent and coherent aims, it is time for entrepreneurship to reposition as a connective, heterotopic, engaged, and transdisciplinary ecotone—rich, diverse, and embedded in the in-between.
Household food security, anthropometric assessment of nutritional status and socioeconomic status of families in an urban community

Insufficient food production and low incomes are common problems in developing countries, thus perpetuating malnutrition and poverty conditions; establishing food security as an indicator of great impact to estimate the quality of life of families. The objective of this study was to assess the level of food security, nutritional status and socioeconomic status of families in an urban community. 155 families from an urban community of Naguanagua, Carabobo state, Venezuela were evaluated during the months August-September 2018. An ad hoc clinical history was designed, the Household Food Insecurity (FI) Scale was applied, the nutritional status was assessed by body mass index (BMI), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR); as well as the socioeconomic status (Graffar-Méndez Castellano and the Poverty Threshold). 58.1% of families presented mild FI. 19.5% of the pediatric group presented malnutrition, while in adults, overweight and obesity stood out (44.1%); 62.5% presented cardio-metabolic risk for WHtR; 16.4% exhibited low protein reserves and 92.9% of the families were in extreme poverty. Food security was significantly correlated with BMI, WHtR, weight loss, and income. In conclusion, almost the entire sample was found in FI and in extreme poverty.
No edge effect on quantity of prey captured in the forest-dwelling tetragnathid orb spider Metellina mengei

Among the most damaging anthropogenic effects for ecosystems is habitat fragmentation. One of its consequences is the creation of edges, which results in more exposed habitats that have different ecological and behavioural effects on the different species that live there. However, the nature and magnitude of these effects remain unknown for most of the animals and plants inhabiting these edge habitats. This study intends to determine if quantity of prey capture by a woodland population of the orb spider Metellina mengei is subjected to edge effects. By observing the prey capture of this species at edge and interior locations of a woodland, we found no significant effects of edge on the number of prey captured or the average prey length. Instead, we found that inclination of the web, but not web area or other measured web parameters, had a significant effect on prey capture. Therefore, this species of spider may be minimally affected by its location within the woodland and more affected by its surrounding microhabitat, which raises the possibility that non-specialised invertebrate predators could be less impacted by fragmentation than generally recognised.
Cellulose acetate–lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide solid polymer electrolyte: ATR-FTIR and ionic conductivity behavior

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) based on cellulose acetate (CA) doped with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) salt are prepared by solution cast technique. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy of the polymer salt complexes are recorded in the frequency range between 400 cm-1 and 4000 cm-1. The shifting of carbonyl band (C=O) at 1737 cm-1 to a lower wavenumber confirms the occurrence of complexation between the polymer and the salt. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis discovered that the film with 25 wt. % of salt shows the highest ionic conductivity at room temperature. The change in real dielectric permittivity (er) as a function of frequency at different salt concentrations which exhibits a dispersive behavior at low frequencies and decays at higher frequencies, shows the electrode polarization and space charge effect. The real modulus formalism (Mr) analysis shows that the polymer electrolytes in this work are ionic conductors.
Three-dimensional distribution of glass and vesicles in metasomatized xenoliths: A micro-CT case study from Nógrád–Gömör Volcanic Field (Northern Pannonian Basin)

In this study, three clinopyroxene-enriched upper mantle xenoliths, petrographically classified as wehrlite, were investigated from the Nógrád–Gömör Volcanic Field with the use of X-ray microtomography. Our main goal was to quantify the volume of the glass phase and the vesicles to reveal their three-dimensional distribution. Among the studied wehrlite xenoliths, one is weakly and two are strongly metasomatized. The two latter wehrlite xenoliths are characterized by higher modal amount of glass and vesicles, which suggests a genetic connection between glass and concomitant vesicles, and the metasomatic agent. The glass, which was a melt at mantle conditions, forms an interconnected network. This may explain the presence of the electromagnetic anomaly with high electrical conductivity beneath the study area. Our study contributes to the better understanding of melt migration and its metasomatic effect in the lithospheric mantle beneath monogenetic volcanic fields.
Driving performance, sleepiness, fatigue, and mental workload throughout the time course of semi‐automated driving—Experimental data from the driving simulator

Automation offers the potential to mitigate or reduce the risks related to driving. There are some new challenges for drivers related to semi‐automated driving. Some of them are associated with suboptimal mental workload or prolonged need for sustained attention. This paper presents the results of an experiment investigating differences in manual driving before and after the automated phase in the scenario simulating a time‐course of semi‐automated driving. Sample size: 52 participants with two experimental sessions each day and night session. The experiment used a driving simulator to create a semi‐automated driving scenario comprising manual driving, the automated phase, and manual driving. The following questionnaires were collected: Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, Take‐Over Readiness Scale (developed for this research project, included in Appendix), Samn–Perelli Fatigue Scale, and NASA‐TLX. Driving performance significantly decreased after the automated phase (e.g., standard deviation of the steering wheel angle was 255.73 before vs. 287.11 after automation) and the effect was more profound during the night. Participants were sleepier and more fatigued after the automated phase, and assessed mental workload as lower. The results of the questionnaires did not correlate with driving performance. The results of the experiment suggest that manual driving could deteriorate after the automated phase, and that driver might not be able to assess their fitness to drive at the moment of take‐over of manual driving.
Detection of Corrosion-Indicating Oxidation Product Colors in Steel Bridges under Varying Illuminations, Shadows, and Wetting Conditions

Early detection of corrosion in steel bridges is essential for strategizing the mitigation of further corrosion damage. Although various image-based approaches are available in the literature for corrosion detection, most of these approaches are tested on images acquired under uniform natural daylight illuminations i.e., inherent variations in the ambient lighting conditions are ignored. Owing to the fact that varying natural daylight illuminations, shadows, water wetting, and oil wetting are unavoidable in real-world scenarios, it is important to devise a robust technique for corrosion identification. In the current study, four different color spaces namely ‘RGB’, ‘rgb’, ‘HSV’ and ‘CIE La*b*’ along with a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) is configured and trained for detecting corrosion under above-mentioned real-world illumination scenarios. Training (5000 instances) and validation (2064 instances) datasets for this purpose are generated from the images of corroded steel plates acquired in the laboratory under varying illuminations and shadows, respectively. Each combination of color space and an MLP configuration is individually assessed and the best suitable combination that yields the highest ‘Recall’ value is determined. An MLP configuration with a single hidden layer consisting of 4 neurons (1st Hidden Layer (HL)(4N)) in conjunction with ‘rgb’ color space is found to yield the highest ‘Accuracy’ and ‘Recall’ (up to 91% and 82% respectively). The efficacy of the trained MLP to detect corrosion is then demonstrated on the test image database consisting of both lab-generated partially corroded steel plate images and field-generated images of a bridge located in Moorhead (Minnesota). Lab-generated images used for testing are acquired under varying illuminations, shadows, water wetting, and oil wetting conditions. Based on the validation studies, ‘rgb’ color space and an MLP configuration consisting of single hidden layer with 4 neurons (1st HL(4N)) trained on lab-generated corroded plate images identified corrosion in the steel bridge under ambient lighting conditions.
TRANSIENT EFFECT IN FLUORESCENCE QUENCHING BY ELECTRON TRANSFER. 3. DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRON TRANSFER DISTANCE IN LIQUID AND SOLID SOLUTIONS

We have calculated the distribution Y(r) of electron transfer distance which is defined in such a way that Y(r) dr represents the probability of electron transfer over a distance between r and r + dr. The effect of ΔG on the Y(r) distribution was evaluated using the following parameters: the transfer integral J0 at 6 A, its attenuation coefficient β with distance, and the diffusion coefficient D. These parameters have already been determined experimentally (J0 and β) or empirically (D) in a previous paper (J. Phys. Chem. 1995, 99, 5354). The parameter values were then changed to include the more commonly used solvent, acetonitrile, and a wide range of electron transfer rates. These results indicate that the distribution is not only a function of ΔG but also a function of the quencher concentration. These results cannot be obtained simply by referring to the distance dependence of the rate constant of the reaction. The distribution considered here has experimental significance, since it is directly relate.
Thermal Processing Effects on the Textural Attributes of Previously Frozen Shrimp

Abstract Shrimp texture changes during thermal processing based on its temperature history. Texture measurements and sensory tests were performed on large, medium, and small tiger shrimp. In isothermal experiments, shrimp were cooked in water at 55, 65, 75, 85 and 95°C for two time periods: for their slowest heating point to reach within 0.5°C of water temperature, and 50% longer than this. Transient experiments were also conducted at 75, 85, 95°C, and in boiling water for a time necessary to achieve a certain microbial lethality. Cooling after heat treatment was done in ice slush and in Ziploc bags in ice slush. Texture Profile Analysis and shear test were performed with a Instron Universal testing machine. Tenderness, juiciness, rubberiness, and overall acceptability were determined by sensory panels and correlated with instrumental results. Temperature significantly affected all textural properties and sensory attributes. High correlation between textural properties and sensory attributes was obtained. This correlation may help in predicting sensory attributes from instrumentally measured texture parameters.
Women in TVET: Contestation of Agency and Patriarchal Power for Liberation

Against the effort made through Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in ensuring gender equality through providing women with the self/employment opportunities, there exists under-representation of them particularly in male-dominated training courses and jobs. In this context, the paper, based on a qualitative case study of three women who engaged in the courses and then occupations, portrays their struggles for coping with the gender stereotypes of devaluing women’s capability in the context of patriarchal power domination. Visualising from the feminist power perspectives, we came to the insights that the women’s agency (willingness, commitment, motivation, and knowledgeability) contests with the power held by males and patriarchal social structures. The negotiation of within self-power of women and external power of males and society support to unleash them for making a choice of career path.
An analysis of production factors for Galician-farmed turbot: From boom to stagnation

Abstract Aquaculture production of turbot in Galicia (Spain) has grown significantly in the last 35 years. The evolution of the sector and the variations in its production technologies are the result of the confluence of different phenomena such as horizontal integration, the arrival of foreign investment or the independence of imported inputs. This article analyses the evolution of Galician-farmed turbot sector production. Five main factors (space, technology, production, marketing and environment), and profitability are studied and analyzed. The results show that the average rate of return in the sector has increased significantly over the last years.
What Factors Influence Rural-To-Urban Migrant Peasants to Rent out Their Household Farmland? Evidence from China’s Pearl River Delta

With the accommodative policy and rapid urbanization in China, large-scale migration of rural-to-urban peasants seeking nonagricultural employment has occurred. This has led to farmland rental, which is considered an effective means of land arrangement. Multiple variables were selected to examine the influencing factors of land rental for rural–urban peasants in China by using survey data collected in six core cities of the Pearl River Delta and a logistic regression model. This study revealed that benefits, household members, and urban living conditions and urban integration are factors that affect land rental. According to the results, improvements in working conditions, urban social insurance and urban integration, annual gross household income, and secure land ownership can promote land rental, whereas stronger hometown connections and parenting inhibit land rental. Women and youth excluded from China’s previous land allocation hold complex attitudes toward land rental, with age and sex statistically significant variables affecting land rental. We underscore the influence of family members and urban living conditions for land rental, which were ignored in earlier studies, to provide suggestions for future policy development, with an emphasis on the land rental market and redistribution of idle land.
Hepatitis C Virus E2—Host Cell Receptor, HSPA5, Binding Site Prediction

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is the main causative factor for liver cirrhosis and the development of liver cancer, with a confirmed ~ 180 million infections worldwide. E2 is an HCV structural protein responsible for virus entry to the host cell. Heat Shock Protein A5 (HSPA5), also termed BiP and GRP78, is the master regulator of the unfolded protein response mechanism, where it mainly localizes in the lumen of the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) in normal conditions. Under the stress of HCV infection or carcinogenesis, HSPA5 is upregulated. Consequently, HSPA5 escapes the ER retention localization and translocates to the cytoplasm and plasma membrane. Pep42, a cyclic peptide that was reported to target explicitly cell-surface HSPA5 in vivo. Owing to the high sequence and structural conservation between the C554-C566 region of HCV E2 and the Pep42, then we propose that the HCV E2 C554-C566 region could be the recognition site. The motivation of this work is to predict the possible binding mode between HCV E2 and HSPA5 by implementing molecular docking to test such proposed binding. Docking results reveal the high potent binding of the HCV E2 C554-C566 region to HSPA5 substrate-binding domain β (SBDβ). Moreover, the full-length HCV E2 also exhibits high binding potency to HSPA5 SBDβ. Defining the binding mode between HCV E2 and HSPA5 is of significance, so one can interfere with such binding and reducing the viral infection.
Nanocasting Route for the Synthesis of Ordered Mesoporous Sn02 with Highly Crystalline Framework

Ordered mesoporous metal oxides (OMMO) SnO2 with large surface areas and highly crystalline frameworks were successfully synthesized via nanocasting routes using 3D cubic ordered mesoporous silica KIT-6 templates. The chemical and structural properties of these materials were characterized by means of XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption SEM and TEM analyses. The present work revealed that the mesoporous SnO2 materials exhibited well-defined and long-range periodic order of mesopores as well as highly crystalline frameworks, indicating successful replication from the mesoporous KIT-6 silica templates. Moreover, these materials demonstrated high surface area of 109 m/g and high pore volume of 0.22 cm/g as well as large pore size of 6.2 nm. Hence, the nanocasting route offers a versatile and simple way of creating ordered mesoporous SnO2 with enhanced properties that may have potential applications in the field of catalysis and gas-sensing.