Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emission characteristics of oxy-fuel combustion of crude oil in a fluidized bed combustor

ABSTRACT One of the most important thermochemical methods for heat and electricity generation is combustion process; however, it has become a serious problem for researchers in the field of green chemistry due to high emissions and pollutants. In this paper, a modeling study of crude oil combustion was carried out based on the rate of reactions and combustor characteristics. To evaluate the potential of crude oil for heat and power generation, the influence of residence time of droplets and system pressure on greenhouse gas emissions was studied. Results obtained from model were validated against the experimental data of crude oil combustion and found to be in a good agreement.
Modeling flow properties of fine dry powders using particle morphological properties and its effects on geometry of fly ash evacuation hoppers

ABSTRACT This paper results from an ongoing effort to correlate the physical properties of powders at a fundamental level with their bulk behavior. Cohesion and unconfined yield stress are the measure of inter-particle forces of attraction in the bulk powder. The existing model for cohesion does not include important bulk properties, such as particle size distribution, tapped density, and prevailing applied stress. In the present paper, flow properties of 25 bulk solids (different cement and fly ash samples) have been evaluated using a ring shear tester and the products have been characterized according to their flowabilities. Models for cohesion and unconfined yield strength have been developed in this study by taking into account the effects of particle size distribution, tapped bulk density and pre-shear stress. The newly developed models have provided good fit to the experimental data. The effect of these flow properties on the design of hoppers have been investigated for fly ash samples collected from seven consecutive electrostatic precipitator (ESP) hoppers of a coal fired thermal power station. The results show that fly ash from the rear end ESP hopper would require higher amount of opening size compared to the first or second field of ESP to ensure proper mass flow condition is achieved at all the ESP hoppers.
Mathematical modeling of the batch adsorption of proteins on new restricted access media with poly(ethylene glycol) as a semi-permeable barrier using compact finite differences

Abstract In this work we describe a mathematical analysis of the batch adsorption process of several proteins using a new restricted access medium consisting of agarose beads grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as a semi-permeable barrier and immobilized metal ions or ion exchange groups as binding sites. The model was fitted to experimental data, allowing the estimation of the adsorption rate constant and the effective diffusivity for each protein. The model was solved using compact finite differences in a MATLAB® platform. According to the results, the presence of grafted PEG reduces the adsorption of all proteins to different extent; with high molecular weight proteins being affected the most. The model also establishes a reduction in the adsorption rate constant (which affects protein interaction with binding sites). The movement of the protein molecules in the adsorbent pores is also affected by the grafted PEG, but to a lesser extent.
Role of oxidised protein repair for skeletal muscle homeostasis

Muscle regeneration and the muscle adult stem cells, also known as satellite cells, that are engaged in this process are a major biomedical issue, mainly for the treatment of muscular dystrophies. In some muscular dystrophies as for muscle ageing, an important oxidative stress state and an altered protein homeostasis have been described. The objective of this thesis is to determine the importance of methionine sulfoxide reductase (Msr) enzymes, one of the few enzymatic systems involved in the reduction of protein oxidation, in satellite cells function during regeneration as well as their role in skeletal muscle fibres protection during muscle ageing. Our results show that in the absence of Msr enzymes, cultured primary myoblasts revealed increased reactive oxygen species content and accumulation of oxidised proteins that result in decreased myoblasts proliferative capacities associated to a senescence state. Regarding the study of muscle fibres, we found a decrease in Msr activity during ageing, which could contribute to the accumulation of irreversible damages observed in aged muscle fibres. This thesis is the first study of Msr proteins in skeletal muscle tissue. Our results demonstrate the importance of MsrA enzymes in the regulation of satellite cells function during muscle regeneration and suggest that it could represent an interesting therapeutic target in complement of the cell therapies already used for the treatment of muscle disorders such as muscular dystrophies.
Numerische Simulation des Reaktionsfortschrittes in einem Ottomotor mit kompressionsgezünderter Verbrennung = Numerical Simulation of the progress of chemical reactions in a HCCI engine

The HCCI combustion in gasoline engines is a promising concept to reduce both emissions and fuel consumption at the same time. However HCCI operation is limited by steep pressure gradients at high loads and by decreasing operation stability at low loads. Because the spatial progress of the reactions can only be measured or described by extensive conventional measurement techniques or numeric tools, it is still not clear how the homogeneity of the charge can be used to minimise the pressure gradients or enhance the process stability. In this work simulations of a gasoline engine with HCCI combustion are shown. Based on a detailed reaction mechanism, an efficient model for treating the chemical reactions was developed and coupled with a CFD-Code. The results of experimental optical visualisation and of numerical simulation are compared and show good agreement. Hence the chemical model was used to investigate the influence of engine parameters on the spatial progress of the reactions in a HCCI engine.
The impacts of PbI2 purity on the morphology and device performance of one-step spray-coated planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells

We have fabricated planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells by one-step ultrasonic spray-coating of the perovskite precursor solution in air. Uniform perovskite films with high surface coverage can be prepared after optimization of the precursor solution and spray-coating parameters. We found that the purity of PbI2, although varying only from 98 to 99.9%, can significantly affect the crystallinity, grain size and boundaries of MAPbI3 films that were fabricated via one-step spray-coating, and ultimately determined the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite devices. PbI2 with a purity of 98% resulted in a low conversion of precursors to perovskites, whilst a high purity of 99.9% led to perovskites with a high crystallinity, large grain size and narrow grain boundaries. Our p–i–n type, planar heterojunction solar cell ITO/PEDOT:PSS/MAPbI3/PCBM/Ag made from MAI and 99.9% purity PbI2 achieved a maximum PCE of 12.6% without hysteresis, whereas the 98% purity PbI2-based device showed a low PCE of only 4.9% with the presence of hysteresis. However, the impacts of PbI2 purity on the device efficiency can be minimized by changing the deposition method from one-step spray-coating to a two-step spin casting approach.
Semi-Supervised Temporal Action Proposal Generation via Exploiting 2-D Proposal Map

Temporal action proposal generation aims to generate temporal video segments containing human actions in untrimmed videos, which is always a preliminary for such video understanding tasks as action localization and temporally description grounding, etc. Fully-supervised solutions, though proven to be effective, suffer much from heavy data annotation overhead. To address this problem, this paper focuses on a rarely investigated yet practical problem of semi-supervised learning for temporal action proposal generation. Firstly, we propose a Proposal Map oriented Mean-Teacher (PM-MT) model, which can use both labeled and unlabeled data for end-to-end model training. Secondly, a Suppression-and-Re-Generation (SRG) strategy is designed to generate high-quality pseudo labels for unlabeled data, which are then used to finetune the model. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method, by achieving the state-of-the-art results on two public benchmark datatsets on the task of semi-supervised action proposal generation and outperforming fully-supervised learning methods with only a portion of labeled data.
Advanced Adsorbent Mediated Extraction Techniques for the Separation of Antibiotics from Food, Biological, and Environmental Matrices

ABSTRACT Estimation of antibiotic residues in environmental matrices; veterinary products; food and biological samples has become very important in order to protect the human health and limit the spread of antimicrobial resistance. To achieve this, sensitive and efficient sample preparation procedures for the extraction of antibiotics from complex matrices are essential. Reproducible and effective sample preparation processes together with sensitive analytical techniques directly impact the final accuracy of the data and further interpretation. Exhaustive solvent-based extraction techniques such as liquid–liquid extraction have several limitations and suffer from a negative impact on environment. Past two decades have witnessed paradigm shift from solvent based to sorbent-based techniques in the extraction of contaminants. Innovative non-exhaustive techniques such as solid-phase microextraction and magnetic solid-phase extraction using advanced (nano)materials (e.g. molecularly imprinted polymer) have brought radical changes to the way traditional sample extraction was carried out. As the advanced techniques are specific to a target antibiotic or to its class, design consideration for the in-house synthesis of novel (nano)materials and optimization of the extraction technique is a crucial step in the quantification of antibiotic contaminants. The aim of this review is to assess the critical design parameters to be considered to synthesize novel sorbent materials for the extraction of antibiotics and to improve their extraction techniques.
Near‐UV activated, photostable nanophosphors for in vitro dosimetry and dynamic bioimaging

Luminescent rare earth nanoparticles exhibit superior optical stability over commonly-used organic dyes and higher biocompatibility over quantum dots, rendering them advantageous as bioimaging nanoprobes. However, their typical excitation inhibits their broad employment with conventional fluorescent microscopes and, thus, solutions are sought to shift their activation in the long-wavelength (near-UV) spectral region. Here, we synthesize YVO 4 :Eu 3+ nanophosphors by flame aerosol technology to systematically study the effect of Bi 3+ codoping on their luminescence. That way, we identify an optimal Bi-content for sufficient near-UV activation. These nanophosphors are highly crystalline and appeared bright red under a conventional fluorescence microscope, facilitating bioimaging with HeLa cells and in vitro dosimetry correlations in the presence and absence of serum. The nanophosphor superiority over organic-dye-labelled silica nanoparticles is shown during dynamic imaging for 4 h without photobleaching for the former. These YVO 4 :Eu 3+ /Bi 3+ nanophosphors can provide a non-photobleaching tool for further dynamic nanoparticle-cell interaction studies with conventional fluorescent microscopes. trypsin-EDTA solution. 26 The cells were routinely tested to verify the absence of mycoplasma contamination.
Quantification of coumarin and related phenolics in cinnamon samples from south India using UHPLC-ESI-QqQLIT-MS/MS method

ABSTRACT The presence of coumarin, a hepatotoxic phenyl propanoid, in samples of the spice, cinnamon, procured from the market has raised food safety concerns world over. A validated, ultra-performance liquid chromatography- linear ion trap triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method was developed in the present study for the estimation of coumarin and other phenolics in authentic Cinnamomum verum bark samples and market samples from south India. Coumarin contents in authentic bark samples were in the range of 12.3 to 143.0 mg/kg, whereas the coumarin contents in samples procured from the market were up to 3462.0 mg/kg. The high content of coumarin and cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon samples procured from the market suggested possible blending with substitutes like Cinnamomum cassia barks, which possess substantial amounts of coumarin and cinnamaldehyde.
Measuring and Predicting Intention of Senegalese Mothers to Provide Iron-Rich Foods to their Children

In Senegal, only 43% of children aged 6-23 months are provided with iron-rich foods (IRF). Assessing determinants of mothers’ behaviour is imperative to improve young children nutrition. We developed a validated questionnaire and used it to assess psychosocial factors of mothers' intention to provide IRF to their children aged 6-23 months in the Matam area, Senegal. Using the planned behaviour theory, the first version of a questionnaire was developed and administered to 120 mothers. Exploratory factorial analyses (EFA) were used to generate a shorter and validated final version of the questionnaire, administered to another sample (N=100) of mothers to assess psychosocial factors underlying their intention to provide IRF to children. EFA revealed the importance of perceived benefits mothers have for the health/welfare of their children if providing them IRF, about acting according to expectations of persons in their surroundings and limited access to IRF due to physical/financial constraints. Attitude (β=0.26, p = 0.015) and subjective norm (β = 0.22, p = 0.047) were positively associated with mothers’ intention to provide IRF to their children. Together with sociodemographic variables, they explained 14% of its variance. Our findings revealed that mothers have a strong intention to provide IRF to their children. Although further assessments of this questionnaire are warranted in other contexts, this tool could provide information on potential determinants of mothers’ intention to provide IRF to children.
An introduction to charting the digital lifespan

Charting the Digital Lifespan (CDL) is a two-year programme of research that is producing unique insights into the digital lifespan of UK citizens both now and in a future where our young Digital Natives will encounter digital dimensions to key transition points in the human lifespan – becoming an adult, becoming a parent, retiring from work. In this paper, we provide an overview of the CDL project to contribute to discussions with the CHI community about how major life events shape and are shaped by human computer interaction.
A Manifold of Polynomial Time Solvable Bimatrix Games

This paper identifies a manifold in the space of bimatrix games which contains games that are strategically equivalent to rank-1 games through a positive affine transformation. It also presents an algorithm that can compute, in polynomial time, one such rank-1 game which is strategically equivalent to the original game. Through this approach, we substantially expand the class of games that are solvable in polynomial time. It is hoped that this approach can be further developed in conjunction with other notions of strategic equivalence to compute exact or approximate Nash equilibria in a wide variety of bimatrix games.
Elite Swimmers’ Training Patterns in the 25 Weeks Prior to Their Season’s Best Performances: Insights Into Periodization From a 20-Years Cohort

Background This study investigated the periodization of elite swimmers’ training over the 25 weeks preceding the major competition of the season. Methods We conducted a retrospective observational study of elite male (n = 60) and female (n = 67) swimmers (46 sprint, 81 middle-distance) over 20 competitive seasons (1992–2012). The following variables were monitored: training corresponding to blood lactate <2 mmol⋅L-1, 2 to ≤4 mmol⋅L-1, >4–6 mmol⋅L-1, >6 mmol⋅L-1, and maximal swimming speed; general conditioning and maximal strength training hours; total training load (TTL); and the mean normalized volumes for both in-water and dryland workouts. Latent class mixed modeling was used to identify various TTL pattern groups. The associations between pattern groups and sex, age, competition event, Olympic quadrennial year, training contents, and relative performance were quantified. Results For the entire cohort, ∼86–90% of the training was swum at an intensity of [La]b ≤ 4 mmol⋅L-1. This training volume was divided into 40–44% at <2 mmol⋅L-1 and 44–46% at 2 to ≤4 mmol⋅L-1, leaving 6–9.5% at >4–6 mmol⋅L-1, and 3.5–4.5% at >6 mmol⋅L-1. Three sprint TTL patterns were identified: a pattern with two long ∼14–15-week macrocycles, one with two ∼12–13 week macrocycles each composed of a balanced training load, and one with a single stable flat macrocycle. The long pattern elicited the fastest performances and was most prevalent in Olympic quadrennials (i.e., 4 seasons preceding the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Olympic Games). This pattern exhibited moderate week-to-week TTL variability (6 ± 3%), progressive training load increases between macrocycles, and more training at ≤4 mmol⋅L-1 and >6 mmol⋅L-1. This fastest sprint pattern showed a waveform in the second macrocycle consisting of two progressive load peaks 10–11 and 4–6 weeks before competition. The stable flat pattern was the slowest and showed low TTL variability (4 ± 3%), training load decreases between macrocycles (P < 0.01), and more training at 4–6 mmol⋅L-1 (P < 0.01). Conclusion Progressive increases in training load, macrocycles lasting about 14–15 weeks, and substantial volume of training at intensities ≤4 mmol⋅L-1 and >6 mmol⋅L-1, were associated with peak performance in elite swimmers.
Probability density distillation with generative adversarial networks for high-quality parallel waveform generation

This paper proposes an effective probability density distillation (PDD) algorithm for WaveNet-based parallel waveform generation (PWG) systems. Recently proposed teacher-student frameworks in the PWG system have successfully achieved a real-time generation of speech signals. However, the difficulties optimizing the PDD criteria without auxiliary losses result in quality degradation of synthesized speech. To generate more natural speech signals within the teacher-student framework, we propose a novel optimization criterion based on generative adversarial networks (GANs). In the proposed method, the inverse autoregressive flow-based student model is incorporated as a generator in the GAN framework, and jointly optimized by the PDD mechanism with the proposed adversarial learning method. As this process encourages the student to model the distribution of realistic speech waveform, the perceptual quality of the synthesized speech becomes much more natural. Our experimental results verify that the PWG systems with the proposed method outperform both those using conventional approaches, and also autoregressive generation systems with a well-trained teacher WaveNet.
Kctd9 Deficiency Impairs Natural Killer Cell Development and Effector Function

We previously showed that potassium channel tetramerization domain containing 9 (KCTD9) is aberrantly expressed in natural killer (NK) cells in patients with hepatitis B virus-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure and mice with experimental fulminant hepatitis. However, the mechanism underlying the regulation of NK cell function and fulminant hepatitis progression by KCTD9 is unknown. Here, we investigated the role of Kctd9 in regulation of early development, maturation, and function of NK cells using Kctd9-knockout mice. Compared to wild-type mice, Kctd9-deficient mice exhibited impaired NK cell lineage commitment, as evidenced by selective reduction in the refined NK progenitors, and incomplete NK cell maturation, as manifested by a higher proportion of CD11b− NK cells and a lower percentage of CD11b+ NK cells with high proliferative potential. Moreover, Kctd9-depleted NK cells displayed insufficient IFN-γ production, degranulation, and granzyme B production in response to cytokine stimulation, and attenuated cytotoxicity to tumor cells in vitro. The defect in NK cells was further supported by ameliorated liver damage and improved survival in Kctd9-deficient mice following murine hepatitis virus strain-3 (MHV-3) infection, which otherwise leads to immune-mediated fulminant hepatitis, a phenotype homologous to that caused by NK cell depletion in wild-type mice. Further investigation to identify the underlying mechanism revealed that Kctd9 deficiency hindered the expression of transcription factors, including Ets1, Nfil3, Eomes, and Id2 in NK cells. Collectively, our data reveal that Kctd9 acts as a novel regulator for NK cell commitment, maturation, and effector function.
Citation gaming induced by bibliometric evaluation: A country-level comparative analysis

It is several years since national research evaluation systems around the globe started making use of quantitative indicators to measure the performance of researchers. Nevertheless, the effects on these systems on the behavior of the evaluated researchers are still largely unknown. For investigating this topic, we propose a new inwardness indicator able to gauge the degree of scientific self-referentiality of a country. Inwardness is defined as the proportion of citations coming from the country over the total number of citations gathered by the country. A comparative analysis of the trends for the G10 countries in the years 2000-2016 reveals a net increase of the Italian inwardness. Italy became, both globally and for a large majority of the research fields, the country with the highest inwardness and the lowest rate of international collaborations. The change in the Italian trend occurs in the years following the introduction in 2011 of national regulations in which key passages of professional careers are governed by bibliometric indicators. A most likely explanation of the peculiar Italian trend is a generalized strategic use of citations in the Italian scientific community, both in the form of strategic author self-citations and of citation clubs. We argue that the Italian case offers crucial insights on the constitutive effects of evaluation systems. As such, it could become a paradigmatic case in the debate about the use of indicators in science-policy contexts.
On the Origin of the Magnetic Energy in the Quiet Solar Chromosphere

The presence of magnetic field is crucial in the transport of energy through the solar atmosphere. Recent ground-based and space-borne observations of the quiet Sun have revealed that magnetic field accumulates at photospheric heights, via a local dynamo or from small-scale flux emergence events. However, most of this small-scale magnetic field may not expand into the chromosphere due to the entropy drop with height at the photosphere. Here we present a study that uses a high-resolution 3D radiative MHD simulation of the solar atmosphere with non-gray and non-LTE radiative transfer and thermal conduction along the magnetic field to reveal that (1) the net magnetic flux from the simulated quiet photosphere is not sufficient to maintain a chromospheric magnetic field (on average), (2) processes in the lower chromosphere, in the region dominated by magnetoacoustic shocks, are able to convert kinetic energy into magnetic energy, (3) the magnetic energy in the chromosphere increases linearly in time until the rms of the magnetic field strength saturates at roughly 4–30 G (horizontal average) due to conversion from kinetic energy, (4) and that the magnetic features formed in the chromosphere are localized to this region.