Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improved tribological and thermal properties of lubricants by graphene based nano-additives

Enhancing the tribological performance of lubricants with nanoparticle additives is a recent challenge. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential advantage of nanolubricants, a new class of advanced lubricants integrating nano-sized materials, to reduce friction and wear processes, in view of applications in compressors for refrigeration. An investigation of tribological and thermal properties of nanolubricants for vane-on-roller systems was carried out through ball-on-disk wear tests and thermal diffusivity photo-acoustic measurements from room temperature to 70 °C. Nanofluids containing different concentrations of graphene based nanostructures in oil were tested. Poly-alkylene glycol was selected as the oil, being a lubricant suitable for compressors operating with CO2 refrigerants. The suspensions resulted stable with time. The dispersed nanostructures played an important role in protecting surfaces against wear phenomena and in improving the friction properties and load carrying capability of raw oil. A maximum decrease of 18% for friction coefficient and over 70% for worn volume were estimated in boundary lubrication conditions, the most severe for tribological couplings. Finally, durability experiments and Stribeck tests confirmed the benefits produced by nano-additives in different lubrication regimes. Thermal investigation proved also the advantage of using nanolubricants in heat exchange properties in laminar flow conditions, e.g. during compressor power-up phases.
Effect of Additional Weight on Human Squat Exercise Stability: Ground Reaction Forces and Centers of Pressure

The main focus of this work is to investigate the effect of weight on the stability of human squat exercise. The squat exercise is a common daily activity. Experiments are conducted using one human subject. A VICON motion analysis system integrated with Force Plates is utilized for these experiments. An experimental protocol is developed and followed. This work analyzes the time series of the normal component of the ground reaction forces and each coordinate of the center of pressure. These time series are used to estimate the Lyapunov Exponents using Rosenstein method. MATLAB software package is used for this investigation. The results of this work are compared with results from literature. Present work gives more information relating the safety of the squat exercise when adding additional weight. One can see that the effect of additional weight on stability depends on its value. In the cases of small and moderate additional weight the stability is the same or increases, while for the largest additional weight the investigated stability decreases.
Body modification of the medical staff in patients opinions

Czasopismo Open Access, wszystkie artykuły udostępniane są na mocy licencji Creative Commons Uznanie autorstwa-użycie niekomercyjne-na tych samych warunkach 4.0 Międzynarodowe (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/). Wkład autorów/ Authors’ contribution: A. Zaplanowanie badań/ Study design B. Zebranie danych/ Data collection C. Dane – analiza i statystyki/ Data analysis D. Interpretacja danych/ Data interpretation E. Przygotowanie artykułu/ Preparation of manuscript F. Wyszukiwanie i analiza literatury/ Literature analysis G. Zebranie funduszy/ Funds collection Streszczenie Ocena wizerunku pracowników ochrony zdrowia dokonuje się zwykle przez pryzmat wiedzy i umiejętności zapewniających skuteczność terapii, poziom empatii oraz jakość relacji interpersonalnych z pacjentem. W prezentowanych badaniach zwrócono jednak uwagę na jeden z elementów wyglądu pracowników: widoczne sposoby zdobienia ciała. Zjawisko to jest przedmiotem licznych badań socjologicznych, psychologicznych i epidemiologicznych. Materiał i metody. Badania sondażowe przeprowadzono w okresie wrzesień-grudzień 2016 roku w placówkach służby zdrowia Lublina i Białej Podlaskiej. Autorskie kwestionariusze ankiety wypełniło 102 pacjentów poddawanych rehabilitacji. Wyniki. Stopień akceptacji zdobień ciała personelu, mierzony według pięciostopniowej skali Likerta istotnie (p <0.05) zależał od wieku, posiadania ozdób przez respondentów oraz ocenianego rodzaju zdobień, płci i ocenianej specjalności medycznej. Mediana stopnia akceptacji zdobień ciała personelu wyniosła 0 pkt. Wnioski. Co trzeci respondent nie akceptował zdobień ciała u personelu medycznego, co może wpływać na budowanie negatywnego wizerunku zawodu medycznego. Prezentowane wyniki sugerują potrzebę dalszych badań nad wpływem zdobień na jakość relacji interpersonalnych w terapii.
Preliminary Investigation of Ferrate for Drinking Water Treatment: Mussel Control and Synergy with Powdered Activated Carbon

Ferrate has been observed under experimental conditions to be a potentially effective drinking water treatment chemical, serving as an oxidant, coagulant, and disinfectant. Although studies have ascertained ferrate’s potential to remove substances like bacteria, viruses, and organic matter, there is limited research for its use in mussel control and its synergy with other treatment methods. This research first explored ferrate’s ability to control dreissenids. Preliminary results from acute toxicity testing suggested that ferrate could be an effective alternative to chlorine in the inactivation of quagga and zebra mussel veligers. Additionally, veliger settlement tests showed similar performance between ferrate and chlorine. This work, however, was limited in scope, and would require future investigation. The research also explored the hypothesis that ferrate could enhance or inhibit the adsorption of geosmin by powdered activated carbon, through a series of jar tests. Overall, there was little observed impact of ferrate.
Variation of soil microbiome in licorice rhizosphere driven with inoculating dark septate endophytes under drought stress

BackgroundDark septate endophytes (DSE) are facultative biotrophic ascomycetes that colonize plant roots either alone or with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. DSE may provide nutrients to their plant hosts and help them adapt to various abiotic and biotic stresses. DSE inoculation under drought stress increased the biomass, root exudates, and AM fungi in the licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.) rhizosphere. We conducted a pot experiment to establish whether the responses of licorice to DSE inoculation under drought stress are caused by changes in the rhizosphere microbiome. Each pot was inoculated with either Acrocalymma vagum or Paraboeremia putaminum. One set of pots was inoculated with a sterile culture medium. All three DSE-treated and uninoculated pots were subjected either to a well-watered (70% field water capacity, FWC) or drought stress (30% FWC) water regime. Rhizosphere microbiome compositions were measured by Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the 16S and ITS2 rRNA genes.ResultsIn total, 1,278 fungal and 1,583 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OUTs) were obtained at a 97% sequence similarity level. Ascomycota were the predominant fungi and Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi and Firmicutes were the predominant bacteria. DSE inoculation and water regime significantly influenced the rhizosphere microbiome composition. However, the effects of DSE on the fungal community were greater than those on the bacterial community. Paraboeremia putaminum exerted a stronger impact on the licorice rhizosphere microbiome than Acrocalymma vagum under drought stress. The observed changes in edaphic factors (water condition, soil organic matter, available N, available P, and available K) caused by DSE inoculation could be explained by the variations in rhizosphere microbiome composition. A network analysis indicated that DSE inoculation augmented the relative abundance of beneficial symbiotrophic fungi and growth-promoting bacteria but diminished the relative abundance of pathogens in the licorice rhizosphere.ConclusionsThe present study showed that the licorice rhizosphere microbial community differed between the DSE-inoculated and uninoculated plants. DSE had a stronger influence on the fungal than on the bacterial rhizosphere community under drought stress. These give us the guidance to develop biofertilizers with DSE consortia to enhance the cultivation of medicinal plants by shaping soil microbial community structure in dryland agriculture.
Recovery of Human Gut Microbiota Genomes Substantially With Third-generation Sequencing

BackgroundHuman gut microbiota modulates normal physiological functions, such as the maintenance of barrier homeostasis and the modulation of metabolism, and various chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes and gastrointestinal cancer. Despite decades of researches, the composition of the gut microbiota remains unexplored and unidentified. ResultsHere we established an effective extraction method to obtain high-quality gut microbiota genomic DNA and detected the samples with third-generation sequencing technology. We acquired a quite big data form each sample and assembled many reliable contigs. Not only enormous unknown genes, but also several new bacteria subspecies or species were identified. ConclusionsThis work provides a novel and reliable framework to recover gut microbiota genomes substantially, facilitating the understanding of the roles of the microbiome that underlie in human health and disease.
Identifying Potential Off-Target Protein Binders of Glutamate-Ureido-Lysine, a Prostate Cancer Specific Imaging Agent

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is highly overexpressed in most prostate cancers and is clinically visualized using PSMA-specific probes incorporating Glutamate-Ureido-Lysine (GUL). PSMA is effectively absent from certain high-mortality, treatment-resistant subsets of prostate cancers, such as neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC); however, GUL-based probes still sometimes identify NEPC metastatic tumours. These probes may bind unknown proteins associated with PSMA-suppressed cancers. We identified the upregulation of PSMA-like aminopeptidase NAALADaseL and the metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in NEPC; we found that the expression levels inversely correlate with PSMA expression and are associated with poor clinical prognosis indicating they may participate in NEPC disease progression. Computationally predicting that GUL-based probes bind well to these targets, we designed and synthesized a new fluorescent probe to investigate these proteins in vitro, where it shows excellent affinity for PSMA, NAALADaseL and specific mGluRs associated with poor prognosis.
Modification of the automated flocculation titrimetry (AFT) procedure applied to SHRP asphalts : Separation and characterization of petroleum

A modification of the automated flocculation titrimetry test has been developed. In this procedure, which is a modified Heithaus procedure, the entire analysis is performed in a single vial instead of four different vials. Heithaus parameters p., p o , and P obtained by the modified procedure are not identical with those obtained by the classical method. The p, values obtained by the two methods are directly related. For most asphalts, p o and P values also are directly related. In the case of two asphalts, there is no correlation between p o and P values. These two asphalts are not conventional paving materials, one being air-blown and the other having unusually low amounts of asphaltenes. The p a values obtained by the new procedure may prove to be more useful than the p, values obtained by the earlier reported method.
An Ensemble of Recurrent Neural Networks for Real Time Performance Modelling of Three-Spool Aero-Derivative Gas Turbine Engine

Gas turbine is a complex system operating in non-stationary operation conditions for which traditional model-based modelling approaches have poor generalization capabilities. To address this, an investigation of a novel data driven neural networks based model approach for a three-spool aero-derivative gas turbine engine (ADGTE) for power generation during its loading and unloading conditions is reported in this paper. For this purpose, a non-linear autoregressive network with exogenous inputs (NARX) is used to develop this model in MATLAB environment using operational closed-loop data collected from Siemens (SGT-A65) ADGTE. Inspired by the way biological neural networks process information and by their structure which changes depending on their function, multiple-input single-output (MISO) NARX models with different configurations were used to represent each of the ADGTE output parameters with the same input parameters. First, data preprocessing and estimation of the order of these MISO models were performed. Next, a computer program code was developed to perform a comparative study and to select the best NARX model configuration, which can represent the system dynamics. Usage of a single neural network to represent each of the system output parameters may not be able to provide an accurate prediction for unseen data and as a consequence, provides poor generalization. To overcome this problem, an ensemble of MISO NARX models is used to represent each output parameter. The major challenge of the ensemble generation is to decide how to combine results produced by the ensemble’s components. In this paper, a novel hybrid dynamic weighting method (HDWM) is proposed. The verification of this method was performed by comparing its performance with three of the most popular basic methods for ensemble integration: basic ensemble method (BEM), median rule and dynamic weighting method (DWM). Finally, the generated ensembles of MISO NARX models for each output parameter were evaluated using unseen data (testing data). The simulation results based on datasets consisting for experimental data as well as data provided by Siemens high fidelity thermodynamic transient simulation program show improvement in accuracy and robustness by using the proposed modelling approach.
Risk Management of Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins, Dibenzofurans, and Biphenyls in Food in the European Union: A Historical View

Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs)—altogether also commonly known as “dioxins”—are two groups of tricyclic aromatic compounds containing between one and eight chlorine atoms, thus resulting in 210 congeners (75 PCDDs and 135 PCDFs), different in the number and/or position of chlorine atoms. PCDDs and PCDFs are insoluble in water, exhibit a strong lipophilic character, and are very persistent. PCDDs and PCDFs are not produced intentionally. In fact, their formation and release into the environment occur primarily as a consequence of thermal or combustion processes or as unwanted by-products of industrial processes involving chlorine. Of the 210 congeners, only 17 with chlorines at positions 2, 3, 7, and 8 are of toxicological interest. * Risk assessment/management is facilitated as a toxicity equivalency factor (TEF) relative to 2,3,7,8-T4CDD that can be assigned to each of the toxic
C1QBP regulates apoptosis of renal cell carcinoma via modulating xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) mediated ROS generation

Background Complement component 1 Q subcomponent binding protein (C1QBP) is a multifunctional protein and plays a vital role in the progression and metabolism of cancer. Our previous study has revealed that the low expression of C1QBP in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and knockdown of C1QBP promotes the adhesion and invasion of RCC cells. However, its functions in the metabolism, oxidative stress and apoptosis of RCC cells have not yet been explored. Methods Metabolomics assay was applied to investigate the role of C1QBP in RCC metabolism. C1QBP knockdown and overexpression cells were established via lentiviral infection and subjected to apoptosis and ROS assay in vitro. RNA stability assay and pre-mRNA detection were applied to characterize the mechanism of C1QBP regulating XDH transcription. In vivo, orthotopic tumor xenografts assay was performed to investigate the role of C1QBP progression. Results Metabolomics investigations revealed that C1QBP dramatically diminished the hypoxanthine content in RCC cells. C1QBP promoted the mRNA and protein expression of hypoxanthine catabolic enzyme xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH). Meanwhile, C1QBP regulated the expression of XDH gene at the pre-transcriptional level by regulating XDH transcriptional stimulators IL-6, TNF-α and IFN-γ. Moreover, the expression of C1QBP and XDH was lower in RCC tumors compared with the para-tumor normal tissues, and their down-regulation was associated with higher levels of Fuhrman grade. In RCC cells, C1QBP significantly increased produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, apoptosis, and the expression of apoptotic proteins cleaved caspase-3 and bax/bcl2 via regulating XDH.Conclusions C1QBP promotes the catabolism of hypoxanthine and elevates the apoptosis of RCC cells by modulating XDH-mediated ROS generation.
Effect of Chromium and Zinc Accumulation on Antioxidant Enzymes during Phytoremediation in Amaranthus Viridis and Parthenium Hysterophorous

Background/Objectives: The study investigate the variation in antioxidant response in experimental plant to overcome heavy metal stress and higher level of antioxidant enzymes may be associated with tolerance capacity of the weeds to defend the plant from oxidative damage. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Pot culture experiments were completed in greenhouse and the effect of chromium and zinc on antioxidants enzymes were investigated using UV- Spectrophotometer. A strong positive correlation were revealed in between concentration of heavy metals in various parts of plants and soil. Heavymetal stress enhanced the activity of CATalase (CAT) and Ascorbate PeroXidase (APX). Findings: Present study concluded that Parthenium hysterophorous and Amaranthus viridis has considerable ability to accumulate zinc and chromium and induced higher catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activity. Application/Improvement: The study describes a strategy and methodology that these two plants have ability to survive in stressed conditions and enhancing their environmental significance.
First record of Cnidoscolus obtusifolius Pohl (Euphorbiaceae) for Paraíba State, northeastern Brazil

Cnidoscolus obtusifolius Pohl (Euphorbiaceae), species so far known from Minas Gerais, Bahia, Alagoas and Pernambuco States in Brazil is reported for the first time for the State of Paraiba, in the northeastern region of the country. Specimens of this taxon were collected in a fragmented area considered a Caatinga vegetation relict, where total annual precipitation is 700 mm on average and elevation of 644 m a.s. l. The records were made in September and October 2019, when the species was in fertile stage as it bore flowers and fruits. Here we provide a description of its morphology along with taxonomic comments, data on the geographical range and detailed images of the species.
Towards 5G-Enabled Self Adaptive Green and Reliable Communication in Intelligent Transportation System

Fifth generation (5G) technologies have become the center of attention in managing and monitoring high-speed transportation system effectively with the intelligent and self-adaptive sensing capabilities. Besides, the boom in portable devices has witnessed a huge breakthrough in the data driven vehicular platform. However, sensor-based Internet of Things (IoT) devices are playing the major role as edge nodes in the intelligent transportation system (ITS). Thus, due to high mobility/speed of vehicles and resource-constrained nature of edge nodes more data packets will be lost with high power drain and shorter battery life. Thus, this research significantly contributes in three ways. First, 5G-based self-adaptive green (i.e., energy efficient) algorithm is proposed. Second, a novel 5G-driven reliable algorithm is proposed. Proposed joint energy efficient and reliable approach contains four layers, i.e., application, physical, networks, and medium access control. Third, a novel joint energy efficient and reliable framework is proposed for ITS. Moreover, the energy and reliability in terms of received signal strength (RSSI) and hence packet loss ratio (PLR) optimization is performed under the constraint that all transmitted packets must utilize minimum transmission power with high reliability under particular active time slot. Experimental results reveal that the proposed approach (with Cross Layer) significantly obtains the green (55%) and reliable (41%) ITS platform unlike the Baseline (without Cross Layer) for aging society.
Financial Literacy, Internet Dependency, and Internet Finance

Does the digital transformation of financial services make the financial system more inclusive? Utilizing the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) data, this study explores the impact of financial literacy and the degree of Internet dependency on household financial asset allocation. The study finds that Internet finance mainly attracts investors with a lower financial sophistication, a stark contrast to my finding concerning participation in the traditional financial market. This result suggests that Internet finance can fill the funding gaps where investors traditionally face high participation costs and, thus, improve financial inclusion. Moreover, I show that one's degree of Internet dependency is positively associated with the participation in Internet finance, indicating that local Internet infrastructure can be an essential prerequisite for an economy to promote financial inclusion through the Internet finance. Meanwhile, a digital transformation of an economy may potentially result in an over-allocation of capital to risky assets, provided that Internet finance is often associated with high 'long tail' risks. My conclusion remains robust to investigating 'exclusive' participation in each financial asset class and using alternative measures of Internet dependency and financial literacy.