Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Equation for Estimating the Thermal Diffusivity, Specific Heat and Thermal Conductivity of Oxide Glasses

Equation for Estimating the Thermal DiŠusivity, Speciˆc Heat and Thermal Conductivity of Oxide Glasses Seiji Inaba1,, Shuhei Oda1,and Kenji Morinaga2 1Department of Applied Science for Electronics and Materials, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, Kasuga 8168580 2Department of Applied Science for Electronics and Materials, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, Kasuga 8168580
Assessing multiple stressor effects to inform climate change management responses in three European catchments

ABSTRACT Interactions between stressors in freshwater ecosystems, including those associated with climate change and nutrient enrichment, are currently difficult to detect and manage. Our understanding of the forms and frequency of occurrence of such interactions is limited; assessments using field data have been constrained as a result of varying data forms and quality. To address this issue, we demonstrate a statistical approach capable of assessing multiple stressor interactions using contrasting data forms in 3 European catchments (Loch Leven Catchment, UK: assessment of phytoplankton response in a single lake with time series data; Pinios Catchment, Greece: macroinvertebrate response across multiple rivers using spatial data; and Lepsämänjoki Catchment, Finland: phytoplankton response across multiple rivers using spatiotemporal data). Statistical models were developed to predict the relative and interactive effects of climate change and nutrient enrichment sensitive indicators (stressors) on indicators of ecological quality (ecological responses) within the framework of linear mixed effects models. In all catchments, indicators of nutrient enrichment were identified as the primary stressor, with climate change-sensitive indicators causing secondary effects (Loch Leven: additive, total phosphorus [TP] × precipitation; Pinios: additive, nitrate × dissolved oxygen; Lepsämänjoki: synergistic, TP × summer water temperature), the intensity of which varied between catchments and along the nutrient stressor gradient. Simple stressor change scenarios were constructed for each catchment and used in combination with mechanistic models to explore potential management responses. This approach can be used to explore the need for multiple stressor management in freshwaters, helping practitioners navigate a complex world of environmental change.
Use of Magnetic anomaly data to delineate subsurface structures and depth characterization of Lafiagi and its environs, Northcentral Nigeria

ABSTRACT As part of the effort to have updated knowledge about the metallic source location, subsurface structures and depth information responsible for mineralization in Lafiaji and its environs, North-central Nigeria, a magnetic data of the area has been analyzed using combinations of mathematical techniques. These techniques include Total Horizontal Derivatives (THD), Tilt Derivatives (TD), CET grid technique, Euler Deconvolution (ED), and Fourier technique. Reduction to equator (RTE) was performed on the magnetic data and subjected to the mathematical techniques. The TD, THD and CET techniques revealed various striking subsurface structures moving in NE, SW, NW SE, EW direction and forms banded gneisses and muscovite schist that are intimately linked through the crustal progress going on in the basement rock of the area. The ED solutions did not only reveal various structural sources but also determines the best index with the average depth values of various metallic sources. Also, the result from the spectral analysis ranges from 1.40 km - 3.50 km. In conclusion, this study did not only demonstrate the usefulness of HRAM data in revealing the nature and extent of subsurface structural features and depth information but also shows intense tectonic deformation of the basement structures responsible for mineral exploration.
Simulation Analysis of Emulsion Droplet Excited by Chaotic Frequency Pulse Electric Field

The frequency of the chaotic pulse electric field is random in a limited range, which can be adjusted and controlled, thus can effectively cover the harmonic resonance frequency of the droplets in the oil, and realize the efficient coalescence and demulsification of the droplets. In this study, the chaotic frequency pulse electric field is constructed by embedding the chaotic sequence into the pulse interval with the Chaotic-Pulse-Position Modulation method, and the vibration dynamics simulation model of the emulsion droplet in the chaotic frequency electric field is established. The vibration dynamics response of the emulsion droplet under the action of the chaotic frequency pulse electric field is obtained by numerical calculation, and the dynamic analysis, phase diagram analysis and maximum Lyapunov exponent calculation of the response output are carried out. It is found that under the action of chaotic frequency pulse electric field, the emulsion droplet can obtain large tensile deformation at high frequency, but relatively small at low frequency, and the fluctuation is stable, which can qualitatively and quantitatively identify the chaotic vibration characteristics of the droplet.
Pre‐emptive host‐specificity testing of Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) reveals high parasitism levels against the endemic New Zealand alpine shield bug in laboratory no‐choice tests

Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a serious horticultural pest causing considerable damage to local production and international supply chains as it spreads around the world. The samurai wasp, Trissolcus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), is well recognised as the most promising classical biological control against BMSB. The wasp has been conditionally approved for release in New Zealand in the event the stink bug establishes here. Previous host range testing showed that all available non‐target New Zealand pentatomids except a single exotic species were accepted for oviposition and that the parasitoid was capable of parasitising the eggs of two native pentatomids at proportions similar to BMSB. Only one New Zealand species of pentatomid, the endemic alpine shield bug Hypsithocus hudsonae, was not previously tested owing to the difficulty of collecting it from the field. Here we report the results of no‐choice oviposition tests between H. hudsonae and T. japonicus, conducted in containment, to complement previous physiological host range testing of this parasitoid in New Zealand. Parasitoids emerged from 14 out of 15 egg masses, and in total, from 78 out of 83 eggs (94%). The mean sex ratio was 89% female, and no males emerged from six egg masses. H. hudsonae is confirmed as a physiological host for T. japonicus, and this finding is discussed in relation to the strengths and limitations of physiological host range studies.
Labor Market Experience and Falling Earnings Inequality in Brazil: 1995–2012

The Gini coefficient of labor earnings in Brazil fell by nearly a fifth between 1995 and 2012, from 0.50 to 0.41. The decline in other measures of earnings inequality was even larger, with the 90-10 percentile ratio falling by almost 40 percent. Applying micro-econometric decomposition techniques, this study parses out the proximate determinants of this substantial reduction in earnings inequality. Although a falling education premium did play a role, in line with received wisdom, this study finds that a reduction in the returns to labor market experience was a much more important factor driving lower wage disparities. It accounted for 53 percent of the observed decline in the Gini index during the period. Reductions in horizontal inequalities – the gender, race, regional and urban-rural wage gaps, conditional on human capital and institutional variables – also contributed. Two main factors operated against the decline: a greater disparity in wage premia to different sectors of economic activity, and the “paradox of progress”: the mechanical inequality-increasing effect of a more educated labor force when returns to education are convex.
A Compact, High-Efficiency, Reflectionless Leaky-Wave Antenna

A compact, high-efficiency leaky-wave antenna (LWA) is presented in this letter. Comprised by a novel periodic transmission line structure, the developed LWA could radiate its input power by a peak radiation efficiency of 93% with a compact size of 3. 63λL × 0. 24λL. Besides, the LWA exhibits good reflectionless performance characteristics from dc to 19 GHz. The equivalent circuit representations are utilized to reveal its operation mechanism. It is verified that the LWA operates as a slotted half-mode substrate integrated waveguide with high-efficiency leaky-wave radiation in the upper leaky band. Meanwhile, it could serve as a low-loss slow-wave transmission (SW-TL) line with spoof surface plasmon polariton structure in the lower band. For verification, an LWA prototype was fabricated and measured, which has experimentally confirmed its simulated radiation performances.
Biogenic green synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles using oat biomass for ultrasensitive modified polymeric sensors

ABSTRACT This study describes Green synthesis of two metal oxide nanoparticles MnO2NPs and CuONPs using the oat biomass. The electrocatalytic activity of the synthesized metal oxide nanoparticles was investigated by fabricating two modified sensors enriched with MnO2NPs and CuONPs as a coated layer on the surface of the sensors and utilized to quantify antibacterial drugs cephalexin (CPX) and cefazolin (CFZ) in their commercial products and biosamples. The tested drugs were incorporated with the precipitating agents phosphomolybdic acid and phosphotungstic acid to form CPX-PM and CFZ-PT as electroactive materials, respectively. Conductivity enhancement of the fabricated modified sensors CPX-PM-MnO2NPs and CFZ-PT-CuONPs was determined and the outcomes compared to the results obtained from the conventional types of the same sensors. Linear relationships were recorded between the sensory potentials of the enriched metal oxide nanoparticles in the ranges of 1.0 × 10-8-1.0 × 10-2 and 1.0 × 10-10-1.0 × 10-2 mol L-1 with lower limits of detection 5.6 × 10-9 and 5.7 × 10-11 mol L-1 for CPX-PM-MnO2NPs and CFZ-PT-CuONPs with respect to 1.0 × 10-6-1.0 × 10-2 mol L-1 of their conventional coated wire types. The fabricated sensors provide excellent sensitivity and selectivity towards the determination of CPX and CFZ in its commercial and biosamples. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Analysis of laboratory findings in recovered and non-recovered patients with COVID-19: a longitudinal observational study in Jilin Province of China

Background: We aimed to describe the laboratory characteristics of patients with laboratory confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and to compare the laboratory data between recovered and non-recovered patients. Methods: This is a multi-center study and 68 COVID-19 patients were recruited in Jilin Province, China, from January 21, 2020 to February 21, 2020. Laboratory tests were conducted at admission. Outcomes were followed up until February 21, 2020. Results: Of the 68 patients, 63 were diagnosed as mild and 5 as moderate or severe. After follow-up, there are 28 and 40 patients in recovered and non-recovered group, respectively. Lymphocytes, including immature leukocyte subpopulation, were significantly increased after day 10 in recovered patients. Platelets and thrombocytocrit were significantly increased, while mean platelet volume was reduced markedly from day 6 in recovered patients. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein was elevated at onset and continued to decline at day 7 in recovered patients. Cardiac troponin I is always higher from onset to recovery in recovered patients, yet it is sharply declined below the upper limit of reference interval after day 10. Cholinesterase and alanine aminotransferase were higher during the recovery process in recovered patients than in non-recovered patients. Both eosinophil and age were identified as independent predictors for recovery. Conclusions: Some markers had different change patterns between the recovered and non-recovered patients. Eosinophil may serve as an independent predictor for recovery in addition to age. The monitoring of the dynamic level of markers can give more effective clues for the judgment of the progress in COVID-19 patients. © 2021 AME Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Biochemical Studies on a Novel Potent Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor with Dualsite Binding for Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Galantamine (GAL) and other acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors are the main therapeutic agents used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. During the last years many GAL derivatives have been synthesized and tested in vitro for anti-AChE activity. Some of them showed activities significantly higher than the activity of GAL. In the present study, we examine the in vivo anti-AChE activity and the antioxidant properties of a novel potent AChE inhibitor with dual-site binding to the enzyme. The anti-AChE tests showed that although the novel inhibitor is a better binder to AChE in vitro than GAL, in vivo it performs worse. It crosses the blood-brain barrier easily by passive diffusion but might be too bulky to enter any of the active transport systems and this might be a reason for low brain bioavailability. The bulkiness of AChE inhibitors with dual-site binding leading to low brain bioavailabilty should be considered in the design of novel multi-target ligands for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Conductance oscillations of a Si single electron transistor at room temperature

The single electron transistor (SET) is a key element in single electronics where device operation is based on one-by-one electron manipulation utilizing the Coulomb blockade effect. However, SET operation has so far been limited to below 4 K because even the smallest capacitance C of the SET has been about 100 aF. This means the requirement of charging energy e/sup 2/(2C) being much larger than the thermal energy could only be met at very low temperatures. We report here a Si-SET whose capacitance is only about 2 aF. Owing to this small capacitance, the Si-SET shows conductance oscillation even at room temperature. <<ETX>>
The Indian Hybrid Warfare Strategy: Implications for Pakistan

War spins the wheels of history. It changes societies, alters lives, and brings about new dimensions to inflict more brutality on human beings. This is what happened in the aftermath of World War II, when the advent of the nuclear weapons set about a chapter of sophisticated and lethal warfare. Conventional war between the great powers has since been antiquated. It only puts to display the apparent capabilities of the adversary so that deterrence remains intact. War has now become multilevel and multi-dimensional. In such a case hybrid warfare strategy comes to play - which falls under the third dimension of warfare and includes application of both conventional and nonconventional means. It becomes lethal because it brings together the use of technology and cognition to bring about destruction and disruption. Crimean annexation by Russia is used as a case study in this paper which discusses the threat perception levels of the West which was a consequence of the event. On the other hand, the Strategic Interaction theory examines the asymmetric dimension of warfare which a weaker party undertakes in order to subdue or challenge its adversity. To put all this in context, India and Pakistan both being nuclear states do not directly confront each other by conventional means; rather they opt for the non-conventional means. The doctrinal change and rapid military modernization drive by India creates security dilemma for Pakistan. This paper studies that how India has employed hybrid warfare strategy against Pakistan, what are the vulnerabilities of Pakistan that India is exploiting and can exploit, how Pakistan can confront this type of warfare.
Laser-induced incandescence applied to dusty plasmas

This paper reports on the laser heating of nanoparticles (diameters ⩽1 μm) confined in a reactive plasma by short (150 ps) and intense (∼63 mJ) UV (355 nm) laser pulses (laser-induced incandescence, LII). Important parameters such as the particle temperature and radius follow from analysis of the emission spectrum of the heated nanoparticles. The nanoparticles are not ideal black bodies, which is taken into account by calculating their emissivity using a light-scattering theory relevant to our conditions (Mie theory). Three sets of refractive index data from the literature serve as model input. The obtained radii range between 100 and 165 nm, depending on the choice of refractive index data set. By fitting the temperature decay of the particles to a heat exchange model, the product of their mass density and specific heat is determined as (1.3±0.5) J K−1 cm−3, which is considerably smaller than the value for bulk graphite at the temperature our particles attain (3000 K): 4.8 J K−1 cm−3. The particle sizes obtained in situ with LII are compared with ex situ scanning electron microscopy analysis of collected particles. Quantitative assessment of the LII measurements is hampered by transport of particles in the plasma volume and the fact that LII probes locally, whereas the samples with collected particles have a more global character.
Information Spillover in Indian Agricultural Commodities Market

Role of agricultural sector in Indian economy is prominent, as being an agrarian economy and having the second highest population in the world. Thus, the efficiency of this sector is the foremost factor for development and growth of the economy. This article attempts to examine the price discovery relationship of future and spot prices of five agricultural commodities, namely cardamom, crude palm oil, cotton, mentha oil and kapas, during the period 2011–2019. Johansen’s co-integration test, vector error correction model (VECM) and Granger causality block exogeneity test were employed for the study. We found that price discovery process is established for agricultural commodities under consideration. Future prices act as a leader in achieving long-run equilibrium for all commodities except cardamom. Causality was significantly reported for all commodities, as bidirectional causality runs between the prices. The study suggests that Forward Market Commission should be empowered more to control and regulate the market, which will ensure the efficient market situations in these commodities’ market. Attempt was made to evaluate price discovery process in agricultural commodities market during post sub-prime crisis period, which was ignored by majority of researchers.
Using Co-Design to Create Community Advocacy for Biosecurity Behavior Change

Background: New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) manages the “declare or dispose” biosecurity border compliance social marketing program. Its aim is to protect the country’s important horticulture and agriculture industries from imported pests and diseases, and its environment. The program encourages visitors to New Zealand to leave potential biosecurity risk items at home or dispose in specially marked bins on arrival. An important part of this is having New Zealand ethnic communities advocate on MPI’s behalf to friends and family overseas to follow the biosecurity rules. To fully engage the community to be advocates, it was felt that the community should be involved in the creation of this aspect of the program. Focus of the article: The article is a case study explaining how MPI used co-design methodology to create an advocacy program with a local community to assist behavior change in overseas visitors. The article focusses on the process and planning (including following a six-step co-design model) from a practitioners’ perspective to develop a program co-created with the target audience, rather than the final interventions developed. Program design/approach: The “declare or dispose” program had been solely “expert led” and designed by social marketers and researchers. The program is heavily influenced by a mix of quantitative and ethnographic research. These feed into customer journey mapping where interventions are inserted to influence audiences’ behavior. To assist in advocacy from the New Zealand Indian community to friends and family overseas, a customer led co-design process was developed to create community engagement and advocacy. Methods: MPI ran three co-design sessions involving members of local Indian community groups. The sessions used a mixture of card sorting and open discussion within small groups. The card sorting was used to review, and rate current interventions used in the behavior change program (including interventions both overseas direct to visitors and locally to community members). The open discussion asked participants to generate new ideas for potential new interventions to reach visitors. Results: Through the ranking of existing tools and participant suggestions of new ideas—MPI has developed an advocacy program that spans expert-led and user-led interventions. As hoped, the user-led suggestions were at a community-based level, resulting in a stronger buy-in from the community to deliver advocacy messages to overseas friends and family. Recommendations for practice: The article is useful for practitioners by detailing how to not only use co-design for creating new ideas, but also to evaluate existing ones to create a program blending both expert- and user-led interventions. MPI followed a six-step co-design process to organize its co-design program. This ensured that the right preparation was followed, sessions were effective, and the desired results of the program were achieved.
Dissecting the nature of post-exertional malaise

ABSTRACT Background Post-exertional malaise (PEM) is a defining characteristic of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) but there is insufficient research dissecting the nature of PEM from the patients’ perspective. Methods A PEM questionnaire administered to 150 ME/CFS patients. It included open-ended questions about triggers, experiences, recovery, and prevention. Responses were re-coded into concise, representative topics. Chi-Square tests of independence were then used to test for differences and relationships between duration of ME/CFS illness (<4 years and >10 years), PEM onset and duration, and gender with PEM trigger, experience, recovery, and prevention. Results Physical exertion was the most common trigger of PEM. The onset of PEM occurred within minutes after physical exertion compared to within hours after cognitive exertion (<0.05). ME/CFS patients sick for <4 years reported stress as a trigger significantly more often than those sick for >10 years (<0.001). ME/CFS patients sick for <4 years experienced more orthostatic symptoms during PEM than those sick for >10 years. ME/CFS patients sick for >10 years reported using medications to recover from PEM significantly more that those sick for <4 years (<0.01). Pacing and avoiding specific triggers were common approaches to prevent PEM. Conclusions There are differences in PEM triggers, experiences and recovery based on duration of illness. Asking about PEM is important for diagnosis and to understand how to manage PEM. Given that PEM occurs more quickly after physical versus cognitive exertion, these results should instigate research on the relationship of upright posture, hypoperfusion and PEM.