Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
COVID‐19 and vertical transmission: assessing the expression of ACE2/TMPRSS2 in the human fetus and placenta to assess the risk of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection

Pregnant women have been identified as a potentially at‐risk group concerning COVID‐19 infection, but little is known regarding the susceptibility of the fetus to infection. Co‐expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 has been identified as a prerequisite for infection, and expression across different tissues is known to vary between children and adults. However, the expression of these proteins in the fetus is unknown.
Crystallization and Hardness Change of the Ti-Based Bulk Metallic Glass Manufactured by a Laser Powder Bed Fusion Process

Ti-2.5Zr-5.0Hf-37.5Cu-7.5Ni-1.0Si-5.0Sn (at.%) BMG has been successfully manufactured in amorphous powder with a size of about 25 μm (D50). Using this amorphous powder, a Ti-based BMG was manufactured by an additive manufacturing process based on a laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technique. In 3D printing processes using amorphous powders, it is necessary and important to understand the crystallization behavior due to the difference in energy density applied to the powders. An LPBF process has been carried out with various energy density conditions to minimize the inner defects and identify the sound mechanical properties of 3D-printed BMG parts. At the lowest energy density condition (3.0 J/mm3), the most pores were generated. Even if the same energy density (3.0 J/mm3) was applied, the rapid laser movement caused many pores to form inside the material. The relatively sound 3D-printed Ti-based BMG was successfully fabricated with a size of about 5 mm × 5 mm × 3 mm. Peaks at 41° and 44° showing crystallization were observed in all conditions. The higher the laser power was, the greater each peak intensity and the more crystallization (CuTi, Ti3Cu4, etc.) was present in the BMG, and the higher the scan speed, the more the internal defects were found.
Genetic diversity of the tet(M) gene in tetracycline-resistant oral streptococci

Tetracycline resistance occurs at a high frequency among clinical isolates of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The mechanism and genetics of tetracycline resistance have not been extensively studied in streptococci, although the overwhelming majority of clinical isolates are tetracycline resistant. tet(M) is the most common tetracycline-resistance gene in streptococci. The aim of this study was to examine the genetic diversity of tet(M) genes in tetracycline-resistant oral streptococci from dental plaque. Streptococci were isolated from supragingival plaque samples of healthy persons. The isolates were then identified at the species level, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of tetracycline was determined. Genomic DNA was extracted from tetracycline-resistant isolates and tet(M) was amplified using polymerase chain reaction with tet(M)-specific primers. The polymerase chain reaction products were cloned, DNA sequencing was performed, and the sequences were compared using an alignment program. The estimated nucleotide divergence between different tet(M) alleles ranged from 0.00% to 6.07% among oral streptococci. The tet(M) genes from oral streptococci consisted of regions similar in sequence, interspersed with regions that differed at some nucleotide sites, revealing a mosaic structure. The percent nucleotide divergence of tet(M) was unrelated to the MIC values of tetracycline for oral streptococci, and bacterial strains in the same streptococcal species showed different heterogeneity in tet(M). The divergences of tet(M) nucleotide sequences among oral streptococci were comparable with those of other bacterial genera. Our findings may provide basic information about the transposition processes associated with tet(M) in oral streptococci.
Evaluation of ARM CPUs for IceCube available through Google Kubernetes Engine

The IceCube experiment has substantial simulation needs and is in continuous search for the most cost-effective ways to satisfy them. The most CPU-intensive part relies on CORSIKA, a cosmic ray air shower simulation. Historically, IceCube relied exclusively on x86-based CPUs, like Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC, but recently server-class ARM-based CPUs are also becoming available, both on-prem and in the cloud. In this paper we present our experience in running a sample CORSIKA simulation on both ARM and x86 CPUs available through Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). We used the production binaries for the x86 instances, but had to build the binaries for ARM instances from source code, which turned out to be mostly painless. Our benchmarks show that ARM-based CPUs in GKE were not only the most cost-effective but were also the fastest in absolute terms in all the tested configurations. While the advantage is not drastic, about 20% in cost-effectiveness and less than 10% in absolute terms, it is still large enough to warrant an investment in ARM support for IceCube.
In Situ Electrochemical Characterization of a Microbial Fuel Cell Biocathode Running on Wastewater

The electrochemical features of microbial fuel cells’ biocathodes, running on wastewater, were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry. Ex situ and in situ electrochemical assays were performed and the redox processes associated with the presence of microorganisms and/or biofilms were attained. Different controls using sterile media (abiotic cathode microbial fuel cell) and membranes covering the electrodes were performed to evaluate the source of the electrochemistry response (surface biofilms vs. biotic electrolyte). The bacteria presence, in particular when biofilms are allowed to develop, was related with the enhanced active redox processes associated with an improved catalytic activity, namely for oxygen reduction, when compared with the results attained for an abiotic microbial fuel cell cathode. The microbial main composition was also attained and is in agreement with other reported studies. The current study aims contributing to the establishment of the advantages of using biocathodes rather than abiotic, whose conditions are frequently harder to control and to contribute to a better understanding of the bioelectrochemical processes occurring on the biotic chambers and the electrode surfaces.
Enabling Privacy-Preserving Geographic Range Query in Fog-Enhanced IoT Services

The explosive growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) is pushing forward the paradigm of fog computing services today. An important service for most fog-enhanced applications is geographic range-match, which means the fog-nodes can accurately collect sensed data from IoT devices based on their location distances. However, due to the increasing attacking surfaces, outsourcing range query operations to untrusted fog-nodes inevitably raises new privacy concerns about query content and device location exposure. In this article, we devise a new geographic range-match scheme for fog-enhanced services, which allows fog-nodes to securely collect range-based sensed data while protecting the location privacy of IoT devices. Our main idea is to formulate the problem of encrypted geographic queries as range-based pattern matching and carefully craft security schemes to enable efficient range queries in the ciphertext domain. The proposed range-match scheme is provably secure and can reduce accessible information during distance comparisons. We formally analyze the security strengths and complete the prototype implementation. The comprehensive experimental results demonstrate the practicality of our designs.
High-Throughput SSR Marker Development and the Analysis of Genetic Diversity in Capsicum frutescens

Capsicum frutescens, one of the domesticated species of pepper grown worldwide, is thought to be highly advantageous due to its strong resistance against plant pathogenesis, high productivity, and intense aroma. However, a shortage of molecular markers limits the efficiency and accuracy of genetic breeding for pepper. With the newly developed next-generation sequencing technology, genome sequences of C. frutescens can be generated, which are now available for identifying SSR markers via data mining. In this study, a total of 278,425 SSRs were detected from the pepper genome using MISA software. It was observed that trinucleotides were the dominant repeat motif. This was followed by dinucleotides, tetranucleotides, pentanucleotides, and the hexanucleotides repeat types. (AT)n (TTG)n (AAAT)n (AAATA)n (TATAGA)n is known to be the most common repeat motifs corresponding to dinucleotide to hexanucleotide repeats, respectively. In addition, a total of 240 SSR primers evenly distributed over all 12 chromosomes were designed and screened against 8 C. frutescens cultivars. Of these, 33 SSR markers that have high polymorphism, have been scrutinized for 147 accessions from 25 countries. The dendrogram constructed clustered these accessions into seven major groups. The groups were found to be consistent with their origins. The results obtained in this study provided resources of SSR molecular markers and insight into genetic diversity of the C. frutescens.
A Retrospective and Prospective Examination of the 1960s U.S. Northeast Drought

As the most severe drought over the Northeastern United States (NEUS) in the past century, the 1960s drought had pronounced socioeconomic impacts. Although it was followed by a persisting wet period, the conditions leading to the 1960s extreme drought could return in the future, along with its challenges to water management. To project the potential consequences of such a future drought, pseudo‐global warming simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model are performed to simulate the dynamical conditions of the historical 1960s drought, but with modified thermodynamic conditions under the shared socioeconomic pathway SSP585 scenario in the early (2021–2027), middle (2041–2047), and late (2091–2097) 21st century. Our analysis focuses on essential hydroclimatic variables including temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, snowpack, and surface runoff. In contrast to the historical 1960s drought, similar dynamical conditions will generally produce more precipitation, increased soil moisture and evapotranspiration, and reduced snowpack. However, we also find that although wet months get much wetter, dry months may become drier, meaning that wetting trends are most significant in wet months but are essentially negligible for extremely dry months with negative monthly mean net precipitation. For these months, the trend toward wetting conditions provides little relief from the effects of extreme dry months. These conditions may even aggravate water shortages due to an increasingly rapid transition from wet to dry conditions. Other challenges emerge for residents and stakeholders in this region, including more extreme hot days, record‐low snow pack, frozen ground degradation and subsequent decreases in surface runoff.
Development of Minimally Invasive Mid-infrared Lipolysis Laser System for Effective Fat Reduction

Due to changes in diet and lifestyle, the number of obese people worldwide is steadily increasing. Obesity has an adverse effect on a healthy life, so it needs treatment and improvement. Research related to this is continuously being conducted. The laser system to compact designed using 808 nm laser diode and Neodymium Yttrium orthovanadate generates a 1064 nm wavelength, the periodically polarized nonlinear crystal pumping laser beam. The pulsed 1064 nm wavelength beam passing through the AO Q-switch is used as the pumping light of the nonlinear optical crystal and is irradiated to the periodic polarized nonlinear optical crystal with a quasi-phase matching period. Nonlinear optical crystals use an oven to control the temperature to generate the desired 1980 nm and 2300 nm wavelengths. The 1980 nm and 2300 nm wavelengths generated by temperature control of nonlinear optical crystals are effective for lipolysis. A fiber catheter was used so that the laser could be directly irradiated to the fat cells. In particular, the new wavelength (1980 nm, 2300 nm) can increase the fat reduction effect with low energy (1.3 W). When a laser with a combination wavelength of 1980 nm and 2300 nm was used, an average lipolysis effect of 20% was obtained. A mid-infrared lipolysis laser system with excellent absorption of fat and water has been developed. We conducted a princlinical study to confirm the efficacy and safety of the lipolysis laser system, and obtained good results for lipolysis with low energy.
Estimation of Lithium-Ion Batteries State-Condition in Electric Vehicle Applications: Issues and State of the Art

Lithium-ion batteries are the most used these days for charging electric vehicles (EV). It is important to study the aging of batteries because the deterioration of their characteristics largely determines the cost, efficiency, and environmental impact of electric vehicles, especially full-electric ones. The estimation of batteries’ state-condition is also very important for improving energy efficiency, lengthening the life cycle, minimizing costs and ensuring safe implementation of batteries in electric vehicles. However, batteries with large temporal variables and non-linear characteristics are often affected by random factors affecting the equivalent internal resistance (EIR), battery state of charge (SoC), and state of health (SoH) in EV applications. The estimation of batteries’ parameters is a complex process, due to its dependence on various factors such as batteries age and ambient temperature, among others. A good estimate of SoC and internal resistance leads to long battery life and disaster prevention in the event of a battery failure. The classification of estimation methodologies for internal parameters and the charging status of batteries will be very helpful in choosing the appropriate method for the development of a reliable and secure battery management system (BMS) and an energy management strategy for electric vehicles.
A Millimeter Wave Class-F VCO with Third Harmonic Enhancement in 40nm CMOS

In this paper, the proposed millimeter-wave voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is based on Class-F oscillator and adopts the design of multi-peak transformer to enhance the third harmonic so as to obtain higher frequency and lower phase noise. A high frequency millimeter wave VCO is realized by the design of a low frequency resonator. As a result, the VCO has lower phase noise and lower power consumption while obtaining wider frequency tuning range than traditional mm-Wave VCOs. In addition, a broadband buffer with a low-km transformer which can suppress the first-harmonic and extract the third-harmonic is proposed. Simulated results show that the proposed VCO exhibits phase noise of -93.6~-95.1dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset at 72.8~90.1 GHz, and the DC power consumption of the VCO core is only 10.8mW at the supply voltage of 0.9V.
Congenital pouch colon with colonic atresia- An unusual embryological association: A case report

Background: Congenital pouch colon (CPC) is a rare variant of high anorectal malformation. More and more varied associations of CPC with other entities are being added to the literature. Case presentation: A 1-day-old male baby presented to the emergency room with marked abdominal distension and absent anal opening. On exploration, the baby was found to have CPC (Type 2) with colonic atresia. This association has not been reported in English literature. Conclusion: This is a report of a case of type 2 CPC with colonic atresia. To the best of our knowledge, such an association has not been reported so far. The final embryological outcome is dictated both by the topography and timing of vascular insult.
Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles by Using Invasive Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder

Caulerpa cylindracea is an invasive seaweed in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study, we propose an alternative method to utilise the biomass of C. cylindracea to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). UV-VIS spectroscopy, FT-IR and X-ray diffraction were used in characterization steps. The results show that optimum conditions such as time, initial concentration of AgNO3 and temperature were found to be 240 min, 0.1 M AgNO3 and 85˚C, respectively. The measured particle size of the synthesized AgNPs were 22 nm. Since AgNPs were encapped by the secondary metabolites of C. cylindracea, the synthesized AgNPs showed stable solubility in aqueous conditions. The experimental data related to synthesis of AgNPs were modelled by using artificial neural network (ANN). Agitation time and rate, temperature, pH, concentration of AgNO3 and extract were chosen as input and absorbance values were chosen as output. ANN modelling study exhibited that Bayesian regularization backpropagation, scaled conjugate gradient backpropagation and Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation algorithms better modelled the experimental data compared to studied 11 backpropagation algorithms. In conclusion, biomass of invasive seaweeds can be used to synthesize AgNPs for commercial use and this will bring a new perspective to utilisation of the biomass of invasive seaweeds. A possible economical value may create a stress on the spread of these alien species in the Mediterranean Sea.
Effect of Transcutaneous Spinal Direct Current Stimulation (TsDCS) Combined with Other Therapies on Walking Capacity in Patients with Neurological Disorders: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Neuromodulation has been used for walking difficulty as a therapeutic approach and, as transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation (TsDCS) is emerging as a novel tool for patients with neurological disorders when combined with transcutaneous direct current stimulation (tDCS) and/or gait training, it seems to have a promising effect; therefore, a systematic review may provide a better insight into the efficacy of the results. This systematic review aims to assess the effects of TsDCS when applied in combination with different therapies in neurological disorder patients . Methods : Databases (Pubmed, CENTRAL, and Web of Science) were used for searching studies since inception. With the guidance of reviewers, one author extracted data. Two independent reviewers assessed qualities of the randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Results : Five studies from an initial yield of 256 studies met the inclusion criteria. TsDCS might improve walking capacity when combined with tDCS and/or gait training in stroke (TsDCS with gait training and tDCS), cerebral palsy (tDCS with gait training), and cerebellar ataxia (TsDCS with tDCS). Conclusion: The result suggests that more studies are needed for concluding the therapeutic potential. Future studies should emphasize standard stimulation protocol and determining its efficacy in other outcome parameters of gait and in patients with different neurological disorders.
Investigation of the Effect of Various Natural Dyes on UV Protection Properties and Antibacterial Activity of Cotton Fabrics

ABSTRACT In this research work, natural dyes (Turmeric, Cinnamon, and Saffron) have been successfully used to dye cotton fabrics that are safe to the environment and health during manufacturing and usage. Also these dyes are considered to be nontoxic, nonpolluting, non-carcinogenic, and eco-friendly. Copper sulfate (CuSO4) was used as mordant in the dyeing with Turmeric, Cinnamon, Saffron dyes on cotton fabric. After dyeing, the UV protection properties and antibacterial efficiency of cotton samples were evaluated and morphological properties of samples were investigated using scanning electron microscope. Color intensities, reflection, and transmission factor of dyed fabrics were measured using a UV–VIS–NIR Reflective Spectrophotometer. The results show that Saffron dye has higher ultraviolet protection properties among the other used dyes and also according to the antibacterial analysis, it can be said that turmeric showed better antimicrobial properties.
Surface shortwave cloud radiative effect of Cumulus (Cu) and Stratocumulus-Cumulus (Sc-Cu) cloud types in the Caribbean area (Camagüey Cuba, 2010-2016)

The effects of cumulus clouds (Cu) and the combination of stratocumulus-cumulus clouds (Sc-Cu) on the solar radiation at the earth’s surface were evaluated at Camagüey (Cuba) for a 6-year period (from June 2010 to May 2016). Two methods to calculate the cloud radiative effect (CRE) were employed. The first method (CREm) uses solar irradiances in cloudy conditions from actinometric observations, where cloud information was also reported by visual observation. In the second method (CRE0) surface solar irradiances were estimated for both cloudy and clear sky conditions using a 1-D radiative transfer model, and cloud optical depth (COD) retrieved from an AERONET sun-photometer as the main input. A temporal correspondence criterion between COD retrievals and actinometric observations was performed in order to classify COD of each cloud type. After the application of this criterion, the COD belonging to the optically thin clouds was removed. Finally, 255 and 732 COD observations for Cu and Sc-Cu respectively, were found. Results show statistically significant difference at the 95% confidence level between CRE calculated for Sc-Cu and Cu, using the both methods. Mean values of CREm and CRE0 for Cu (Sc-Cu) were −442 W/m2 (−390 W/m2) and −460 W/m2 (−417 W/m2), respectively. CRE0 shows a linear relation with ln(COD), with stronger correlation at lower solar zenith angle. The shortwave cloud effect efficiency (CEE) for the two cloud types sharply decreases with the increase of the COD up to the value of 20. For larger COD, the CEE is less sensitive to the increase of COD.
Information, reflection, and successful job search: A labor market policy experiment

Jobseekers, especially young people with little experience on the job market, face several challenges. They need to know which jobs are suited for them, where to find them, how to apply, and they need resilience in the face of repeated rejections. Previous research has shown that receiving information and reflecting on how to search for a job enhance self-efficacy and search motivation, thereby reducing the duration of unemployment spells. Following up on these results, we conducted an experiment in cooperation with the Austrian Ministry of Social Affairs which combines an “information nudge” in the form of a short video-clip with what we call “reflection nudge” in the form of an online survey. We find that a treatment combining reflection and information reduces job search duration of young unemployed people with a low level of formal education. Considering the low costs of the intervention, efficiency is very high.
PARAMETRIC EFFECT ON ETHANOL PRODUCTION THOUGH USE OF MONOD MODEL

Numerical simulation had many advantages over use of mathematical model through numerical techniques. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of various parameter such as RPM, temperature, pH and aeration rate on ethanol production using Monod model (M-Model). Monod model utilized well known mathematical technique of Range Kutta (RK) for simplification of differential equation. In the current study RPM varied from 250-450 with step size 50 RPM, pH changed from 4-6.5 with step size 0.5, temperature raised from 30-45ᵒC with step size 5, and aeration rate increased from 0.1vvm/l to 0.3vvm/l with step size 0.1vvm/l. The results revealed that maximum yield (77 g/l) of ethanol achieved at 300RPM, pH 4.5, 35ᵒCand aeration rate 0.2vvm/l. Moreover, theoretical investigations were also verified by fitting the data in M-Model and found quite in good agreement with the model.