Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dairy processing industry in the European Union: Country-group clustering in pre and post-milk quota abolishment periods

The European Union dairy processing sector has an important position and role in processing food and drinks in EU28 concerning the share of turnover, value-added, and employment. Its products belong to the most imported and exported items, mainly in EU countries. The article aims to evaluate the competitiveness of the EU milk market with respect to pre-and post-milk quota elimination periods. In addition, the paper identifies similar characteristics of the EU dairy sector, including milk production and processing. Eurostat and FAOstat data from 2008-2018 were used. Based on the clustering of k-means, five groups of EU countries were distinguished. The clustering analysis reveals that the post-communist EU member states are characterised by similar levels of dairy processing industry characteristics. In addition, the article shows that the competitiveness of the dairy processing industry is higher in the old EU member states (Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom). The results indicate that the abolishment of the milk quota has not induced visible changes in the clustering of characteristics of the dairy processing industry in EU countries.
Compressive Channel Estimation Based on the Deep Denoising Network in an IRS-Enhanced Massive MIMO System

Integrating large intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRS) into a millimeter-wave (mmWave) massive multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) technique has been a promising approach to enhance the performance of the wireless communication system with the channel state information (CSI). Most existing work assume that ideal channel estimation can be obtained, but the proposed high-dimensional cascaded MIMO channels and passive reflectors pose a great challenge to these methods. To address the abovementioned problems, we proposed a new method for the reduction of training overhead in IRS with a partial ON/OFF model and an optimizing strategy for pilot design approach. The energy consumption of large-scale antenna arrays and the pilot overhead in the training phase of signal transmission are greatly reduced. Besides, we proposed an improved deep residual shrinkage denoising network, which possesses better denoising performance with a soft thresholding model. The channel data can be denoised by deep learning methods, which greatly improve the accuracy of channel estimation. Simulation results demonstrate that the superiority of the proposed network over prior solutions.
Back-Transition Control With Large Deceleration for a Dual Propulsion VTOL UAV Based on Its Maneuverability

This letter analyzes the maneuverability of a fixed-wing hybrid Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and proposes a control strategy for back-transitions from fixed-wing mode to rotary-wing mode based on it. Longitudinal aerodynamic forces and moment are modeled to derive a dynamic model of the UAV, and the translational and rotational accelerations that can be generated for the UAV are examined based on the model. To achieve a back-transition with the largest deceleration while maintaining level flight, we search for the best choice of pitch angle and thrust forces for each forward speed by numerical optimization. Flight experiments demonstrate that it is possible to perform a horizontal back-transition while generating a large deceleration with the chosen pitch angles.
A Note on Estimating Parameters in The Two-Parameter Weibull Distribution

The Weibull variate is commonly used as a lifetime distribution in reliability applications. Estimation of parameters is revisited in the two-parameter Weibull distribution. The method of product spacings, the method of quantile estimates and the method of least squares are applied to this distribution. A comparative study between a simple minded estimate, the maximum likelihood estimate, the product spacings estimate, the quantile estimate, the least squares estimate, and the adjusted least squares estimate is presented.
A COMPACT ULTRA-WIDE BAND PRINTED LOG-PERIODIC ANTENNA USING A BOW-TIE STRUCTURE

|This letter, an ultra-wideband compact printed log periodic dipole (LPD) array antenna is designed to operate between 500 MHz and 6 GHz frequencies. The proposed LPD antenna structure consists of one bow-tie dipole and 15 regular dipole elements. The bow-tie element is introduced to improve the antenna’s performance at the lowest frequencies below 1 GHz and at the same time to reduce the antenna size maintaining a good performance. An experimental antenna prototype has been designed, optimized, fabricated, numerically and experimentally assessed. The obtained results are very promising, and they demonstrated that the presented antenna prototype is able to operate in the range between 500 MHz and 6 GHz with an average gain of 6 dBi and a very compact size.
The Gandy-Hyland functional and a hitherto unknown computational aspect of Nonstandard Analysis

In this paper, we highlight a new computational aspect of Nonstandard Analysis relating to higher-order computability theory. In particular, we prove that the Gandy-Hyland functional equals a primitive recursive functional involving nonstandard numbers inside Nelson's internal set theory. From this classical and ineffective proof in Nonstandard Analysis, a term from Goedel's system T is extracted which computes the Gandy-Hyland functional in terms of a modulus-of-continuity functional and a special case of the fan functional. We obtain several similar relative computability results not involving Nonstandard Analysis from their associated nonstandard theorems, in particular involving the weak continuity functional. By way of reversal, we show that certain relative computability results, called Herbrandisations, also imply the nonstandard theorem from whence they were obtained. Thus, we establish a direct two-way connection between the field Computability (in particular theoretical computer science) and the field Nonstandard Analysis.
Chasing Flies: The Use of Wingbeat Frequency as a Communication Cue in Calyptrate Flies (Diptera: Calyptratae)

Simple Summary Some of the fastest and most agile flying insects are the calyptrate flies which include blow flies, flesh flies, and house flies. The current study compared the wingbeat frequency of four species, representing four genera of these flies, recorded in free flight and analyzed using sound editor and analysis software. Wingbeat frequency was found to differ between the four species and between sexes. Such findings provide insight into how flies are communicating and show promise for the use of wingbeat frequency as a novel methodology to identify fly specimens. Abstract The incidental sound produced by the oscillation of insect wings during flight provides an opportunity for species identification. Calyptrate flies include some of the fastest and most agile flying insects, capable of rapid changes in direction and the fast pursuit of conspecifics. This flight pattern makes the continuous and close recording of their wingbeat frequency difficult and limited to confined specimens. Advances in sound editor and analysis software, however, have made it possible to isolate low amplitude sounds using noise reduction and pitch detection algorithms. To explore differences in wingbeat frequency between genera and sex, 40 specimens of three-day old Sarcophaga crassipalpis, Lucilia sericata, Calliphora dubia, and Musca vetustissima were individually recorded in free flight in a temperature-controlled room. Results showed significant differences in wingbeat frequency between the four species and intersexual differences for each species. Discriminant analysis classifying the three carrion flies resulted in 77.5% classified correctly overall, with the correct classification of 82.5% of S. crassipalpis, 60% of C. dubia, and 90% of L. sericata, when both mean wingbeat frequency and sex were included. Intersexual differences were further demonstrated by male flies showing significantly higher variability than females in three of the species. These observed intergeneric and intersexual differences in wingbeat frequency start the discussion on the use of the metric as a communication signal by this taxon. The success of the methodology demonstrated differences at the genus level and encourages the recording of additional species and the use of wingbeat frequency as an identification tool for these flies.
Development of Soft Rice Lines by Regulating Amylose Content via Editing the 5′UTR of the Wx Gene

The type of soft rice with low amylose content (AC) is more and more favored by consumers for its better eating and cooking quality, as people’s quality of life continuously improves in China. The Wx gene regulates the AC of rice grains, thus affecting the degree of softness of the rice. Mei Meng B (MMB), Tian Kang B (TKB), and DR462 are three indica rice maintained lines with good morphological characters, but also with undesirably high AC. Therefore, CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to edit the Wx gene of these lines to create a batch of soft rice breeding materials. New gene-edited lines MMB-10-2, TKB-21-12, and DR462-9-9, derived from the above parental lines, respectively, were selected in the T2 generations, with an AC of 17.2%, 16.8%, and 17.8%, and gel consistency (GC) of 78.6 mm, 77.4 mm, and 79.6 mm, respectively. The rapid viscosity analysis (RVA) spectrum showed that the three edited lines had a better eating quality as compared to the corresponding wild type, and showing new characteristics, different from the high-quality soft rice popular in the market. There was no significant difference in the main agronomic traits in the three edited lines compared to the corresponding wild types. Moreover, the chalkiness of DR462-9-9 was reduced, resulting in an improved appearance of its polished rice. The present study created soft rice germplasms for breeding improved quality hybrid rice, without changing the excellent traits of their corresponding wild type varieties.
Comparative Mitogenomics of Two Sympatric Catfishes of Exostoma (Siluriformes: Sisoridae) from the Lower Yarlung Tsangpo River and Its Application for Phylogenetic Consideration

The genus Exostoma is a group of stenotopic and rheophilic glyptosternine catfishes distributed in South and Southeast Asia. So far, comprehensive studies on mitogenomics referring to this genus are very scarce. In this study, we first sequenced and annotated the complete mitochondrial genomes of Exostoma tibetanum and Exostoma tenuicaudatum—two sympatric congeners from the lower Yarlung Tsangpo River, Tibet, China. The mitogenomes of both species contained 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, one light-strand origin of replication, and one control region, with lengths of 16,528 bp and 16,533 bp, respectively. The mitogenome architecture, nucleotide composition, and codon usage of protein-coding genes were almost identical between the two Exostoma species, although some estimated parameters varied. Phylogenetic analysis strongly supported the monophyly of Exostoma in the subfamily Glyptosternae, and Exostoma tibetanum had the closest relationship to Exostoma tenuicaudatum. The divergence time estimation demonstrated that these two species diverged approximately 1.51 Ma during the early Pleistocene, which was speculated to be triggered by the river system changes caused by the uplift of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Selection pressure analyses indicated that all protein-coding genes of Exostoma species underwent a strong purifying selection, while minority positive sites from NADH dehydrogenase complex genes were detected. These findings are expected to promote our understanding of the molecular phylogeny of the genus Exostoma and provide valuable mitogenomic resources for the subfamily Glyptosternae.
Models of topological barriers and molecular motors of bacterial DNA

ABSTRACT Bacterial genomes are partitioned into kilobases long domains that are topologically independent from each other, meaning that change of DNA superhelicity in one domain does not propagate to neighbours. This is made possible by proteins like the LacI repressor, which behave like topological barriers and block the diffusion of torsion along the DNA. Other proteins, like DNA gyrases and RNA polymerases, called molecular motors, use the energy released by the hydrolysis of ATP to apply forces and/or torques to the DNA and modify its superhelicity. Here, we report on simulation work aimed at enlightening the interplay between DNA supercoiling, topological barriers, and molecular motors. To this end, we developed a coarse-grained Hamiltonian model of topological barriers and a model of molecular motors and investigated their properties through Brownian dynamics simulations. We discuss their influence on the contact map of a model nucleoid and the steady state values of twist and writhe in the DNA. These coarse-grained models, which are able to predict the dynamics of plectonemes depending on the position of topological barriers and molecular motors, should prove helpful to back up experimental efforts, like the development of Chromosome Conformation Capture techniques, and decipher the organisational mechanisms of bacterial chromosomes.
Adherence to Mediterranean Diet in Croatia: Lessons Learned Today for a Brighter Tomorrow

Non-communicable diseases (NCD) and lifestyle, particularly diet, have a close relationship. Based on the recent statistics, Croatian men and women lead in European overweight lists, which implies pessimistic prognosis in terms of incidence and prevalence of NCDs in the future. One of the possible solutions to overcome weight problems is turn to traditional balanced and sustainable diets, such as the Mediterranean diet. In this study, we assessed adherence towards Mediterranean diet using a validated questionnaire in an online survey and associated adherence scores with several demographic and anthropometric data. Based on the results of a validated Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (N = 3326), we assessed the adherence score to be 7.6 ± 2.5. The score tended to depend on sex, residence, age, education, income, and body mass index (BMI); indeed, women, residents of a coastal part of the country, older volunteers, those possessing a higher education degree, those with higher income, and those with lower BMI were associated with higher scores. As income was one of the significant findings related to higher adherence scores, we developed a dietary plan complying with Mediterranean diet principles that, on average, costed less than the average traditional balanced diet menu. Taken together, this study brought new findings regarding target groups who need to be encouraged to make lifestyle changes, and highlighted the first steps on how to make them.
Application of Chicken Manure and Organic Compost to Produce Onion (Allium cepa L.) and Turnip (Brassica rapa L.) in Greenhouse

In recent years awareness of the impacts of intensive agriculture on soil quality and its impacts on the environment has increased. This paradigm increased interest in biological products. In this context, the present trial was conducted to evaluate the performance of two organic fertilizers on onion and turnip crop yield grown in greenhouse. We used two kinds of organic fertilizers made in Portugal, a compost and a chicken manure evaluated in two plant species: onion (Allium cepa L.) and turnip (Brassica rapa L.). Both experiments consisted in a completely randomized design, with the same treatments which are: control (zero application), 1 kg/m2 of compost, 2 kg/m2 of compost, 3 kg/m2 of compost, 5 kg/m2 of compost, 2.65 kg/m2 of chicken manure, 5.3 kg/m2 of chicken manure, 10 kg/m2 of chicken manure, 15.9 kg/m2 of chicken manure, 21.2 kg/m2 of chicken manure. For turnip the evaluated traits were plant weight (Pw), plants length (Pl), number of leaves, and for onion were as follows: plant weight, bulb yields, and bulbs diameter. This study concludes that chicken manure in the dose of 2.65 kg/m2 application represents a sustainable alternative to synthetic fertilizers, mainly in the current challenging situation of agriculture in the context of climate change.
Geometric control methods for nonlinear systems and robotic applications

This thesis is a collection of seven independent papers dealing with different topics in the analysis and control of nonlinear systems, mainly discussed using differential geometric methods and mainly inspired by applications to Robotics. Paper A proposes a geometric framework for the study of certain redundant robotic chains. Interpreting the forward kinematic map from joint space to the workspace of the end-effector as a Riemannian submersion allows to give clear geometric characterizations of several properties of redundant robots, for example of the Moore-Penrose pseudoinverse as the horizontal lift of the Riemannian submersion. Furthermore, it enables to pull back to joint space the motion control algorithms designed in workspace, all respecting the different structures of the two model spaces. The generation of motion in a geometric setting continues in Paper B, where the reduction by groups invariance of first and second order variational problems is discussed for a configuration space which is a semidirect product of a Lie group and a vector space, endowed with the Riemannian connection of a positive definite metric tensor instead of the natural affine connection. Paper C treats motion on Lie groups in presence of constraints that are not invariant: for a kinematic control system on the Lie group, the combination of inputs that satisfies the constraints is computed in coordinates via the WeiNorman formula and in a coordinate-free setting by finding the annihilator of the coadjoint orbit of the constraint one form at the point of interest. For a class of linear switching systems with controllable logic, an interpretation is proposed in Paper D in terms of bilinear control systems. The main consequence is the characterization of the reachable set of the switching system as having only the structure of a semigroup since, in general, the logic inputs cannot reverse the direction of the flow. Paper E considers the nilpotent, filiform Lie group of transformations corresponding to a control system in chained form and shows how to obtain an abelian left coset out of it by factoring out the characteristic line field. The control theoretic interpretation is the arclength reparameterization normally used in differential flatness methods. Paper F investigates the so-called general n-trailer i.e. a variant of the multibody wheeled vehicle discussed in the literature. Properties like controllability, singular locus and existence of canonical forms are analyzed. The last paper presents practical experiments on backward driving for a particular multibody vehicle in the class of general n-trailers. For the situation under investigation, the system behaves like an unstable, saturated nonlinear system. The proposed hybrid control scheme is able to avoid jack-knife saturations on line by driving forward and realigning the bodies of the system when needed.
GPREG: Stata module to estimate regressions with two dimensional fixed effects

Estimation of regressions with two dimensions of fixed effects, e.g. worker and firm fixed effects, student and teacher, or patient and doctor fixed effects. This program uses the Guimaraes & Portugal algorithm which has the advantage of being very memory efficient. It also calculates the correct standard errors under the assumption that the error term is homoskedastic and independently distributed.
PTB–INRIM comparison of novel digital impedance bridges with graphene impedance quantum standards

This paper describes an onsite comparison of two different digital impedance bridges when performing measurements on a quantum Hall resistance standard with the purpose of realizing the SI unit of capacitance, the farad. In the EMPIR Joint Research Project 18SIB07 GIQS, graphene impedance quantum standards, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany, developed a Josephson impedance bridge, and the Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRIM) and the Politecnico di Torino (POLITO), Italy, developed an electronic digital impedance bridge. The former is based on Josephson waveform generators and the latter on an electronic waveform synthesizer. The INRIM–POLITO impedance bridge was moved to PTB and the two bridges were compared by measuring both temperature-controlled standards and a graphene AC quantized Hall resistance (QHR) standard. The uncertainties for the calibration of 10 nF capacitance standards at 1233 Hz are within 1 × 10−8 for the PTB’s bridge and around 1 × 10−7 for the INRIM–POLITO’s bridge. The comparison mutually validates the two bridges within the combined uncertainty. The result confirms that digital impedance bridges allow the realization of the SI farad from the QHR with uncertainties comparable with the best calibration capabilities of the BIPM and the major National Metrology Institutes.
Dietary Salt Disrupts Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle and Induces Tau Hyperphosphorylation and Synapse Dysfunction during Aging

Dietary salt causes synaptic deficits and tau hyperphosphorylation, which are detrimental to cognitive function. However, the specific effects of a high-salt diet on synapse and tau protein remain poorly understood. In this study, aged (15-month-old) C57BL/6 mice received a normal (0.5% NaCl) or high-salt (8% NaCl) diet for 3 months, and N2a cells were treated with normal culture medium or a NaCl medium (40 mM). Spatial learning and memory abilities were tested using the Morris water maze. The levels of metabolites and related enzymes in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle were confirmed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, western blotting, and immunofluorescence. We also investigated synapse morphology and the phosphorylation of tau protein. Under the high-salt diet, mice displayed impaired learning and memory compared to mice fed the normal diet. Furthermore, excessive salt intake disturbed the TCA cycle in both animals and cells compared to the respective normal controls. High dietary salt reduced postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression, impaired neurons, and caused synaptic loss in the mice. We also detected tau hyperphosphorylation at different sites (Thr205, Thr231, and Thr181) without increasing total tau levels in response to high salt treatment, both in vivo and in vitro. We concluded that elevated salt intake impairs the TCA cycle and induces tau hyperphosphorylation and synapse dysfunction during aging, which ultimately results in cognitive impairment.