Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Leaching losses of main nutrients by incorporating organic fertilisers into light texture soils Haplic Luvisol

The aim of this work was to show that fertilization of lightly structured soils (Haplic Luvisol), according to the principles of sustainable agriculture can facilitate achieving more valuable results with lower nutrient leaching losses. The research was performed in stationary concrete cylindrical lysimeters (n = 24, 1.35 m depth) plots in were filled the Haplic Luvisol sandy loam (n = 12, surface area 1.75 m2) and loamy sand (n = 12, surface area 1.75 m2) soil, typical to the Eastern Lithuanian area. Scheme of the experiment: 1) control (no fertilizer), 2) NPK fertilizers (Provita, phosphorite powder and potassium magnesia), 3) 40 t/ha sapropel and 4) 60 t/ha manure. Fertilization with 40 t/ha sapropel was found to significantly reduce nitrate leaching losses in sandy loam and loamy sand soils, compared to other applied fertilizers. 60 t/ha manure tended to reduce potassium leaching content in sandy loam soil. The highest phosphorus leaching losses found in two types of soils with incorporated organic NPK fertilizer (Provita, phosphorite powder and potassium magnesia).
Content vs. age: perceived credibility of older and young adult eyewitnesses with confidence inflation

ABSTRACT With populations aging rapidly across the world, an increasing amount of attention is being paid to how older eyewitnesses are perceived by jurors. Current literature reports mixed results. While some papers suggest that negative age stereotypes undermine the perceived credibility of older eyewitnesses, others indicate that the perceived credibility of eyewitnesses, regardless of age, is determined by the contents of their testimonies. To solve this tension in the literature, we completed two experiments that manipulated eyewitness age (21 vs. 74 years old) and confidence consistency (consistent vs. inconsistent) to uncover the situations in which older eyewitnesses were and were not comparable to younger adult eyewitnesses. If negative age stereotypes influence older eyewitness credibility, the effects of negative age stereotypes would be observed more clearly when the older eyewitness was inconsistent than when they were consistent. This is because inconsistent older eyewitnesses match negative age stereotypes (e.g. older eyewitnesses are incompetent). However, eyewitness age did not prove to have a significant effect on the perception of eyewitness credibility. As a result, we propose that eyewitness credibility is determined by confidence consistency. The implications for activating the mechanism of negative age stereotypes and practical support for older eyewitnesses are discussed.
Enhancement of S-Adenosylmethionine-Dependent Methylation by Integrating Methanol Metabolism with 5-Methyl-Tetrahydrofolate Formation in Escherichia coli

S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM)-dependent methyltransferases are important tools for the biocatalytic methylation of diverse biomolecules. Methylation by a whole-cell biocatalyst allows the utilization of intrinsic SAM and its regeneration system, which consists of a cyclic and multi-step enzymatic cascade. However, low intracellular availability of 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate (5-methyl-THF), which functions as a methyl group donor, limits SAM regeneration. Here, we integrated methanol metabolism with 5-methyl-THF formation into SAM-dependent methylation system in Escherichia coli, driven by heterologously expressed methanol dehydrogenase (MDH). The coupling of MDH-catalyzed methanol oxidation with the E. coli endogenous reactions enhances the formation of 5-methyl-THF using methanol as a source of methyl group, thereby promoting both the SAM regeneration and methylation reactions. Co-expression of the mutant MDH2 from Cupriavidus necator N-1 with the O-methyltransferase 5 from Streptomyces avermitilis MA-4680 enhanced O-methylation of esculetin 1.4-fold. Additional overexpression of the E. coli endogenous 5,10-methylene-THF reductase, which catalyzes the last step of 5-methyl-THF formation, further enhanced the methylation reaction by 1.9-fold. Together with deregulation of SAM biosynthesis, the titer of methylated compounds was increased about 20-fold (from 0.023 mM to 0.44 mM). The engineered E. coli strain with enhanced 5-methyl-THF formation is now available as a chassis strain for the production of a variety of methylated compounds.
Production of Proteins prM/M and E of Dengue Virus-3 in Pichia pastoris: Simplified Purification and Evaluation of Their Use as Antigens in Serological Diagnosis of Dengue

Dengue is a major arbovirus affecting humans today. With the growing number of cases, it is essential to have large-scale production of antigens for the development of diagnostic kits for the rapid detection of patients infected by the virus and consequent proper medical intervention for them. In this work, we express the prM/M and E proteins of dengue virus-3 in yeast Pichia pastoris KM71H. The proteins were produced in soluble form in the supernatant of the culture and were purified by precipitation with ammonium sulfate. The fraction of 80% of ammonium sulfate was used as an antigen in an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), providing a sensitivity of 82.61% and a specificity of 89.25%. Thus, the methodology proposed here showed promise for obtaining antigens of dengue viruses and creating quick and inexpensive diagnostic tests, which is of great value since large portions of the areas affected by this disease are economically neglected.
Exploring and developing methods of assessing sedentary behaviour in children

Evidence suggests that sedentary behaviour (SB) is associated with adverse health outcomes. Children’s SB is a complex set of behaviours that includes different types of activities taking place in a variety of settings. Therefore, assessing children’s SB is challenging and currently no single method exists that captures the behaviour as a whole. This thesis aims to explore and develop new and existing methods of assessing children’s SB, by employing a range of quantitative and qualitative methods. Accelerometry has become a widely used method of estimating sedentary time (ST). Study 1 identified raw acceleration thresholds to classify children’s sedentary and stationary behaviours, using two accelerometer brands across three placements. Thresholds however, do not account for the postural element of SB, as per its definition. Study 2 validated the Sedentary Sphere method in children, allowing for the most likely posture classification from wrist-worn accelerometers. Study 3 added contextual information to accelerometer data by using a digitalised data capturing tool, the Digitising Children’s Data Collection (DCDC) for Health application (app). Children used the app to report their SBs daily through photos, drawings, voice recordings as well as answering a multiple-choice questionnaire. Results from the DCDC app identified specific SBs to be targeted in future interventions. Data showed distinct differences between boys and girls’ screen-based behaviours, suggesting gender-specific interventions are needed to reduce screen time. Using the DCDC app in combination with accelerometry often explained patterns of SB and physical activity observed in accelerometer data. Study 4 added information about parents’ perceptions of the factors that influence their children’s SBs. This study identified parents/carers as a target for future interventions in view of perceptions reported about PA and SB and their need for support to help reduce the time children spend using screen-based devices.
Quasi‐Bayes properties of a procedure for sequential learning in mixture models

Bayesian methods are often optimal, yet increasing pressure for fast computations, especially with streaming data, brings renewed interest in faster, possibly suboptimal, solutions. The extent to which these algorithms approximate Bayesian solutions is a question of interest, but often unanswered. We propose a methodology to address this question in predictive settings, when the algorithm can be reinterpreted as a probabilistic predictive rule. We specifically develop the proposed methodology for a recursive procedure for on‐line learning in non‐parametric mixture models, which is often referred to as Newton's algorithm. This algorithm is simple and fast; however, its approximation properties are unclear. By reinterpreting it as a predictive rule, we can show that it underlies a statistical model which is, asymptotically, a Bayesian, exchangeable mixture model. In this sense, the recursive rule provides a quasi‐Bayes solution. Although the algorithm offers only a point estimate, our clean statistical formulation enables us to provide the asymptotic posterior distribution and asymptotic credible intervals for the mixing distribution. Moreover, it gives insights for tuning the parameters, as we illustrate in simulation studies, and paves the way to extensions in various directions. Beyond mixture models, our approach can be applied to other predictive algorithms.
Aeroacoustic Numerical Investigation of a Scaled Compressor Cascade

In order to further develop technologies to reduce noise emissions of aero engines, an understanding of the noise propagation through compressor blade rows of modern turbofan engines is of major importance. To enable more detailed experimental investigations of the sound propagation in aero engines, engine components or stages have to be scaled for an installation into test rigs that allow for experiments under acoustically optimized boundary conditions. The main focus of the present work is thus to discuss a scaling approach that ensures both aerodynamic and aeroacoustic similarity between a given test rig and engine. For that purpose, a stator row of a four-stage high-speed axial compressor (4AC) based on the test rig at the Institute of Turbomachinery and Fluid Dynamics (TFD) at the Leibniz University Hanover is scaled to fit into the TFD’s Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel (AWT). Numerical investigations based on multiple modeling approaches are performed to verify a similar aeroacoustic behaviour in both test rigs. Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and Unsteady-RANS simulations are carried out to assess the aerodynamic characteristics of the blade rows. The aeroacoustic modelling consists of simulations with an Euler acoustic solver to compare the modal transmis1The presented work was divided equally between the Institute of Turbomachinery and Fluid Dynamics in Hanover and the Mechanical Engineering Department in Sherbrooke (stefanie.lohse@usherbrooke.ca). 2Address all correspondence to this author. sion behaviour through the blade rows. The CFD results show that aerodynamic similarity was achieved. Moreover, the CAA results indicate that the acoustic transmission behaviour of the blade row could be matched for both test rigs.
Faunal assemblages of intertidal hydroids (Hydrozoa, Cnidaria) from Argentinean Patagonia (Southwestern Atlantic Ocean)

This study provides taxonomical and ecological accounts for the poorly known diversity of hydroids distributed over ~2,000 km of Argentinean Patagonian intertidal habitats (42°-54°S). Sampling was performed in 11 sites with tidal amplitude between 6-13 m dominated by rocky outcrops, breakwaters, and salt marshes. Samples were sorted and identified up to the species level and hydroid associations were analyzed by multivariate analyses. A total of 26 species were recorded. The most frequent species were Amphisbetia operculata , present in 8 of the 10 sites inhabited by hydroids, followed by Symplectoscyphus subdichotomus and Nemertesia ramosa . All recorded hydroids are geographically and bathymetrically widely distributed species, common at the austral hemisphere. Seven species ( Coryne eximia , Bougainvillia muscus , Ectopleura crocea , Hybocodon unicus , Halecium delicatulum , Plumularia setacea , and Clytia gracilis ) were reported from intertidal fringes. Species richness differed according to the composition of the bottom, topographical complexity and density of mytilid communities. Some muddy intertidal fringes dominated by the glasswort Sarcocornia perennis had an unexpected hydroid fauna composition, never reported for salt marsh habitats, representing a remarkable novelty for the hydroid literature. The lack of studies on the hydroid fauna from these particular habitats represented a substantial gap for our biodiversity knowledge.
Effect of friction stir processing and heat treatment on the corrosion properties of AZ31 alloy

ABSTRACT Magnesium alloys are widely used to lightweight the components in the automobile, aerospace, and electronics industries because of their low density and high specific strength. However, factors like low ductility, low mechanical strength, and high corrosion rate restrict the extensive use of the material. To utilise the alloy with improved mechanical and corrosion properties, friction stir processing followed by heat treatment was performed. The study explored the effect of ageing temperature and ageing time on the microstructure, mechanical and corrosion properties of friction stir processed AZ31 alloy. The results indicate that friction stir processing at TRS of 1200 rpm and TTS of 60 mm/min, followed by heat treatment augments the corrosion resistance of AZ31 alloy.
Cytogenetic analysis using quantitative, high-sensitivity

Thisreport describes theuseoffluorescence insitu hybridization forchromosome classification anddetec- tionofchromosome aberrations. Biotin-labeled DNA was hybridized totarget chromosomes andsubsequently rendered fluorescent bysuccessive treatments withfluorescein-labeled avidin andbiotinylated anti-avidin antibody. Humanchromo- somes inhuman-hamster hybrid cell lines wereintensely and uniformly stained inmetaphase spreads andinterphase nuclei whenhumangenomic DNAwasusedasaprobe. Interspecies translocations weredetected easily atmetaphase. Thehuman- specific fluorescence intensity fromcell nuclei andchromo- somes wasproportional totheamount oftarget humanDNA. HumanY chromosomes werefluorescently stained inmeta- phase andinterphase nuclei byusing a0.8-kilobase DNAprobe specific fortheYchromosome. Cells frommales were40times brighter thanthose fromfemales. BothY chromosomal do- mainswerevisible inmostinterphase nuclei ofXYY amniocytes. Human28Sribosomal RNAgenes onmetaphase chromosomes weredistinctly stained byusing a1.5-kilobase DNAprobe.
Modeling the Effects of Lakes in the Tibetan Plateau on Diurnal Variations of Regional Climate and Their Seasonality

In this study, we investigated the effects of lakes in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) on diurnal variations of local climate and their seasonal changes by using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model coupled with a one-dimensional physically based lake model. We conducted WRF simulations for the TP over 2000–10, and the model showed excellent performance in simulating near-surface air temperature, precipitation, lake surface temperature, and lake-region precipitation when compared to observations. We carried out additional WRF simulations where all the TP lakes were replaced with the nearest land-use types. The differences between these two sets of simulations were analyzed to quantify the effects of the TP lakes on the local climate. Our results indicate that the strongest lake-induced cooling occurred during the spring daytime, while the most significant warming occurred during the fall nighttime. The cooling and warming effects of the lakes further inhibited precipitation during summer afternoons and evenings and motivated it during fall early mornings, respectively. This study lays a solid foundation for further exploration of the role of TP lakes in climate systems at different time scales.
Racial complaint and sovereign divergence: the case of Australia's first Indigenous ophthalmologist

Abstract This is a reflective piece that examines the nature of racial complaint with reference to Dr Kris Rallah-Baker's concerns about the racism that characterised his medical education. It will further examine the anti-racist campaign that sprung up in support of Rallah-Baker with a view to illustrating the limits of conventional critical race theory in understanding the course of events. Using the work of Aileen Moreton-Robinson, Gramsci and Stuart Hall, it will be argued that the Rallah-Baker case illustrates that Australian hegemonic formations can never quite command total legitimacy because sovereign formations, anti-racist in outlook, erupt with a frequency and facticity that lay bare the conceit of settler-colonialism. In so doing the paper will work towards an understanding of the critical Indigenous/race paradigm that goes beyond critical race insights borne of other places and experiences. As will be seen, what followed Rallah-Baker's complaint, the campaign that supported him and the concessions finally won was not, as critical race theory is wont to claim, a case simply of ‘interest convergence’; rather it was, I propose, an example of ‘sovereign divergence’.
Validating CFD Predictions of Flow over an Escarpment Using Ground-Based and Airborne Measurement Devices

Micrometeorological observations from a tower, an eddy-covariance (EC) station and an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) at the WINSENT test-site are used to validate a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, driven by a mesoscale model. The observation site is characterised by a forested escarpment in a complex terrain. A two-day measurement campaign with a flow almost perpendicular to the escarpment is analysed. The first day is dominated by high wind speeds, while, on the second one, calm wind conditions are present. Despite some minor differences, the flow structure, analysed in terms of horizontal wind speeds, wind direction and inclination angles shows similarities for both days. A real-time strategy is used for the CFD validation with the UAS measurement, where the model follows spatially and temporally the aircraft. This strategy has proved to be successful. Stability indices such as the potential temperature and the bulk Richardson number are calculated to diagnose atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) characteristics up to the highest flight level. The calculated bulk Richardson values indicate a dynamically unstable region behind the escarpment and near the ground for both days. At higher altitudes, the ABL is returning to a near neutral state. The same characteristics are found in the model but only for the first day. The second day, where shear instabilities are more dominant, is not well simulated. UAS proves its great value for sensing the flow over complex terrains at high altitudes and we demonstrate the usefulness of UAS for validating and improving models.
DLUX: A LUT-Based Near-Bank Accelerator for Data Center Deep Learning Training Workloads

The frequent data movement between the processor and the memory has become a severe performance bottleneck for deep neural network (DNN) training workloads in data centers. To solve this off-chip memory access challenge, the 3-D stacking processing-in-memory (3D-PIM) architecture provides a viable solution. However, existing 3D-PIM designs for DNN training suffer from the limited memory bandwidth in the base logic die. To overcome this obstacle, integrating the DNN related logic near each memory bank becomes a promising yet challenging solution, since naively implementing the floating-point (FP) unit and the cache in the memory die incurs a large area overhead. To address these problems, we propose DLUX, a high performance and energy-efficient 3D-PIM accelerator for DNN training using the near-bank architecture. From the hardware perspective, to support the FP multiplier with low area overhead, an in-DRAM lookup table (LUT) mechanism is invented. Then, we propose to use a small scratchpad buffer together with a lightweight transformation engine to exploit the locality and enable flexible data layout without the expensive cache. From the software aspect, we split the mapping/scheduling tasks during DNN training into intralayer and interlayer phases. During the intralayer phase, to maximize data reuse in the LUT buffer and the scratchpad buffer, achieve high concurrency, and reduce data movement among banks, a 3D-PIM customized loop tiling technique is adopted. During the interlayer phase, efficient techniques are invented to ensure the input–output data layout consistency and realize the forward–backward layout transposition. Experiment results show that DLUX can reduce FP32 multiplier area overhead by 60% against the direct implementation. Compared with a Tesla V100 GPU, end-to-end evaluations show that DLUX can provide on average $6.3\times $ speedup and $42\times $ energy efficiency improvement.
Decentralized active disturbance rejection control design for the gas turbine

As a clean energy engine, the gas turbine is widely used for the generation of the power plant and the propulsion of the warship. Its control is becoming more and more challenging for the reason that internal coupling exists and the load command changes frequently and extensively. However, advanced controllers are difficult to implement on the distributed control system and conventional proportional–integral–derivative controllers are unable to handle with aforementioned challenges. To solve this problem, this article designs a decentralized active disturbance rejection control for the power and exhaust temperature of the gas turbine. Simulation results illustrate that the decentralized active disturbance rejection control is able to obtain satisfactory tracking and disturbance rejection performance with strong robustness. Eventually, a numerical simulation is carried out which shows advantages of active disturbance rejection control in the control of power and exhaust temperature when the gas turbine is under variable working condition. This successful application of decentralized active disturbance rejection control to the gas turbine indicates its promising prospect of field tests in future power industry with increasing demand on integrating more renewable energy into the grid.
Optimizing bitmap index encoding for high performance queries

Many sources such as historical archives, sensor readings, health systems, and machine records produce ever‐increasing but often unchanging data. These accumulating data create a need for faster processing. Bitmap index, which can take advantage of multi‐core and multiprocessor systems, is designed to process data that increase over time but do not change frequently. It has a well‐known advantage, especially in queries on data with low cardinality. However, bitmap index can handle high cardinality data efficiently because it can use its own compression algorithm. Bitmap index has many encoding schemes that affect query processing time. In this study, we developed an algorithm that improves query performance by using optimal encoding among bitmap encodings. With this optimization algorithm, we witnessed up to 40% performance increase in queries made with bitmap indexes created with different encodings. Furthermore, in comparison with a commonly used relational database, we found significant improvements in the number of query operations per second performed on optimized encoded bitmap indexes generated by the introduced algorithm.