Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Towards the total synthesis of Phacelocarpus-2-pyrone A:Novel 2-pyrone chemistry

This thesis describes the progress made towards the synthesis of the natural product phacelocarpus-2-pyrone A and the development of novel synthetic methodology for the synthesis of functionalised 2-pyrones. Initial studies focused on the synthesis of the natural product and the applications of Pd-catalysed cross-coupling reactions using the interesting palladium catalyst, CatCat. Key findings in the studies towards the natural product include: i) the synthesis of two 6-alkyl-4-hydroxy-2-pyrone intermediates suitable for providing a synthetic platform for future work; ii) the first synthesis of a 2-pyrone bound vinyl ether; iii) the synthesis of a 19 membered macrocycle containing 2-pyrone and 1,4-en-yne functionality. In addition, the first Pd-catalysed intramolecular C-H arylation of a 2-pyrone has been developed and applied to a number of substrates.
Load Transfer during Magnetic Mucoperiosteal Distraction in Newborns with Complete Unilateral and Bilateral Orofacial Clefts: A Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis

The primary correction of congenital complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP) is challenging due to inherent lack of palatal tissue and small extent of the palatal shelves at birth. The tissue deficiency affects the nasal mucosa, maxillary bone and palatal mucosa. This condition has driven the evolution of several surgical and non-surgical techniques for mitigating the inherent problem of anatomical deficits. These techniques share the common principle of altering the neighboring tissues around the defect area in order to form a functional seal between the oral and nasal cavity. However, there is currently no option for rectifying the tissue deficiency itself. Investigations have repeatedly shown that despite the structural tissue deficiency of the cleft, craniofacial growth proceeds normal if the clefts remain untreated, but the cleft remains wide. Conversely, craniofacial growth is reduced after surgical repair and the related alteration of the tissues. Therefore, numerous attempts have been made to change the surgical technique and timing so as to reduce the effects of surgical repairs on craniofacial growth, but they have been only minimally effective so far. We have determined whether the intrinsic structural soft and hard tissue deficiency can be ameliorated before surgical repair using the principles of periosteal distraction by means of magnetic traction. Two three-dimensional maxillary finite element models, with cleft patterns of UCLP and BCLP, respectively, were created from computed tomography slice data using dedicated image analysis software. A virtual dental magnet was positioned on either side of the cleft at the mucoperiosteal borders, and an incremental magnetic attraction force of up to 5 N was applied to simulate periosteal distraction. The stresses and strains in the periosteal tissue induced by the magnet were calculated using finite element analysis. For a 1 N attraction force the maximum strains did not exceed 1500 µstrain suggesting that adaptive remodeling will not take place for attraction forces lower than 1 N. At 5 N the regions subject to remodeling differed between the UCLP and BCLP models. Stresses and strains at the periosteum of the palatal shelf ridges in the absence of compressive forces at the alveolar borders were greater in the UCLP model than the BCLP model. The findings suggest that in newborns with UCLP and BCLP, periosteal distraction by means of a magnetic 5 N attraction force can promote the generation of soft and hard tissues along the cleft edges and rectify the tissue deficiency associated with the malformation.
Compost from the food waste for organic production of cabbage, cauliflower, and radish under sub-tropical conditions

Purpose In the current scenario, food wastage is a significant concern throughout the world. This food wastage may convert to compost, and that compost may apply in the agriculture field for the better yield of crops. In this context, a field study conducted on the effects of compost prepared from food wastage on the yield of cabbage, cauliflower, and radish. Methods The experiment consisted of twelve treatments and twelve control plants of all the plants. Field soil of both control and treatment plots were analyzed by standard methods. Standard methods took different morphological and chemical parameters of all the plants. Results Results indicated that compost from food waste increased soil fertility. The application of manure was significantly (p < 0.01) superior over the morphological and biochemical properties of the control group plants. The application of compost increased leaf relative water content and decreased the electrolyte leakage in all the plants. The yield of cabbage (control-0.00 t•ha-1, treatment-37.05 t•ha-1), cauliflower (control-10.16 t•ha-1, treatment-22.36 t•ha-1) and radish (control-7.30 t•ha-1, treatment-20.33 t•ha-1) were significantly higher in the treatment group than the control group. The yield increment in percentages of cabbage, cauliflower, and radish was infinite %, 220.08 %, and 278.49 %, respectively. The day in terms of time, compost, and their interaction has a significant effect on the better health of cabbage, cauliflower, and radish, and more yields achieved. Conclusion Therefore, food waste is used for making compost, which is helpful for organic cabbage, cauliflower, and radish production in a sub-tropical condition.
Information System and Technology Optimization as a Tool for Ensuring the Competitiveness of a Railway Undertaking—Case Study

Information and communication technologies are becoming an increasingly important part of everyday life, as they facilitate many activities, mainly in the world of work, but also in scientific research and education. At present, informatics is one of the fastest growing sectors of the national economy. This development has had a significant impact on improving the quality of transport and transportation processes. The article is focused on the railway transport. It deals with the possibilities of planning the shifts of the train personnel and circulation of the vehicles. It describes the background of the topic. The scientific acquittance lies on the methodology proposed by authors. It presents a new idea of creating the shifts and circulations while being based on the current state and mathematical methods.
Overview of Dental Fluorosis in Children

Fluoride is an extraordinary supplement to protect the enamel and prevent teeth decay, but the over-dose usage of fluoride does not often end up in a good result. Children whose teeth have been exposed to fluoride for the first time in their first eight years of life are more likely to develop dental fluorosis. Although most fluorosis is mild and does not require treatment, the color changes caused by excessive fluoride are sometimes severe and even results in perforation of the enamel which compels parents to take the action for the sake of their children’s dental esthetic and treatments. In spite of fluorosis can be prevented by having adequate knowledge of the fluoride sources and knowing how to manage this issue, parental precaution is the key to prevent dental fluorosis.
On increasing the sensitivity of moving average control chart using auxiliary variable

In the statistical process control, the most useful tool to monitor the manufacturing processes in the industries is the control chart. Quality practitioners always desire the charting structure that identifies sustainable changes in the monitoring processes. The sensitivity of the control chart is improved when additional correlated auxiliary information about the study variable is introduced. The regression estimate in the form of auxiliary and supporting variables presents an unbiased and efficient statistic of the mean of the process variable. In this study, auxiliary information‐based moving average (AB‐MA) control chart is designed for efficient monitoring of shifts in the process location parameter. The performance of the AB‐MA control chart is evaluated and compared with existing charts using average run length and other run length characteristics. The comparison reveals that the AB‐MA control chart outperforms the competitors in detecting the small and medium changes in the process location parameter. The application of the proposal is also provided to implement it in real situation.
Motion Planning of Upper-Limb Exoskeleton Robots: A Review

(1) Background: Motion planning is an important part of exoskeleton control that improves the wearer’s safety and comfort. However, its usage introduces the problem of trajectory planning. The objective of trajectory planning is to generate the reference input for the motion-control system. This review explores the methods of trajectory planning for exoskeleton control. In order to reduce the number of surveyed papers, this review focuses on the upper limbs, which require refined three-dimensional motion planning. (2) Methods: A systematic search covering the last 20 years was conducted in Ei Compendex, Inspect-IET, Web of Science, PubMed, ProQuest, and Science-Direct. The search strategy was to use and combine terms “trajectory planning”, “upper limb”, and ”exoskeleton” as high-level keywords. “Trajectory planning” and “motion planning” were also combined with the following keywords: “rehabilitation”, “humanlike motion“, “upper extremity“, “inverse kinematic“, and “learning machine “. (3) Results: A total of 67 relevant papers were discovered. Results were then classified into two main categories of methods to plan trajectory: (i) Approaches based on Cartesian motion planning, and inverse kinematics using polynomial-interpolation or optimization-based methods such as minimum-jerk, minimum-torque-change, and inertia-like models; and (ii) approaches based on “learning by demonstration” using machine-learning techniques such as supervised learning based on neural networks, and learning methods based on hidden Markov models, Gaussian mixture models, and dynamic motion primitives. (4) Conclusions: Various methods have been proposed to plan the trajectories for upper-limb exoskeleton robots, but most of them plan the trajectory offline. The review approach is general and could be extended to lower limbs. Trajectory planning has the advantage of extending the applicability of therapy robots to home usage (assistive exoskeletons); it also makes it possible to mitigate the shortages of medical caregivers and therapists, and therapy costs. In this paper, we also discuss challenges associated with trajectory planning: kinematic redundancy and incompatibility, and the trajectory-optimization problem. Commonly, methods based on the computation of swivel angles and other methods rely on the relationship (e.g., coordinated or synergistic) between the degrees of freedom used to resolve kinematic redundancy for exoskeletons. Moreover, two general solutions, namely, the self-tracing configuration of the joint axis and the alignment-free configuration of the joint axis, which add the appropriate number of extra degrees of freedom to the mechanism, were employed to improve the kinematic incompatibility between human and exoskeleton. Future work will focus on online trajectory planning and optimal control. This will be done because very few online methods were found in the scope of this study.
Effective work function tuning in high-κ dielectric metal-oxide-semiconductor stacks by fluorine and lanthanide doping

In this letter, an ion implantation approach to engineer the effective work function is discussed and an empirical model to explain the mechanisms of work function change is proposed. It is shown that by doping a TiN/HfSiOx stack with La and F, a silicon conduction band edge and valence band edge metal effective work function of 3.8 and 5.4 eV, respectively, can be achieved. The empirical correlation of the achieved effective work function to the electronegativity of the dopant element is explained.
Kernel estimator and predictor of partially linear mixed-effect errors-in-variables model

This paper considers the partially linear mixed-effect model relating a response Y to predictors with mean function which is a combination of the linear mixed-effect model and the nonparametric smooth function. The proposed model contains an additive measurement error in X. Taavoni and Arashi (Kernel estimation in semiparametric mixed-effect longitudinal modelling. Statist Papers. 2019. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00362-019-01125-8.) approximated the nonparametric function by the profile kernel method, and made use of the weighted least squares to estimate the regression coefficients when measurement error was ignored. We derive a simple modification of their estimators by correction for attenuation stems from measurement error and demonstrate that the linear parts estimator is asymptotically normal.
The Eﬀect of Pesticide Application on QTLs Controlling Traits in Barley

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.,) is a diploid crop with 2n = 2x = 14 chromosomes (Germán et al. 2000). Among cereals, barley ranks fourth after wheat, rice, and corn. However, barley has the first planting in terms of the extent of expansion because it can be cultivated under different climatic conditions (Feug et al. 2006). Over 136×106 tons of barley are produced worldwide each year, mainly used for livestock nutrition, and for industrial application (Zong-Yun et al. 2006). Due to the economic importance of barley and the widespread cultivation of this cereal, its breeding is on the agenda of breeders. To accomplish barley breeding goals, gene mapping, a study of their inheritance, and saturated genetic linkage maps were necessary. One of the major challenges of barley breeding programs is determining the inheritance and locus of genes controlling these traits (Li et al. 2005; Hassan et al. 2010). All cereals, including barley and wheat, are exposed to various pests and diseases. A pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used to prevent, control or reduce pest damage. It can be a chemical compound (synthetic or natural), or a biological agent (biopesticide, e.g., a bacterium) eliminating various pests (e.g., insects, pathogenic microorganisms, weeds, nematodes) of the cultivated plant (Shibamoto and Bjeldanes 2009). Alongside the benefits of the pesticide application, there are problems such as reduced genetic diversity, reduced nitrogen fixation, and destruction of living habitats, especially endangered birds and species. In addition, humans receive pesticides through various means, including food consumption; exposure to food (especially fruits and vegetables) is five times more than other ways, such as air and drinking water (Shokrzadeh and Saravi 2011; Bonnechère et al. 2012). When flour and bread prepared, the amount of pesticides is slightly reduced by the procedure of grinding and baking. The highest residual concentration was observed in bran because most residues of pesticides accumulate in the grain exosporium (Kaushik et al. 2009). Molecular markers made it possible to generate highdensity genomic (genetic) linkage maps for many plants, including barley. These high-density genetic linkage maps based on molecular markers and QTLs (Quantitative Trait Loci) allow using Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS), and in this way selection is possible in the early generations of a breeding program which highly improves efficiency (Ayoub et al. 2003; Han et al. 1994). In the study of a barley population derived from Steptoe × Morex cross, 3 QTLs were identified for grain yield using 15 Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP), ARTICLE
Determinants of Innovation Activities in Small Enterprises: A Model Approach

: Purpose: The article aims to develop a model explaining the undertaking of Polish small enterprises' innovation activities. Design/Methodology/Approach: There are many classifications of the factors that stimulate or inhibit small enterprises' innovation activity. Generally, they are considered in two domains – as external and internal determinants. Empirical studies were conducted in 2015 on a representative sample of 202 Polish small enterprises using the CAPI method. Analysis of the significance of the impact of key internal and external factors on small enterprises' innovation activity was based on a logit regression model. Findings: The results indicate the significance of seven of the 25 key factors included in the model. These statistically significant determinants of Polish small enterprises' innovation activity exhibited both positive and negative impacts on undertaking innovative undertakings. Practical Implications: The identified determinants of innovation activity may guide managers of such companies. The presented model shows which factors stimulate the process of implementing innovations and which inhibit it. Originality/value: The research identifies the external and internal determinants of innovation activity in Polish small companies. These results can be compared with results in other countries, where the conditions for conducting innovation activities are often completely different.
Planform‐asymmetry and backwater effects on river‐cutoff kinematics and clustering

River bends occasionally meander to the point of cutoff, whereby a river shortcuts itself and isolates a portion of its course. This fundamental process fingerprints a river's long‐term planform geometry, its stratigraphic record, and biogeochemical fluxes in the floodplain. Although meander cutoffs are common in fast‐migrating channels, timelapse imagery of the Earth surface typically does not offer a long enough baseline for statistically robust analyses of these processes. We seek to bridge this gap by quantifying cutoff kinematics along the Humboldt River (Nevada) – a stream that, from 1994 to 2019, hosted an exceptionally high number of cutoffs (specifically, 174 of the chute type and 53 of the neck type). A coincidence between major floods and cutoff incidence is first suggestive of hydrographic modulation. Moreover, not just higher sinuosity but also upstream planform skewness is associated with higher cutoff incidence and channel widening for a sub‐population of chute cutoffs. We propose a conceptual model to explain our results in terms of channel‐flow structure and then examine the distances between adjacent cutoffs to understand the mechanisms governing their clustering. We find that both local and nonlocal perturbations together trigger the clustering of new cutoffs, over distances capped by the backwater length and over yearly to decadal timescales. Our research suggests that planform geometry and backwater controls might sway the occurrence of cutoff clusters – both local and nonlocal – thereby offering new testable hypotheses to explore the evolution of meandering‐river landscapes that have significant implications for river engineering and stratigraphic modelling. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
MamuLEDs: Mixed Reality meets Mamulengo

Techniques of Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VR, AR, MR) have been used for puppet theater in different cultural contexts around the world. However, we are not yet aware of the use of these techniques in the Brazilian Northeast Popular Puppet Theater, a tradition known in Pernambuco as Mamulengo. We present here a system developed for “The Quarrel Between the Real Puppet and the Virtual Puppet,” a sketch created for the class Realidade Virtual e Aumentada of Computer Science program at CIn-UFPE. This paper aims to investigate how VR/AR/MR techniques can contribute to the creation of mamulengo shows. We used the method of qualitative case study, analyzing the audiovisual records of essays and presentation, the software solution developed in Unity 3D, and the data collected from a focus group interview with puppeteers. This study identified as weaknesses of our system: the hand tracking unreliability and the lack of tactile feedback, causing discomfort in experienced puppeteering professionals. As strengthens of the system, we found that the technology aroused interest because of its potential for expanding the options of tools available for popular puppetry shows creation in current times.
Separation of alkane-acetone mixtures using styrene-butadiene rubber/natural rubber blend membranes

Conventionally vulcanized styrene–butadiene rubber/natural rubber blend membranes were prepared for the pervaporation separation of alkane–acetone mixtures. Swelling measurements were carried out in both acetone and n-alkanes to investigate the swelling behavior of the membranes. The swelling behavior was found to depend on the composition of the blend. The effects of blend ratio, feed composition, and penetrant size on the pervaporation process were analyzed. The permeation properties have been explained on the basis of interaction between the membrane and solvents and blend morphology. The SBR/NR 70/30 blend membrane showed higher selectivity among all the membranes used. Flux increases with increasing alkane content in the feed composition. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 3059–3068, 1999
Cu GB Diffusion in Al. Effect of Alloying by Cu and Ce

The diffusion of Cu in Al and Al based alloys was studied. It was shown the great scattering of triple product values, measured for different grain boundaries (GB) at the same samples. It was discussed in the terms of GB energy difference. It was also shown that GB triple product can be varied significantly by preliminary alloying of Al by 0.1% Cu. However, the alloying of Al by 0.5% Cu leads to disappearing of the effect of accelerated diffusion in GB in comparison with the bulk.
An Integrated Surfactant Solubilization and PCB Bioremediation Process for Soils

Two decades after the manufacture and use of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were banned, PCB contamination remains widespread in the environment. Technologies available for PCB remediation are limited and often impractical for soils with dispersed PCB contamination. In this study, two remediation processes have been integrated for use on PCB-contaminated soils. This remediation strategy links in situ surfactant washing of PCBs from soil with aerobic biodegradation of the resulting surfactant-PCB solution by two field application vectors (F A Vs), Pseudomonas putida IFL5::TnPCB and Ralstonia eutropha B30F4::TnPCB, which utilize surfac-tants as growth substrates and cometabolize PCBs. A bench-scale demonstration of this process was performed using PCB-contaminated soils from an electric power substation site. In a 2-day recycling wash using a 1% (wt/vol) surfactant solution, greater than 70% of the PCBs were removed from the soil. In the biodegradation phase, greater than 90% of the surfactant and 35% of .