Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Multiple Role of Silicon Nutrition in Alleviating Environmental Stresses in Sustainable Crop Production

In addition to the application of macronutrients (N, P, K), there has been an increasing interest in studying the effects of different micronutrients on growth and development in plant populations under abiotic and biotic stresses. Experimental results have demonstrated the role of silicon in mitigating environmental stresses on plants (especially in silicon accumulating plant species). Furthermore, as the silicon content of soils available to plants can vary greatly depending on soil type, the many positive results have led to increased interest in silicon as a nutrient in sustainable agriculture over the last decade. The grouping of plant species according to silicon accumulation is constantly changing as a result of new findings. There are also many new research results on the formation of phytoliths and their role in the plants. The use of silicon as a nutrient is becoming more widespread in crop production practices based on research results reporting beneficial effects. Controversial results have also been obtained on the use of different Si-containing materials as fertilizers. Many questions remain to be clarified about the uptake, transport, and role of silicon in plant life processes, such as stress management. Future research is needed to address these issues. This review discusses the role and beneficial effects of silicon in plants as a valuable tool for regulating biological and abiotic stresses. Our aim was to provide an overview of recent research on the role and importance of silicon in sustainable crop production and to highlight possible directions for further research.
Arithmetic Progression Switched-Capacitor DC–DC Converter Topology With Soft VCR Transitions and Quasi-Symmetric Two-Phase Charge Delivery

This article presents an arithmetic progression (AP) switched-capacitor (SC) dc–dc converter topology for systematic step-down reconfigurable rational voltage conversion ratio (VCR) generation while exhibiting soft VCR transitions and quasi-symmetric two-phase charge delivery. The proposed AP topology features fixed steady-state voltage in all the flying capacitors (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$C_{\mathrm {FLY}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) irrespective of VCR change, essentially eliminating the internal <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$C_{\mathrm {FLY}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> hard-charging loss due to voltage rebalancing, effectively improving the overall dynamic efficiency. It also achieves optimal steady-state slow-/fast-switching loss. Furthermore, due to the inherent quasi-symmetric output charge (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$Q_{\mathrm {OUT}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) delivery property in the two-phase switching operations, the proposed topology alleviates the VCR-dependent imbalanced per-phase <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$Q_{\mathrm {OUT}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> delivery to relax the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$C_{\mathrm {OUT}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> requirement in a single-branch converter implementation. We propose a cross-coupled bootstrapping driver (XCBD) operated at half of the converter switching frequency (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$f_{\mathrm {SW}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) to adaptively control the flying power switches without relying on dual-branch interleaved architecture. Fabricated in 65-nm CMOS, the implemented AP chip prototype achieves a step-down VCR of 5:4/3/2/1 and converts a 1.5-V input to a 0.18–1.19-V output. With a measured steady-state peak power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 93.7%, this work can deliver a maximum output current of 400 mA while attaining an average conversion efficiency of up to 89% under a periodic VCR transition at 100 kHz as benefitted from the intrinsic soft VCR transition and low conduction loss properties.
Target detection system for surface cracks of hot continuous steel casting based on YOLO V4 model

In the process of continuous casting slab production, serious defects will have an adverse impact on the subsequent rolling process. The target detection of cracks using machine vision algorithm has been increasingly applied in industry. The detection of defects in hot billets is of great significance. Adjusting the flow and flow rate of mould in advance can prevent more defective billets from being produced. In this paper, the detection system of hot billet is constructed by combining YOLO (You Only Look Once) and public data set, which can realize the defect detection in industrial production. Combined with the two algorithms of YOLO V3 and YOLO V4, the system detection results are compared, and a comparative conclusion is drawn. YOLO V4 algorithm uses multi-scale detail boosting at the input for image enhancement, and the part of neck adopts SPP module and FPN + PAN mode, and on this premise, the definition of partial loss function is changed. These changes eventually make YOLO V4 faster, more accurate and lighter. According to the experimental results of this paper, the following conclusions are drawn: This system can realize the defect detection of hot continuous steel casting in industry. The maximum value has not been greater than 0.1, while GIoU is lower than 0.02 when the epcho is greater than 200. The accuracy of YOLO V4 training prediction framework is much higher than that of YOLO V3, and the target detection is also more accurate. In terms of recall rate and average AP value of various categories, YOLO V4 is better, with a maximum increase of 0.1. At the same time, among the samples divided into positive examples into all crack categories, the average proportion of actual positive examples is also higher.
Moderating effects of emotion regulation difficulties and resilience on students’ mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study examined whether emotion regulation difficulties and resilience in college students moderated changes in mental health over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (N = 321) completed surveys assessing mental health, in addition to levels of emotion dysregulation, and resilience during the pandemic, then utilized an anchoring prompt to recall mental health experiences before the pandemic. Correlations revealed participants with higher levels of emotion dysregulation also reported lower levels of resilience. Analyses using the SPSS Macro MEMORE (Montoya, 2019) revealed participants with higher levels of emotion regulation difficulties had greater increases in depression and insomnia, and greater decreases in well-being over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, while participants with lower levels of resilience had greater increases in depression, anxiety, and insomnia over the course of the pandemic. These results highlight the importance of additional support services and mental health training at universities to meet college students’ immediate and long-term emotional needs stemming from the pandemic.
Glycomacropeptide Safety and Its Effect on Gut Microbiota in Patients with Phenylketonuria: A Pilot Study

Glycomacropeptide (GMP) represents a good alternative protein source in Phenylketonuria (PKU). In a mouse model, it has been suggested to exert a prebiotic role on beneficial gut bacteria. In this study, we performed the 16S rRNA sequencing to evaluate the effect of 6 months of GMP supplementation on the gut microbiota of nine PKU patients, comparing their bacterial composition and clinical parameters before and after the intervention. GMP seems to be safe from both the microbiological and the clinical point of view. Indeed, we did not observe dramatic changes in the gut microbiota but a specific prebiotic effect on the butyrate-producer Agathobacter spp. and, to a lesser extent, of Subdoligranulum. Clinically, GMP intake did not show a significant impact on both metabolic control, as phenylalanine values were kept below the age target and nutritional parameters. On the other hand, an amelioration of calcium phosphate homeostasis was observed, with an increase in plasmatic vitamin D and a decrease in alkaline phosphatase. Our results suggest GMP as a safe alternative in the PKU diet and its possible prebiotic role on specific taxa without causing dramatic changes in the commensal microbiota.
Computer simulations of re-entrant crossed-field amplifiers

Two basic types of numerical simulation models have been developed for crossed-field amplifiers (CFAs). They are (1) moving window, single wavelength approximation codes and (2) full-format codes, which model the full interaction space. Both types of codes have been used to study reentrant (cylindrical format) tubes. The authors discuss the elements of these numerical models and the phenomena that can be studied with each. Examples of the codes' application to specific problems are presented. <<ETX>>
Factors Affecting Entrepreneurial Motivation and Intention of University Students in Hanoi, Vietnam

: Entrepreneurship is the key driver of economic progress in many countries; thus, many countries have introduced policies to promote a more entrepreneurial environment. This study assesses the impact of factors affecting entrepreneurial intention of university students. The data was collected through a survey of 341 students at 09 leading universities in Hanoi, Vietnam and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with SPSS and Amos software. The research results show that entrepreneurial skills, entrepreneurial environment and subjective norms either directly or indirectly affect business motivation and entrepreneurial intention of university students. Thus, it is suggested that university and other educational institutions should provide more activities and taught courses that help students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for entrepreneurship.
‘Enjoy poverty’: introducing a rhetorical approach to critical reflection and reflexivity in social work education

ABSTRACT The concepts of critical reflection and reflexivity currently occupy a prominent space in social work education. Nevertheless, there is a need for more evidence on how these concepts are conceptualised and enacted in concrete social work teaching contexts. In this paper, we develop a rhetorical approach to critical and reflexive social work education building on the concepts of terministic screens, trained incapacities and rhetorical listening. We explain how we operationalised our approach in an educational project where social work students critically engage with an artistic documentary on poverty. Based on the qualitative analysis of eight reflective group discussions, we identify three critical moves in students’ rhetorical reflections: deconstructing problem definitions of poverty and their performativity, negotiating multiplicity, and reflecting critically on critical reflection. Drawing on our research findings, we argue that the rhetorically aware social work professional takes the stance of a researcher, embraces ambiguity and positions oneself as a political actor. Moreover, rhetorical pedagogies offer students a ‘social work education’ that discloses different conceptions of critical reflection in work education as rhetorical constructs as well. We conclude the paper with recommendations for educators that wish to engage in a similar pedagogical approach in their social work classroom.
Using secondary data in research on social sustainability in construction project management: a transition from “interview society” to “project-as-practice”

PurposeAccess to unbiased self-reported (primary) data for a normative concept like social sustainability has been a challenge for construction project management (CPM) scholars, and this difficulty has been further amplified by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This paper aims to address this issue by asserting the suitability of secondary data as a methodologically sound but underutilized alternative and providing directions for secondary data-based research on social sustainability in a project setting.Design/methodology/approachBy drawing on a framework for social sustainability and using “project-as-practice” approach as its point of departure, this conceptual paper identifies possibilities for utilizing multiple secondary sources in CPM research.FindingsThe paper provides a roadmap for identification of secondary sources, access to data, potential research designs and methods, limitations of and cautions in using secondary sources, and points to many novel lines of empirical enquiries to stimulate secondary data-based research on social sustainability in CPM.Social implicationsIndicated secondary sources and empirical opportunities can support research efforts that aim to promote societal welfare through construction projects.Originality/valueThe presented guidance will assist researchers in identifying, accessing and utilizing naturalistic, secondary data for designing and conducting empirical research that cuts across social sustainability and CPM. This, in turn, will facilitate methodological pluralism and “practice turn” in such research endeavors.
ZVT High Step-Up Boost Converter With Wide Input Voltage and Wide Output Power for Renewable Energy Applications

In this article, a high-efficiency, high step-up dc–dc converter is introduced by utilizing a new soft-switching circuit based on the zero-voltage transition (ZVT) technique. Soft-switching performance is independent of the output load and input voltage. The simple auxiliary circuit benefits from a low number of components. The resonant circuit comprises merely one switch and one small capacitor, and in comparison to the existing ZVT high step-up converters, no extra auxiliary diode and resonant inductor are used to provide soft switching. The proposed auxiliary circuit can be applied to coupled inductor (CI)-based step-up topologies, because of exploiting the leakage inductance of the CI cell in the resonant network. Providing soft-switching performance for all the semiconductor elements alleviates the reverse recovery and switching losses, which considerably enhances the efficiency. The proposed topology is a competitive structure in terms of efficiency, voltage gain ratio, and the number of components due to the mentioned features. The theoretical results are validated on a 200-W laboratory prototype with a 400-V output voltage.
Source identification and ambient trace element concentrations of PM10 using receptor modeling in an urban area of Chhattisgarh, India

Abstract This study investigated seasonal variation in PM10 aerosols and associated trace metal concentrations in an urban city Raipur, India. PM10 aerosols were monitored at Raipur for the year 2015 to 2019. Eighteen trace elements (Al, Ba, Ca, Cr, As, Mn, Sb, Se, Sr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Mg, Ni, Ti, V, Pb, Zn) and (EC and OC) were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy and thermal optical transmittance technique. A receptor-based positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was used to identify the possible sources with qualitative analysis of crustal enrichment factor, back-trajectory analysis using concentration weighted trajectory (CWT) to predict potential locations of distant sources, and correlation between different species. The average PM10 aerosol mass concentration during the study period was found to be 184.91 ± 114 µg/m³. Seasonally, the average winter–time PM10 concentration (193.49 ± 129.18 µg/m³) was found higher as compared to summer time (176.32 ± 65.80 µg/m³) during the study period. Five sources were identified including the iron and steel industry (30%), biomass and waste combustion (28.7%), vehicular emissions (21%), heavy oil combustion (17.4%), and crustal dust (2.9%). The study provides information on major sources affecting air quality.
Influence of substrate temperature on the structure, morphology and luminescence characteristics of ZnS:Mn films

ZnS:Mn films were grown on Si (100) substrates via PLD technology at various substrate temperatures (from 20°C to 600°C). The structure, morphology and luminescent characteristics of ZnS:Mn films were studied by XRD, AFM and PL methods. The results show that, when the substrate temperature rises, the diffraction peak around 28.3° which belongs to the (111) crystal direction of cubic β-ZnS films becomes stronger, and the film surface changes from loose to dense, with the crystalline particles becoming larger. indicating that the crystallization quality of ZnS:Mn films is improved. In addition, the optical properties of ZnS:Mn are also greatly affected by the substrate temperature. As the substrate temperature rises, the average transmittance first increases and then decreases, with the optical band gap of the films becoming larger. In the PL spectra, the orange-red light at about 590 nm emitted by 4T1-6A1 of Mn2+ gradually enhances with the rise of substrate temperature, and the luminescence peak shifts blue.
Parametric nonstationary covariance functions on spheres

Gaussian Processes are powerful tools for modelling spatial data. In this context, a significant amount of modelling focus is placed on specifying the covariance function, which is required to be symmetric and positive definite. Covariance functions have classically been defined and used in Euclidean space. However, as data collected from the globe becomes more prevalent, accounting for Earth's geometry becomes increasingly important. Using Euclidean distance can be suboptimal for these data. We survey the literature for recent developments related to construction of nonstationary covariance functions on spheres, which historically has been a challenging area. We present contributions in this effort by providing three general forms for families of parametric nonstationary covariance functions.
Effects of Cloud Microphysics on the Universal Performance of Neural Network Radiation Scheme

Understanding the effect of cloud microphysical changes on the stability of radiation emulator is essential in an operational weather forecasting model with frequent updates. This study examined the effect of 15 microphysics schemes on a radiation emulator for real and ideal cases. In the real case, although the forecast errors against the control run increased with varying microphysics schemes to the trained scheme, the forecast error of 2‐m temperature was rather improved by 0.9%–5.4% when compared with observations. The radiation emulator for the real case was applied to an ideal squall‐line simulation to test its universal application, resulting in increase of 8.6%–41.3% more forecast errors in heating rates and fluxes for 14 microphysics schemes more than the trained scheme. These errors could be reduced by 26.5%–50.4% with the use of a compound parameterization. Therefore, the stability and accuracy of radiation emulator on microphysics changes was confirmed.
Bioactivity of Two Polyphenols Quercetin and Fisetin against Human Gastric Adenocarcinoma AGS Cells as Affected by Two Coexisting Proteins

It is recognized that minor dietary components polyphenols have anticancer effects on digestive tract, lung, leukemia, and other cancers, while polyphenols also can covalently or noncovalently interact with major dietary components proteins such as casein, soybean proteins, whey proteins, and bovine serum albumin. Thus, whether the noncovalent interaction between the molecules of two polyphenols (quercetin and fisetin) and two proteins (bovine serum albumin and casein) has positive or negative impact on anticancer activities of the polyphenols against human gastric adenocarcinoma AGS cells was assessed in this study. The two polyphenols had obvious anticancer activities to the cells, because dose levels as low as 20–160 μmol/L caused reduced cell viability of 30.0–69.4% (quercetin) and 24.6–63.1% (fisetin) (using a cell treatment time of 24 h), or 9.9–48.6% (quercetin) and 6.4–29.9% (fisetin) (using a cell treatment time of 48 h). However, the cell treatments by the polyphenols in the presence of the two proteins mostly caused lower polyphenol activity toward the cells, compared with those treatments by the polyphenols in the absence of the proteins. Specifically, the presence of the proteins led to reduced growth inhibition in the cells, because higher cell viability of 33.2–86.7% (quercetin) and 29.1–77.7% (fisetin) at 24 h, or 14.1–66.8% (quercetin) and 7.9–59.0% (fisetin) at 48 h, were measured in these treated cells. The two coexisting proteins also yielded the polyphenol-treated cells with less mitochondrial membrane potential loss, less formation of reactive oxygen species, and decreased cell apoptosis. Thus, it is highlighted that the noncovalent interaction between dietary polyphenols and proteins resulted in weakened anticancer ability for the polyphenols to the gastric cancer cells.
A Micromachined Low-power-consumption Portable PCR System

This paper presents a portable system for Polymerase Chain Reaction. The developed device incorporates a platinum thin film thermo-cycler fabricated using a simple and reliable Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System (MEMS) process and a battery-operated thermo-cycler controller. The portable system is comprised of two basic components, namely a PCR control module and a PCR chip module. The PCR chip module is fabricated from cheap and biocompatible soda-lime glass and PDMS materials, and contains a micro-heater and a micro-temperature sensor in a 10 μL PDMS micro chamber provided to load DNA samples. An accurate temperature is maintained within the PCR chamber by means of a predictive control system which operates in conjunction with a neural network. When the system is powered by a portable 9 V DC battery, the developed system is capable of increasing the temperature in the chamber at a rate of 20.5 o C per second and decreasing the temperature at 7 o C per second over a working range of 50 o C to 95 o C. The measured temperature shift at the target temperature is less than 0.2 o C and the average power consumption of the portable system is less than 1.2 Watts. The capability of the developed system in performing the detection of infectious diseases is verified using the portable system to successfully detect the species-specific gene and the antimicrobial resistant determinant respectively in Salmonella. The development of the portable PCR system could be crucial for on-site diagnosis of infectious diseases.