Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gyroid “srs” Networks: Photonic Materials Beyond Nature

The gyroid “srs” network is a bio‐inspired, 3D periodic network with both cubic symmetry and chirality, which is modeled (and named) after the SrSi2 crystal. It is an excellent starting point for the development of chiral photonic materials and a powerful platform for the study of complex morphologies and novel photonic topological states. In this Progress Report, the most advanced top‐down fabrication techniques, characterization methods, and applications of metallic and dielectric gyroid micro and nanostructures are reviewed. More importantly, new research directions involving these bio‐inspired photonic materials are presented and their potential applications in integrated photonics, topological photonics, and medical sciences are discussed.
The thermochemistry of solvation of imidazolium-based ionic liquids in benzene

ABSTRACT The present work is devoted to the thermochemical study of solvation of ionic liquids (IL) in benzene. The solution enthalpies of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tricyanomethanide [EMIM][C(CN)3], 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [BMIM][BF4], 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [HMIM][PF6], 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [OMIM][BF4], 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [EMIM][NTf2], 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [BMIM][NTf2] and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate [BMIM][TfO] in benzene were measured. The solvation enthalpies of imidazolium-based IL were calculated. Molar refractions of imidazolium-based IL form literature data on density and refractive indexes of IL were also calculated. The linear correlation between solvation enthalpy and molar refraction of IL was observed. This correlation can be used to calculate the vaporization enthalpy of imidazolium-based IL from solution calorimetry data.
Life history contrasts in nutritional state and return probability of post-spawned Atlantic salmon

Using non-lethal tissue biopsies, we investigated somatic energy, lipid composition, and condition in post-spawned Atlantic salmon (kelts, n = 69) returning to sea in the spring and explored contrasts as a function of previous migration- and spawning history, length and sex. Using mark-recapture analysis, we also explored linkages between spawning history and probability of future repeat spawning. Lipid density was significantly higher in previously spawned individuals compared to first time spawned fish, and in females compared to males. Fatty acid composition differed significantly among spawning histories. Return rates to consecutive spawning the following year were consistent with spawning history dependent differences in lipid density, as first time spawned kelts had lower return rates compared to consecutive repeat spawned kelts. We suggest that spawning history related contrasts in nutritional state in post-spawned Atlantic salmon may be a carry-over effect of differences in the feeding habitat as affected by spawning-history dependent migration strategies. Alternatively, it may represent an adaptive response to increased survival and recovery potential with age.
Unconditional Equals

For centuries, ringing declarations about all men being created equal appealed to a shared human nature as the reason to consider ourselves equals. But appeals to natural equality invited gradations of natural difference, and the ambiguity at the heart of “nature” enabled generations to write of people as equal by nature while barely noticing the exclusion of those marked as inferior by their gender, race, or class. Despite what we commonly tell ourselves, these exclusions and gradations continue today. This book challenges attempts to justify equality by reference to a shared human nature, arguing that justification turns into conditions and ends up as exclusion. Rejecting the logic of justification, the book calls instead for a genuinely unconditional equality. Drawing on political, feminist, and postcolonial theory, the book argues that we should understand equality not as something grounded in shared characteristics but as something people enact when they refuse to be considered inferiors. At a time when the supposedly shared belief in human equality is so patently not shared, the book makes a powerful case for seeing equality as a commitment we make to ourselves and others, and a claim we make on others when they deny us our status as equals.
A eutectic salt-assisted semi-closed pyrolysis route to fabricate high-density active-site hierarchically porous Fe/N/C catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

Here we demonstrate a “eutectic salt-assisted semi-closed carbonization” technique for fabricating a high-density active-site hierarchically porous Fe/N/C catalyst by using a ZnCl2/KCl eutectic salt as the template. Our technique allows for the pyrolysis of the Fe/N/C precursor under the protection of the molten ZnCl2/KCl eutectic salt, which can not only provide an ionic liquid-confined space to suppress the large weight loss and N evaporation of the precursor in a very wide temperature range from 390 °C to 923 °C, but also play a key role in modulating the porous structure, specific surface area and graphitization degree of the Fe/N/C catalyst. Accordingly, the as-prepared Fe/N/C catalyst exhibits excellent ORR activity and stability in both acidic (half-wave potential of 0.803 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode) and alkaline (half-wave potential of 0.918 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode) media. More importantly, real cathodes made from the Fe/N/C catalysts further demonstrated superior performance in H2–O2 fuel cells and zinc–O2 batteries. This strategy provides a new avenue for the design and development of advanced porous carbon materials for different applications.
Sterically Stabilized Multilayer Graphene Nanoshells for Inkjet Printed Resistors

In the field of printed electronics, there is a pressing need for printable resistors, particularly ones where the resistance can be varied without changing the size of the resistor. This work presents ink synthesis and printing results for variable resistance, inkjet-printed patterns of a novel and sustainable carbon nanomaterial—multilayer graphene nanoshells. Dispersed multilayer graphene nanospheres are sterically stabilized by a surfactant (Triton X100), and no post-process is required to achieve the resistive functionality. A surface tension-based adsorption analysis technique is used to determine the optimal surfactant dosage, and a geometric model explains the conformation of adsorbed surfactant molecules. The energetic interparticle potentials between approaching particles are modeled to assess and compare the stability of sterically and electrostatically stabilized multilayer graphene nanoshells. The multilayer graphene nanoshell inks presented here show a promising new pathway toward sustainable and practical printed resistors that achieve variable resistances within a constant areal footprint without post-processing.
Variation in helminth infection prevalence, abundance, and coinfection in an intermediate host across large spatial scale

: Parasites are often distributed heterogeneously across host populations, but the controls of this heterogeneity across regional scales often remain unclear. Here, we test the relative importance of natural and anthropogenic environmental factors and biological attributes of host populations on the large-scale variability in infection probability and parasite abundance. We quantified a larval acanthocephalan parasite (Profilicollis altmani) , as well as the trematode Mar-itrema sp. and the nematode Proleptus sp. , infection of mole crabs Emerita analoga using a hierarchical design at 8 sites spanning 500 km of the south-central shoreline of Chile. At each site, we measured the variables of beach size, morphodynamics, distance to nearest port, distance to trib-utaries, mole crab density, seagull density, and host body size. Using mixed-effects models, we analysed the associations of acanthocephalan infection probability and parasite abundance in mole crabs as functions of body size and the environmental site-level factors. Models accounted for 20 and 61% of variation in acanthocephalan infection probability and abundance, respectively, with mole crab body size exclusively accounting for nearly all of the model fits. Also, acanthocephalan abundance decreased with increasing mole crab density, suggesting a possible encounter−dilution effect. Co-infection was strong, with the 2 other larval parasite species correlated positively with acanthocephalan parasites. The low influence of environmental variables on acanthocephalan infection could be because spatial variability in these factors is relatively low or their influences are quick to saturate. Therefore, in this system, parasite infection is apparently more strongly related to the duration of host exposure than spatially variable environmental factors, even across large spatial scales.
First Steps at the Cyclotron of Orléans in the Radiochemistry of Radiometals: 52Mn and 165Er

This work describes the first real developments in radiochemistry around exotic radionuclides at the cyclotron of Orléans focusing on the radiochemistry of two radiometals 165Er and 52Mn. For these developments, targets were irradiated during 0.5–2 h at a maximum current of 2 µA. All activities have been determined by radiotracer method. The production of 165Er from a natural Ho target that was irradiated is described. Higher activities of 165Er were obtained via deuteron irradiation then proton with lower ratio 165Er/166Ho (400/1 to 8/1). By using LN2 resin, the separation of adjacent lanthanides was made on various concentrations of HNO3 (0.3 to 5 M). Weight coefficients (Dw) were defined in a batch test. Then, the first tests of separation on a semi-automated system were made: the ratio 166+natHo/165Er in an isolated fraction was significantly reduced (1294 ± 1183 (n = 3)) but the reliability and reproducibility of the system must be improved. Then, a new Cr powder-based target for 52Mn production was designed. Its physical aspects such as mechanics, thermal resistance and porosity have been studied. Dw for various compositions of eluent Ethanol/HCl were evaluated by reducing contact time (1 h) comparative to the literature. A first evaluation of semi-automated separation Cr/Mn has been made.
Function and Characterization of Fungal Communities in Chestnut Soils (Castanea crenata) of Kansai Region, Japan

Chestnut (Castanea crenata) is an important fruit crop in Japan, grown under three cultivation systems in Kansai region, which succumb to fungal root disease pathogens. The fungal community in soils of chestnut in these cultivation systems were characterized along with the potential of soil bacterial species as biological control agent against these root-invading fungi. Bacteria from the chestnut soil rhizosphere were identified and their ability to suppress diseases in vitro was evaluated. Bacteria DAC17225011 and DAC17225014 showed 99% similarity to Bacillus aryabhattai and Pseudomonas frederiksbergensis, respectively, which could suppress the growth of Armilaria mellea and Phytophtora cambivora, respectively, in in vitro conditions. The assay in vivo indicated the positive effect of these bacteria on the reduction of disease infection spots in chestnut roots; however, no visible symptoms were detected aboveground. For microbial community analysis, chestnut soil was sampled from four locations (Wachi, Ayabe, Fukuchiyama and Sasayama) considering three management systems, conventional, organic and wild. The amplicon from the ITS region (The genomic library of the fungal detection in soils) was sequenced by Illumina MiSeq 250bp and used to analyze the fungal community in the sampled soil. Nectriaceae, which contains pathogenic fungi, was very common in all samples, but lower in wild areas. Ceratobasidiacea was also higher in conventional areas. For the symbiotic families, Hypocraceae and Russulaceae were typical in wild soils, whereas Amanitaceae was found in organic soils. The fungal community was clearly distinct in the wild system, differing from conventional and organic systems.
Palladium Deposition on Magnesium in PdCl2 Solutions in DMF

Palladium deposition on rotational magnesium disk and magnesium powder via cementation has been investigated in 0.01 M PdCl 2 solutions in dimethylformamide. The reduction process started from 323– 333 K without the induction period. Spheroidal micro-particles of palladium and its agglomerates were found to be formed on the magnesium disk surface. Particles in the form of needles and plates by the width of 80–120 nm were formed on the surface of magnesium powder. The deposited particles are characterized by high adhesion to the substrate surface.
Valid statistical inference methods for incomplete contingency table with three-category missing data

Abstract Missing observations in r × c contingency tables often occur in medical, bio-pharmaceutical and epidemiological researches. The most common method to analyze incomplete contingency tables simply removes the non-response counts from both variables or depends on an independence assumption, which may be improper and could result in unreliable conclusions because of the under-estimation of the uncertainty. In this article, we first derive the valid sampling distribution of the observed counts by taking three categories missing data into consideration under the assumption of missing at random and the assumption of the total number of observations being fixed. Next, based on the new sampling distribution, the Fisher scoring algorithm for calculating the maximum likelihood estimates of parameters is developed, and the small-sample bootstrap confidence interval method is also provided. In addition, we theoretically compare the proposed sampling distribution with two existing sampling distributions, and conduct some simulations to investigate the performance of the three different sampling distributions in statistical inferences. Finally, two real data sets are analyzed to illustrate the newly proposed sampling distribution and corresponding statistical methods.
Identification Markers of Adulteration in Korean Red Ginseng (Panax Ginseng) Products Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS)

ABSTRACT The commercial products of Panax ginseng have increasing market demand and high prices due to the pharmacological activities. To obtain high profits, P. ginseng may be adulterated with lower priced morphologically similar species such as Platycodon grandiflorum, Codonopsis lanceolata, and Pueraria lobata. This study was designed to validate accurate methods for the analysis of adulteration in P. ginseng products. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultraperformance liquid chromatography–diode array detector–electrospray ionization–ion trap–time of flight–mass spectrometry (UPLC–DAD–ESI-IT-TOF-MS) were validated to analyze the raw plant materials, self-prepared formulations, and commercial products of P. ginseng, C. lanceolata, P. grandiflorum, and P. lobata. The developed analytical methods were confirmed by quality assurance parameters such as linearity, sensitivity, precision, and accuracy. Lobetyolin and ononin were identified as marker compounds by HPLC and confirmed by accurate mass measurement with ESI-IT-TOF-MS. HPLC analysis of self-prepared formulations indicated that by increasing the ratio of C. lanceolata, P. grandiflorum, and P. lobata in P. ginseng extracts, the peak area is increased at the same retention time. The limits of detection and quantification for lobetyolin and ononin were 0.098 and 0.171, and 0.108 and 0.726 mg/kg, respectively. Furthermore, the intraday precision (<1.0%) measurements confirmed that the developed analytical methods fulfill the required criteria for characterization of these products. The results demonstrated that the developed liquid chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods accurately characterized adulteration in P. ginseng commercial products.
Organic–inorganic metal halide hybrids beyond perovskites

ABSTRACT Organic–inorganic metal halide hybrids have emerged as new generation functional materials with exceptional structure and property tunability for a variety of applications. Besides the most investigated ABX3 metal halide perovskites, a variety of hybrids consisting of a wide range of organic cations and metal halide anions have been developed and studied recently. Here, we provide an overview of these new materials possessing various crystallographic structures, including double perovskites, low dimensional hybrids, and other perovskite-related materials. We discuss their syntheses, functional properties, and optoelectronic applications. Challenges and opportunities are then laid out for these hybrid materials beyond perovskites. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT IMPACT STATEMENT By choosing appropriate organic cations and metal halide anions, single crystalline ionically bonded hybrid materials can be assembled to possess various structures beyond the well-known ABX3 perovskite. These hybrid materials exhibit exciting new properties with potential applications in a variety of areas.
COIN: An Efficient Indexing Mechanism for Unstructured Data Sharing Systems

Edge computing promises a dramatic reduction in the network latency and the traffic volume, where many edge servers are placed at the edge of the Internet. Furthermore, those edge servers cache data to provide services for edge users. The data sharing among those edge servers can effectively shorten the latency to retrieve the data and further reduce the network bandwidth consumption. The key challenge is to construct an efficient data indexing mechanism no matter how the data is cached in the edge network. Although this is essential, it is still an open problem. Moreover, existing methods such as the centralized indexing and the DHT indexing in other fields fail to meet the performance demand of edge computing. This paper presents a COordinate-based INdexing (COIN) mechanism for the data sharing in edge computing. COIN maintains a virtual space where switches and data indexes are associated with their coordinates. Then, COIN distributes data indexes to indexing edge servers based on those coordinates. The COIN is effective because any query request from an edge server can be responded when the data has been stored in the edge network. More importantly, COIN is efficient in both routing path lengths and forwarding table sizes for publishing/querying data indexes. We implement COIN in a P4 prototype. Experimental results show that COIN uses 59% shorter path length and 30% less forwarding table entries to retrieve data indexes compared to using Chord, a well-known DHT solution.
LFIC: Identifying Influential Nodes in Complex Networks by Local Fuzzy Information Centrality

The issue of mining influential nodes in complex networks is a topic of immense interest. Recently, many methods have been proposed, but they suffer from certain limitations. In this article, a novel centrality measure based on local fuzzy information centrality (LFIC) is proposed. LFIC puts forward the concept that the inner structure of a node’s box contains information about the node’s importance. LFIC uses the amount of information contained in the node’s box as a measure of its importance. In LFIC, the uncertainty of information contained in nodes’ boxes is measured by the improved Shannon entropy. Most importantly, fuzzy logic is applied to deal with the uncertainty of neighbor nodes’ contributions to the center node’s importance, which is neglected by most existing methods. To verify the effectiveness of our proposed method, six existing methods are used for comparison and five experiments are conducted using six real-world complex networks. The experimental results indicate that the influential nodes identified by LFIC can cause a wider scope of infection in networks and have a larger effect on the network connectivity, thereby proving the effectiveness and accuracy of LFIC. The correlation between nodes’ LFIC values and their real infection ability is highly positive according to Kendall’s tau coefficient, proving LFIC’s credibility and superiority. The extension of LFIC, namely the bi-directional local fuzzy information centrality, is also proposed to explore its feasibility in weighted directed complex networks.
Phenotypic variations, habitat suitability, and diel activity of the endemic brown palm civets

ABSTRACT The natural distribution and the species ecology of the lesser-known nocturnal endemic brown palm civet in the Western Ghats are definite. We used camera trap data from the Western Ghats to predict the suitable niche, coat colour pattern, and diel activity. The environmental variables like rainfall, elevation, isothermaility, tree density, and tree height profoundly influence the brown palm civet’s habitat suitability. We determined that the most suitable habitat area in the entire Western Ghats is 21,853 km2, in four well-defined isolated blocks. The brown palm civet distribution is more towards the south, ranging from Kakkad to Anamalai. The distribution on the north side is in the Nilgiris, Bhadra, and the Sahyadri. The diel activity pattern indicates that the species is nocturnal, with activity peak in the early night and ending in the early morning, and is nearly identical in different landscapes. The species has a variety of coat patterns, which we believe is due to phenotypic plasticity. The species is not a true high altitude montane shola-dependent species, unlike the other endemic species of the Western Ghats. The destruction of rainforests resulting from excessive anthropogenic pressure results in habitat fragmentation, posing a significant threat to the brown palm civet habitats.
An electrically small inverted L‐shaped asymmetric coplanar strip‐fed antenna with split‐ring resonator for multiband applications

In this paper, an electrically small inverted L‐shaped asymmetric coplanar strip‐fed antenna with a split‐ring resonator structure is proposed for multiband applications. It possesses an extended monopole antenna and a rectangular split‐ring resonator (RSRR) structure. A monopole is responsible for generating the first and last resonance frequencies. Similarly, the RSRR structure produces center frequency (5.5 GHz) among three resonance frequency bands and improves impedance matching at a higher frequency. The antenna has an electrical size of 0.176 λ0 × 0.096 λ0 × 0.012 λ0. The proposed antenna has a triband resonance response at 2.45, 5.5, and 7.5 GHz with a bandwidth of 560 MHz, 680 MHz, and 3 GHz, respectively, which covers WiBro (2.3 GHz), WLAN (2.4/5.2 GHz), WiMAX (2.5/5.5 GHz), X‐band downlink (7.4 GHz), and ITU band (8.5 GHz). The antenna design is simulated and validated with measured results and has better radiation characteristics in all the required frequency bands. The presence of metamaterial property in the proposed RSRR is analyzed. The design is an electrically small antenna, and it has a radian sphere (ka) = 0.64. Further, the proposed antenna performances are compared with the various existing literature.
Forecasting short-term mortality trends using Bernstein polynomials

Abstract Mortality data play an important role on the fields such as health, epidemiology and national planning. Most mortality models mainly focus on providing a perfect fitting, to the detriment of an exact forecasting result. In this paper, we fit the Bernstein polynomial to mortality data based on maximum likelihood based inference through the simulated annealing method. The proposed method utilizes the derivative of Bernstein polynomials to describe the pattern of mortality rates. The asymptotic behavior of the proposed model is also given on general results. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated by simulated examples and illustrated through applications to datasets provided from the Human Mortality Database (www.mortality.org). The simulated examples and real data analysis show that the proposed approach is quite satisfactory in forecasting the short-term mortality trends.