Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear modeling of bending-mode magnetoelectric coupling in asymmetric composite structures with magnetization-graded ferromagnetic materials

The bending-mode magnetoelectric (ME) coupling in the asymmetric laminate composite with a magnetization-graded ferromagnetic material has been investigated in this paper. Based on the nonlinear constitutive relationships of the magnetostrictive material, the dynamic piezomagnetic models have been presented for magnetostrictive materials after considering the remanence, demagnetization, and flux concentration effects. In addition, the bending-mode resonant ME coupling model is developed based on the proposed dynamic piezomagnetic model, the motion equation of the ME composite, and the ME equivalent circuit method. The composite structures FeCuNbSiB/Ni/PZT with negative magnetostrictive Ni and FeCuNbSiB/FeNi/PZT with positive magnetostrictive FeNi have been used to confirm the validity and reliability of the theoretical model. The theoretical results show that the bending-resonant ME coefficients reasonably agree with the experimental results. This theoretical model is of importance for understanding the bending-mode ME response of the asymmetric structure with magnetization-graded ferromagnetic materials and designing the ME devices.
CORRELATION STUDIES AMONG AND BETWEEN AGRONOMIC, CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL AND SMOKE CHARACTERISTICS IN FLUE-CURED TOBACCO (NICOTIANA TABACUM L.)

Coefficients of correlation among 23 characteristics were determined for several flue-cured tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) cultivars and advanced generation breeding lines, representing a wide range of variability for each characteristic. The variables were grouped into agronomic, chemical and physical characteristics of the leaf and smoke properties of cigarettes. Most of the traits studied in these individual groups could be classed into two main categories in terms of their relationship to yield, leaf alkaloids, smoke total particulate matter (TPM) and wet tar (WT). Those agronomic characteristics positively associated with yield were negatively correlated with leaf total alkaloids, lamina weight and smoke TPM, WT and alkaloids on a per cigarette basis. Conversely, grade index and the average length of the three top leaves, which were in negative association with yield, showed a positive relationship with leaf total alkaloids and smoke characteristics. Leaf total alkaloids and lamina weight, in positiv.
Bird-Community Shifts in Relation To Wind Farms: A Case Study Comparing a Wind Farm, Croplands, and Secondary Forests in Southern Mexico

Abstract. Aside from the positive benefits of wind energy, wind farms often bring environmental problems such as noise production and wildlife collision. However, little is known about the effects of wind farms on the ecology of tropical landbirds. In this study, we evaluated changes in bird-community diversity, composition, and structure directly beneath wind turbines, 200 m away from turbines, and in nearby croplands and secondary forests. In general, our results show (1) a gradient of species richness, with values highest in croplands and secondary forests, intermediate values 200 m from turbines, and lowest values beneath turbines, (2) fairly similar bird abundance for all treatments, with values highest in secondary forests in autumn and lowest 200 m from turbines in autumn, (3) bird communities highly similar at each season, but communities at 0 and 200 m from turbines differed strongly in autumn and communities at the rest of the studied sites differed strongly during both spring and autumn, (4) evenness of the bird community greater in secondary forests and croplands and lower at both distances from wind turbines, and (5) the area covered by croplands outside the wind farm played an important role, often related to increases in species richness. Our results also suggest that wind farms have a greater effect on wintering migrants than on residents; however, further studies are required for such a comparison to be tested robustly.
Identification and characterization of the n‐6 fatty acid‐producing Mucor rouxii native isolate CFR‐G15

In zygomycetes fungi, many Mucor spp. have been known to produce g-linolenic acid (GLA) in their biomass. Among 250 soil samples screened, 20 Mucor isolates showed GLA in their mycelial mass under normal cultivation conditions. Sudan Black B was used for screening their qualitative oleaginesity. Among the representative isolates, Mucor sp. CFR-G15, when grown in a fat-producing medium, showed a maximum lipid content of 30 6 1.32% in its mycelia and 14.42 6 0.74% GLA. By using gene-specific primers, the 18S rRNA gene and the D6 DES gene were amplified by PCR technique. The nucleotide sequences of the 18S rRNA and D6 DES genes exhibited . 98% homology with M. rouxii ATCC 24905 (accession nos. AF117923 and AF296076, respectively), suggesting taxonomic identity. The native isolate M. rouxii CFR-G15 reported in this study was found to be promising for the development of an economical process in the industrial production of GLA.
Self-Healing and High Interfacial Strength in Multi-Material Soft Pneumatic Robots via Reversible Diels–Alder Bonds

In new-generation soft robots, the actuation performance can be increased by using multiple materials in the actuator designs. However, the lifetime of these actuators is often limited due to failure that occurs at the weak multi-material interfaces that rely almost entirely on physical interactions and where stress concentration appears during actuation. This paper proposes to develop soft pneumatic actuators out of multiple Diels–Alder polymers that can generate strong covalent bonds at the multi-material interface by means of a heat–cool cycle. Through tensile testing it is proven that high interfacial strength can be obtained between two merged Diels–Alder polymers. This merging principle is exploited in the manufacturing of multi-material bending soft pneumatic actuators in which interfaces are no longer the weakest links. The applicability of the actuators is illustrated by their operation in a soft hand and a soft gripper demonstrator. In addition, the use of Diels–Alder polymers incorporates healability in bending actuators. It is experimentally illustrated that full recovery of severe damage can be obtained by subjecting the multi-material actuators to a healing cycle.
A Machine Learning Based Approach to Enhance Mooc Users’ Classification

At the beginning of the 2010 decade, the world of education and more specifically e-learning was revolutionized by the emergence of Massive Open Online Courses, better known by their acronym MOOC. Proposed more and more by universities and training centers around the world, MOOCs have become an undeniable asset for any student or person seeking to complete their initial training with free distance courses open to all areas. Despite the remarkable number of course enrollees, MOOCs have a huge dropout rate of up to 90%. This rate significantly affects the efforts made by the moderators for the success of this pedagogical model and negatively influences the learners’ experience and their supervision. To address this problem and help instructors streamline their interventions, we present a solution to classify MOOC learners into three distinct classes. The approach proposed in this paper is based on the filters methods to select the most relevant attributes and ensembling methods of machine learning algorithms. This approach has been validated by four MOOC courses from Stanford University. In order to prove the performance of the model (92.2%), a comparative study between the proposed model and other algorithms was made on several performance measures.
Risk of acute kidney injury after contrast-enhanced computed tomography in emergency department

Background: Despite its risks associated with renal injury, intravenous contrast media increases diagnostic efficacy and hence the chance of early diagnosis and treatment, which leaves clinicians in a dilemma regarding its use in emergency settings. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the risk and predictors of contrast-induced acute kidney injury following intravenous contrast media administration for computed tomography in the emergency department. Methods: All patients aged 18 years and older who had a basal creatinine measurement within the last 8 h before contrast-enhanced computed tomography and a second creatinine measurement within 48–72 h after computed tomography scan between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2017 were included in the study. Characteristics of patients with and without contrast-induced acute kidney injury development were compared. Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess the predictors for contrast-induced acute kidney injury. Results: A total of 631 patients were included in the final statistical analysis. After contrast media administration, contrast-induced acute kidney injury developed in 4.9% (n = 31) of the patients. When the characteristics of patients are compared according to the development of contrast-induced acute kidney injury, significant differences were detected for age, initial creatinine, initial estimated glomerular filtration rate, and all acute illness severity indicators (hypotension, anemia, hypoalbuminemia, and need for intensive care unit admission). A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. The need for intensive care unit admission (odds ratio: 6.413 (95% confidence interval: 1.709–24.074)) and hypotension (odds ratio: 5.575 (95% confidence interval: 1.624–19.133)) were the main factors for contrast-induced acute kidney injury development. Conclusion: Our study results revealed that hypotension, need for intensive care, and advanced age were associated with acute kidney injury in patients receiving contrast media. Therefore, we believe that to perform contrast-enhanced computed tomography in emergency department should not be decided only by checking for renal function tests and that these predictors should be taken into consideration.
Tree improvement programs for European oaks: goals and strategies

Summary &mdash; Most work concerned with the improvement of European oaks is concentrated on Quercus robur and Q petraea. Improvement is constrained by limited knowledge of the extent and pattern of genetic variation, the long period to reproductive maturity, levels of seed production rela- tive to demand and difficulties in vegetative multiplication. The goals of improvement activities have focused on straightness, vigor and desirable branching; on wood anatomy, shrinkage, density and color, and susceptibility to problems such as frost cracks, shakes and defoliation. Three aspects of breeding are currently receiving attention: 1) in vitro methods for regeneration, flower induction and genetic manipulation; 2) technologies for clonal multiplication, and 3) elements of classical breeding programs. Recent conceptual and technological advances and greatly increased research activity have raised expectations of genetic progress, which will need to be accompanied by developments in associated topics such as silviculture, pathology and wood science.
Highly Efficient Authentication for CAN by Identifier Reallocation With Ordered CMACs

Most of the existing works on securing the CAN bus are using the limited data-field of CAN frames to embed a cryptographic payload. Only very few works have suggested the use of the identifier field since identifiers are critical for the arbitration procedure and changing them at random would interfere with message priorities. To preserve priority on the bus, in this work we use an ordered CMAC buffer. In this way, we can authenticate the identifiers of CAN frames and check that the sender is a legitimate node while arbitration on the bus remains unaltered. Moreover, we determine that for real-world scenarios the achieved security level is very close to the length of the ID field despite the constraints from ordering. This procedure easily circumvents replay attacks and fuzz testing on the bus, which were exploited by many recent works. We prove the feasibility of our approach by testing practical implementations on automotive-grade microcontrollers and CAN-bus traffic allocations from a high-end vehicle. The computational requirements are some of the lowest achievable for securing CAN, with a dozen CMAC-AES computations being sufficient for extracting a table of one hundred identifiers.
Clericalism Contributes to Religious, Spiritual, and Behavioral Struggles among Catholic Priests

The Roman Catholic Church has received a remarkable amount of press attention regarding clerical perpetrated sexual abuse with child victims as well as other clerical behavioral scandals in recent years. Much has been reported in both the popular and professional press about the various aspects and elements of priestly formation and ministry that might contribute to behavioral problems among clerics. Additionally, much has also been written and discussed about the challenging religious, spiritual, and behavioral struggles among clerics when clerical misbehavior significantly contradicts expected behavior in terms of sexual, behavioral, and relational ethics. Since Catholic priests are dedicated to chastity, obedience, and, among religious order clerics, poverty, both Catholics and non-Catholics alike expect and demand highly virtuous behavior from these men that they believe should be beyond reproach. Clericalism contributes to the gap between expected and actual behavior and creates an environment and culture where problem behavior and struggles are too often ignored. This article seeks to unpack some of the challenging dynamics of clericalism and demonstrate how it negatively contributes to religious, spiritual, moral, and behavioral struggles among Catholic clerics.
In situ and in vitro degradation kinetics and prediction of the digestible neutral detergent fiber of agricultural and agro-industrial byproducts

The objective of this study was to evaluate the in situ and in vitro degradation kinetics and to predict the digestible neutral detergent fiber (dNDF) from the incubation times; in situ and in vitro degradation kinetic parameters; and equations fitted for agricultural and agro-industrial byproducts. Byproducts from pineapple, cocoa, palm kernel, corn gluten meal, common bean, sunflower, guava, cassava bark, cassava stems, cassava foliage, papaya, mango, passion fruit and turnips were evaluated. There were differences between the byproducts as for the potentially neutral detergent fiber (NDF) fraction and the in situ NDF degradation rate in the final volume of the gases generated by fibrous carbohydrates (FC), for the lag time and for the in vitro fractional degradation rate of the FC. There was equivalence between the dNDF values predicted in situ and those observed in vivo; however, there was low precision of estimates. The degradability in the in vitro incubation times of 30 and 48 hours presented equivalence with the values observed, but also did not present precision in the estimates. The equations fitted without lignin were not precise and accurate to estimate the dNDF of agricultural and agro-industrial byproducts. The equation with lignin and with the digestion rate obtained by the in vitro method presented more precise estimates. Byproducts from common bean, cassava bark and papaya presented greater NDF availability, whereas those of guava had the lowest NDF availability. The digestible NDF fraction was best predicted with the in situ incubation time of 72 hours. The equation fitted utilizing in vitro or in situ digestion rates enables the prediction of the NDF availability of agricultural and agroindustrial byproducts.
A comparison of the length distributions of larval capelin (Mallotus villosus) taken by Gulf III, MIK and MOCNESS samplers

Abundance of Barents Sea capelin larvae (6–25 mm) is estimated every summer using samples from a Gulf III sampler. It has been suggested that a MIK net would be more efficient in sampling larvae exceeding 18–20 mm in length. On this basis the length distributions of larval capelin captured by Gulf III, MIK, and MOCNESS in six consecutive hauls were compared. The catches taken by Gulf III and MIK nets had similar length distributions whereas the MOCNESS captured smaller larvae than the other samplers. There would thus be no gain in replacing the Gulf III with the MIK for estimating abundance of larval capelin smaller than 25 mm.
Genetics of Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia): evidence for reproductive modes

Abstract Individuals from six bisexual and six unisexual populations of Potamopyrgus antipodarum were examined electrophoretically, in order to determine their mode of reproduction. Extensive genetic variation within populations was revealed at four of seven presumptive loci, with no differences between unisexual and bisexual populations being observed. In addition, extensive heterogeneity was observed for both reproduction types. Examination of the genotypes of parents and offspring indicated that individuals from bisexual populations reproduced sexually whereas those from unisexual populations demonstrated ameiotic parthenogenesis.
CHICORIC ACID, A PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOUND OF SOLENOSTEMON MONOSTACHYUS: POSSIBLE DRUG CANDIDATE FOR THE RELIEF OF ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

Solenostemon monostachyus is commonly used in folkloric treatment of many ailments including erectile dysfunction. In this study, its aphrodisiac component and underlying mechanism were investigated. Behavioural evaluation was done, following the oral administration of three different doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) of ethanolic extract of S. monostachyus, sildenafil citrate (Viagra) and corn oil were used as positive and negative controls respectively. Mounting, intromission and ejaculation frequencies, mating performance, and orientation activities towards females. Result showed a striking effect in male rats. Molecular docking was done and heat map generated to probe the likely mechanism of action as invivo studies compared with sildenafil. A library containing 45 phytocompounds previously characterized from S. monostachyus was generated and docked (Autodock Vina) into homology models of Arginase II, Phosphodiesterase 5 and Aromatase. From the docking result above, PDE 5 was identified as a major target for two key compounds, Chicoric acid and Hesperidine. Although the latter violated more than two rules of the Lipinski’s rule of oral drug. Conclusion: The results of this study support that Chicoric acids from S. monostachyus may inhibit the activity of PDE5, leading to relaxation of erectile smooth muscles. This finding may underscore the aphrodisiac potency of S . monostachyus Key words; Solenostemon monostachyus, Sildenafil citrate, Phosphodiesterase 5, Chicoric acid, erectile dysfunction.
MODELING AVIAN ABUNDANCE FROM REPLICATED COUNTS USING BINOMIAL MIXTURE MODELS

Abundance estimation in ecology is usually accomplished by capture–recapture, removal, or distance sampling methods. These may be hard to implement at large spatial scales. In contrast, binomial mixture models enable abundance estimation without individual identification, based simply on temporally and spatially replicated counts. Here, we evaluate mixture models using data from the national breeding bird monitoring program in Switzerland, where some 250 1-km2 quadrats are surveyed using the territory mapping method three times during each breeding season. We chose eight species with contrasting distribution (wide–narrow), abundance (high–low), and detectability (easy–difficult). Abundance was modeled as a random effect with a Poisson or negative binomial distribution, with mean affected by forest cover, elevation, and route length. Detectability was a logit-linear function of survey date, survey date-by-elevation, and sampling effort (time per transect unit). Resulting covariate effects and parameter est.
Early-to-mid Miocene erosion rates inferred from pre-Dead Sea rift Hazeva River fluvial chert pebbles using cosmogenic 21Ne

Abstract. In this work, we utilize a novel application of cosmogenic 21Ne measurements in chert to compare exposure times measured in eroding surfaces in the central Jordanian Plateau with exposure times from chert pebbles transported by the Miocene Hazeva River. The Miocene Hazeva River was a large fluvial system (estimated catchment size > 100 000 km 2 ) that drained the Arabian Plateau and Sinai Peninsula into the Mediterranean Sea during the early-to-mid Miocene. It was established after the rifting of the Red Sea uplifted the Arabian Plateau during the Oligocene. Following late-Miocene-to-early-Pliocene subsidence along the Dead Sea rift, the Hazeva drainage system was abandoned and dissected, resulting in new drainage divides on either side of the rift. We find modern erosion rates derived from cosmogenic 21Ne , 26Al , and 10Be in exposed in situ chert nodules to be extremely slow (between 2–4 mm kyr −1 ). Comparison between modern and paleo-erosion rates, measured in chert pebbles, is not straightforward, as cosmogenic 21Ne was acquired partly during bedrock erosion and partly during transport of these pebbles in the Hazeva River. However, 21Ne exposure times calculated in Miocene cherts are generally shorter (ranging between 0 - 0 + 59 and 242±113 kyr) compared to exposure times calculated in the currently eroding chert nodules presented here ( 269±49 and 378±76 kyr) and other chert surfaces currently eroding in hyperarid environments. Miocene exposure times are shorter even when considering that they account for bedrock erosion in addition to maintained transport along this large river. Shorter exposure times in Miocene cherts correspond to faster paleo-erosion rates, which we attribute to a combination of continuous surface uplift and significantly wetter climatic conditions during the early-to-mid Miocene.
Computer-Aided Design of Antimicrobial Peptides

An increasing number of reported cases of drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, demonstrate the urgent need for new therapeutics that are effective against such and other multi-drug resistant bacteria. Antimicrobial peptides have for two decades now been looked upon as interesting leads for development of new therapeu- tics combating these drug resistant microbes. High-throughput screening of peptide libraries have generated large amounts of information on peptide activities. How- ever, scientists still struggle with explaining the specific peptide motifs resulting in antimicrobial activity. Consequently, the majority of peptides put into clinical trials have failed at some point, underlining the importance of a thorough peptide optimization. An important tool in peptide design and optimization is quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis, cor- relating chemical parameters with biological activities of the peptide, using statistical methods. In this review we will dis- cuss two different in silico strategies of computer-aided antibacterial peptide design, a linear correlation model build as an extension of traditional principal component analysis (PCA) and a non-linear artificial neural network model. Studies on structurally diverse peptides, have concluded that the PCA derived model are able to guide the antibacterial peptide design in a meaningful way, however requiring rather a high homology between the peptides in the test-set and the in silico li- brary, to ensure a successful prediction. In contrast, the neural network model, though significantly less explored in rela- tion to antimicrobial peptide design, has proven extremely promising, demonstrating impressive prediction success and ranking of random peptide libraries correlating well with measured activities.