Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental and LES study of unconfined jet impingement on a smooth flat heated plate with slots of different widths

ABSTRACT The present work focuses on the experimental and large-eddy simulation (LES) investigation of fluid flow and heat transfer due to the impingement of an unconfined turbulent slot jet on a smooth flat plate. Three LES sub-grid scale models are validated with the experimental observations for first time in terms effect of slot widths. A detailed parametric study is conducted considering nozzle to plate spacing ratio from 4 to 12, non-dimensional slot width from 0.015 to 0.035, and Reynolds number range from 4000 to 12000. The results show an appreciable change in the stagnation point and along the wall jet Nusselt numbers with the change in Reynolds number, nozzle-to-plate spacing and non-dimensional slot width. No significant effect of nozzle to plate spacing is observed along the wall jet Nusselt number beyond the streamwise location at 0.2. The local Nusselt number increases with an increase in Reynolds number while it decreases with an increase in nondimensional slot width. Comparison of various LES sub-grid models with RANS (k-ω SST) turbulence model is performed. The results show that turbulent kinetic energy plays a major role in enhancing the heat transfer rate. Dissipation of the turbulent kinetic energy increases with an increase in nozzle to plate spacing and non-dimensional slot width. Further, a correlation is proposed for the stagnation point and wall jet region Nusselt numbers in terms of effect of slots width, Reynolds number and non-dimensional nozzle to plate spacing.
Guided waves based damage localization based on mode filtering using fiber Bragg grating sensors

Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors have long been thought of as the ideal sensors for structural health monitoring (SHM) due to their small size, light weight, ability to be embedded and ability to be multiplexed. So, FBG sensors have been commonly used for strain based SHM. Their use for ultrasonic guided wave (GW) measurements in the traditional wavelength division multiplexing approach was tried as well, but did not get accepted widely due to the low sensitivity. In the recent times, a renewed interest is seen in the use of FBG sensors for GW measurements using the edge reflection approach which increases the sensitivity several folds. This paper reports a very interesting phenomena, shown by the FBG sensors. The mechanism of the measurement of the incident GW is different based on the relative ratio of the wavelength of the incident GW ( λGW ) and the grating length (L) of the FBG sensor. For λGW/L≫ 1 the propagating wave leads to uniform strain over the FBG resulting in the shift of the Bragg wavelength. For the λGW/L≈ 1 the FBG experiences non-uniform strain over the FBG which results in the distortion of the spectrum (widening or narrowing) of the peak. By separating these effects on the FBG, mode filtering may be achieved. The mode-filtered data is then used for damage detection and damage localization. Modifications have been proposed to the elliptical approach which makes use of the filtered modes and removes the unwanted peaks in the signal stemming from the other mode. The methodology is validated on a simple aluminum plate with simulated damage scenarios (added mass). The results indicate that indeed the mode-filtered signals improve the damage localization performance of the actuator-sensor network.
Experiments and modeling of particulate debris spreading in a pool

Melt fragmentation, quenching and long term coolability in a deep pool of water under reactor vessel are employed as a severe accident mitigation strategy in several designs of light water reactors. Success of the strategy is contingent upon effectiveness of natural circulation in removing the decay heat generated by the porous debris bed. Geometrical configuration of the bed is one of the factors which affect coolability of the bed. Boiling and two-phase turbulent flows in the pool serve as a source of mechanical energy which can affect the initial geometry as well as dynamically change the shape of already formed debris bed. The main goal of this work is to provide experimental data on spreading of solid particles in the pool by large scale two-phase flow structures induced by gas injection from the bottom. These data are necessary for development and validation of predictive capabilities of computer codes allowing numerical modeling of the debris bed formation at prototypic severe accident conditions. In PDS-P experiments air injection at the bottom of the test section is employed in order to create large scale flow in the pool. The test section is constructed as a rectangular tank. It has close to 2D geometry with fixed width (72 mm), variable length (up to 1.6 m) and allows water filling depth of up to 1 m. The variable pool length and depth allows formation of the different in size and pattern two-phase circulating flows. Experimental conditions such as gas-phase flow rate and particle properties (density and size) are scaled to maintain relevancy to the prototypic accident conditions. The average void fraction in the pool is determined by video recording and image processing. Particles are supplied from the top of the facility above the water surface. In the separate-effect studies of the influence of two-phase currents on particle trajectories and bed formation, a low particle flow rate is required in order to minimize or completely exclude particle-particle interaction. Results of several series of PDS-P (Particulate Debris Spreading in the Pool) reported in this paper are analyzed analytically. The preliminary scaling approach is proposed and has good agreement with experimental findings.
Routine Decontamination of Surfaces Relevant to Working Dogs: Neutralization of Superficial Coronavirus Contamination

Simple Summary The deployment of working dogs to environments containing potentially pathogenic biological agents necessitates a straightforward and fieldable decontamination protocol. This work describes the effectiveness of a wipe-based method using common veterinary cleaners on various surfaces contaminated with infectious virus. Surface characteristics, especially porosity, have a marked effect on the success of any decontamination protocol; however, in general, wiping with 70% isopropyl alcohol or 0.5% chlorhexidine proved to be most efficient at decontaminating surfaces common to the working dog community. Abstract Given the increased deployment of working dogs to settings with pathogenic biological agents, a safe, effective, and logistically feasible surface decontamination protocol is essential to protect both the animals and their human handlers. Our group previously found that superficial contamination on surfaces relevant to the working dog community, including leashes and toys, could be significantly reduced using a standardized wiping protocol with various cleansing products. To expand upon this work, we analyzed the ability of this protocol to decontaminate surface-deposited bovine coronavirus, which was used as a BSL2 surrogate for SARS-CoV-2. Unsurprisingly, the physical characteristics of a given surface, including porosity and texture, had a significant effect on the ability to recover viable virus remaining on the surface post treatment. After correcting for these differences, however, wiping with 70% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and 0.5% chlorhexidine performed best, reducing viral titers by >3 log on plastic bumper toys and nylon collars, and by >2 log on rubber toys and tennis balls. Leather leashes and Velcro proved more difficult to decontaminate, but both still showed significant loss of viral contamination following wiping with IPA or chlorhexidine. This work (i) validates the utility of a simple protocol for the neutralization of viruses on several surfaces, (ii) identifies materials that are more difficult to decontaminate, which should, thus, be considered for removal from field use, and (iii) highlights the need for further development of protocols testing porous or textured surfaces.
Self-Supervised Auxiliary Domain Alignment for Unsupervised 2D Image-Based 3D Shape Retrieval

Unsupervised 2D image-based 3D shape retrieval aims to match the similar 3D unlabeled shapes when given a 2D labeled sample. Although a lot of methods have made a certain degree of progress, the performance of this task is still restricted due to the lack of target labels resulting in tremendous domain gap. In this paper, we aim to explore the discriminative representation of the unlabeled target 3D shapes and facilitate the procedure of domain adaptation by taking full advantage of multi-view information. To achieve the above goals, we propose an effective self-supervised auxiliary domain alignment (SADA) for unsupervised 2D image-based 3D shape retrieval. SADA mainly contains multi-view guided self-supervised feature learning and two auxiliary domain alignments, including intermediate domain alignment and multi-domain alignment. Firstly, we group multiple views of each 3D shape into two sub-target domains based on the view similarities and regard each other as the constraint to optimize the feature learning in an unsupervised manner. To reduce the difficulty of directly aligning the domain discrepancy, we combine the source labeled samples and target samples (pseudo labels) with the same category to generate an intermediate domain, which translates the source-target alignment into source-intermediate and intermediate-target alignments. Moreover, to explore the inner characteristics of target 3D shapes and provide more clues for better adaptation, multi-domain alignment is proposed to convert the source and single target domain alignment to the source and multiple target domain (one target domain and two sub-target domains) alignments. The adversarial training and semantic alignment are employed to fully excavate the relations between source domain and multiple target domains. Experiments on two challenging datasets show that the proposed method achieves competing performance in the unsupervised 2D image-based 3D shape retrieval task.
Biomedical application of microemulsion delivery systems: A review

: Microemulsions are optically isotropic, thermodynamically mixture composed of two immiscible liquids (oil and water) stabilized by surfactant, sometimes along with cosurfactant with a diameter in the range 5-200 nm. They have emerged as novel drug delivery vehicle for controlled and sustained drug release for ocular, topical, parenteral, topical administrations. The ease of preparation and characteristics such as low viscosity, improved drug solubilization, long shelf-life make them as a unique candidate. Other than drug delivery, they possess a wide range of applications in the field of biotechnology, enhanced oil recovery and cosmetics. The core intent of this review article is to bring out details on types of microemulsions, structure, physiochemical characteristics, thermodynamic stability and applications in various fields.
Longitudinal Study of Cognitive Functioning in Adults with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Objective: To prospectively evaluate possible decline of cognitive functions in adult patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and identify associated factors. Patients and methods: We performed a 24-month prospective observational study of adults (≥16 years) with JIA. The primary outcome measure was decline in cognitive function defined as a worsening of ≥2 points on the scales of the subsets administered to evaluate the different cognitive areas using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) after 24 months: attention/concentration (digit span); verbal function (vocabulary); visual-spatial organization (block design); working memory (letter-number sequencing); and problem solving (similarities). Other variables included average inflammatory activity using C-reactive protein and composite activity indexes, comorbidity, and treatment. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with cognitive decline. Results: The study population comprised 52 patients with JIA. Of these, 15 (28.8%) had cognitive decline at V24. The most affected functions were working memory (17.3%), attention/concentration (9.6%), verbal function (7.7%), visual-spatial organization (7.7%), and problem solving (3.8%). There were no significant differences in the median direct or scale scores for the cognitive functions evaluated between V0 and V24 for the whole sample. The factors associated with cognitive decline in patients with JIA were average C-reactive protein (OR [95% CI], 1.377 [1.060–1.921]; p = 0.039), depression (OR [95% CI], 3.691 [1.294–10.534]; p = 0.015), and treatment with biologics (OR [95% CI], 0.188 [0.039–0.998]; p = 0.046). Conclusion: Cognitive decline was detected in almost one third of adults with JIA after 24 months of follow-up. Systemic inflammatory activity in JIA patients was related to cognitive decline. Patients treated with biologics had a lower risk of decline in cognitive functions.
Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Effects of Paeonol against Oxidative Stress and Altered Carrier-Mediated Transport System on NSC-34 Cell Lines

Paeonol is a naturally occurring phenolic agent that attenuates neurotoxicity in neurodegenerative diseases. We aimed to investigate the antioxidant and protective effects of paeonol and determine its transport mechanism in wild-type (WT; NSC-34/hSOD1WT) and mutant-type (MT; NSC-34/hSOD1G93A) motor neuron-like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cell lines. Cytotoxicity induced by glutamate, lipopolysaccharides, and H2O2 reduced viability of cell; however, the addition of paeonol improved cell viability against neurotoxicity. The [3H]paeonol uptake was increased in the presence of H2O2 in both cell lines. Paeonol recovered ALS model cell lines by reducing mitochondrial oxidative stress induced by glutamate. The transport of paeonol was time-, concentration-, and pH-dependent in both NSC-34 cell lines. Kinetic parameters showed two transport sites with altered affinity and capacity in the MT cell line compared to the WT cell line. [3H]Paeonol uptake increased in the MT cell line transfected with organic anion transporter1 (Oat1)/Slc22a6 small interfering RNA compared to that in the control. Plasma membrane monoamine transporter (Pmat) was also involved in the uptake of paeonol by ALS model cell lines. Overall, paeonol exhibits neuroprotective activity via a carrier-mediated transport system and may be a beneficial therapy for preventing motor neuronal damage under ALS-like conditions.
The New High-Pressure Phases of Nitrogen-Rich Ag–N Compounds

The high-pressure phase diagram of Ag–N compounds is enriched by proposing three stable high-pressure phases (P4/mmm-AgN2, P1-AgN7 and P-1-AgN7) and two metastable high-pressure phases (P-1-AgN4 and P-1-AgN8). The novel N7 rings and N20 rings are firstly found in the folded layer structure of P-1-AgN7. The electronic structure properties of predicted five structures are studied by the calculations of the band structure and DOS. The analyses of ELF and Bader charge show that the strong N–N covalent bond interaction and the weak Ag–N ionic bond interaction constitute the stable mechanism of Ag–N compounds. The charge transfer between the Ag and N atoms plays an important role for the structural stability. Moreover, the P-1-AgN7 and P-1-AgN8 with the high-energy density and excellent detonation properties are potential candidates for new high-energy density species.
Seasonal variations in the composition and diversity of gut microbiota in white-lipped deer (Cervus albirostris)

The gut microbiota has key physiological functions in host adaptation, although little is known about the seasonal changes in the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota in deer. In this study, seasonal variations (grassy and withering season) in the gut microbiota of white-lipped deer (Cervus albirostris), which lives in alpine environments, were explored through 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing based on sixteen fecal samples collected from Gansu Qilian Mountain National Nature Reserve in China. At the phylum level, Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, and Actinobacteriota dominated the grassy season, while Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteriota dominated the withering season. At the genus level, Carnobacterium dominated the grassy season, while Arthrobacter and Acinetobacter dominated the withering season. Alpha diversity results (Shannon: P = 0.01, ACE: P = 0.00, Chao1: P = 0.00) indicated that there was a difference in the diversity and richness of the gut microbiota between the two seasons, with higher diversity in the grassy season than in the withering season. Beta diversity results further indicated that there was a significant difference in the community structure between the two seasons (P = 0.001). In summary, the composition, diversity, and community structure of the gut microbiota showed significant seasonal variations, which could be explained by variations in the seasonal food availability, composition, diversity, and nutrition due to phenological alternations. The results of this study indicate that the gut microbiota can adapt to changes in the environment and provide the scientific basis for health assessment of white-lipped deer.
Extraction, Structure and Immunoregulatory Activity of Low Molecular Weight Polysaccharide from Dendrobium officinale

The ethanol precipitation method has been widely-used for Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides preparation. However, the alcohol-soluble fractions have always been ignored, which causes significant wastes of resources and energies. In this study, the extraction, physicochemical properties, and immune regulation activity of an edible D. officinale polysaccharide (DOPs) isolated from the supernatant after 75% ethanol precipitation were systematically investigated. The structural characteristics determination results showed that DOPs was mainly composed of glucose and mannose at a molar ratio of 1.00:5.78 with an average molecular weight of 4.56 × 103 Da, which was made up of α-(1,3)-Glcp as the main skeleton, and the α-(1,4)-Glcp and β-(1,4)-Manp as the branches. Subsequently, the cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppressive mice model was established, and the results demonstrated that DOPs could dose-dependently protect the immune organs against CTX damage, improve the immune cells activities, and promote the immune-related cytokines (IL-2, IFN-γ and TNF-α) secretions. Furthermore, DOPs treatment also effectively enhanced the antioxidant enzymes levels (SOD, GSH-Px) in sera and livers, therefore weakening the oxidative damage of CTX-treated mice. Considering these above data, DOPs presented great potential to be explored as a natural antioxidant and supplement for functional foods.
Characterization of Key Aroma Compounds in Fermented Bamboo Shoots Using Gas Chromatography-Olfactometry-Mass Spectrometry, Odor Activity Values, and Aroma Recombination Experiments

Guangxi fermented bamboo shoots (GFBS) are widely appreciated by consumers in China because of their unique aroma. In this study, the dominant aroma compounds of GFBS were investigated using gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry, odor-activity values, and aroma recombination. The results show that 70 aroma compounds, including alcohols, esters, aldehydes, acids, phenols, ethers, ketones, alkenes, benzene derivatives, and furans, were identified in GFBS. Among them, 15 aroma compounds with odor-activity values (OAVs) > 1 were identified. Aroma-recombination-omission experiments and sensory evaluation demonstrated that octanal, (E)-2-octenal, acetic acid, guaiacol, phenylethyl alcohol, creosol, 4-ethylguaiacol, and p-cresol significantly contributed to the characteristic aroma of GFBS. Most importantly, p-cresol (34,997.95 ≤ OAV ≤ 71,409.51) and acetic acid (2155.79 ≤ OAV ≤ 3872.09) significantly contributed to its aroma (p < 0.001). The major aroma profile of GFBS included a strong fermented odor, which was pungent and sour. This study provides a theoretical basis for improving the flavor of GFBS.
Acute effects of singing on cardiovascular biomarkers

Background Singing is a physical activity involving components of the vagal nerves manifested as changes in cardiac autonomic regulation. Aims The aim of this pilot study is to investigate the acute effects of singing on biomarkers of cardiovascular health. Methods Adult subjects were recruited from cardiology clinics to participate in a single 90-min study visit. Vascular function was measured at the fingertips with peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) before and after singing to a 14-min video led by a voice expert. Heart rate variability (HRV) was measured with a chest strap sensor at baseline, during, and after singing. PAT measurements were expressed as reactive hyperemia index (RHI) and Framingham reactive hyperemia index (fRHI). Measures of HRV included root mean square of successive RR interval differences (RMSSD) and standard deviation of NN (or RR) intervals (SDNN). Results Sixty subjects completed the study (68% female, mean age 61 ±13 years, mean BMI 32 ± 8). There was a significant increase in fRHI (1.88 ± 0.14 to 2.10 ± 0.14, p = 0.02) after singing with no significant change in the RHI (1.99 ± 0.10 to 2.12 ± 0.09, p = 0.22). There was a reduction in HRV during singing (compared to baseline) (RMSSD: 42.0 ± 5 to 32.6 ± 4, p = 0.004 and SDNN: 54 ± 4 to 33.5 ± 3, p = 0.009). HRV measures trended back toward baseline after singing. Conclusions A short duration of singing improved vascular function acutely. Improvements were more substantial in subjects with abnormal baseline endothelial function. HRV patterns were similar to that of light-intensity exercise. Future studies should confirm favorable vascular adaptation to more sustained singing interventions. Clinical trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, identifer: NCT03805529.
Association of Dietary Pattern with Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Postmenopausal Women in Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Study from 2001 to 2015

Unhealthy diet and inappropriate lifestyle contribute to an imbalance in cardiometabolic profiles among postmenopausal women. This research aimed to analyze the association between dietary pattern and changes in cardiovascular risk factors among postmenopausal Taiwanese women using binary logistic regression. This cross-sectional study involved 5689 postmenopausal Taiwanese women aged 45 years and above, and the data were obtained from Mei Jau Health Management Institution database between 2001 and 2015. The cardiovascular risk dietary pattern characterized by high intakes of processed food, rice/flour products, organ meat, and sauce was derived by reduced rank regression. Participants in the highest quartile of the cardiovascular risk dietary pattern were more likely to have high levels of systolic blood pressure (OR = 1.29, 95% CI 1.08–1.53), diastolic blood pressure (OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.01–1.62), atherogenic index of plasma (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.06–1.49), triglycerides (OR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.17–1.62), and fasting blood glucose (Q3: OR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.07–1.97). However, this dietary pattern was not correlated with total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and C-reactive protein. Therefore, adherence to the cardiovascular risk dietary pattern increases the risk of having higher levels of blood pressure, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose in postmenopausal Taiwanese women.