Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of surface gravity waves on air-sea fluxes and upper-ocean mixing

Surface gravity waves play an important role in the lower layer of the atmosphere and the upper layer of the ocean. Surface waves effect upper-ocean mixing mainly through four processes: wave breaking, Stokes drift interaction with the Coriolis force, Langmuir circulation, and stirring by nonbreaking waves. We introduce the impact of these four processes into a 1-D ocean turbulence model. The parameterizations used are based mainly on existing investigations. Comparison of simulation results and measurements demonstrates that considering all the effects of waves, rather than just one effect, significantly improves model performance. The nonbreaking-wave-induced mixing and Langmuir turbulence are the most important terms when considering the impact of waves on upper-ocean mixing. Under high-wave conditions, the turbulent mixing induced by nonbreaking waves can be of the same order of magnitude as the viscosity induced by other terms at the surface. Nonbreaking waves contribute very little to shear production and their impact is negligible in the models. Sensitivity experiments demonstrate that the vertical profile of the Stokes drift calculated from the 2-D wave spectrum improves model performance significantly compared with other methods of introducing wave effects.
DESIGN OF SINGLE AND DUAL ELEMENT MICRO-STRIP PATCH ANTENNA FOR WI-FI APPLICATIONS

Antenna is designed with the primary motive to achieve good gain and bandwidth for the applications to which it is integrated. But, this motive would not be feasible through the use of a single patch antenna. The purpose of this study is to design a single element microstrip patch antenna for WiFi application. This antenna is to constitute a dielectric constant  = 4.4, and is purposed to function in 4.7GHz frequency. Studies on single and dual microstrip patches reveal that the gain doubles when the number of patch elements are increased. So, while retaining the size of the single patch, doubling the number of patches would also eventually double the gain achieved. Such antennas have wide applications for feeding networks and RF radiation in the communication field. The main advantages of patch antenna are its low cost, good performance, easy installation, and low profile. The patch antennas are designed using appropriate design equations and are tested against practical results to ensure that its simulated results match the practical results. This paper documents the designing of single and dual element patch antenna using the appropriate equations for application in Wi-Fi communication. The antenna is fabricated using the FR4 substrate and its simulated results of gain, return loss, impedance and VSWR are compared with the practical results. This type of antenna was originally designed for radio but now it is also used for 802.11 network systems, and in wireless routers and gadgets that work on WiFi network. The advantage of these antennas is that they are typically very directive and useful for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connections.
Preparation of yolk–shell microspheres as temperature switch on/off catalysts

A novel kind of yolk–shell microspheres was presented in this Letter. First, 250 nm of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles was prepared by solvothermal reaction. Then, the Fe3O4 particles were coated with Au nanoparticles (AuNPs), SiO2, and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM). After the removal of the SiO2 layer by etching with HF solution, the yolk–shell microspheres were prepared. Each yolk–shell microsphere had a movable core (Fe3O4 self-assembled AuNPs) and temperature-responsive shell (PNIPAM). The yolk–shell structure of these microspheres was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The catalytic performances of these yolk–shell microspheres were investigated under different environmental temperatures. The results indicated that the reduction from 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol by NaBH4 was slowed when the temperature was increased because of the hydrophobic and the shrinking sate of PNIPAM shell and the yolk–shell microspheres had a characteristic of temperature switch on/off when the cross-linking degree was about 20%.
Impacts of light rail in a mid-sized city: Evidence from Olsztyn, Poland

Investments in light rail transit (LRT) have become increasingly popular solutions to promote sustainable urban transportation. However, their impacts on cities are still subject to discussion in the academic community. There is a clear need to better understand the potential impacts of LRT projects, particularly in contexts other than major cities. In this study, we focus on the Olsztyn tram project, which has been implemented in a city of 173,000 residents situated in northeastern Poland. The paper combines different perspectives and data sources, including a study of residents’ stated preferences concerning travel behavior and modelling of housing price effects using the difference-in-differences approach. Our results suggest that the Olsztyn tram project led to a moderate change in travel behavior by increasing the frequency of public transport use but did not result in a substantial shift away from car commuting. Concerning the property market, a decline in prices was observed during the construction phase, but no statistically significant effects were found after completion.
NMR pulse sequence developments for high resolution in heteronuclear 2d experiments

Low resolution in the indirect dimension of 1H–13C heteronuclear experiments is a long-standing problem of NMR spectroscopy, which has not found a satisfactory solution. Among the numerous techniques aiming at increasing the resolution of the indirect dimension of 2D NMR spectra, we focused on spectral aliasing, which plays a unique role for its simplicity of application and efficiency. We also developed a homonuclear 13C decoupling in the F1 dimension, which enhances sensitivity and resolution by transforming the spread of multiplet patterns of carbons into singlets when samples with 13C labeling are involved.
Climate Change Disinformation and Polarization in Canadian Society

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time and its long-term effects will have negative consequences for human civilization, but we can reduce the magnitude of these future effects by mitigating our GHG emissions (Government of Canada, 2019). Unfortunately, this issue has proven difficult to address through effective mitigation measures since GHG emissions are currently correlated with economic growth and balancing mitigation measures with economic growth has proven to be a point of contention and polarization in Western society (Strudwicke & Grant, 2020). Despite broad scientific consensus that climate change is occurring and is a result of anthropogenic GHG emissions, polarization within society on the issue of climate change continues to be a barrier to implementing effective mitigation and adaptation measures (Strudwicke & Grant, 2020). In this report, I will explore how disinformation relating to the issue of climate change might be used be a would-be adversary (e.g. Russia, China, non-state actor) to polarize Canadian society. Climate change is a prime issue for an adversary to exploit (vaccines are another one) because of the controversy and polarization that already exists on this topic and disinformation campaigns over social media (i.e. Twitter) have targeted both sides of this issue in the past (Strudwicke & Grant, 2020). The issue of climate change also falls predominately along partisan lines (Lewandowsky et al., 2013) and therefore would be a good issue to exploit for a threat actor trying to manipulate democratic elections, which was the intent of Russia in the 2016 U.S. presidential election (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2019; Taylor, 2019; Strudwicke & Grant, 2020).
Sources of Output and Total Factor Productivity Growth of the Organized Manufacturing Industries in Gujarat: A Stochastic Frontier Approach

The paper estimates sources output and productivity growth of the 2-digit manufacturing industries as well as total manufacturing industry in Gujarat during the period from 1981-82 to 2010-11. The sources of output growth are input growth effect and total factor productivity growth (TFPG) and again TFPG is composed of adjusted scale effect (ASC), technological progress (TP) and technical efficiency change (TEC). A stochastic frontier model with a translog production function is used to estimate the growth attributes of output and productivity of the 2-digit manufacturing industries as well as total manufacturing industry in Gujarat during the entire study period (1981-82 to 201011), pre-and post-reform period (1981-82 to 1990-91 and 1991-92 to 2010-11) and also during two decades of the post-reform period (1991-92 to 2000-01 and 2001-02 to 211011). The empirical finding clears that input growth effect is the major contributor to output growth in Gujarat manufacturing and total factor productivity growth (TFPG) has also a positive and significant contribution on output growth of the same. Further, technological progress (TP) is found to be as the major contributor to TFPG but it fails to offset the strong negative scale effects (ASC) and as a result TFPG in the 2-digit manufacturing industries of the state declined during the post-reform period. The impact of technical inefficiency effect, however, remain absent as statistical test suggests. The relevant policy implication for the development of the organized manufacturing industries in Gujarat is the need to improve scale components of the 2-digit manufacturing industries of the state during the forth-coming years.
Photoinduced alignment of polymerisable liquid crystals on photoreactive polymers containing 2,6-bis(benzylidene)-1-cyclohexanone units in the main chain

ABSTRACT Photoreactive polymers containing 2,6-bis(benzylidene)-1-cyclohexanone (bisBC) units were synthesised and investigated as a photoalignment layer for polymerisable liquid crystals (PLCs) and liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs). The liquid crystalline materials were aligned homogeneously on the photoalignment layers in a wide range of irradiation dose of linearly polarised UV light (LPUVL). Specifically, for the photoalignment layer baked at 80°C, order parameters of the liquid crystalline materials were low due to the disturbance of oriented-photoreactive polymer caused by the contact with the solvent of liquid crystalline materials. However, the liquid crystalline materials were aligned homogeneously even at low irradiation doses on the thermally cured photoalignment layer baked at 180°C. In addition, the liquid crystalline materials were aligned perpendicular to the LPUVL electric field. The alignment mechanism is discussed by comparing the retardation of photoalignment layer with anisotropic polarisabilities of model molecules calculated by density functional theory (DFT). It is suggested that the liquid crystalline materials aligned along the unreacted chromophores in the photoreactive polymer. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Study of Variations in the Extraction Yield, Phenolic Contents and Antioxidant Activities of the Bark of F. religiosa as a Function of Extraction Procedure

In present study, the effect of different solvents and multiple techniques on the extraction yield, phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of bark of F. Religiosa, was investigated. Four solvents (absolute ethanol, absolute methanol, 80% aqueous ethanol and 80% aqueous methanol) and three techniques (orbital shaker, sonication and magnetic stirrer) were applied for this purpose. The extract obtained by the application of 80% methanol, exhibited significantly (p 80% ethanol > absolute methanol >absolute ethanol. As for as techniques are concerned, the extracts obtained by the application of sonication demonstrated significantly (p<0.05) higher antioxidant activities as compared to to the extracts obtained as a result of using magnetic stirrer and orbital shaker.
Assessing Crowd Size at Essential Stores in the Age of COVID-19

In response to COVID-19 spreading around the globe, people have been trying to distance themselves as much as possible from others in order to limit the spread of infection and stay healthy. One necessity that cannot be avoided for many people is going out to buy essential goods, including groceries and prescription drugs. There have been many documented cases in the news of extremely long lines outside of these buildings. This project explores developing a deep learning algorithm capable of accurately detecting the number of people waiting in lines outside of essential stores during COVID-19, which can be deployed to send periodic updates to local citizens so that they can plan the best times to go out and get essential goods. The input to this system is an RGB image of an outside location of an essential store, and the output is a prediction on the number of people in the image.
Novel Psychological and Neurophysiological Significance of Beer Aromas. Part I: Measurement of Changes in Human Emotions during the Smelling of Hop and Ester Aromas Using a Measurement System for Brainwaves

Changes in human emotions during the smelling of hop and ester aromas were assessed using a measurement system for human brainwaves. Brainwaves were detected through a headband sensor equipped with two electrodes placed on the subject's forehead. The detected brainwaves were transmitted to a notebook computer by a small electroencephalography amplifier and digitally filtered to extract alpha-wave components. Spectrum information on the frequency fluctuation of alpha-waves calculated for each individual was related to psychologically evaluated values of positive/negative moods, feelings of arousal, and degree of comfort to identify associations between the values of fluctuation characteristics and psychological conditions. It was found that the aromas of essential oil extracted from Saarzer hops exhibited a significant relaxing effect (lowering arousal) on subjects. Linalool and geraniol had a significant relaxing effect on subjects, but alpha-humulene and myrcene did not. Esters, a mixture of ethyl and isoamyl acetates, also had a significant relaxing effect on subjects. The measurement of brainwaves is a novel approach to determine the psychological and neurophysiological significance of the effects of smelling beer aroma components on changes in human emotions.
Together we can slow the spread of COVID‐19: The interactive effects of priming collectivism and mortality salience on virus‐related health behaviour intentions

Behaviours recommended for reducing transmission of COVID‐19 – social distancing, wearing masks, and now, vaccination – are aimed at not only reducing one’s own risk, but risk to others. We posited that a collectivist mindset, versus individualistic, would facilitate intentions to engage in behaviours aimed at curtailing the spread of the virus when the awareness of mortality is activated. This hypothesis was informed by the terror management health model and tested in two studies. In each study, collective ‘we’ (vs. the individual ‘I’) was primed, in conjunction with mortality salience compared to a control condition. The results were generally consistent, with Study 1 showing that when collectivism, but not individualism, was primed, individuals responded to a COVID‐19‐based mortality reminder with a significant increase in health intentions, including social distancing and mask wearing. In Study 2, when mortality was salient, priming individualism led to reduced vaccination intention compared to collectivism. We discuss limitations to the research and conclude with the recommendation that COVID‐19‐based communications highlight the dangers of the virus in conjunction with a focus on the collective ‘we’ to best encourage optimal virus mitigation behaviour.
Hope and Worry

Background With the rapid development of precision medicine, targeted therapy has brought new hope for patients with advanced lung cancer. However, because of the high specificity of targeted therapy, individual differences in treatment have occurred, and drug resistance has led to treatment failure, or unpredictable serious side effects have resulted in reducing or stopping treatment. Such outcomes reduce hope. Objective The aim of this study was to understand the phenomena of existential worry and hope in patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are receiving targeted therapies. Methods The interpretative phenomenological analysis method was used in this study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with patients with advanced NSCLC who had received targeted drug therapy at a public cancer hospital in China. Results Four themes emerged from the descriptions of 16 patients regarding their psychological experiences of undergoing targeted therapy: wishes and concerns, hopes and fears, expectations and worry, and desires and anxiety. Conclusions Non–small-cell lung cancer patients experience positive emotions, such as hope and expectation, as well as negative emotions, such as worry and anxiety, while receiving targeted drug therapy. These different emotions can be experienced concurrently. Implications for Practice Our findings illuminate NSCLC patients' psychological perceptions while undergoing targeted drug therapy. Supportive care resources and interventions are required to enhance patients' positive feelings and reduce their worry during targeted therapy. Patients also require better preparation and information to enable them to improve their quality of life and remain safe after undergoing treatment.
Early alpha/beta oscillations reflect the formation of face-related expectations in the brain

Although statistical regularities in the environment often go explicitly unnoticed, traces of implicit learning are evident in our neural activity. Recent perspectives have offered evidence that both pre-stimulus oscillations and peri-stimulus event-related potentials are reliable biomarkers of implicit expectations arising from statistical learning. What remains ambiguous, however, is the origination and development of these implicit expectations. To address this lack of knowledge and determine the temporal constraints of expectation formation, pre-stimulus increases in alpha/beta power were investigated alongside a reduction in the N170 and a suppression in peri-/post-stimulus gamma power. Electroencephalography was acquired from naive participants who engaged in a gender classification task. Participants were uninformed, that eight face images were sorted into four reoccurring pairs which were pseudorandomly hidden amongst randomly occurring face images. We found a reduced N170 for statistically expected images at left parietal and temporo-parietal electrodes. Furthermore, enhanced gamma power following the presentation of random images emphasized the bottom-up processing of these arbitrary occurrences. In contrast, enhanced alpha/beta power was evident pre-stimulus for expected relative to random faces. A particularly interesting finding was the early onset of alpha/beta power enhancement which peaked immediately after the depiction of the predictive face. Hence, our findings propose an approximate timeframe throughout which consistent traces of enhanced alpha/beta power illustrate the early prioritisation of top-down processes to facilitate the development of implicitly cued face-related expectations.
Improved intestinal absorption and oral bioavailability of astaxanthin via poly (ethylene glycol)-graft-chitosan nanoparticle: preparation, in vitro evaluation and pharmacokinetics in rats.

BACKGROUND Astaxanthin (ASTA) is a kind of food-derived active ingredients (FDAI) with functions of antioxidant, antidiabetic, and nontoxicity, but its poor solubility and low bioavailability hinder further application in food industry. In this study, a novel carrier, polyethylene glycol grafted chitosan (PEG-g-CS), was applied in enhancing bioavailability of astaxanthin firstly. It encapsulated astaxanthin completely by solvent evaporation to manufacture ASTA-PEG-g-CS nanoparticle for improving absorption. RESULTS The morphological characteristic of ASTA-PEG-g-CS nanoparticle showed individual and spherical, with a particle size below 200 nm and zeta potential about -26 mV. PEG-g-CS could encapsulate astaxanthin well by profiles of ATR-IR and XRD, and the encapsulated astaxanthin released fast in 15 min from in vitro release study. After rat single-pass intestinal perfusion study, low concentration of ASTA-PEG-g-CS nanoparticle (0.2 μg mL ^-1) had better absorption in intestine, especially jejunum could absorb most astaxanthin without change of concentration. Additionally, in vivo release study demonstrated that ASTA-PEG-g-CS nanoparticle enhanced oral bioavailability significantly. CONCLUSION This novel carrier, polyethylene glycol (PEG) grafted chitosan (PEG-g-CS), provided a simple way to encapsulate natural function food which improved the bioavailability of hydrophobic ingredients completely. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Graph‐theoretical analysis of EEG functional connectivity during balance perturbation in traumatic brain injury: A pilot study

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in balance impairment, increasing the risk of falls, and the chances of further injuries. However, the underlying neural mechanisms of postural control after TBI are not well understood. To this end, we conducted a pilot study to explore the neural mechanisms of unpredictable balance perturbations in 17 chronic TBI participants and 15 matched healthy controls (HC) using the EEG, MRI, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data. As quantitative measures of the functional integration and segregation of the brain networks during the postural task, we computed the global graph‐theoretic network measures (global efficiency and modularity) of brain functional connectivity derived from source‐space EEG in different frequency bands. We observed that the TBI group showed a lower balance performance as measured by the center of pressure displacement during the task, and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). They also showed reduced brain activation and connectivity during the balance task. Furthermore, the decrease in brain network segregation in alpha‐band from baseline to task was smaller in TBI than HC. The DTI findings revealed widespread structural damage. In terms of the neural correlates, we observed a distinct role played by different frequency bands: theta‐band modularity during the task was negatively correlated with the BBS in the TBI group; lower beta‐band network connectivity was associated with the reduction in white matter structural integrity. Our future studies will focus on how postural training will modulate the functional brain networks in TBI.