Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thermodynamic and magnetic properties of Pt50Mn50-xMx (M= Cr, Fe) alloys: A first-principles study

More recently, the L10 MnPt alloy has received massive attention in data storage applications such as spintronics due to its high ferromagnetic stability and very high Néel temperature. It was found that L10 MnPt alloy showed ferromagnetic behaviour at room temperature. In this study, the effect of introducing antiferromagnetic (Cr) and ferromagnetic (Fe) elements on MnPt alloy is being investigated using density functional theory (DFT). The thermodynamic stability was determined from the heats of formation to check the formability of Pt50Mn50-xMx (M= Cr, Fe; x=6.25, 12.5, 18.75, 25) alloys. These Pt50Mn50-xMx alloys were found to be thermodynamically stable although with lower heats of formation. Overall magnetic moments decrease slightly with an increase in Cr and Fe compositions, only at 6.25 at. % Cr the ferromagnetic state is improved when the c/a ratio is 1.10. The current work revealed that the DFT-based first-principle approach can be used to design new possible compositions for the development of PGM-bearing magnetic materials.
A modern approach to the solution of problems of classic elastoplasticity on parallel computers

The numerical solution of non-linear problems in solid mechanics (e.g., elastic–plastic problems) may be very expensive in the case of the use of fine discretizations. There is a requirement for efficient numerical algorithms and very fast hardware. Modern parallel computers in combination with modern numerical techniques, such as the parallel preconditioned conjugate gradient method for solving large linear systems and the consequent use of a consistent linearization of the non-linear problem, may lead to a superlinear speed up in comparison with equivalent single processor machines. The authors have developed a parallel experimental computer code using both techniques. The code is used for scientific investigations in the area of the identification of mechanical material parameters of metals. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Generalized lexicographically optimal flows in networks with multiple sources and sinks

Abstract Lexicographically optimal flows with multiple sources and sinks in networks dealt with by Megiddo ( 1974) and Fujishigo ( 1980) are extended to treat more important and practical network flow problems in systems science. First, we consider the problem of finding a flow which has the minimum cost among all lexicographically optimal flows with respect to a given weight vector. Here, the lexicographically optimal flow with respect to a given weight vector is a flow which not only attains the maximum flow value but also distributes supplies in sources and demands in sinks as proportional to the given weights as possible. Secondly, we consider the problem of finding a flow which has the minimum cost among all the flows which are lexicographically optimal with respect to weight vectors belonging to an admissible region. Algorithms for solving these newly formulated network flow problems are proposed. In the light of matroid theory, the proposed algorithms are discussed. An illustrative example is also .
QuickFaaS: Providing Portability and Interoperability Between FaaS Platforms

Serverless computing hides infrastructure management from developers and runs code on-demand automatically scaled and billed during the code’s execution time. One of the most popular serverless backend services is called Function-as-a-Service (FaaS), in which developers are often confronted with cloud-specific requirements. Function signature requirements, and the usage of custom libraries that are unique to cloud providers, were identified as the two main reasons for portability issues in FaaS applications, leading to various vendor lock-in problems. In this work, we define three cloud-agnostic models that compose FaaS platforms. Based on these models, we developed QuickFaaS, a multi-cloud interoperability desktop tool targeting cloud-agnostic functions and FaaS deployments. The proposed cloud-agnostic approach enables developers to reuse their serverless functions in different cloud providers with no need to change code or install extra software. We also provide an evaluation that validates the proposed solution by measuring the impact of a cloud-agnostic approach on the function’s performance, when compared to a cloud-non-agnostic one. The study shows that a cloud-agnostic approach does not significantly impact the function’s performance.
Investigations on the Behaviour of an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer and its applicability to calibrate an optical particle counter

The calibration of an optical particle counter (OPC) by means of the Aerodynamic Particle Sizer APS (TSI, Model 3310) was investigated. The pulse-height distribution and the aerodynamic size distribution were measured by parallel use of an OPC and the APS. A calibration curve was obtained by comparison of the two different cumulative distribution curves. First calibration results are presented for spherical particles (water droplets and glycerine droplets). A comparison of these results with Mie calculations and aerodynamic calibrations by means of sampling cyclones shows good agreement. Furthermore, measurements were carried out with non-spherical particles. Quartz dust was used for these measurements. In order to calibrate the OPC by means of the APS, the behaviour of both devices was investigated.
Towards a high efficiency amorphous silicon solar cell using molybdenum oxide as a window layer instead of conventional p-type amorphous silicon carbide

A thermally evaporated molybdenum oxide (MoO3) film was used as a window layer of a hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cell instead of the conventional p-type hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (p-a-SiC:H) film. The short circuit current density (JSC) and fill factor were increased due to the wide optical band gap and high conductivity of the MoO3 film. As a result, the conversion efficiency of the fabricated MoO3 solar cell was increased to 6.21% compared to the typical a-Si:H solar cell (5.97%).
The Effect of Value for Money on Travel Anxiety and their Impact on the Behavioural Intention of Passengers Low-Cost Carrier Airlines

The purpose of this study was to analyze the mediation function of travel anxiety on the effect of value for money and service quality on the behavioral intention of passengers on low-cost carrier airlines Citilink and Lion Air. The population used in this study were passengers of low-cost carrier airlines entering Banda Aceh, namely Wings Air and Citilink. The sampling technique used is non-probability sampling with a convenience sampling approach. The respondents in this study were all passengers of low-cost carrier airlines entering Banda Aceh, namely Wings Air and Citilink. The number of sampling in this study is the multiplication of the number 5 with the number of existing indicators (Ferdinand 2010), namely 5 x 31 indicators = 155 people. Data processing is done using SPSS and Smart PLS software. Of the five direct influence hypotheses tested, namely the Effect of the Value of Money on Travel Anxiety, the Effect of the Value of Money on Behavioral Intention, the Effect of Travel Anxiety on Behavioral Intention, the Effect of Service Quality on Travel Anxiety, and Effect of Service Quality on Behavioral Intention, there is one that is not significant, namely the effect of Value for Money on Behavior Intention. The meaning is in encouraging someone to travel, even though in the case of Low-Cost Carrier it turns out that at the 5% alpha level the effect is not significant. But if we use 10% DF, then all direct hypotheses in this study have a significant effect. As for the indirect effect, the two hypotheses of the Effect of the Value of Money on Behavioral Intention through Travel Anxiety and the Effect of Service Quality on Behavioral Intention through Travel Anxiety, do not of them produce a significant effect. Only the influence of Service Quality on Behavioral Intention through Travel Anxiety is significant, although the role of travel anxiety in linking service quality variables to behavior intention is only a partial intervention.
Chemistry towards Biology—Instruct: Snapshot

The knowledge of interactions between different molecules is undoubtedly the driving force of all contemporary biomedical and biological sciences. Chemical biology/biological chemistry has become an important multidisciplinary bridge connecting the perspectives of chemistry and biology to the study of small molecules/peptidomimetics and their interactions in biological systems. Advances in structural biology research, in particular linking atomic structure to molecular properties and cellular context, are essential for the sophisticated design of new medicines that exhibit a high degree of druggability and very importantly, druglikeness. The authors of this contribution are outstanding scientists in the field who provided a brief overview of their work, which is arranged from in silico investigation through the characterization of interactions of compounds with biomolecules to bioactive materials.
Velocity fluctuations and hydrodynamic diffusion in finite-Reynolds-number sedimenting suspensions

The velocity variance and the hydrodynamic diffusivity for a finite-Reynolds-number settling suspension are determined from lattice-Boltzmann simulations of many particles in cubic cells with periodic boundary conditions. The velocity variance is found to grow logarithmically with the size of the computational domain in contrast to the algebraic growth found in comparable Stokes-flow simulations. The growth rate and size of the velocity variance are found to be smaller than the theoretical prediction for a random suspension owing to a deficit in particle pair probability distribution in the wake of a test particle that screens the velocity disturbance felt by other particles. The particle velocity variance is smaller than the fluid velocity variance because a particle does not follow fluid motions on length scales comparable to or smaller than its own size. The hydrodynamic diffusivity of particles is proportional to the product of the root-mean-square velocity and the size of the computational domain.
An Effective 4–Phased Framework for Scheduling Job-Shop Manufacturing Systems Using Weighted NSGA-II

Improving the performance of manufacturing systems is a vital issue in today’s rival market. For this purpose, during the last decade, scientists have considered more than one objective function while scheduling a production line. This paper develops a 4-phased fuzzy framework to identify effective factors, determine their weights on multi-objective functions, and, accordingly, schedule manufacturing systems in a fuzzy environment. The aim is to optimize product completion time and operational and product defect costs in a job-shop-based multi-objective fuzzy scheduling problem. In the first and second phases of the proposed framework, it was shown that the existing uncertainty of the internal factors for the studied cases causes the weights of factors to change up to 44.5%. Then, a fuzzy-weighted NSGA-II is proposed (FW-NSGA-II) to address the developed Non-linear Fuzzy Multi-objective Dual resource-constrained scheduling problem. Comparing the outcomes of the proposed method with other solving algorithms, such as the Sine Cosine Algorithm, Simulated Annealing, Tabu Search, and TLBO heuristic, using seven series of comprehensive computational experiments, indicates the superiority of the proposed framework in scheduling manufacturing systems. The outcomes indicated that using the proposed method for the studied cases saved up to 5% in the objective function for small-scale, 11.2% for medium-scale, and 3.8% for large-scale manufacturing systems. The outcomes of this study can help production planning managers to provide more realistic schedules by considering fuzzy factors in their manufacturing systems. Further investigating the proposed method for dynamic product conditions is another direction for future research.
Controlled Intestinal Microbiota Colonisation in Broilers under the Industrial Production System

Simple Summary Immediately post-hatch, young chicks are exposed to microbes in the air, feed and environment, and rapid colonisation of the gut begins. In environments loaded with pathogens, this process is critical with lifelong implications for the birds. Here, we present the large-scale commercial hatchery-based experiment using the “Hen in the bag” approach similar to faecal transfer in humans, where the highly diverse product, based on chicken caecal microbiota, was administered via automated spray equipment to the birds immediately post-hatch to mimic maternal inoculation. We report highly significant alterations in gut microbiota across upper and lower gut sections, changes in diversity in the caecum and jejunal mucosa, high resemblance of the inoculum microbial community to the caecal microbiota of the birds and consistently higher weight of treated animals. Abstract The concept of designer microbiota in chicken is focused on early exposure of the hatchlings to pathogen-free microbiota inoculum, limiting the early access to harmful and pathogenic microorganisms, thus promoting colonisation of the gut with beneficial and natural poultry microbiota. In this study, we controlled colonisation of the intestine in broiler chickens in a large-scale industrial setting via at-hatch administration of a commercial product containing a highly diverse microbiota originating from the chicken caecum. The treatment significantly transformed the microbiota membership in the crop, proventriculus, jejunum and caecum and significantly altered the taxa abundance in the jejunum, jejunum mucosa, and caecum estimated using PERMANOVA and unweighted and weighted UniFrac distances, respectively. The treatment also improved the growth rate in chickens with no significant alteration in feed conversion ratio. A comparison of inoculum product microbiota structure revealed that the inoculum had the highest Shannon diversity index compared to all investigated gut sections, and the number of Observed Species second only to the caecal community. PCoA plots using weighted or unweighted UniFrac placed the inoculum samples together with the samples from the caecal origin.
Integrated Disturbance Observer-Based Robust Force Control

For robotic tasks that involve combined transmitting and contact force control, achieving the high-performance motion control while ensuring stable environment contact is difficult. Among the factors that affect the quality of this force control, in this article, we may account vibrations due to misalignment in the mechanical components, actuator inaccuracies, nonlinear effects of friction, and backlash. All the above mentioned factors can be collectively considered as force disturbances. Toward high-performance motion control and contact stability, a novel integrated disturbance observer (DOB) (IDOB) is proposed. The IDOB uses force sensor measurements with position measurements and a plant model to isolate and robustly suppress the effects of force disturbances within the plant without compromising contact stability. This is applied here to a force control system to demonstrate the enhanced force control performance in free space and in contact. The passivity, robust stability, and disturbance rejection of the proposed IDOB are compared with those of existing force controllers, with and without force-based DOBs. Finally, actual experiments are conducted in free space and contact under various interaction conditions, showing that the IDOB improves transmitting force control and disturbance suppression performances. Moreover, peak collision force is reduced while maintaining contact stability with stiff environments.
State of the Art Blockchain Enabled Smart Contract Applications in the University

A comprehensive analysis is necessary for the implementation and use of smart contracts in companies. This overview clarifies how this technology is now being used and identifies problems that are preventing its usage in contemporary organizations. This paper offers an organized assessment of prior research that includes frameworks, techniques, functional prototypes, and simulations that show how smart contracts are used in businesses. This paper's main goal is to better understand how smart-contract technology is used in organizations today. While there is limited knowledge about how smart contracts are used in companies, there is significant progress being made in the development of the technology that supports them. In this work, we describe the characteristics of smart-contract applications in many current organization fields. We further examine and group issues that hinder the adoption of smart-contract applications.
Exploration of Dual Ionic Cross-Linked Alginate Hydrogels Via Cations of Varying Valences towards Wound Healing

This study explored the synergistic effects of simultaneously using calcium and gallium cations in the cross-linking of alginate, detailing its effects on the characteristics of alginate compared to its single cation counterparts. The primary goal is to determine if there are any synergistic effects associated with the utilisation of multiple multivalent cations in polymer cross-linking and whether or not it could therefore be used in pharmaceutical applications such as wound healing. Given the fact divalent and trivalent cations have never been utilised together for cross-linking, an explanation for the mode of binding that occurs between the alginate and the cations during the cross-linking process and how it may affect the future applications of the polymer has been investigated. The calcium gallium alginate polymers were able to retain the antibacterial effects of gallium within the confines of the polymer matrix, possessing superior rheological properties, 6 times that of pure calcium and pure gallium, coupled with an improved swelling capacity that is 4 times higher than that of gallium alginate.
Monkeypox Disease (MPOX) Perceptions among Healthcare Workers versus General Population during the First Month of the WHO Alert: Cross-Sectional Survey in Saudi Arabia

Background: Monkeypox disease (MPOX) recently re-emerged in May 2022, causing international outbreaks in multiple non-endemic countries. This study demonstrates a novel comparison between the knowledge and perceptions of Saudi healthcare workers (HCWs) and the general public regarding MPOX. Methods: An online survey, conducted from 27 May to 5 June 2022, assessing participants’ MPOX and monkeypox virus (MPV) knowledge in terms of transmission, vaccination, isolation precautions, and their attitudes toward seeking more information. Results: A total of 1546 members of the public and 1130 HCWs completed the survey. Briefly, 61.3% of the public and 74.2% of HCWs showed interest in seeking more information about MPOX. Both groups had average overall mean MPOX knowledge scores. Members of the public holding university degrees and those showing high levels of worry regarding MPOX had significantly higher knowledge scores. However, HCWs showed a poor vaccination knowledge score, while only 57% recognized that MPOX can present similarly to COVID-19 in the early stages. Female HCWs and those with high self-rated MPOX awareness had significantly high knowledge scores. HCWs in secondary and tertiary centers had significantly higher knowledge scores. Conclusion: Both groups showed a decent attitude in terms of seeking more MPOX knowledge, which correlated positively with their worry about and awareness of the disease. These observations are mostly as a consequence of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which encouraged the public and HCW to acquire more information about any novel emerging disease. Policymakers should make the most of this attitude in their awareness campaigns to prevent the spread of the disease and encourage vaccination in cases where it is needed. The knowledge gaps among HCWs were most evident in terms of clinical presentation and vaccinations; this problem needs addressing if we are to avoid further emerging MPOX cases.
Chemical Composition and in Vitro Antioxidant, Anti‐Alzheimer, Anti‐Diabetic, Anti‐Tyrosinase, and Antimicrobial Properties of Essential Oils and Extracts Derived from Various Parts of the Algerian Calendula Suffruticosa Vahlsubsp. boissieri Lanza

Calendula suffruticosa Vahl subsp. boissieri Lanza is well‐known for its medicinal properties in northeastern Algeria. As far as literature has been able to prove, no study has attempted to make a phytochemical or biological activity evaluation (antioxidants, enzyme inhibitors and antimicrobial potential). This work intends to evaluate, for the first time, the chemical constituents and study the previously mentioned biological activities of C. suffruticosa boissieri essential oil and different sections (flowers, leaves, roots) as well as the effect of changing the solvent (ethanol 70 %) and (methanol 70 %) on these activities. The essential oil of aerial parts of this plant was investigated using GC/MS, and 45 compounds were discovered, accounting for 98.01 % of the essential oil, including 23 monoterpenes, 6 sesquiterpenes, 12 diterpenes, 1 coumarin, 3 alkanes, methyl‐cyclohexane (23.73 %), limonene (25.02 %), and o‐cymene (13.20 %). Five methods were used to study the antioxidant activity (ABTS, DPPH, CUPRAC, reducing power, and β‐carotene bleaching assay), where the results were impressive, especially for the essential oil. In addition, the hydroethanolic solvent (70 %) was found to be the most effective solvent for extraction in general compared to the hydromethanolic solvent (70 %). The extracts and essential oils of C. suffruticosa boissieri also showed a strong inhibiting ability against cholinesterase, tyrosinase, anti‐α‐amylase, α‐glucosidase, and antimicrobials, a very valuable antioxidant, which is a real discovery. Based on these results, it can be said that this plant has important biological activities, so it can be used in the phytotherapy, food, or pharmaceutical sectors.
Proximal Policy Optimization Algorithm for Multi-objective Disassembly Line Balancing Problems

As more and more end-of-life products are accumulated over time, there is an urgent need for their recycling. Disassembly is a key step to do so. In order to improve the operational efficiency of disassembly lines, a disassembly line balance problem (DLBP) has drawn many researchers’ attention. There are multiple factors that affect disassembly quality and efficiency, e.g., workstation allocation and disassembly revenue. This work addresses a multi-objective DLBP. We consider three objectives: maximizing the net profit of disassembly, minimizing the maximal gap of working time among workstations, and minimizing the risk of performing dangerous disassembly tasks. An improved proximal policy optimization is proposed for the multi-objective DLBP. Five real-world products are used to test its effectiveness and feasibility. Experimental results verify the strength of the algorithm by comparing it with an Actor-Critic algorithm.