Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microbial Models for Simulating Soil Carbon Dynamics: A Review

Soils store the largest amount of carbon (C) in the biosphere, and the C pool in soil is critical to the global C balance. Numerous microbial models have been developed over the last few decades to represent microbial processes that regulate the responses of soil organic carbon (SOC) to climate change. However, the representation of microbial processes varies, and how microbial processes are incorporated into SOC models has not been well explored. Here, we reviewed 71 microbial models to characterize the microbial processes incorporated into SOC models and analyzed variations in mechanistic complexity. We revealed that (a) four processes (microbial‐mediated decomposition, mineral interaction, microbial necromass recycling, and active and dormant microbial dynamics) are commonly incorporated in microbial models, (b) ∼48% of models simulate only one microbial process (i.e., microbial‐mediated decomposition) and 35% of models simulate two microbial processes: for example, microbial‐mediated decomposition and mineral interaction, (c) more than 80% microbial models use nonlinear equations, such as forward Michaelis‐Menten kinetics, to represent SOC decomposition, (d) the concept of persistence of SOC due to its intrinsic properties has been replaced by organo‐mineral interaction (∼39% of microbial models) that protects SOC from decomposition, and (e) various temperature and moisture modifiers and pH effects have been used to explain the environmental effect on microbial processes. In the future, to realistically incorporate microbial processes into Earth System Models, it is imperative to identify experimental evidence on rate limitation processes and firmly ground model structure on the field and laboratory data.
Visualization of counter pressure mechanism in gas-assisted injection molding process

Abstract Gas-assisted injection molding (GAIM) refers to injecting gas into the short shot melt during the filling stage. Compressed gas is used as the medium to push the melt and to provide the packing pressure. In GAIM, the hollow area and penetration length are the main factors that will affect the quality of molded parts. This study has applied a Gas Counter Pressure (GCP) mechanism and has discussed the effect of GCP in the GAIM process with in-mold visualization of this complex molding flow. This study introduces a counter pressure mechanism in a thick paper-clip-shaped cavity design. The flow field under different counter pressure conditions is observed by high-speed photography, the fiber orientations are analyzed with SEM, and the affected penetration length and hollow area are measured relatively. The experimental results show that when the GCP is applied to GAIM, although the hollow area is reduced, the penetration length will be increased, so as to make the quality of molded part more uniform and reduce the shrinkage. And a quantitative measuring method of two-stage penetration time span is proposed to get more in-depth discussion about the interactions between GCP and GAIM.
Developmental Timing of Trauma Exposure Relative to Puberty and Violent Behavior in Adulthood

ABSTRACT Childhood trauma confers tremendous negative consequences for development, including the emergence of psychopathology and behavioral problems, yet the impact of different dimensions of trauma exposure remains unknown. Existing research suggests that, due to increased neuroplasticity, early childhood and puberty may serve as sensitive periods that elevate risk, but also provide windows of opportunity for prevention and intervention. We examined whether the developmental timing of exposure to potentially traumatic events is differentially associated with engagement in violence during early adulthood. College students (n = 356, 81% women) reported the nature and extent of their violent behavior as well as their exposure to potentially traumatic events using a developmentally sensitive measure of trauma exposure relative to individual differences in pubertal timing. Negative binomial regression models revealed that men and women who were exposed to at least one potentially traumatic event during puberty reported engagement in significantly more past year violent behavior. Additionally, men, but not women, exposed to trauma during early and middle childhood reported engagement in significantly more violent behavior. Findings suggest that puberty may serve as a unique sensitive period for trauma-related violent behavior among women, whereas exposure to potentially traumatic events at any time during or prior to puberty serves as a risk factor for men’s violent behavior in adulthood. This study informs future research on underlying mechanisms linking trauma exposure to violent behavior and suggests possible opportunities for increasing intervention efficiency and effectiveness when administered during puberty.
Stability optimization of microbial surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy detection with immunomagnetic separation beads

Abstract. Immunomagnetic separation (IMS) beads with antibody coating are an interesting option for biosensing applications for the identification of biomolecules and biological cells, such as bacteria. The paramagnetic properties of the beads can be utilized with optical sensing by migrating and accumulating the beads and the bound analytes toward the focus depth of the detection system by an external magnetic field. The stability of microbial detection with IMS beads was studied by combining a flexible, inexpensive, and mass producible surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) platform with gold nanoparticle detection and antibody recognition by the IMS beads. Listeria innocua ATCC 33090 was used as a model sample and the effect of the IMS beads on the detected Raman signal was studied. The IMS beads were deposited into a hydrophobic sample well and accumulated toward the detection plane by a neodymium magnet. For the first time, it was shown that the spatial stability of the detection could be improved up to 35% by using IMS bead capture and sample well placing. The effect of a neodymium magnet under the SERS chip improved the temporal detection and significantly reduced the necessary time for sample stabilization for advanced laboratory testing.
The MUSE view of the Frontier Field clusters

Abstract Strong gravitational magnification in the core of lensing clusters allows to probe the faint-end of the galaxy luminosity function up to very high redshift. In particular, the Frontier Fields have allowed us to identify a large number of faint dropouts and constrain the Lyman-break luminosity function at z~5-7. I present here the results of an ongoing program with MUSE, a new integral field spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope having a large field of view (1 arcmin2), to confirm these candidate high redshift dropouts through Lyman-α emission and identify additional emitters with high equivalent width, fainter than the depth of the Frontier Fields Hubble images. Combined with similar deep exposures taken with MUSE in blank fields, this gives us the best opportunity to probe the Lyman-α luminosity function over a wide range in luminosity.
Improvement of dielectric properties of spin coated PMMA-ZnO nano hybrid thin film

ABSTRACT PMMA - ZnO nano hybrid thin film was prepared with different weight ratio of ZnO nanoparticles by spin coating method. The thin films were characterized by SEM, AFM, XRD, FTIR, contact angle and dielectric spectroscopy. The interaction between ZnO and PMMA was studied by Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy. AFM provides the comparison of spatial resolution between pure PMMA thin film and nano hybrid thin film to understand surface morphology and interaction of ZnO nanoparticles with PMMA. The dielectric properties are discussed by interfacial polarization. The main reason for improvement of dielectric properties is the formation of new crystalline boundaries.
Effect of ambient oxygen on the photoluminescence of sol–gel-derived nanocrystalline ZrO2:Eu,Nb

The development of inorganic nanophosphors is an active research field due to many applications, including optical gas sensing materials. We found a systematic dependence of the photoluminescence (PL) of europium (Eu3+) impurity ions in zirconia (ZrO2) nanocrystals on the ambient oxygen concentration in a O2/N2 mixture at normal pressure. Europium-doped ZrO2 powders were synthesized via a sol–gel route. Heat-treatment at 1200 °C resulted in a well-developed monoclinic phase (XRD crystallite size of ~50 nm) and an intense PL of Eu3+ ions residing in the dominant phase (Eu3+ was excited directly at 395 or 464 nm). Co-doping with niobium resulted in a narrowing of the PL emission lines. Only Nb5+ was detected by XPS and is believed to charge-compensate Eu3+ activators throughout the material leading to a more regular crystal lattice. At room temperature, the exposure to oxygen suppressed the Eu3+ fluorescence, whereas, at elevated temperatures (300 °C), the effect was reversed. At 300 °C and under a focused continuous laser beam, a substantial PL response (>50%) was achieved when switching 100% of N2 for 100% of O2. PL decay kinetics clearly showed that at 300 °C fluorescence quenching centers were induced within the material by oxygen desorption. The relatively fast (<5 min) and sub-linear PL response to the changes of oxygen concentration shows that ZrO2:Eu,Nb is a promising PL-based oxygen sensing material over a wide-range of oxygen pressures.
Quantum Green's function in N-dimensional space with spherically piecewise continuous potentials

The aim of this work is to provide the radial part of the Green’s function for the Schroedinger operator defined on N-dimensional space. The potential part in the Hamiltonian is a piecewise continuous operator. We have considered two kinds of potentials: the first of them is a positive constant V0 inside a sphere (x 2 1 + . + x 2 N = a 2)and zero outside this sphere whereas the second is a negative constant V0 inside the sphere and null outside (a finite well potential). For the first kind of potential, we have calculated the Green’s function in two cases of energy: E > V0 and E < V0. For the second kind of potential, we have discussed the discrete spectrum of the Hamiltonian operator. PACS: 03.75. Lm, 03.65. Db, 02.30. Gp, 02.30. Sa
Modeling and performance analysis of a curve-shaped based doubly clamped piezoelectric energy harvester (CD-PEH)

In this paper, a curve-shaped based doubly clamped piezoelectric energy harvester (CD-PEH) is explored for improving the energy harvesting performance. The harvester consists of a composed beam constructed with two arc-shaped structures and a flat beam, as well as two proof masses. A method based on chained beam constraint model theory (CBCM) is first applied to build the nonlinear restoring force model of the CD-PEH, the developed analytical model is validated by the finite element analysis (FEA). Then the electromechanically coupled model for the CD-PEH is built to investigate the effect of excitation amplitudes, geometric parameters and load resistance on the output characteristics. Due to the geometric nonlinearity caused by the arc-shaped configuration, the CD-PEH orderly exhibits quasi-linear, softening nonlinear and mixed hardening & softening nonlinearity behavior with the increasing of excitation level, which could effectively extend the frequency bandwidth of the system. For the excitation of A = 8 m/s2, the effective working bandwidth of the CD-PEH is increased by 633% compared with the effective bandwidth in the case of A = 2 m/s2. Moreover, comparison experiments demonstrate that the output voltage and the effective bandwidth are increased by 225 and 450%, respectively, compared with the typical doubly-clamped piezoelectric energy harvester (T-PEH) under the same excitation amplitude. Overall, this study provides a new way and theoretical framework for the design of high-efficiency doubly clamped piezoelectric energy harvester.
Comparison of Sequencing and Phylogenetic Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Proteins Extracted from Patients and Travelers in Duhok-Iraq

Background: SARS-CoV-2 is a single-stranded RNA virus and a member of a large family of Coronaviruses that are important human pathogens. This virus caused severe acute respiratory syndrome and was initially identified to be transmitted between humans on November 17, 2019. Objectives: To investigate the lineage, mutational patterns, variants, and serotypes of SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in the Duhok governorate population and to compare them with those identified in travelers crossing the border from Turkey in order to trace the epidemiological patterns. Methods: Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from 700 individuals living in Duhok and 700 travelers crossing the border to Duhok-Iraq from Turkey. The subjects were recruited by random sampling and questioned about demographic features and symptoms of upper or lower respiratory tract infections. Exclusion criteria included vaccination with COVID-19 vaccines of any approved previous infection. Samples were subjected to RT-PCR (QIAGEN KIT), and 30 positive samples with the highest viral load (lowest Ct values) were chosen for sequencing of the complete S gene by next-generation sequencing (NGS) (INTERGEN Genetics and Rare Diseases Diagnosis Research and Application Center, Turkey). Three platforms of Nextstrain, GISAID, and PANGO were used to identify variants, clades, and lineages and analyze sequences. Results: Out of 1400 participants, 353 (25.21%) positive samples were identified by RT-PCR, of which 30 representative positive samples (15 from each group: Patients and travelers) were sent for complete sequencing of the S spike gene using NGS. Nineteen samples were successfully sequenced and retrieved, including nine samples from Duhok residents and ten samples from travelers. Nextclade results revealed that 12 samples belonged to the delta strain (Pango lineages: B1.617.2.78, B1.617.2, B1.617.126, and B.1.617.121) distributed among the two groups while 5 omicron (BA.1.1) and 2 alpha (B.1.1.7) strains were found among travelers. A total of 76 mutations, including 52 non-synonymous, 16 synonymous, and 8 deletions, were detected without identifying a unique mutation. Sequencing results were submitted to GISAID, and accession numbers were obtained. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using the sequences obtained from Iraqi and non-Iraqi variants from GISAID. Conclusions: The present research presents a description and observation of the genetic and epigenetic status of SARS-CoV-2 in Iraq based on sequencing results. The study revealed the impact of travels in introducing new variants to the country, including those with mutations in the S1 domain of the spike protein that can enhance viral attachment to receptors.
SLAM contraint en environnement de grande taille

Ce papier presente un algorithme de localisation et cartographie simultanee (ou SLAM pour Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) utilisant des contraintes issues d'un modele d'environnement, on parle alors de SLAM contraint. L'objectif est d'utiliser un modele 3D epars de grande taille issu d'une reconstruction de type SFM (Structure From Motion) afin d'estimer le mouvement de la camera relativement au modele, meme lorsque ce dernier est peu ou pas observe. Il est necesaire pour cela d'inclure des contraintes issues du modele d'environnement dans l'algorithme de SLAM. Nous montrons que la cartographie simultanee permet l'utilisation d'un modele approximatif ou partiellement obsolete avec une localisation plus fiable en conditions difficiles.
Employee Engagement Among Business Process Outsourcing Industries in a Freeport Zone Amidst the Pandemic

Employee engagement emerged as one of the most important topics for HR managers and practitioners in the industry. This study aims to analyze and assess how various organizations engaged their workers throughout the coronavirus epidemic. The Philippine Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies have shifted remote work set-up to ensure productivity. The researchers focused on 100 purposively selected managers and team leaders of BPO companies in a particular freeport zone in the Philippines. The proponents utilized a descriptive-correlation research design with the help of a modified survey instrument. Statistical analyses used were mean and Pearson-r moment of correlation with the help of SPSS 20. Results show that the respondents gave the study a remark of "sometimes" on their employee engagement. As for the perceived factors affecting employee engagement, career development, leadership, and work-life balance generated a response of "strongly agree" among the respondents, and only rewards and recognition got an "agree" response. Furthermore, the study also found a low to moderate positive association between employee engagement and the perceived factors affecting employee engagement. As concluded, a relationship exists between employee engagement, career development, leadership, work-life balance, and rewards and recognition within the organization. The importance of sustaining employee engagement amid the Covid-19 Pandemic is vital to attain productivity, and outcomes such as increased profit, lower absenteeism, and good health of employees are essential to achieve a win-win situation between the company and its stakeholders.
Mathematical Programming and Metaheuristics for Solving Continuous-Time Scheduling Optimization Problems in Low-Volume Low-Variety Production Systems

Despite prominent scholarly advancements in operations research, limited literature has been reported on mathematical and heuristic approaches for scheduling low-volume low-variety production systems. This paper proposes a new approach for modeling and solving large-scale sequencing and scheduling problems in Low-Volume, Low-variety production systems. The proposed non-linear mathematical programming models and genetic algorithms are subject to time and resource constraints, aimed at maximizing the number of activities completed in-station or intended to minimize the positive deviation to the aspiring time and resources budgets in scenarios where the allocated work package must be completed in-station. The proposed algorithms are compatible with discrete and continuous-time scheduling problems and are found to be effective in modeling characteristics and constraints inherent in Low-Volume, Low-Variety production systems. To validate the proposed models, a real-world case study of a work center in the final assembly line of a private jet aircraft is conducted.
Quantitative properties of real algebraic varieties

The introduction (section 1) presents the general subject-matter of the thesis: the quantitative measurement of the geometric properties of real algebraic varieties, and especially their triangulation. Section 2 explains a fast and certified subdivision procedure triangulating an algebraic plane curve. The mathematical tools are the topological degree, and the Bernstein's polynomial basis. Section 3 is a copy of an article explaining the subdivision method for smooth surfaces in Rn. It includes a complexity analysis. Section 4 presents a quantitative version of Thom-Mather's topological triviality for singular semi-algebraic maps. Stem from it: A “metrically stable” version of the local conic structure theorem and of the existence of a “Milnor tube” around strata. A triangulation algorithm based on Vorono˘i partitions (not completely implementable because the effective estimation of transversality is not completely detailed). Section 5 is a copy of an article published in 2008 on a sweeping method to compute the topology of singular surfaces in R3. It is based on Thom-Mathers theorem. Section 6 presents a bound on the generic number of connected components in an affine section of a real analytic germ in terms of the multiplicity and of the dimension of the ambient space. The bound does not always apply and counter-examples are given in that case.
“You’d be Right to Indulge Some Skepticism”: Trust-building Strategies in Future-oriented News Discourse

ABSTRACT This paper explores trust-building strategies in future-oriented news discourse, marked by a high degree of uncertainty. While current research mainly focuses on audiences’ perceptions of news credibility, this study addresses news trust from a production standpoint. We examine the trust-building efforts of media actors, focusing on their discursive labor within the context of election projections. Drawing on rich data from five election rounds in Israel and the US, we qualitatively analyzed 400 news texts and 400 tweets that were produced by 20 US and 20 Israeli media actors. This textual analysis was supplemented by 10 in-depth interviews with Israeli journalists. Our findings demonstrate three types of journalistic trust-building rhetoric in election coverage: facticity, authority, and transparency. These strategies result in a two-fold form of trust, which re-affirms traditional notions of accuracy and validity, while also challenging the ability of newspersons to obtain them in contemporary political and media cultures. Overall, these strategies hold unique opportunities and challenges for sustaining public trust in journalism and illuminate the complex communicative labor involved in building trust with news audiences. Our findings also highlight the importance of studying trust not only in relation to the past and the present, but also in future-oriented discourse.
A Note on Value Sets of Polynomials over Finite Fields

Most results on the value sets $V_f$ of polynomials $f \in \mathbb{F}_q[x]$ relate the cardinality $|V_f|$ to the degree of $f$. In particular, the structure of the spectrum of the class of polynomials of a fixed degree $d$ is rather well known. We consider a class $\mathcal{F}_{q,n}$ of polynomials, which we obtain by modifying linear permutations at $n$ points. The study of the spectrum of $\mathcal{F}_{q,n}$ enables us to obtain a simple description of polynomials $F \in \mathcal{F}_{q,n}$ with prescribed $V_F$, especially those avoiding a given set, like cosets of subgroups of the multiplicative group $\mathbb{F}_q^*$. The value set count for such $F$ can also be determined. This yields polynomials with evenly distributed values, which have small maximum count.