Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
NON-LINEAR SEISMIC SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURES BASED ON THE SUBSTRUCTURE METHOD

In this paper, a numerical model for wave induced vibrations in buildings is developed based on a substructure method by using original Matlab software developed by the authors. A dynamic analysis of the structure subjected to an incident wave field, is performed using the subdomain formulation. The structure is analysed with a finite element method and the unbounded soil domain is computed with a boundary element method using the Green's functions of a layered halfspace. The problem of eigenfrequencies for embedded foundations in the frequency range of interest for seismic wave induced vibrations is addressed. A weakly singular boundary integral equation in elastodynamics for heterogeneous domains is presented, which combines the boundary integral equations in terms of the displacement and its normal derivatives. Based on an extensive parametric study, general conclusions are drawn for practical range of dimensionless parameters. Insight in the effect of soil-structure interaction and the determining factors for seismic wave induced vibrations is obtained from the results of parametric study. The influence of the type of foundation (rigid or flexible, surface or embedded, slab strip or box foundation) is specially emphasized.
International Diversification, Reallocation, and the Labor Share

How does growing international financial diversification affect firm-level and aggregate labor shares? We study this question using a novel framework of firm labor choice in the face of aggregate risk. The theory implies a cross-section of labor risk premia and labor shares that appear as markups in firm-level data. International risk sharing leads to a reallocation of labor towards riskier/low labor share firms alongside a rise in within-firm labor shares, matching key micro-level facts. We use cross-country firm-level data to document a number of empirical patterns consistent with the theory, namely: (i) riskier firms have lower labor shares and (ii) international financial diversification is associated with a reallocation towards risky/low labor share firms. Our estimates suggest the reallocation effect has dominated the within effect in recent decades; on net, increased financial integration has reduced the corporate labor share in the US by about 2.5 percentage points, roughly one-third of the total decline since the 1970s. ∗We thank Andy Atkeson, Gadi Barlevy, Adrien Bilal, Harold Cole, Nicolas Crouzet, Jan Eeckhout, Francois Gourio, Kyle Herkenhoff, Bart Hobijn, Loukas Karabarbounis, Matthias Kehrig, Simon Mongey, Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan, Miguel Palacios, David Thesmar and various seminar and conference participants for comments and suggestions. The views expressed here are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Board, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago or the Federal Reserve System. †joel.david@chi.frb. org. ‡ranciere@usc.edu. §zeke@usc.edu.
Advances In Em (Expectation - Maximization) Algorithm for Image Classification As Per Cost and Accuracy

Image classification is the process of grouping image pixels into categories or classes to produce a Thematic representation. Image classification used in many areas such as medical imaging, object identification in satellite images, traffic control systems, brake light detection, machine vision, face recognition, fingerprint recognition, etc. The performance of classification algorithms can be expressed in terms of their accuracy and time requires classifying image. Classification divides into two categories, supervised and unsupervised. This paper describe variations in unsupervised EM algorithm by using wavelet transform and Ycbcr colour model which gives comparison between accuracy and elapsed time
Reducing Plastic Pollution by Recovery and Recycling: Evidence from a “Blue Economy” Project Impacting Policy-Making in Italy

This paper recognizes the relevance of the Seabed Cleaning Project, created by the Angelo Vassallo Sindaco Pescatore Foundation in 2010, and presents it as a tool to achieve benefits in environmental, social, and economic terms, in line with the innovative framework of the Blue Economy. The project suggests a practical, feasible, and scalable solution to plastic pollution that can be obtained thanks to the activity performed by fishermen in cooperation with the municipality and local community (in a multi-level cooperation perspective). The data show a significant reduction of plastic on the seafloor thanks to the project, but further research is needed in order to collect further positive outcomes from different applications of the project. In 2022, the “Salva Mare” Law was approved in the Senate, extending the good practices proposed by the Foundation nationwide and showing how small gestures and concrete actions can provide significant improvements in pursuit of a healthier, safer, greener, and smarter city for the future.
Maximum efficiency of wind turbine rotors using Joukowsky and Betz approaches

On the basis of the concepts outlined by Joukowsky nearly a century ago, an analytical aerodynamic optimization model is developed for rotors with a finite number of blades and constant circulation distribution. In the paper, we show the basics of the new model and compare its efficiency with results for rotors designed using the optimization model of Betz.
Adaptation of Commensal Escherichia coli in Tomato Fruits: Motility, Stress, Virulence

Simple Summary When pathogenic bacteria contaminate food, they can harm humans, causing, for example, gastrointestinal disorders. This is a main concern, especially in the case of foods that are consumed fresh and/or are not cooked following common hygiene standards. Thus, it is important to understand how bacteria can survive and prosper once they have contaminated fruits and vegetables, regardless of the presence of defense mechanisms in these plant tissues. In this work, we investigated the ability of a harmless E. coli strain’s ability to adapt to a tomato’s external portion, where bacteria encounter harsh growth conditions. E. coli grown in tomatoes was isolated and compared with E. coli grown in standard laboratory conditions: this comparison allowed us to identify potential molecular determinants helping E. coli to survive in tomatoes. This investigation was conducted through sequencing of DNA and through assays proving that growth in tomatoes altered, at least in part, some features of this bacterium, such as its ability to withstand chemical compounds. Abstract Food contamination can be a serious concern for public health because it can be related to the severe spreading of pathogens. This is a main issue, especially in the case of fresh fruits and vegetables; indeed, they have often been associated with gastrointestinal outbreak events, due to contamination with pathogenic bacteria. However, little is known about the physiological adaptation and bacterial response to stresses encountered in the host plant. Thus, this work aimed to investigate the adaptation of a commensal E. coli strain while growing in tomato pericarp. Pre-adapted and non-adapted cells were compared and used to contaminate tomatoes, demonstrating that pre-adaptation boosted cell proliferation. DNA extracted from pre-adapted and non-adapted cells was sequenced, and their methylation profiles were compared. Hence, genes involved in cell adhesion and resistance against toxic compounds were identified as genes involved in adaptation, and their expression was compared in these two experimental conditions. Finally, pre-adapted and non-adapted E. coli were tested for their ability to resist the presence of toxic compounds, demonstrating that adaptation exerted a protective effect. In conclusion, this work provides new information about the physiological adaptation of bacteria colonizing the tomato fruit pericarp.
Interaction Network Construction and Functional Analysis of the Plasma Membrane H+-ATPase in Bangia fuscopurpurea (Rhodophyta)

Salinity is a serious threat to most land plants. Although seaweeds adapt to salty environments, intertidal species experience wide fluctuations in external salinities, including hyper- and hypo-saline stress. Bangia fuscopurpurea is an economic intertidal seaweed with a strong tolerance to hypo-salinity. Until now, the salt stress tolerance mechanism has remained elusive. Our previous study showed that the expression of B. fuscopurpurea plasma membrane H+-ATPase (BfPMHA) genes were the most upregulated under hypo-salinity. In this study, we obtained the complete sequence of BfPMHA, traced the relative expression of this BfPMHA gene in B. fuscopurpurea under hypo-salinity, and analyzed the protein structure and properties based on the gene’s sequence. The result showed that the expression of BfPMHA in B. fuscopurpurea increased significantly with varying hypo-salinity treatments, and the higher the degree of low salinity stress, the higher the expression level. This BfPMHA had typical PMHA structures with a Cation-N domain, an E1-E2 ATPase domain, a Hydrolase domain, and seven transmembrane domains. In addition, through the membrane system yeast two-hybrid library, three candidate proteins interacting with BfPMHA during hypo-saline stress were screened, fructose–bisphosphate aldolase (BfFBA), glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (NADP+) (phosphorylating) (BfGAPDH), and manganese superoxide dismutase (BfMnSOD). The three candidates and BfPMHA genes were successfully transferred and overexpressed in a BY4741 yeast strain. All of them significantly enhanced the yeast tolerance to NaCl stress, verifying the function of BfPMHA in salt stress response. This is the first study to report the structure and topological features of PMHA in B. fuscopurpurea and its candidate interaction proteins in response to salt stress.
Body-Shaping Membrane to Regenerate Breast Fat by Elastic Structural Holding

Tissue regeneration requires structural holding and movement support using tissue-type-specific aids such as bone casts, skin bandages, and joint protectors. Currently, an unmet need exists in aiding breast fat regeneration as the breast moves following continuous body motion by exposing the breast fat to dynamic stresses. Here, the concept of elastic structural holding is applied to develop a shape-fitting moldable membrane for breast fat regeneration (“adipoconductive”) after surgical defects are made. The membrane has the following key characteristics: (a) It contains a panel of honeycomb structures, thereby efficiently handling motion stress through the entire membrane; (b) a strut is added into each honeycomb in a direction perpendicular to gravity, thereby suppressing the deformation and stress concentration upon lying and standing; and (c) thermo-responsive moldable elastomers are used to support structural holding by suppressing large deviations of movement that occur sporadically. The elastomer became moldable upon a temperature shift above Tm. The structure can then be fixed as the temperature decreases. As a result, the membrane promotes adipogenesis by activating mechanotransduction in a fat miniature model with pre-adipocyte spheroids under continuous shaking in vitro and in a subcutaneous implant placed on the motion-prone back areas of rodents in vivo.
On the Threshold Reynolds Number for the Tumbling Motion of Natural Hail Embryos

La photographie de la coupe d'un grelon suggere que ce dernier se developpe sans cesse, partant d'un embryon conique lui-meme issu d'une particule conique de gresil (graupel). Supposant qu'un certain diametre de la base de l'embryon conique correspond au seuil a partir duquel cet embryon commence a tomber puis a se developper sous forme de bloc, on a analyse la dimension d'un embryon conique en fonction du nombre de Reynolds, ceci a l'aide de photographies. Resultats: le nombre de Reynolds correspondant au seuil ci-dessus, s'etage entre 1400 et 3200, il est beaucoup plus eleve que la valeur de 800 determinee par des experiences de laboratoire; la difference est interpretee par la non-homogeneite de la densite d'un embryon; la base de ce dernier etant plus lourde par rapport a l'apex, la densite n'est pas homogene ainsi qu'il est implicite dans les experiences de laboratoire
Afamelanotide Is Associated with Dose-Dependent Protective Effect from Liver Damage Related to Erythropoietic Protoporphyria

In animal models, melanocyte-stimulating hormones (MSHs) protect the liver from various injuries. Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), a metabolic disorder, leads to the accumulation of protoporphyrin (PPIX). In addition to the most prominent symptom of incapacitating phototoxic skin reactions, 20% of EPP patients exhibit disturbed liver functioning and 4% experience terminal liver failure caused by the hepatobiliary elimination of excess PPIX. Skin symptoms are mitigated through the application of the controlled-release implant afamelanotide, an α-MSH analog, every sixty days. Recently, we showed that liver function tests (LFTs) improved during afamelanotide treatment when compared to before treatment. The present study investigated whether this effect is dose-dependent, as the evidence of dose dependency would support a beneficial influence of afamelanotide. Methods: In this retrospective observational study, we included 2933 liver-function tests, 1186 PPIX concentrations and 1659 afamelanotide implant applications in 70 EPP patients. We investigated whether the number of days since the preceding afamelanotide dose or the number of doses during the preceding 365 days had an effect on LFTs and PPIX levels. In addition, we assessed the effect of global radiation. Results: Inter-patient differences exerted the most prominent effect on PPIX and LFTs. In addition, PPIX increased significantly with an increase in the number of days since the last afamelanotide implant (p < 0.0001). ALAT and bilirubin decreased significantly with an increasing number of afamelanotide doses in the preceding 365 days (p = 0.012, p = 0.0299, respectively). Global radiation only influenced PPIX (p = 0.0113). Conclusions: These findings suggest that afamelanotide ameliorates both PPIX concentrations and LFTs in EPP in a dose-dependent manner.
A Supplementary Control Design for Multi-Vendor Realization of Parallel VSCs: A Loop Shaping Approach

The formation of hybrid alternating current (AC)-(DC) direct current systems from converters built by different manufacturers has attracted considerable attention in recent years. In multi-vendor AC-DC systems, the converter stations and their controllers are designed independently due to confidentiality requirements. If the converters have a physical connection at their AC side, unforeseen interactions among adjacent converters may disrupt stability and alter the dynamic performance of the converters from that intended by their designers. This paper contributes to seamlessly integrating converters with independently designed controllers into a multi-VSC (voltage-sourced converter) system. An $H_\infty$ control problem is defined to design two supplementary filters (SFs) per converter, one for the direct (d)-axis and one for the quadrature (q)-axis control loop, to simultaneously stabilize the multi-VSC system and minimize the perturbation of the dynamic response of the interconnected converters from the vendors' designed dynamic behavior. Adding the SFs to the control system of converters will not cause new disruptive interactions, because the coupling dynamics among the converters are considered in designing the SFs. It is also analytically shown that employing the proposed SFs increases the robust stability margin of the multi-VSC system. Various studies based on the nonlinear model of a 2-VSC system verify the effectiveness of the presented method in integrating independently designed converters into a multi-VSC system.
Mini Review of Technological Trends of Flexible Supercapacitors Using Carbon Nanotubes

ABSTRACT With the technological advances in wearable and portable electronic devices, the demands for associated technologies including flexible energy storage devices increase. Among many types of energy storage devices, flexible supercapacitors (FSCs) are highly attractive in comparison with others as they exhibit high power density, high storage density, and mechanical stability. In particular, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are being widely used as the electrode materials for FSCs, owing to their mechanical strength and outstanding electrical performance. Herein, we classified CNT-based FSCs according to the structural types of CNTs and the materials incorporated. The unique structures and properties of the three types of CNTs (single-walled CNTs (SWCNT), double-walled CNTs (DWCNT), and multi-walled CNTs (MWCNT)) are compared and the mechanisms of FSCs are discussed. Finally, a summary of the overall electrochemical properties and current development of the reported FSC electrodes based on SWCNT, DWCNT, and MWCNT are presented thoroughly.
Geometry of (1,1)-Knots and Knot Floer Homology

We apply the technique of Heegaard Floer Homology to (1, 1)-knots (1-bridge knots on the torus) to determine all (1, 1)-knots of crossing number up to 12. We also prove miscellaneous results regarding (1,1)-knots, including the existence of a family with trivial Alexander polynomial, and symmetry results. In addition, we define and study a new class of multi-pointed Heegaard diagrams for links in S that generalizes the classical notion of grid diagrams.
Demonstration of two-color x-ray FEL by laser emittance spoiler

Two-color is an emerging mode of operation in x-ray Free Electron Laser (FEL) having the potential to expand the pump and probe experiments toward fs temporal resolution and to site-selective spectroscopy. A novel and quick to setup method for two-color x-ray generation is presented here. The approach is experimentally demonstrated at the hard x-ray branch of SwissFEL (Aramis) using a laser emittance spoiler(LES). A short laser pulse is overlapped at the peak of the primary photocathode laser causing a local increase of the electron bunch emittance. In this configuration, the x-ray FEL emission occurs only for the two unspoiled parts of the bunch. Due to the fact that the electron bunch acquires an energy chirp along the acceleration, the spoiled beam produces two x-ray pulses of individual duration of few tens of fs having 1% photon energy separation and a time delay controllable up to 100 fs. Different from other techniques, the present method relies on the standard FEL configuration and it does not require a dedicated accelerator and undulator setting. With the LES, we achieved high efficiency, high energy and spectral stability paired to an independent control of the duration and of the relative intensity of the two colors. The LES enables shot-to-shot switching between one and two-color FEL and further, it is compatible with high repetition-rate FELs, as it is not associated to electron beam losses such as in other two-color methods.
Pharmacological Evaluation of Acacia nilotica Flower Extract against Helicobacter pylori and Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Vitro and In Silico

The resistance of cancer and Helicobacter pylori to several drugs reflects a worldwide problem, and it has been the intention of numerous researchers to overcome this problem. Thus, in this study, Acacia nilotica fruits were subjected to HPLC analysis to detect their phenolic compounds and flavonoids. Moreover, A. nilotica‘s anti-H. pylori activity and its inhibitory activity against human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG-2 cells) were reported. Various compounds with different concentrations, such as ferulic acid (5451.04 µg/mL), chlorogenic acid (4572.26 µg/mL), quercetin (3733.37 µg/mL), rutin (2393.13 µg/mL), gallic acid (2116.77 µg/mL), cinnamic acid (69.72 µg/mL), hesperetin (121.39 µg/mL) and methyl gallate (140.45 µg/mL), were detected. Strong anti-H. pylori activity at 31 mm was reported, compared to the positive control of the 21.67 mm inhibition zone. Moreover, the MIC and MBC were 7.8 µg/mL and 15.62 µg/mL, respectively, while the MIC and MBC of the positive control were 31.25 µg/mL. The concentration of MBC at 25%, 50% and 75% reflected H. pylori’s anti-biofilm activity of 70.38%, 82.29% and 94.22%, respectively. Good antioxidant properties of the A. nilotica flower extract were documented at 15.63, 62.50, 250 and 1000 µg/mL, causing the DPPH scavenging percentages of 42.3%, 52.6%, 65.5% and 80.6%, respectively, with a IC50 of 36.74 µg/mL. HepG-2 cell proliferation was inhibited (91.26%) using 500 µg/mL of flower extract with an IC50 of 176.15 µg/mL, compared to an IC50 of 395.30 µg/mL used against human normal melanocytes. Molecular docking was applied to investigate ferulic acid with the H. pylori (4HI0) crystal structure to determine the best binding mode that interacted most energetically with the binding sites. Molecular docking indicated that ferulic acid was a proper inhibitor for the 4HI0 protein enzyme of H. pylori. A low energy score (−5.58 Kcal/mol) was recorded as a result of the interaction of ferulic acid with the residue’s SER 139 active site caused by the O 29 atom, which was important for its antibacterial activity.
Efficacy of Mentha aquatica L. Essential Oil (Linalool/Linalool Acetate Chemotype) against Insect Vectors and Agricultural Pests

In recent years, agrochemical industries have been focused on the development of essential oil (EO)-based biopesticides, which can be considered valuable alternatives to traditional chemical products. The genus Mentha (Lamiaceae) comprises 30 species characterized by a wide range of biological activities, and some of their EOs showed good potential as pesticidal agents. In this regard, the aim of this study was to evaluate the insecticidal activity of the EO obtained from a rare linalool/linalool acetate chemotype of Mentha aquatica L. The EO was found to be highly effective against Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) 2nd instar larvae, Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker) adults, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) 2nd instar larvae, and Tetranychus urticae (Koch) adults, showing lethal concentrations (LC50) or doses (LD50) of 31.5 ± 2.2 µL L−1, 4.9 ± 0.8 mL L−1, 18.5 ± 2.1 µg larvae−1, and 3.3 ± 0.5 mL L−1, respectively. On the contrary, Musca domestica L. adults and 3rd instar larvae of C. quinquefasciatus and S. littoralis were moderately affected by the treatment (LC50 or LD50: 71.4 ± 7.2 µg adult−1, 79.4 ± 5.2 µL L−1, 44.2 ± 5.8 µg larvae−1, respectively). The results obtained in this work demonstrated that various insects and pests could be differently sensible to the same EO and may lead to the exploitation of this plant or its major volatile compounds as novel ingredients of botanical insecticides and pesticides.
GMM-based Chinese dialect identification system

This paper sets up a GMM-based Chinese dialect identification system and presents the approach for estimation of model parameters.The paper also discusses the influence of the feature and the number of Gaussian mixture component.The experimental results show that the system can arrive at average identification rate of 84.17% on three different dialects in the same province.