Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Novel Gluten-Free Breakfast Cereals Produced by Extrusion Cooking from Rice and Teff: Effects on Microstructural, Physical and Nutritional Properties

Current gluten-free products often have nutritional inadequacies. Teff is generating a growing interest for its excellent nutritional value. In this study, the effects of teff enrichment of extruded gluten-free breakfast cereals based on rice flour and two process parameters—feed moisture and temperature—were investigated based on their physical, microstructural and nutritional properties. The independent variables were modulated and examined by a Box–Behnken design. The incorporation of teff flour affected the sensory properties of extruded cereals, particularly lightness and crispness, with estimated linear effects of −6.91 and −8.49, respectively. The enrichment of breakfast cereals with teff flour also increased the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity in both free and bound fractions, as well as the amount of insoluble dietary fibre. By varying all independent variables, the microstructural and physical properties of samples changed considerably. At the lowest feed moisture, wall thickness was small while showing the highest expansion. Samples with the highest teff flour addition exhibited an increased number of small pores which decreased crispness. These findings suggest that, by optimized extrusion cooking, the use of teff flour seems to be promising for the preparation of gluten-free breakfast cereals with superior nutritional properties and good structural characteristics.
Evaluation of MM5 and Eta-10 Precipitation Forecasts over the Pacific Northwest during the Cool Season

Abstract Precipitation forecasts from the Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5) and NCEP’s 10-km resolution Eta Model (Eta-10) are verified over the Pacific Northwest in order to show the effects of increasing horizontal resolution, the spatial variations in model skill across the region, and the relative differences in performance between the two modeling systems. The MM5 is verified at 36- and 12-km resolution for 9 December 1996 through 30 April 1997 using approximately 150 cooperative observer and National Weather Service precipitation sites across the Pacific Northwest. A noticeable improvement in bias, equitable threat, and root-mean-square (rms) error scores occurs as the horizontal resolution is increased. The spatial distribution of bias and equitable threat scores across Washington and Oregon indicate that the 12-km MM5 generates too much precipitation along the steep windward slopes and not enough precipitation in the lee of major barriers.
The Coupled Reactance-Less Memristor Based Relaxation Oscillators for Binary Oscillator Networks

This paper discusses the application of coupled reactance-less memristor-based oscillators (MBO) with binary output signals in oscillatory networks. A class of binary-coupled memristor oscillators provides simple integration with standard CMOS logic elements. Combining MBOs with binary logic elements ensures the operation of complex information processing algorithms. The analysis of the simplest networks based on MBOs is performed. The typical reactance-less MBO with current and potential inputs is considered. The output responses for input control signals are analyzed. It is shown that the current input signal impacts primarily the rate of memristor resistance variation, while the potential input signal changes the thresholds. The exploit of the potential input for the synchronization of coupled MBOs and current control input in order to provide the necessary encoding of information is suggested. The example of the application of coupled MBOs in oscillatory networks is given, and results of simulation are presented.
An Immersed Boundary Method on Unstructured Cartesian Meshes for Incompressible Flows with Heat Transfer

ABSTRACT The incompressible Navier–Stokes equations with heat transfer are solved by an implicit pressure-correction method on unstructured Cartesian meshes. An immersed boundary method is also implemented to treat arbitrary solid bodies in the flow field. The domain occupied by the immersed bodies is viewed as being occupied by the same fluid as outside, with a prescribed velocity and temperature field. With this view, the pressure inside the immersed bodies satisfies the same pressure Poisson equation as outside. Multigrid methods are developed to solve the difference equations for pressure, velocity, and temperature field. Various forced-convection and natural-convection test problems are computed to validate the present methodology.
Long-term responses of an ecological community to highway mitigation measures

In road mitigation systems characterized by multiple wildlife crossing structures (CS) and multiple-focal species, these species-specific design criteria are important to meeting management goals. CS types and locations are fixed in place and cannot be manipulated experimentally; long term studies may offer the best chance to inform evidence-based designs for new CS projects in the future. Long-term data from Banff National Park are uniquely posed to answer these critical questions. More recently, highway mitigation along US93 in Montana provides an additional case study with which to understand the responses of large animals to different CS designs. The purpose of this study is to identify factors affecting movement of large mammals through CS using data sets from both mitigation projects. Year-round monitoring of CS use was used in an analytical framework to address questions regarding species-specific and community level use of CS; design and habitat factors that best explain species-specific variation; and whether importance of design parameters changes over time. Over the 17 years of the Banff study, and the six years of the Montana study, CS facilitated over 200,000 crossing events at 55 locations. There were significant changes in annual crossing events over time. Variables associated with CS passage rates were species specific, but aligned with a few clusters of preference. With the exception of coyotes, all large carnivore species preferred open span bridges or overpasses to other CS types. In Montana, fencing was positively associated with passage rates for black bears and cougars. We found that wider CS tend to be preferred by most species, irrespective of their location. We also found that wider CS tend to have shorter ‘adaptation’ curves than narrower ones for grizzly bears, coyotes, cougars, and moose. Depending on the heterogeneity of the landscape near the highway, more CS may not create more crossing opportunities if local habitat conditions do not favor animals’ access to the road. At the scale of ecological communities, the flows of mass and energy are likely enough to alter the distribution of ecological processes in the Banff and Montana ecosystems. Our results highlight the value of long-term monitoring for assessing the effectiveness of mitigation measures. Our work confirms the species-specific nature of measure CS performance, leading to our primary recommendation that a diversity of CS designs be considered an essential part of a well-designed mitigation system for the large mammals of western North America. Short-term monitoring efforts may fail to accurately portray the ecological benefits of mitigation for populations and ecological communities. Our results will help to inform design and aid in the establishment of robust, long-term performance measures.
Evaluation of Satisfaction with Healthcare Services in Multimorbid Patients Using PACIC+ Questionnaire: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Objectives: Although multimorbidity poses many challenges for both individuals and healthcare systems, information on how these patients assess the quality of their healthcare is lacking. This study assessed the multimorbid patients’ satisfaction with their healthcare. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was a part of a project Joint Action—Chronic Diseases and Promoting Healthy Ageing across the Life Cycle and its implementation. The study included 400 patients with arterial hypertension and at least one concomitant chronic disease. Patients completed The Patient Assessment of Care for Chronic Conditions Plus (PACIC+) questionnaire, EuroQol Five-Dimensions—Three-Level Quality of Life questionnaire, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale. Results: The mean age of the participants was 65.38 years; there were 52.5% women. The mean PACIC+ 5As summary score was 3.60. With increasing age, participants rated worse on most PACIC+ subscales. Participants who assessed their quality of life as worse were also less satisfied with their healthcare. The presence of three or more concomitant diseases negatively affected PACIC+ scores. Patients with ischemic heart disease and heart failure had lower PACIC+ scores on most subscales, whereas patients with atrial fibrillation had lower scores only on the Agree subscale. The presence of diabetes was not associated with worse PACIC+ scores; moreover, the scores in Assist and Arrange subscales were even better in diabetic patients (3.36 vs. 2.80, p = 0.000 and 3.69 vs. 3.13, p = 0.008, respectively). Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and musculoskeletal disorders showed lower PACIC+ scores. Conclusions: Older age, worse self-assessed health state, presence of three or more diseases, and certain chronic diseases were associated with lower patients’ satisfaction with their healthcare. Personalized healthcare, increasing competencies of primary healthcare teams, healthcare services accessibility, and financial motivation of healthcare providers may increase multimorbid patients’ satisfaction with their healthcare.
An Overview of Wearable Haptic Technologies and Their Performance in Virtual Object Exploration

We often interact with our environment through manual handling of objects and exploration of their properties. Object properties (OP), such as texture, stiffness, size, shape, temperature, weight, and orientation provide necessary information to successfully perform interactions. The human haptic perception system plays a key role in this. As virtual reality (VR) has been a growing field of interest with many applications, adding haptic feedback to virtual experiences is another step towards more realistic virtual interactions. However, integrating haptics in a realistic manner, requires complex technological solutions and actual user-testing in virtual environments (VEs) for verification. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent wearable haptic devices (HDs) categorized by the OP exploration for which they have been verified in a VE. We found 13 studies which specifically addressed user-testing of wearable HDs in healthy subjects. We map and discuss the different technological solutions for different OP exploration which are useful for the design of future haptic object interactions in VR, and provide future recommendations.
RNA-Seq Reveals the Roles of Long Non-Coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in Cashmere Fiber Production Performance of Cashmere Goats in China

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a kind of non-coding RNA being >200 nucleotides in length, and they are found to participate in hair follicle growth and development and wool fiber traits regulation. However, there are limited studies reporting the role of lncRNAs in cashmere fiber production in cashmere goats. In this study, Liaoning cashmere (LC) goats (n = 6) and Ziwuling black (ZB) goats (n = 6) with remarkable divergences in cashmere yield, cashmere fiber diameter, and cashmere color were selected for the construction of expression profiles of lncRNAs in skin tissue using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). According to our previous report about the expression profiles of mRNAs originated from the same skin tissue as those used in the study, the cis and trans target genes of differentially expressed lncRNAs between the two caprine breeds were screened, resulting in a lncRNA–mRNA network. A total of 129 lncRNAs were differentially expressed in caprine skin tissue samples between LC goats and ZB goats. The presence of 2 cis target genes and 48 trans target genes for the differentially expressed lncRNAs resulted in 2 lncRNA-cis target gene pairs and 93 lncRNA-trans target gene pairs. The target genes concentrated on signaling pathways that were related to fiber follicle development, cashmere fiber diameter, and cashmere fiber color, including PPAR signaling pathway, metabolic pathways, fatty acid metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, tyrosine metabolism, and melanogenesis. A lncRNA–mRNA network revealed 22 lncRNA-trans target gene pairs for seven differentially expressed lncRNAs selected, of which 13 trans target genes contributed to regulation of cashmere fiber diameter, while nine trans target genes were responsible for cashmere fiber color. This study brings a clear explanation about the influences of lncRNAs over cashmere fiber traits in cashmere goats.
Developing an Optimal Framework for PMU Placement Based on Active Distribution System State Estimation Considering Cost-Worth Analysis

Due to low levels of observability and automation in active distribution networks (ADNs), the deployment of accurate measurement devices would be inevitable to increase the network observability. This work develops an optimal framework for phasor measurement unit (PMU) placement considering the accuracy of the distribution system state estimation (DSSE) process. In this regard, first, considering the significance of active power in supplying network loads, an active power sensitivity analysis is conducted in which the accuracy of active power injection at each bus is multiplied by its value of lost load. In this way, the accuracy of active power estimation could be transformed into a monetary value. Then, based on the determined sensitivity criterion, the optimal placement of PMUs has been performed with the aim of appropriate accuracy for the DSSE. On the other hand, the accuracy of the results obtained in the state estimation procedure can affect the estimation of line-loadings and lead to load shedding due to the low accuracy of estimated line-loadings. It is noteworthy that due to the high integration of distributed energy resources in distribution systems, ADNs would be prone to congestion issues. Therefore, in the next stage, this perspective is also used for determining the optimal number and location of PMUs in ADNs to improve their observability based on the operational conditions of the network. Finally, the developed algorithm is applied on the 77-bus-UK-test distribution network to investigate its effectiveness in improving the DSSE accuracy and mitigating interrupted loads. The numerical results indicate that implementing the proposed framework not only increases the DSSE accuracy but also decreases the cost of compensating the accuracy of active power by 7% compared to the typical network without PMUs. Further, the results show that the proposed model significantly mitigates the total curtailed loads due to the low accuracy of estimated line-loadings.
Microfluidic Device Integrated With PDMS Microchannel and Unmodified ITO Glass Electrodes for Highly Sensitive, Specific, and Point-of-Care Detection of Copper and Mercury

This work delves upon developing a two-layer plasma-bonded microfluidic device with a microchannel layer and electrodes for electroanalytical detection of heavy metal ions. The three-electrode system was realized on an ITO-glass slide by suitably etching the ITO layer with the help of CO2 laser. The microchannel layer was fabricated using a PDMS soft-lithography method wherein the mold created by maskless lithography. The optimized dimensions opted to develop a microfluidic device with length of 20 mm, width of 0.5 mm and gap of 1 mm. The device, with bare unmodified ITO electrodes, was tested to detect Cu and Hg by a portable potentiostat connected with a smartphone. The analytes were introduced in the microfluidic device with a peristaltic pump at an optimal flow rate of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$90 \mu \text{L}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/min. The device exhibited sensitive electro-catalytic sensing of both the metals by achieving an oxidation peak at −0.4 V and 0.1 V for Cu and Hg respectively. Furthermore, square wave voltammetry (SWV) approach was used to analyze the scan rate effect and concentration effect. The device also used to simultaneously detect both the analytes. During simultaneous sensing of Hg and Cu, the linear range was observed between <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2 \mu \text{M}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$100 \mu \text{M}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, the limit of detection (LOD) was found to be <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.04 \mu \text{M}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$3.19 \mu \text{M}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> for Cu and Hg respectively. Further, no interference with other co-existing metal ions was found manifesting the specificity of the device to Cu and Hg. Finally, the device was successfully tested with real samples like tap water, lake water, and serum with remarkable recovery percentages. Such portable devices pave way for detecting various heavy metal ions in a point-of-care environment. The developed device can also be used for detection of other heavy metals like cadmium, lead, zinc etc., by modifying the working electrode with the various nanocomposites.
Passive estimated state feedback fuzzy controller design for discrete perturbed fuzzy systems with multiplicative noises

This article presents an estimated state feedback fuzzy controller design method for uncertain passive discrete-time nonlinear stochastic systems with multiplicative noises. The nonlinear stochastic systems considered in this article are represented by Takagi–Sugeno (T–S) fuzzy models. For describing stochastic behaviors, stochastic differential equations are used to structure the stochastic T–S fuzzy model for representing nonlinear stochastic systems. Besides, the uncertainties of the controlled system are considered for dealing with molding errors and varying parameters. The concept of parallel distributed compensation is employed in this article to construct the estimated state feedback fuzzy controllers. Applying the Lyapunov and passivity theories, the sufficient stability conditions are derived in terms of linear matrix inequality. Finally, a numerical example is provided to show the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed fuzzy controller design approach.
Fertilization Recommendations for Crisphead Lettuce Grown on Organic Soils in Florida

This 8-page publication presents UF/IFAS recommendations for fertilization of crisphead lettuce on organic soils in Florida. Written by George Hochmuth, Ed Hanlon, Russell Nagata, George Snyder, Tom Schueneman, J. Mabry McCray, and German Sandoya, and published by the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department, revised January 2023. SP153/WQ114: Fertilization Recommendations for Crisphead Lettuce Grown on Organic Soils in Florida (ufl.edu)
An ultra-low-noise electrical-potential probe for human-body scanning

In this paper we describe a new very-low-noise, high-input-impedance probe developed to make non-contact measurements of electrical potentials generated by currents flowing in the human body. With a noise level of 2 µV Hz-1/2 at 1 Hz, down to 0.1 µV Hz-1/2 at 1 kHz, and an operational bandwidth from 0.01 Hz to 100 KHz, this probe would seem well suited to the detection of a wide range of electrical activity in the body.
A saliency mapping approach to understanding the visual impact of wind and solar infrastructure in amenity landscapes

ABSTRACT Shifts from fossil fuels toward renewable energy (RE) introduce profound changes to landscapes, including visual impacts that are often investigated during environmental and social impact assessment. Moreover, RE transitions are among many visual changes happening in rural areas that are increasingly serving amenity functions and becoming destinations for wide ranges of users. This diversity introduces complexities during infrastructure siting discussions. Emerging grape and wine production landscapes in Canada serve amenity and production purposes, and this study was designed to understand the impacts of RE development using case studies of solar panels and wind turbines in two vineyard landscapes in Ontario (ON) and British Columbia (BC). We applied novel mixed methods, including content analysis and saliency-based visual impact analysis, to textual and image-based representations posted on Instagram of those vineyards. In this case, the addition of low-density RE infrastructures did not seem to disturb the vineyard experience. The technique presented can be applied in a wide range of infrastructure siting contexts, both before and after construction, but requires additional research and calibration.
Theory of Quantum Mechanical Scattering in Hyperbolic Space

The theory of quantum mechanical scattering in hyperbolic space is developed. General formulas based on usage of asymptotic form of the solution of the Shrödinger equation in hyperbolic space are derived. The concept of scattering length in hyperbolic space, a convenient measurable in describing low-energy nuclear interactions is introduced. It is shown that, in the limit of the flat space, i.e., when ρ→∞, the obtained expressions for quantum mechanical scattering in hyperbolic space transform to corresponding formulas in three-dimensional Euclidean space.
PEDOT: PSS/AuNPs-Based Composite as Voltammetric Sensor for the Detection of Pirimicarb

An electrochemical sensor for the pesticide Pirimicarb (PMC) has been developed. A screen-printed electrode (SPCE) was used and modified with the conducting polymer poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to enhance electrochemical proprieties. Electrode characterizations were performed using scattering electron microscopy (SEM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). With the SPCE/PEDOT:PSS/AuNPs modified electrode, a new peak at 1.0 V appeared in the presence of PMC related to the PMC oxidation. To elucidate the mechanism of PMC oxidation, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), where two major peaks were identified, evidencing that the device can both detect and degrade PMC by an electro-oxidation process. Exploring this peak signal, it was possible the sensor development, performing detection from 93.81–750 µmol L−1, limits of quantification (LOQ) and detection (LOD) of 93.91 µmol L−1 and 28.34 µmol L−1, respectively. Thus, it was possible to study and optimization of PMC degradation, moreover, to perform detection at low concentrations and with good selectivity against different interferents using a low-cost printed electrode based on graphite modified with conductive polymer and AuNPs.
A Novel Method of Production Line Bearing Fault Diagnosis Based on 2D Image and Cross-Domain Few-Shot Learning

Data-driven intelligent fault diagnosis has made considerable strides. However, collecting sufficient fault information in real production data is extremely challenging. Therefore, a novel method of bearing fault diagnosis based on two-dimensional (2D) images and cross-domain few-shot learning is proposed. Initially, the approach uses multiscale morphology to convert the bearing’s one-dimensional (1D) vibration signal into a 2D image, which preserves the whole information. Second, to address the issue of limited bearing fault data, we extend a substantial amount of natural image knowledge to the converted 2D image based on the improved cross-domain few-shot learning method. A distance-based classifier is employed to prevent the problem of overfitting owing to insufficient data to improve the approach’s classification capacity with few samples. The experimental results demonstrate that, with the limited dataset provided, our method outperforms other prevalent methods and has high feasibility and certain engineering applications.