Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of wall distance on the prediction of variable property flow with two-equation turbulence models

This paper investigates the effect of wall distance coordinate on predicting variable property flows with two-equation turbulence models. Three of five different definitions of wall distance coordinate are employed: the wall-property definition, the integral-property definition and the local-property definition. Three different two-equation turbulence models that involve the wall distance coordinate are tested against the varying property flow: Superheated gas flow. The definition of wall distance coordinate affects the size of the viscous region. The wall-property based unit makes the wall distance to be the smallest and contributes to widen the viscous damping region, so that the skin friction factor and the Nusselt number is lowered. All the predictions with three different wall distance coordinates lie within less than 20% in the calculated Nusselt number.
Hydrogen analysis of zircaloy tube used in nuclear power station using laser plasma technique

It is shown that remarkable improvements essential to a quantitative spectrochemical analysis of hydrogen emissions from the zircaloy samples were achieved when the low-pressure surrounding air used in the previous experiment of Nd-YAG laser-induced shockwave plasma was replaced by an inert gas. Using the high-purity (99.999%) nitrogen gas at 1.5 Torr, a linear calibration curve of the HI 656.2 nm emission line was obtained with a zero intercept from the zircaloy samples prepared with various hydrogen concentrations. Further, when the surrounding nitrogen gas was replaced by a helium gas, more than an order of magnitude enhancement was obtained on the signal-to-noise ratio, yielding a detection limit of less than 5 ppm.
Substellar mass function and maximum baryonic mass in the halo of the Galaxy

We use recently observed luminosity functions of halo M-dwarfs and an accurate mass-luminosity relationship to derive the mass function of Pop II low-mass stars in the galactic spheroid. All these luminosity functions yield rising mass functions near the hydrogen-burning limit (with α ≈ 2). Connecting the microlensing and star count constraints, we show that the mass function in the dark halo steepens significantly (α 4). The minimum mass is found to be minf ≈ 0.02M⊙, which corresponds to an average mass ≈ 0.03M⊙, strongly suggesting that the dark objects responsible for the microlensing events are genuine brown dwarfs. We determine the expected spheroid and halo brown-dwarf density in the solar neighbourhood. The mass fraction under the form of substellar objects in the halo of the Galaxy is likely to represent only 5 to 15 % of the total dynamic mass.
Repetitive controller design for optimal performance

In this paper, a repetitive controller design method is proposed for optimal performance. Firstly, to compensate for phase lag introduced by the low‐pass filter in the scheme, the dead time of the repetitive controller is modified. Secondly, a lead compensator is introduced to the repetitive controller, which not only widens the bandwidth of the low‐pass filter, but also improves system gain at high frequencies. The optimal parameters of the repetitive controller are obtained by solving two optimization problems. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the validity of the proposed method.
Data relationship degree–based clustering data aggregation for VANET

Data aggregation is one of the major needs of vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) due to the constraints of resources. Data aggregation in VANET can reduce the data redundancy in the process of data gathering and thus conserving the bandwidth. In realistic applications, it is always important to construct an effective route strategy that optimises not only communication cost but also the aggregation cost. Data aggregation at the cluster head by individual vehicle causes flooding of the data, which results in maximum latency and bandwidth consumption. Another approach of data aggregation in VANET is sending local representative data based on spatial correlation of sampled data. In this article, we emphasise on the problem that recent spatial correlation data models of vehicles in VANET are not appropriate for measuring the correlation in a complex and composite environment. Moreover, the data represented by these models is generally inaccurate when compared to the real data. To minimise this problem, we propose a group-based data aggregation method that uses data relationship degree (DRD). In the proposed approach, DRD is a spatial relationship measurement parameter that measures the correlation between a vehicle’s data and its neighbouring vehicles’ data. The DRD clustering method where grouping of vehicle’s data is done based on the available data and its correlation is presented in detail. Results prove that the representative data using proposed approach have a low distortion and provides an improvement in packet delivery ratio and throughput (up to of 10.84% and 24.82% respectively) as compared to the other state-of-the-art solutions like Cluster-Based Accurate Syntactic Compression of Aggregated Data in VANETs.
Mapping the Early Dispersal Patterns of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 Subvariants in the Absence of Travel Restrictions and Testing at the Borders in Europe

The circulation of SARS-CoV-2 omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants with enhanced transmissibility and capacity for immune evasion resulted in a recent pandemic wave that began in April–May of 2022. We performed a statistical phylogeographic study that aimed to define the cross-border transmission patterns of BA.4 and BA.5 at the earliest stages of virus dispersal. Our sample included all BA.4 and BA.5 sequences that were publicly available in the GISAID database through mid-May 2022. Viral dispersal patterns were inferred using maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees with bootstrap support. We identified South Africa as the major source of both BA.4 and BA.5 that migrated to other continents. By contrast, we detected no significant export of these subvariants from Europe. Belgium was identified as a major hub for BA.4 transmission within Europe, while Portugal and Israel were identified as major sources of BA.5. Western and Northern European countries exhibited the highest rates of cross-border transmission, as did several popular tourist destinations in Southern and Central/Western Europe. Our study provides a detailed map of the early dispersal patterns of two highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 omicron subvariants at a time when there was an overall relaxation of public health measures in Europe.
The Relationship between Short- and Long-Term Memory Is Preserved across the Age Range

Both short- and long-term memories decline with healthy ageing. The aims of the current study were twofold: firstly, to build on previous studies and investigate the presence of a relationship between short- and long-term memories and, secondly, to examine cross-sectionally whether there are changes in this relationship with age. In two experiments, participants across the age range were tested on contextual-spatial memories after short and long memory durations. Experimental control in stimulus materials and task demands enabled the analogous encoding and probing for both memory durations, allowing us to examine the relationship between the two memory systems. Across two experiments, in line with previous studies, we found both short-term memory and long-term memory declined from early to late adulthood. Additionally, there was a significant relationship between short- and long-term memory performance, which, interestingly, persisted throughout the age range. Our findings suggest a significant degree of common vulnerability to healthy ageing for short- and long-term memories sharing the same spatial-contextual associations. Furthermore, our tasks provide a sensitive and promising framework for assessing and comparing memory function at different timescales in disorders with memory deficits at their core.
Theory-based transport modeling of the gyro-radius experiments

Self‐consistent predictive transport simulations of temperature and density profiles have been carried out for ten dimensionally similar low (L) mode discharges from the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [D. Grove and D. M. Meade, Nucl. Fusion 25, 1167 (1985)], Doublet III‐D Tokamak [J. L. Luxon and L. G. Davis, Fusion Technol. 8, 441 (1985)], and the Joint European Torus [P. H. Rebut, R. J. Bickerton, and B. E. Keen, Nucl. Fusion 25, 1011 (1985)], where only the normalized Larmor radius was allowed to vary. It is found that a purely gyro‐Bohm transport model predicts temperature and density profiles that match the experimental data from these ρ* scans very well. In particular, a combination of theoretically derived transport models is used in these simulations, including the Weiland model for transport due to drift waves (ion temperature gradient and trapped electron modes) and the Guzdar–Drake model for transport due to resistive ballooning modes. These gyro‐Bohm transport models depend very sensitivel.
Search for neutrino-less double beta decay with EXO-200 and prospects for Ba ion tagging

The Enriched Xenon Observatory collaboration searches for neutrino-less double beta decay in 136Xe. The first phase of the experiment, EXO-200 has started taking data in 2011 and has already produced important physics results like the first observation of the allowed two-neutrino double beta decay in 136Xe. A massive effort for material screening has accompanied the design of EXO-200 and has produced a detector with very low background due to the residual radioactivity. The most recent data analysis campaign has provided a strong limit for the neutrino-less double beta decay in 136Xe. For the next phase ton-scale detector, the collaboration is investigating the options for employing a Ba ion tagging technique to provide complete suppression of the radioactive background.
Performance and population prediction of Opisina arenosella on four species of palm plants

Opisina arenosella Walker (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae) is a major pest of coconut, Cocos nucifera L. (Arecaceae), but also of other palm plant species. Information on its life history on hosts other than coconut is missing. Age‐stage two‐sex life tables and a population prediction model were used to assess the development, survival, reproduction, and population growth potential of O. arenosella populations bred from four palm plants: C. nucifera, Livistona chinensis (Jacq.) R.Br. ex Mart. , Roystonea regia (Kunth) O.F. Cook, and Elaeis guineensis Jacq. The results revealed that O. arenosella could complete a generation on all four hosts. Still, they showed relatively high fitness on L. chinensis, second to that on C. nucifera, with the shortest generation time (egg to pupa, 71.1 days), higher stage survival (egg: 0.89; larva: 0.74; pupa: 0.56), fecundity (176.3 eggs), and population growth potential. On L. chinensis, net reproductive rate, R0, was 35.1, gross reproduction rate, GRR = 88.8, intrinsic rate of increase, r = 0.049 per day, finite rate of increase, λ = 1.050 per day, mean generation time, T = 72.1 days, and doubling time, DT = 14.1 days. Based on 10 eggs, the population prediction model showed that larval populations on L. chinensis could develop to the third generation in 180 days and reached the peak value (9870.2 larvae) on day 158. Besides coconut, all three palm plant species can support O. arenosella to complete the life cycle. The outcomes of this research may be beneficial in formulating pest management strategies for palm crops.
High Glucose Increases DNA Damage and Elevates the Expression of Multiple DDR Genes

The DNA Damage Response (DDR) pathways sense DNA damage and coordinate robust DNA repair and bypass mechanisms. A series of repair proteins are recruited depending on the type of breaks and lesions to ensure overall survival. An increase in glucose levels was shown to induce genome instability, yet the links between DDR and glucose are still not well investigated. In this study, we aimed to identify dysregulation in the transcriptome of normal and cancerous breast cell lines upon changing glucose levels. We first performed bioinformatics analysis using a microarray dataset containing the triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) MDA-MB-231 and the normal human mammary epithelium MCF10A cell lines grown in high glucose (HG) or in the presence of the glycolysis inhibitor 2-deoxyglucose (2DG). Interestingly, multiple DDR genes were significantly upregulated in both cell lines grown in HG. In the wet lab, we remarkably found that HG results in severe DNA damage to TNBC cells as observed using the comet assay. In addition, several DDR genes were confirmed to be upregulated using qPCR analysis in the same cell line. Our results propose a strong need for DDR pathways in the presence of HG to oppose the severe DNA damage induced in cells.
Entropy sources in a dynamical core atmosphere model

Numerical atmosphere models are not generally constructed to ensure accurate treatment of entropy, but little is known about the significance of the resulting errors. This paper examines the entropy changes during a baroclinic wave simulation in a typical dynamical core model, specifically a σ‐coordinate spectral model, which includes scale‐selective dissipation terms in the form of a numerical hyperdiffusion. Lagrangian entropy conservation is found to be badly represented, with numerical transport errors resulting in cross‐isentrope mass fluxes which are of the same size as those associated with some real diabatic processes. In a global average, the total entropy increases at a rate of just 0.5 mW m−2K−1. This, however, is seen to be the residual of two opposing numerical effects which are several times larger, namely the destruction of entropy by dispersion and Gibbs errors, and its creation by diffusion. The entropy generated by diffusion is shown to be remarkably insensitive to the details of the diffusion scheme. This leads us to hypothesize that the entropy source from diffusion is determined by the rate at which small scales are generated by the deformation field of the large‐scale flow so that, while the diffusion mechanism is clearly unrealistic, the magnitude of the entropy source is, we argue, representative of that generated by physical dissipative processes in the real atmosphere. Even in this simple model it is not possible to quantify precisely the different entropy sources and sinks which combine to give the overall entropy change. However, we can say that if there is a systematic spurious entropy source in this model, then it is small, i.e. of size 0.5 mW m−2K−1 or smaller. Copyright © 2006 Royal Meteorological Society
Public Concern about Haze and Ozone in the Era of Their Coordinated Control in China

In China, due to the implementation of the Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Air Pollution (APPCAP), the concentrations of PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) and severe haze in most cities have decreased significantly. However, at present, haze pollution in China has not been completely mitigated, and the problem of O3 (ozone) has become prominent. Therefore, the prevention and control of haze and O3 pollution have become important and noticeable issues in the field of atmospheric management. We used the Baidu search indices of “haze” and “ozone” to reflect public concerns about air quality and uncover different correlations between level of concern and level of pollution, and then we identified regions in China that require public attention. The results showed that (1) over the last decade, the search index of haze had a rapid trend of variation in line with changes in haze pollution, but that of O3 had a relatively slowly increasing trend; (2) the lag days between the peaks of public concern and the peaks of air pollution became increasingly shorter according to daily data analysis; and (3) 96 polluted cities did not receive sufficient public attention. Although periods of heavily haze-polluted weather, which affects visibility, have generated much public concern, periods of slight pollution have not received enough public attention. Public health protection and environmental participation regarding these periods of slight pollution in China deserve appropriate levels of attention.
Construction of a Chikungunya Virus, Replicon, and Helper Plasmids for Transfection of Mammalian Cells

The genome of Alphaviruses can be modified to produce self-replicating RNAs and virus-like particles, which are useful virological tools. In this work, we generated three plasmids for the transfection of mammalian cells: an infectious clone of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), one that codes for the structural proteins (helper plasmid), and another one that codes nonstructural proteins (replicon plasmid). All of these plasmids contain a reporter gene (mKate2). The reporter gene in the replicon RNA and the infectious clone are synthesized from subgenomic RNA. Co-transfection with the helper and replicon plasmids has biotechnological/biomedical applications because they allow for the delivery of self-replicating RNA for the transient expression of one or more genes to the target cells.
Preclinical investigation of patient-derived cervical cancer organoids for precision medicine

Objective Advanced cervical cancer is still difficult to treat and in the case of recurrent cancer, it is desirable to utilize personalized treatment rather than uniform treatment because the type of recurrence is different for each individual. Therefore, this study aimed to establish a patient-derived organoid (PDO) platform to determine the effects of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted therapy in cervical cancer. Methods We established organoids from 4 patients with various types of cervical cancer. The histopathological and gene profiles of these organoid models were compared to determine their characteristics and the maintenance of the patient phenotype. Each type of organoid was also subjected to anticancer drug screening and radiation therapy to evaluate its sensitivity. Results We established PDOs to recapitulate the main elements of the original patient tumors, including the DNA copy number and mutational profile. We selected 7 drugs that showed growth inhibition in cervical cancer organoids out of 171 using an Food and Drug Administration -approved drug library. Moreover, adenocarcinoma and large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma showed resistance to radiation therapy. whereas squamous cell carcinoma and villoglandular carcinoma showed a significant response to radiotherapy. Conclusion Our results showed that patient-derived cervical cancer organoids can be used as a platform for drug and radiation sensitivity testing. These findings suggest that patient-derived cervical cancer organoids could be used as a personalized medicine platform and may provide the best treatment options for patients with various subtypes of cervical cancer.
Amphotericin B Nano-Assemblies Circumvent Intrinsic Toxicity and Ensure Superior Protection in Experimental Visceral Leishmaniasis with Feeble Toxic Manifestation

In spite of its high effectiveness in the treatment of both leishmaniasis as well as a range of fungal infections, the free form of the polyene antibiotic amphotericin B (AmB) does not entertain the status of the most preferred drug of choice in clinical settings. The high intrinsic toxicity of the principal drug could be considered the main impedance in the frequent medicinal use of this otherwise very effective antimicrobial agent. Taking into consideration this fact, the pharma industry has introduced many novel dosage forms of AmB to alleviate its toxicity issues. However, the limited production, high cost, requirement for a strict cold chain, and need for parenteral administration are some of the limitations that explicitly compel professionals to look for the development of an alternate dosage form of this important drug. Considering the fact that the nano-size dimensions of drug formulation play an important role in increasing the efficacy of the core drug, we employed a green method for the development of nano-assemblies of AmB (AmB-NA). The as-synthesized AmB-NA manifests desirable pharmacokinetics in the treated animals. The possible mechanistic insight suggested that as-synthesized AmB-NA induces necrosis-mediated cell death and severe mitochondrial dysfunction in L. donovani promastigotes by triggering depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential. In vivo studies demonstrate a noticeable decline in parasite burden in the spleen, liver, and bone marrow of the experimental BALB/c mice host. In addition to successfully suppressing the Leishmania donovani, the as-formed AmB-NA formulation also modulates the host immune system with predominant Th1 polarization, a key immune defender that facilitates the killing of the intracellular parasite.
Genotype x environment interaction and yield stability of normal and biofortified maize inbred lines in stress and non-stress environments

Abstract Breeding for nutrient-dense maize cultivars is reliant on introductions of exotic inbred lines enhanced with high levels of the targeted nutrients. Sometimes, the exotic nutrient donor germplasm may not adapt well in new growing environments, thereby reducing seed production when used in hybrid combinations. Therefore, evaluating introduced trait donors for adaptation, through genotype × environment interaction (GEI) analysis is crucial in breeding for quality traits. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate grain yield performance of introduced zinc-enhanced, provitamin A, normal and quality protein maize lines across stress and non-stress environments in Zimbabwe, (ii) assess the presence of GEI and (iii) identify high yielding and stable lines that could be used for developing Zn-enhanced hybrids with improved seed producibility. Additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) and genotype plus genotype × environment interaction (GGE) biplot analyses were used for stability analysis. GEI effects were highly significant (P ≤ 0.01) for grain yield. Grain yields for the inbred lines ranged from 1.28 to 3.5 t ha−1. The Zn donor G11 (ITZN313) had the highest grain yield of 3.5 t ha−1 across environments, whereas the normal check G24 (CZL1111) had the lowest grain yield. G2 (CLWQHZN14), G4 (CLWQHZN19), G8 (OBATANPA6), G11 (ITZN313) and G18 (CML546) were stable and high yielding and can be used for developing Zn-enhanced hybrids. Five mega-environments were identified, clearly separating stress and non-stress environments. E11 (Chisumbanje WW) was the most discriminating and representative test environment and could be used to identify superior genotypes.