Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phaseolus vulgaris Seeds from the Late Sixteenth–Early Seventeenth Century AD Ancestral Oneida Diable Site, New York

The ethnohistorical, ethnographic, and contemporary literatures all suggest that common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) was an important component of Northern Iroquoian agronomic systems and diets. Seemingly at odds with this is the sparse occurrence of whole and partial common bean seeds on fourteenth through seventeenth century AD village sites. The recovery of a large quantity of whole and partial bean seeds from the ancestral Oneida Diable site, dated here to between AD 1583 and 1626 with a Bayesian model using seven new AMS radiocarbon dates, provides clues as to when large quantities of rehydrated/cooked common bean seeds may occur in the archaeological record.
Pharmacodynamic Interactions between Puerarin and Metformin in Type-2 Diabetic Rats

Herb–drug interactions are vital in effectively managing type-2-diabetes complications. Puerarin is a natural isoflavonoid in the Pueraria genus, and its pharmacological activities, including antidiabetic activity, are well established. The similar modes of action of puerarin and metformin in diabetic models suggest their positive pharmacodynamic interactions. This study investigated this in streptozotocin/nicotinamide-induced type-2 diabetic rats. Puerarin at doses of 80 mg/kg, 120 mg/kg and 160 mg/kg improved the activity of metformin in reversing hyperglycaemia, dysregulated lipid profiles, dysfunction of the liver, kidney, and pancreas, and inflammation. The treatment with either puerarin (high dose, 160 mg/kg intraperitoneally) or metformin (100 mg/kg intraperitoneally) did not bring the dysregulated biomarkers to normal levels in 4 weeks. By contrast, the combination of puerarin (160 mg/kg) and metformin (100 mg/kg) did. This study is the first to report scientific evidence for the positive pharmacodynamic interactions between puerarin and metformin.
MINITUBERS PRODUCTION OF FOUR POTATO (SOLANUM TUBEROSUM L.) CULTIVARS BY TISSUE CULTURE TECHNIQUE

This study was aimed to produce potato minitubers via tissue culture technique by testing four cultivars; Agria, Nicola, SM 12-124-15 and JIP 1600-1 under in vitro, greenhouse and open-air field conditions. Nicola cultivar was superior upon the other cultivars under in vitro and greenhouse conditions by producing the best shoot multiplication (1.89 shoots/ explant and 13.27 leaves/ explant) and the highest number of minitubers (8.87 minitubers/ plant) in greenhouse whereas, SM 12-124-15 was better in the open field conditions by producing 11.25 tubers per plant, recording the highest mean weight of tubers (321.33 g), the highest weight of tubers per plant (3.615 kg), the bigger sizes of tubers (length 8.22 cm: width 3.43 cm) and the highest total yield per hectare (49.70 Ton/ ha). An interesting microtubers formation was noticed on SM 12-124-15 explants grown on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l-1 BA. The main conclusion drown from the current study is MS medium with basic vitamins and solidified by agar without the need of adding exogenous plant growth regulators can be used for mass seed tubers production based on potato genotype in vitro under optimized culture conditions with a low cost propagation system and shorter period of time than normal minitubers production process.
Probing dark matter annihilation in the Galaxy with antiprotons and gamma rays

A possible hint of dark matter annihilation has been found in Cuoco, Korsmeier and Krämer (2017) from an analysis of recent cosmic-ray antiproton data from AMS-02 and taking into account cosmic-ray propagation uncertainties by fitting at the same time dark matter and propagation parameters. Here, we extend this analysis to a wider class of annihilation channels. We find consistent hints of a dark matter signal with an annihilation cross-section close to the thermal value and with masses in range between 40 and 130 GeV depending on the annihilation channel. Furthermore, we investigate in how far the possible signal is compatible with the Galactic center gamma-ray excess and recent observation of dwarf satellite galaxies by performing a joint global fit including uncertainties in the dark matter density profile. As an example, we interpret our results in the framework of the Higgs portal model.
Stochastic optimization model for ship inspection planning under uncertainty in maritime transportation

Maritime transportation plays a significant role in international trade and global supply chains. Ship navigation safety is the foundation of operating maritime business smoothly. Recently, more and more attention has been paid to marine environmental protection. To enhance maritime safety and reduce pollution in the marine environment, various regulations and conventions are proposed by international organizations and local governments. One of the most efficient ways of ensuring that the related requirements are complied with by ships is ship inspection by port state control (PSC). In the procedure of ship inspection, a critical issue for the port state is how to select ships of higher risk for inspection and how to optimally allocate the limited inspection resources to these ships. In this study, we adopt prediction and optimization approaches to address the above issues. We first predict the number of ship deficiencies based on a k nearest neighbor (kNN) model. Then, we propose three optimization models which aim for a trade-off between the reward for detected deficiencies and the human resource cost of ship inspection. Specifically, we first follow the predict-then-optimize framework and develop a deterministic optimization model. We also establish two stochastic optimization models where the distribution of ship deficiency number is estimated by the predictive prescription method and the global prescriptive analysis method, respectively. Furthermore, we conduct a case study using inspection data at the Hong Kong port to compare the performances of the three optimization models, from which we conclude that the predictive prescription model is more efficient and effective for this problem.
Dust Aerosol Impacts on the Time of Cloud Formation in the Badain Jaran Desert Area

Dust, as absorbing aerosols, can change the stability of the atmosphere through radiative effects, thereby affecting the formation and characteristics of clouds. In order to explore the influence of dust aerosols on cloud formation, this study takes the Badain Jaran Desert area as the research area where cloud formation is less disturbed by human activities compared to other densely populated areas such as the North China Plain, and uses the high temporal resolution Himawari‐8 satellite data to identify 469 cases with cloud formation after 03:00 UTC (11:00 Beijing time). Through the analysis of individual cases, we find that the cloud formation time is dominated by the low tropospheric stability (LTS) when the total precipitable water (TPW) is less than about 18.5 kg/m2, and greatly affected by the TPW when it is larger than 18.5 kg/m2. Dust aerosols near the ground absorb shortwave solar radiation, making the atmospheric structure unstable (decreased LTS) and conducive to cloud formation. Statistically, for every 0.1 increase in aerosol optical depth, the cloud formation time is advanced about 138 min compared to low aerosol cases. Further analysis shows that dust aerosols actually inhibit the formation of convective clouds through microphysical processes when the TPW is small, while promote the formation of convective clouds through radiative processes when the TPW is large. This study reveals the effects of dust aerosols on the time of cloud formation along with the underlying mechanisms, which provides observational support for improving cloud parameterization in numerical models.
Crystal truncation rods from miscut surfaces

Crystal truncation rods are used to study surface and interface structure. Since real surfaces are always somewhat miscut from a low index plane, it is important to study the effect of miscut on crystal truncation rods. We develop a model that describes the truncation rod scattering from miscut surfaces that have steps and terraces. We show that non-uniform terrace widths and jagged step edges are both forms of roughness that decrease the intensity of the rods. Non-uniform terrace widths also result in a broad peak that overlaps the rods. We use our model to characterize the terrace width distribution and step edge jaggedness on three SrTiO$_3$ (001) samples, showing excellent agreement between the model and the data, confirmed by atomic force micrographs of the surface morphology. We expect our description of terrace roughness will apply to many surfaces, even those without obvious terracing.
Operative Protocol for Testing the Efficacy of Nasal Filters in Preventing Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Background: Standardized methods for testing Viral Filtration Efficiency (VFE) of tissues and devices are lacking and few studies are available on aerosolizing, sampling and assessing infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in controlled laboratory settings. NanoAg-coated endonasal filters appear a promising aid for lowering viable virus inhalation in both adult and younger populations (e.g., adolescents). Objective: to provide an adequate method for testing SARS-CoV-2 bioaerosol VFE of bio-gel Ag nanoparticles endonasal filters, by a model system, assessing residual infectivity as cytopathic effect and viral proliferation on in vitro cell cultures. Methods: A SARS-CoV-2 aerosol transmission chamber fed by a BLAM aerosol generator produces challenges (from very high viral loads (105 PFU/mL) to lower ones) for endonasal filters positioned in a Y shape sampling port connected to a Biosampler. An aerosol generator, chamber and sampler are contained in a class II cabinet in a BSL3 facility. Residual infectivity is assessed from aliquots of liquid collecting bioaerosol, sampled without and with endonasal filters. Cytopathic effect as plaque formation and viral proliferation assessed by qRT-PCR on Vero E6 cells are determined up to 7 days post inoculum. Results: Each experimental setting is replicated three times and basic statistics are calculated. Efficiency of aerosolization is determined as difference between viral load in the nebulizer and in the Biosampler at the first day of experiment. Efficiency of virus filtration is calculated as RNA viral load ratio in collected bioaerosol with and without endonasal filters at the day of the experiment. Presence of infectious virus is assessed by plaque forming unit assay and RNA viral load variations. Conclusions: A procedure and apparatus for assessing SARS-CoV-2 VFE for endonasal filters is proposed. The apparatus can be implemented for more sophisticated studies on contaminated aerosols.
Linear location of acoustic emission using a pair of novel fibre optic sensors

A novel fibre optic sensor system has been developed for linear location of acoustic emission (AE). The demonstration of linear location of acoustic emission was conducted using a pair of serial multiplexed fibre coupler-based acoustic emission sensors in conjunction with a single light source. The simulated AE source, via a pencil lead-break test, was located to within ±5 mm.
Identification of Indonesian Authors Using Deep Neural Networks

Author Name Disambiguation (AND) is a problem that occurs when a set of publications contains ambiguous names of authors, i.e. the same author may appear with different names (synonyms) in other published papers, or author (authors) who may be different who may have the same name (homonym). In this final project, we will design a model with a Deep Neural Network (DNN) classifier. The dataset used in this final project uses primary data sourced from the Scopus website. This research focuses on integrating data from Indonesian authors. Parameters accuracy, sensitivity and precision are standard benchmarks to determine the performance of the method used to solve AND problems. The best DNN classification model achieves 99.9936% Accuracy, 93.1433% Sensitivity, 94.3733% Precision. Then for the highest performance measurement, the case of Non Synonym-Homonym (SH) has 99.9967% Accuracy, 96.7388% Sensitivity, and 97.5102% Precision.
Field performance of progenies of Pinus radiata selected for resistance to Diplodia-associated shoot dieback

Background: A severe outbreak of Diplodia-associated dieback of Pinus radiata D.Don shoots in 1967 prompted a pilot programme of selection for resistance to dieback. Plus trees were selected in 1970 for absence of dieback, growth and tree form, and seed collected. Methods: Twenty open-pollinated progenies plus two control lots were field-tested on two sites, and assessed around 6.5 years after planting. Alternative measures of shoot dieback were recorded, as were dbhob and scores for growth and form variables. Data were analysed for seedlot differences, heritability estimates and various genetic correlations. Results: Dieback at one site allowed good resolution of progeny differences, whatever the dieback measure. Remarkably, no response to field selection for resistance was evident, unlike in a glasshouse inoculation trial. Nor did progeny rankings correlate with those in the inoculation trial. Between the trial sites no clear seedlot rank changes were evident for any trait. Conclusions: The disparity with results from the inoculation trial is unexplained, although a role of endophyte status is postulated. Together with non-recurrence of past dieback outbreaks, the disparity means that selection for field resistance is not promising.
A Mixed-Reality Tele-Operation Method for High-Level Control of a Legged-Manipulator Robot

In recent years, legged (quadruped) robots have been subject of technological study and continuous development. These robots have a leading role in applications that require high mobility skills in complex terrain, as is the case of Search and Rescue (SAR). These robots stand out for their ability to adapt to different terrains, overcome obstacles and move within unstructured environments. Most of the implementations recently developed are focused on data collecting with sensors, such as lidar or cameras. This work seeks to integrate a 6DoF arm manipulator to the quadruped robot ARTU-R (A1 Rescue Tasks UPM Robot) by Unitree to perform manipulation tasks in SAR environments. The main contribution of this work is focused on the High-level control of the robotic set (Legged + Manipulator) using Mixed-Reality (MR). An optimization phase of the robotic set workspace has been previously developed in Matlab for the implementation, as well as a simulation phase in Gazebo to verify the dynamic functionality of the set in reconstructed environments. The first and second generation of Hololens glasses have been used and contrasted with a conventional interface to develop the MR control part of the proposed method. Manipulations of first aid equipment have been carried out to evaluate the proposed method. The main results show that the proposed method allows better control of the robotic set than conventional interfaces, improving the operator efficiency in performing robotic handling tasks and increasing confidence in decision-making. On the other hand, Hololens 2 showed a better user experience concerning graphics and latency time.
Dynamics of the quantum phase transition in the one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model: Excitations and correlations induced by a quench

The ground state of the one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model at unit filling undergoes the Mott-superfluid quantum phase transition. It belongs to the Kosterlitz-Thouless universality class with an exponential divergence of the correlation length in place of the usual power law. We present numerical simulations of a linear quench both from the Mott insulator to superfluid and back. The results satisfy the scaling hypothesis that follows from the Kibble-Zurek mechanism (KZM). In the superfluid-to-Mott quenches there is no significant excitation in the superfluid phase despite its gaplessness. Since all critical superfluid ground states are qualitatively similar, the excitation begins to build up only after crossing the critical point when the ground state begins to change fundamentally. The last process falls into the KZM framework.
Low-Cost Laser-Acoustic PVC Identification System Based on a Simple Neural Network

Desktop laser cutters are an affordable and flexible rapid-prototyping tool, but some materials cannot be safely processed. Among them is polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which users usually cannot distinguish from other, unproblematic plastics. Therefore, an identification system for PVC applicable in a low-cost laser cutter has been developed. For the first time, this approach makes use of the laser-ablative sound generated by a low-power laser diode. Using a capacitor microphone, a preprocessing algorithm and a very simple neural network, black PVC could be detected with absolute reliability under ideal conditions. With ambient noise, the accuracy dropped to 80%. A different color of the material did not influence the accuracy to detect PVC, but a susceptibility of the method against a color change was found for other materials. The ablation characteristics for different materials were recorded using a fast-framing camera to get a better insight into the mechanisms behind the investigated process. Although there is still potential for improvements, the presented method was found to be promising to enhance the safety of future desktop laser cutters.
Extreme IR absorption in group IV-SiGeSn core-shell nanowires

Sn-containing Si and Ge (Ge1-y-xSixSny) alloys are an emerging family of semiconductors with the potential to impact group IV material-based devices. These semiconductors provide the ability to independently engineer both the lattice parameter and bandgap, which holds the premise to develop enhanced or novel photonic and electronic devices. With this perspective, we present detailed investigations of the influence of Ge1-y-xSixSny layers on the optical properties of Si and Ge based heterostructures and nanowires. We found that by adding a thin Ge1-y-xSixSny capping layer on Si or Ge greatly enhances light absorption especially in the near infrared range, leading to an increase in short-circuit current density. For the Ge1-y-xSixSny structure at thicknesses below 30 nm, a 14-fold increase in the short-circuit current is observed with respect to bare Si. This enhancement decreases by reducing the capping layer thickness. Conversely, decreasing the shell thickness was found to improve the short-circuit current in Si/Ge1-y-xSixSny and Ge/Ge1-y-xSixSny core/shell nanowires. The optical absorption becomes very important by increasing the Sn content. Moreover, by exploiting an optical antenna effect, these nanowires show extreme light absorption, reaching an enhancement factor, with respect to Si or Ge nanowires, on the order of 104 in Si/Ge0.84Si0. 04Sn0.12 and 12 in Ge/Ge0.84Si0. 04Sn0.12. Furthermore, we analyzed the optical response after the addition of a dielectric layer of Si3N4 to the Si/Ge1-y-xSixSny core-shell nanowire and found approximatively a 50% increase in the short-circuit current density for a dielectric layer of thickness equal to 45 nm and both a core radius and a shell thickness greater than 40 nm. The core−shell optical antenna benefits from a multiplication of enhancements contributed by leaky mode resonances in the semiconductor part and antireflection effects in the dielectric part.Sn-containing Si and Ge (Ge1-y-xSixSny) alloys are an emerging family of semiconductors with the potential to impact group IV material-based devices. These semiconductors provide the ability to independently engineer both the lattice parameter and bandgap, which holds the premise to develop enhanced or novel photonic and electronic devices. With this perspective, we present detailed investigations of the influence of Ge1-y-xSixSny layers on the optical properties of Si and Ge based heterostructures and nanowires. We found that by adding a thin Ge1-y-xSixSny capping layer on Si or Ge greatly enhances light absorption especially in the near infrared range, leading to an increase in short-circuit current density. For the Ge1-y-xSixSny structure at thicknesses below 30 nm, a 14-fold increase in the short-circuit current is observed with respect to bare Si. This enhancement decreases by reducing the capping layer thickness. Conversely, decreasing the shell thickness was found to improve the short-circuit curre.
Dynamic Scaling and Two-Dimensional High-Tc Superconductors

There has been ongoing debate over the critical behavior of two-dimensional superconductors; in particular for high T c superconductors. The conventional view is that a Kosterlitz-Thouless-Berezinskii transition occurs aslong as finite size effects do not obscure the transition. However, there have been recent suggestions that a different transition actually occurs which incorporates aspects of both the dynamic scaling theory of Fisher, Fisher, and Huse and the Kosterlitz-Thouless-Berezinskii transition. Of general interest is that this modified transition apparently has a universal dynamic critical exponent. Some have countered that this apparent universal behavior is rooted in a newly proposed finite-size scaling theory; one that also incorporates scaling and conventional two-dimensional theory. To investigate these issues we study dc voltage versus current data of a 12-A-thick YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 - δ film. We find that the newly proposed scaling theories have intrinsic flexibility that is relevant to the analysis of the experiments. In particular, the data scale according to the modified transition for arbitrarily defined critical temperatures between 0 and 19.5 K, and the temperature range of a successful scaling collapse is related directly to the sensitivity of the measurement. This implies that the apparent universal exponent is due to the intrinsic flexibility rather than some real physical property. To address this intrinsic flexibility, we propose a criterion which would give conclusive evidence for phase transitions in two-dimensional superconductors. We conclude by reviewing results to see if our criterion is satisfied.
Observations on populations of a small insectivorous bird, Malurus leucopterus leuconotus Dumont, after an application of two ultra-low-volume (ULV) insecticides, fenitrothion and fipronil, in arid Australia

ABSTRACT The use of chemical pesticides to manage locust populations in natural ecosystems is likely to impact non-target arthropods and their predators. However, the relative effects of different locust control applications on Australian birds are unknown. Aerial applications of fipronil and fenitrothion are examples of two pesticides used in locust control in semiarid Australia. To test the relative impacts of pesticides on non-target fauna, pesticides were applied to replicate sites using aerial ultra-low-volume application methods. The body condition and biomarkers of pesticide exposure in resident white-winged fairy wrens (Malurus leucopterus leuconotus) at treatment and control sites were measured for two weeks before and after treatments. No measures suggested negative impacts of pesticide applications. However, birds monitored at treatment sites gained mass, possibly due to indirect impacts of pesticides on bird feeding patterns or the availability or behaviour of insect prey. Bird mass measures remained high at fipronil sites, whereas the mass of birds at fenitrothion sites returned to baseline levels within one week. As this study was conducted during dry conditions, when locust plagues are less likely, future insecticide research should also consider the availability of insect prey, its effect on insectivore feeding behaviour and the interaction of rainfall events.