Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Gradient Methods for the Solution of Nonlinear Parameter Estimation Problems

The performance of several of the best known gradient methods is compared in the solution of some least squares, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian estimation problems. Modifications of the Gauss method (including Marquardt’s) performed best, followed by variable metric rank one and Davidon–Fletcher–Powell methods, in that order. There appears to be no need to locate the optimum precisely in the one-dimensional searches. The matrix inversion method used with the Gauss algorithm must guarantee a positive definite inverse.
TAKEN: A Traffic Knowledge-Based Navigation System for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

Connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) have witnessed significant attention from industries, and academia for research and developments towards the on-road realisation of the technology. State-of-the-art CAVs utilise existing navigation systems for mobility and travel path planning. However, reliable connectivity to navigation systems is not guaranteed, particularly in urban road traffic environments with high-rise buildings, nearby roads and multi-level flyovers. In this connection, this paper presents TAKEN-Traffic Knowledge-based Navigation for enabling CAVs in urban road traffic environments. A traffic analysis model is proposed for mining the sensor-oriented traffic data to generate a precise navigation path for the vehicle. A knowledge-sharing method is developed for collecting and generating new traffic knowledge from on-road vehicles. CAVs navigation is executed using the information enabled by traffic knowledge and analysis. The experimental performance evaluation results attest to the benefits of TAKEN in the precise navigation of CAVs in urban traffic environments.
Assessing imatinib mesylate in two different solid dosage forms

Imatinib mesylate (IM), is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), which is used to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) and other malignant diseases related to over expression of tyrosine kinases protein (Savage and Antman, 2002). Imatinib is one of the first molecular therapies for clinical use that has shown impressive efficacy for CML, advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs), and myeloproliferative disorders associated with PDGFR. It is approved as a first-line therapy for Ph+ ALL (Iqbal and Iqbal, 2014). Several RP-HPLC methods can be found in the literature (Rele and Patil, 2019; Rosasco et al., 2005) for its determination in various pharmaceutical forms. The purpose of this work was to evaluate imatinib mesylate in two different solid dosage forms with a new RP-HPLC method developed in our laboratory.
Opsins in the Cephalic and Extracephalic Photoreceptors in the Marine Gastropod Onchidium verruculatum

The marine gastropod Onchidium verruculatum has a pair of ocular photoreceptors, the stalk eyes, on the tip of its stalk near the head, as well as several extracephalic photosensory organs. The retinas of the stalk eye consist of two morphologically distinct visual cells, namely, the type I cells equipped with well-developed microvilli and the type II cells with less developed microvilli. The extracephalic photosensors comprise the dorsal eye, dermal photoreceptor, and brain photosensitive neurons. The characteristics of these cephalic and extracephalic photosensory organs have been studied from morphological and electrophysiological perspectives. However, little is known about the visual pigment molecules responsible for light detection in these organs. In the present study, we searched for opsin molecules that are expressed in the neural tissues of Onchidium and identified six putative signaling-competent opsin species, including Xenopsin1, Xenopsin2, Gq-coupled rhodopsin1, Gq-coupled rhodopsin2, Opsin-5B, and Gq-coupled rhodopsin-like. Immunohistochemical staining of four of the six opsins revealed that Xenopsin1, Gq-coupled rhodopsin1, and Gq-coupled rhodopsin2 are expressed in the rhabdomere of the stalk eye and in the dermal photoreceptor. Xenopsin2 was expressed in the type II photoreceptors of the stalk eye and in the ciliary photoreceptors of the dorsal eye. These immunohistochemical data were consistent with the results of the expression analysis, revealed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. This study clarified the identities of opsins expressed in the extracephalic photosensory organs of Onchidium and the distinct molecular compositions among the photoreceptors.
Practice and knowledge of dietary supplement consumption among Indonesian adults post-delta wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: Increasing dietary supplement (DS) consumption was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, including during the post-Delta wave period. This study aimed to measure the practice of DS consumption and respondents’ knowledge of DS. Methods: An internet-based survey was distributed from October-December 2021 and obtained 541 valid and completed responses. Descriptive analysis was performed to present the practice of DS consumption, including frequency, duration, aim, preferable dosage form etc. Level of knowledge on DS principles, side effects and regulation were also measured. Inferential analyses were conducted to determine the predictors of the respondents’ DS practice and level of knowledge. Results: Data from 541 valid responses showed that 77.63% of respondents consumed DS in the last 3 months, with only 59.52% reporting also consuming DS before the COVID-19 pandemic. One half of the respondents had good knowledge about DS; however, some knowledge regarding side effects and possible drug-supplement interaction needed improvement. Their DS consumption practice was affected by their economic status and history of contracting COVID-19. Nevertheless, the level of knowledge was not affected by the sociodemographic factors and DS supplement experience. Conclusions: Taken together, the practice of self-consumption of DS in Indonesia is increasing; hence, knowledge of DS is necessary to avoid detrimental effects that might occur in the future. Increasing access to information on better labelling and educating consumers about DS are important actions to consider.
Design, Preparation and Properties of Polyurethane Dispersions via Prepolymer Method

A waterborne polyurethane dispersion for foamed synthetic leather base was designed and prepared using prepolymer method. There are many variables in the emulsification and chain-extension process of waterborne polyurethane (WPUR) dispersions prepared by prepolymer method. This work thoroughly evaluated the impacts of the steps of adding emulsified water, the temperature of the prepolymer and emulsified water, and concentration of ammonia water on WPUR dispersions by investigating the particle sizes/distributions and the mechanical stability. Changes in the temperature of the prepolymer and emulsified water, the concentration of ammonia water, and the step of adding emulsified water showed great impacts on the appearance and particle size of dispersions. Decreasing the temperature of the prepolymer and emulsified water and increasing the dilution ration of H2O to ethylenediamine (EDA) led to safe emulsification and dispersions with good appearance and narrow particle size distributions can be prepared. Surprising results were obtained by adding emulsified water in two steps, WPUR dispersions with a small particle size, narrow particle distribution and excellent tensile properties can be obtained. The optimized WPUR1 was applied to prepare water-based synthetic leather base after mechanical foaming, and the base presented the desired high performance, such as high folding resistance and peel strength.
Destruction of superconductivity by laser light

Superconductivity is destroyed by laser light in Pb films of thickness comparable to the optical penetration depth $\ensuremath{\delta}$ and less than the superconducting coherence length $\ensuremath{\xi}$. Thermal effects, which have been independently determined, cannot account for this. For films of thickness greater than $\ensuremath{\delta}$ and $\ensuremath{\xi}$, only the thermal effect is observed. In a proposed explanation it is shown that the electron gas may be heated from 3 to 18 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K above the lattice temperature by the light absorption in these experiments.
A sample of solar-type stars of known age.

A sample of field F and G dwarfs of known ages is presented. All the dwarfs are secondaries of visual binaries in which the temperature and gravity of the hotter primary has been estimated from Stromgren photometry, and its age derived from reference to isochrones. This age is taken to apply to the secondary. Even in the case of F-type secondaries, which themselves have measured Stromgren indices, it is much better to estimate ages from the primaries as it is demonstrated that use of isochrones to determine age of stars not far evolved from the main sequence can lead to significant systematic overestimates of ages when the photometric measurements have typical random errors. A number of systems in which photometry is available for both components have primaries which appear much younger than the secondaries, suggesting a need for further investigation.
The Sensing Characteristics Investigation of a Potentiometric Ascorbic Acid Biosensor Integrated With Analog-to-Digital Converter

In this study, an enzymatic ascorbate oxidase/(AO) ruthenium dioxide (RuO2) ascorbic acid (AA) biosensor was realized by a radio frequency (RF) sputtering system. The characteristics of the RuO2 sensing membrane were analyzed by field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Moreover, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was performed to show that a higher concentration of AA caused a larger capacitance of the RuO2 membrane. Therefore, more charges can be accumulated on the sensing membrane. To read out the AA sensing signals, an instrumentation amplifier (IA) integrated with an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) was utilized to substitute the traditional data acquisition (DAQ) device. Then, the analog signals were converted into binary codes and transmitted to the computer, and the binary codes were multiplied by the weighting and converted to decimal codes. Hence, the average sensitivity and the linearity were obtained which were 58.22 mV/decade and 0.991, respectively. The hysteresis effects of the AO/RuO2 AA biosensor were also discussed. The hysteresis voltages in forward and reverse cycles were 3.77 mV and 4.59 mV, respectively.
Analysis of an elastic–rigid obstacle problem described by a variational–hemivariational inequality

In this paper, we consider a new obstacle problem for the elastic membrane lying above an elastic–rigid obstacle. The elastic–rigid obstacle allows limited penetration and offers a nonmonotone reactive force. We introduce the mathematical model and prove that its weak form, which is a variational–hemivariational inequality, has a unique solution. Then, we consider a discrete scheme to solve the problem. The optimal‐order error estimate under appropriate regularity assumptions is derived. Finally, numerical examples are reported, from which the theoretical predicted optimal‐order error estimate can be clearly observed.
Blade Deterioration in a Gas Turbine Engine

A study has been conducted to predict blade erosion of gas turbine engines. The blade material erosion model is based on three dimensional particle trajectory simulation in the three-dimensional turbine flow field. The trajectories provide the special distribution of the particle impact parameters over the blade surface. A semi-empirical erosion model, derived from erosion tests of material samples at different particulate flow conditions, is used in the prediction of blade surface erosion based on the trajectory impact data. To improve the blade erosion resistance and to decrease the blade deterioration, the blades must be coated. For this purpose, an experimental study was conducted to investigate the behavior of rhodium platinum aluminide coating exposed to erosion by fly ash particles. New protective coatings are developed for erosion and thermal barrier. Chemical vapor deposition technique (CVD) was used to apply the ceramic TiC coatings on INCO 718 and stainless steel 410. The erosive wear ofthe coated samples was investigated experimentally by exposing them to particle laden flow at velocities from 180 to 305m/s and temperatures from ambient to 538C in a specially designed erosion wind tunnel. Both materials (INCO 718 and stainless steel 410) coated with CVD TiC showed one order ofmagnitude less erosion rate compared to some commercial coatings on the same substrates.
Recent Advances in Hybrid Energy Storage System Integrated Renewable Power Generation: Configuration, Control, Applications, and Future Directions

The increased usage of renewable energy sources (RESs) and the intermittent nature of the power they provide lead to several issues related to stability, reliability, and power quality. In such instances, energy storage systems (ESSs) offer a promising solution to such related RES issues. Hence, several ESS techniques were proposed in the literature to solve these issues; however, a single ESS does not fulfill all the requirements for certain operations and has different tradeoffs for overall system performance. This is mainly due to the limited capability of a single ESS and the potency concerning cost, lifespan, power and energy density, and dynamic response. In order to overcome the tradeoff issue resulting from using a single ESS system, a hybrid energy storage system (HESS) consisting of two or more ESSs appears as an effective solution. Many studies have been considered lately to develop and propose different HESSs for different applications showing the great advantages of using multiple ESSs in one combined system. Although these individual methods have been well documented, a comprehensive review of HESS-integrated RE has not been fully investigated in the literature before. Thus, as a novel contribution to the literature, this study aims to review and analyze the importance and impact of HESSs in the presence of renewable energy towards sustainable development that will facilitate this newly emerging topic to researchers in this field. In this regard, the present scenario and recent trend of HESSs in RESs at the global level, including a comparison with main ESS features, are discussed and analyzed along with the concept, design, classifications, and a detailed comparison of HESSs. The emerging role of HESSs in terms of their benefits and applications has been analyzed. Recent control and optimization methods of HESSs associated with RESs and their advantages and disadvantages have been reviewed. Finally, open issues and new challenges toward more efficient, sustainable, and green energy have also been highlighted herein. All the highlighted insights of this review will hopefully lead to increased efforts toward the development of an advanced HESS for future renewable energy optimal operation.
Nanosecond pulse pumped, narrow linewidth all-fiber Raman amplifier with stimulated Brillouin scattering suppression

We report on a narrow linewidth nanosecond all-fiber Raman amplifier core pumped by a pulsed laser at approximately 1030 nm. The Raman amplifier was based on a standard single-mode fiber with a length of ∼1 km, and stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) was suppressed by employing pulses with a short pulse width. 1083 nm pulses with an average power of 32.6 mW, a repetition rate of 2 MHz, and pulse widths of ∼7.2 ns were achieved. A maximum slope efficiency of 46.1% and a gain of 31 dB were obtained. The output Raman power can be scaled further by using fiber with shorter lengths and pump pulses with a higher power.
Urinary CD80 and Serum suPAR as Biomarkers of Glomerular Disease among Adults in Brazil

Introduction: Urinary CD80 has been shown to have good specificity for minimal change disease (MCD) in children. However, the investigation of circulating factors such as soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) as biomarkers of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is quite controversial. The objective of this study was to determine whether urinary CD80 and serum suPAR can be used for the diagnosis of MCD and FSGS, respectively, in the adult population of Brazil. We also attempted to determine whether those biomarkers assess the response to immunosuppressive treatment. Methods: This was a prospective study in which urine and blood samples were collected for analysis of CD80 and suPAR, respectively, only in the moment of renal biopsy, from patients undergoing to diagnostic renal biopsy. At and six months after biopsy, we analyzed serum creatinine, serum albumin, and proteinuria in order to evaluate the use of the CD80 and suPAR collected in diagnosis as markers of response to immunosuppressive treatment. In healthy controls were collected urinary CD80 and proteinuria, serum suPAR, and creatinine. Results: The results of 70 renal biopsies were grouped, by diagnosis, as follows: FSGS (n = 18); membranous nephropathy (n = 14); MCD (n = 5); and other glomerulopathies (n = 33). There was no significant difference among the groups in terms of the urinary CD80 levels, and serum suPAR was not significantly higher in the FSGS group, as would have been expected. Urinary CD80 correlated positively with nephrotic syndrome, regardless of the type of glomerular disease. Neither biomarker correlated with proteinuria at six months after biopsy. Conclusion: In adults, urinary CD80 can serve as a marker of nephrotic syndrome but is not specific for MCD, whereas serum suPAR does not appear to be useful as a diagnostic or treatment response marker.
Quantitative Immunohematologic Studies of Hemagglutination

An assay procedure for determining the relative potency of the agglutinating strength of isohemagglutin containing sera with an average error of 16.5 per cent (95% confidence limits) has been developed and applied to the A-anti-A blood group system. The confirmation of Mavrides' findings that an equilibrium exists between anti-A and the A1 antigen shows the close similarity to the behavior of the B-anti-B system as found by Wurmser et al., and Wilkie and Becker. The finding of Wilkie of the lack of true equilibrium of the anti-B component of group O sera has also been found to apply to the anti-A component of O sera.
New particle formation and growth during summer in an urban environment: a dual chamber study

Abstract. Nucleation and subsequent growth are a major source of new particles in many environments, but the pollutants involved and the details of the corresponding processes are still under debate. While sulfuric acid has a major role in new particle formation under a lot of conditions, the role of ammonia, amines, and organic vapors is less clear. In most continental areas, new particle formation is quite frequent especially on relatively clean, sunny days when there is some sulfur dioxide available. In parts of the Eastern Mediterranean even if all the previous requirements are satisfied, new particle formation events are relatively rare during summertime. In this work, we take advantage of this unexpected low, new particle formation frequency in Greece and use a dual atmospheric simulation chamber system with starting point ambient air in an effort to gain insight about the chemical species that is limiting nucleation in this area. A potential nucleation precursor, ammonia, was added in one of the chambers, while the other one was used as a reference. Three different types of outcomes were observed: new particle formation only in the perturbed chamber, new particle formation in both chambers, and no observed new particle formation. The addition of ammonia assisted in new particle formation in almost 50 % of the experiments conducted. The growth rate of the newly formed particles ranged from 3–11 nm h−1, with particles reaching a diameter of 20–25 nm after a few hours. The nucleation rate was estimated using an aerosol dynamics model and was found to be in the range of 500 to 25 000 particles cm−3 h−1 in the different experiments. These results support the hypothesis that ammonia at levels of several ppb can accelerate or even cause new particle formation, at least in the environment of the Eastern Mediterranean.
New Insights on Nucleotide Sequence Variants and mRNA Levels of Candidate Genes Assessing Resistance/Susceptibility to Mastitis in Holstein and Montbéliarde Dairy Cows

Simple Summary Identification of markers to include in breeding plans is necessary in order to develop disease resistance to infectious diseases utilizing genetic control approaches. Recent studies used genome-wide association analysis to find new genes primarily responsible for the mastitis susceptibility of dairy cattle. Results, however, did not entirely persuade us that these genes were good candidates because we were unable to corroborate previously discovered SNP variants or genomic areas. In this study, SNPs linked to mastitis resistance/susceptibility were discovered in the RASGRP1, NFkB, CHL1, MARCH3, PDGFD, MAST3, EPS15L1, C1QTNF3, CD46, COX18, NEURL1, PPIE, and PTX3 genes by PCR-DNA sequencing in Holstein and Montbéliarde cows with and without mastitis. The mRNA levels of these indicators also varied between healthy and affected dairy cows. Therefore, it may be useful to discover potential genes linked to mastitis susceptibility to improve the effectiveness of animal selection for innate resistance. Abstract A major factor in the propagation of an infectious disease is host genetics. In this study, 180 dairy cows (90 of each breed: Holstein and Montbéliarde) were used. Each breed’s tested dairy cows were divided into two groups of comparable size (45 cows each), mastitis-free and mastitis-affected groups. Each cow’s jugular vein was punctured to obtain blood samples for DNA and RNA extraction. In the examined Holstein and Montbéliarde dairy cows, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related with mastitis resistance/susceptibility were found in the RASGRP1, NFkB, CHL1, MARCH3, PDGFD, MAST3, EPS15L1, C1QTNF3, CD46, COX18, NEURL1, PPIE, and PTX3 genes. Chi-square analysis of identified SNPs revealed a significant difference in gene frequency between mastitic and healthy cows. Except for CHL1, mastitic dairy cows of two breeds had considerably higher mRNA levels of the examined genes than did healthy ones. Marker-assisted selection and monitoring of dairy cows’ susceptibility to mastitis may be accomplished through the use of discovered SNPs and changes in the gene expression profile of the studied genes. These findings also point to a possible method for reducing mastitis in dairy cows through selective breeding of animals using genetic markers linked to an animal’s ability to resist infection.
Global generation of pluricanonical and adjoint linear series on smooth projective threefolds

The purpose of this paper is to show how the cohomological techniques developed by Kawamata, Reid, Shokurov, and others lead to some effective and practical results of Reider-type on freeness of linear series on smooth complex projective threefolds. In recent years, there has been a great deal of interest in the geometric properties of pluricanonical and adjoint linear systems on surfaces and higherdimensional varieties. Among other things, one wants to understand as explicitly as possible when the systems in question are base-point free or very ample. Modem work in this area goes back to Kodaira [Kod] and Bombieri [Bmb], who studied pluricanonical maps of surfaces of general type. More recently, many of their results have emerged as special cases of a celebrated theorem of Reider [Rdr]. Reider uses vector bundle techniques to show that, if B is a nef line bundle on a surface X such that B2 > 5, then KX + B is globally generated unless there exist certain special curves C c X such that B * C < 1; he also obtains analogous criteria for KX + B to be very ample. A cohomological approach to these theorems, based on Miyaoka's vanishing theorem for Zariski decompositions, was given by Sakai [Sak2].