Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Review of the application of energy harvesting in buildings

This review presents the state of the art of the application of energy harvesting in commercial and residential buildings. Electromagnetic (optical and radio frequency), kinetic, thermal and airflow-based energy sources are identified as potential energy sources within buildings and the available energy is measured in a range of buildings. Suitable energy harvesters are discussed and the available and the potential harvested energy calculated. Calculations based on these measurements, and the technical specifications of state-of-the-art harvesters, show that typical harvested powers are: (1) indoor solar cell (active area of 9 cm2, volume of 2.88 cm3): ∼300 µW from a light intensity of 1000 lx; (2) thermoelectric harvester (volume of 1.4 cm3): 6 mW from a thermal gradient of 25 °C; (3) periodic kinetic energy harvester (volume of 0.15 cm3): 2 µW from a vibration acceleration of 0.25 m s−2 at 45 Hz; (4) electromagnetic wave harvester (13 cm antenna length and conversion efficiency of 0.7): 1 µW with an RF source power of −25 dBm; and (5) airflow harvester (wind turbine blade of 6 cm diameter and generator efficiency of 0.41): 140 mW from an airflow of 8 m s−1. These results highlight the high potential of energy harvesting technology in buildings and the relative attractions of various harvester technologies. The harvested power could either be used to replace batteries or to prolong the life of rechargeable batteries for low-power (∼1 mW) electronic devices.
International Capital Flows, Dynamic Changes in Cryptocurrency and Noble Metal Markets

In 2022, with the implementation of tightening monetary policies by FOMC, US dollar is experiencing a dramatic appreciation in a very short period. Though numerous studies have demonstrated the connection between the traditional currency market, cryptocurrency market, and precious metal market, rare studies are exploring the relationships between the three markets under a special political environment. This paper selects USDCNY exchange rate, gold and silver, and bitcoin as the representatives of three markets and then tests the volatility response of return on gold & silver and return on bitcoin to the change of return on USDCNY exchange rate. By employing impulse response function and ARMA-GARCHX model, the paper verifies the change of exchange rate will exacerbate the volatility of returns on gold & silver and bitcoin significantly, which suggests high risk and uncertainty of the cryptocurrency market and precious metal market in a complex and extreme political environment. Investors and speculators should take prudent investment strategies in such environment.
Minimizing Monad Comprehensions

Monad comprehensions are by now a mainstay of functional programming languages. In this paper we develop a theory of semantic optimization for monad comprehensions that goes beyond rewriting using the monad laws. A monad-with-zero comprehension do x← X; y ← Y ; if P (x, y) then return F (x, y) else zero can be rewritten, so as to minimize the number of ← bindings, using constraints that are known to hold of X and Y . The soundness of this technique varies from monad to monad, and we characterize its soundness for monads expressible in functional programming languages by generalizing classical results from relational database theory. This technique allows the optimization of a wide class of languages, ranging from large-scale data-parallel languages such as DryadLINQ and Data Parallel Haskell to probabilistic languages such as IBAL and functional-logical languages like Curry.
The Effect of Mother Phubbing on Young Children’s Emotional and Behavioral Problems: A Moderated Mediation Model of Mother–Child Attachment and Parenting Stress

Phubbing—the act of ignoring someone physically present in favor of a mobile phone—is increasingly prevalent in families, and mothers’ phubbing behaviors may have a particularly important effect on young children’s development. Accordingly, this study explores the mediating role of mother–child attachment in the relationship between mother phubbing and children’s emotional and behavioral problems, as well as the role of maternal parenting stress in moderating the mediation effect. A total of 988 mothers of young children (mean age = 4.93, SD = 0.94) were surveyed using four scales, and the resulting data was statistically analyzed. The study found that (1) mother phubbing was significantly and positively correlated with children’s emotional and behavioral problems (r = 0.19, p < 0.01), (2) mother–child attachment mediated the relationship between mother phubbing and children’s emotional and behavioral problems, and (3) the relationship between mother–child attachment and children’s emotional and behavioral problems was moderated by maternal parenting stress. The present study offers fresh evidence of how mother phubbing affects young children’s emotional and behavioral difficulties. The need to reduce maternal parental stress and buffer mothers from its effects are highlighted as vital factors in promoting secure mother–child attachment and alleviating young children’s problems.
Vortex Shedding From Low Aspect Ratio Dual Step Cylinders

A low aspect ratio dual-step cylinder is comprised of two cylinders of different diameters (D and d). The large diameter cylinder (D) with low aspect ratio (L/D) is attached to the mid-span of a small diameter cylinder (d). This geometry is relevant to many engineering applications, e.g., finned-tube heat exchangers, underwater cables, and cylindrical support structures. The present study investigates the effect of Reynolds number (ReD) and L/D on dual step cylinder wake development for 1050 ≤ ReD ≤ 2100, D/d = 2, and 0.2 < L/D ≤ 3. Experiments have been performed in a water flume facility utilizing flow visualization, Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV), and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The results show that vortex shedding occurs from the large and small diameter cylinders at distinct frequencies for L/D ≥ 1 & ReD = 2100 and L/D ≥ 2& ReD = 1050. At these higher aspect ratios investigated, large cylinder vortices predominantly form closed vortex loops in the wake and small cylinder vortices form half-loop vortex connections. In contrast, at lower aspect ratios, vortex shedding from the large cylinder ceases, with the dominant frequency centred-activity in the large cylinder wake attributed to the passage of vortex filaments connecting small cylinder vortices. The presence of the large cylinder distorts the vortex filaments causing cyclic vortex dislocations accompanied by the formation of half-loop vortex connections. Increasing L/D decreases the frequency of occurrence of vortex dislocations and increases the dominant frequency in the large cylinder wake. The results also show that the Reynolds number has a substantial effect on wake vortex shedding frequency, which is more profound than that expected for a uniform cylinder.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Asymptotics for Semiparametric Econometric Models via Stochastic Equicontinuity

This paper provides a general framework for proving the "square root of" T-consistency and asymptotic normality of a wide variety of semiparametric estimators. The class of estimators considered consists of estimators that can be defined as the solution to a minimization problem based on a criterion function that may depend on a preliminary infinite dimensional nuisance parameter estimator. The method of proof exploits results concerning the stochastic equicontinuity of stochastic processes. The results are applied to the problem of semiparametric weighted least squares estimation of partially parametric regression models. Primitive conditions are given for "square root of" T-consistency and asymptotic normality of this estimator. Copyright 1994 by The Econometric Society.
Hb Huadu [α124(H7)Ser→Thr (TCC>ACC), HBA2: c.373T>A]: A Novel Variant of the α-Globin Gene

Abstract Here, we report a novel α chain hemoglobin (Hb) variant found during routine thalassemia screening. This Hb variant can be detected by capillary electrophoresis (CE) but cannot be recognized by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Sanger sequencing revealed a heterozygous missense substitution at nucleotide 373 on the HBA2 gene, which results in the replacement of serine by threonine at codon 124 [α124(H7)Ser→Thr (TCC>ACC), HBA2: c.373T>A]. It is the first report of this variant, named Hb Huadu for the birthplace of the proband. In addition, the proband coinherited the heterozygous codons 41/42 (–TTCT) (HBB: c126_129delCTTT) on the β-globin gene.
Eco-Friendly Preparation of Silver Nanoparticles and Their Antiproliferative and Apoptosis-Inducing Ability against Lung Cancer

In the present study, the anti-proliferative and apoptotic potential of Tabebuia roseo-alba in lung cancer was assessed. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of T. roseo-alba were synthesized using an ethanolic extract and characterized by adopting various parameters. Herein, the eco-friendly, cost-effective, and green synthesis of AgNPs was evaluated using an ethanolic extract of T. roseo-alba. The as-synthesized AgNPs were then characterized using various characterization techniques, such as UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The AgNPs are crystalline, spherical, and highly stable AgNPs of varying sizes in the range of 5–20 nm. The anticancer activity of the ethanolic extract of T. roseo-alba and its AgNPs was determined using an MTT assay. The results indicated that, although both samples showed prominent anti-proliferative activity on lung cancer cell lines, the AgNPs of T. roseo-alba were found to be more potent than the ethanolic extract. Further, apoptosis induction ability was evaluated by FITC Annexin V and PI staining, the results of which demonstrated the efficiency of the ethanolic extract of T. roseo-alba and its AgNPs in causing oxidative stress and subsequent cellular death. This was subsequently further confirmed by measuring the mitochondrial membrane potential after staining the cells with JC1. The apoptotic mode of cell death was further confirmed by DNA fragmentation and caspase assays using Western blot analysis.
Men in the service of humanity: Sociocultural perceptions of the nursing profession in South Africa

Background. The classification of nursing as a female-gendered profession, along with patriarchally determined cultural gender roles, makes it difficult for men to select nursing as a career and to excel in their caring capacity as nurses.Objective. To gain in-depth insights into and an understanding of male nursing students’ perceptions of the nursing profession.Methods. A generic qualitative approach, which was explorative, descriptive and contextual, was used to conduct the study. Sixteen male nursing students at two nursing education institutions in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, were purposively sampled to participate in the study. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and unstructured observation. Thereafter, thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results. Three main themes were developed from the interview data. The participants perceived nursing as the extension of women’s work, with low social status ‒ nursing is not considered to be a profession for men. During the provision of nursing care, feelings of discomfort and embarrassment were experienced. They feared misinterpretation of their care, especially when caring for the naked body when alone with a patient. They resorted to the use of cautious caring, where they do not provide physical care alone, but seek support, especially from female nurses. Conclusion. Male nursing students require role models to support them in their academic journey towards becoming competent practitioners. A male-friendly environment should be created to enable them to provide quality nursing care to all patients. The society needs to be empowered in understanding that men choose the nursing profession to provide care, and that they are capable of caring for the sick.
Photoplethysmographic Measurement of Arterial Stiffness in Polish Patients with Long-COVID-19 Syndrome—The Results of a Cross-Sectional Study

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with an increase in the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) that persists even several months after the onset of infection. COVID-19 may also have an impact on arterial stiffness, which is a risk factor for CVD. We aimed to analyze if and to what extent arterial stiffness measured by photoplethysmography differed among COVID-19 convalescents depending on the acute phase severity and time elapsed since disease onset. A total of 225 patients (mean age 58.98 ± 8.57 years, 54.7% women) were analyzed after COVID-19 hospitalization at the Cardiac Rehabilitation Department of the Ustron Health Resort (Poland). In the entire study population, no differences were found in the mean values of stiffness index (SI) and reflection index (RI) depending on the severity of the acute COVID-19 and the time since the onset of the disease. There were no differences in the heart rate (HR) according to the severity of acute COVID-19; the mean HR was higher in patients who had COVID-19 less than 12 weeks before the study than in convalescents more than 24 weeks after the acute disease (p = 0.002). The mean values of SI and RI were higher in men than in women (p < 0.001), while the heart rate (HR) was similar in both sexes (p = 0.286). However, multiple linear regression analyses after adjusting for factors influencing arterial stiffness, i.e., sex, age, body mass index, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, the severity of the acute COVID-19, and the time from the disease onset, confirmed that age, sex, time from disease onset, and diabetes are the most important determinants that could influence arterial stiffness.
Functional observability and subspace reconstruction in nonlinear systems

Time-series analysis is fundamental for modeling and predicting dynamical behaviors from time-ordered data, with applications in many disciplines such as physics, biology, finance, and engineering. Measured time-series data, however, are often low dimensional or even univariate, thus requiring embedding methods to reconstruct the original system's state space. The observability of a system establishes fundamental conditions under which such reconstruction is possible. However, complete observability is too restrictive in applications where reconstructing the entire state space is not necessary and only a specific subspace is relevant. Here, we establish the theoretic condition to reconstruct a nonlinear functional of state variables from measurement processes, generalizing the concept of functional observability to nonlinear systems. When the functional observability condition holds, we show how to construct a map from the embedding space to the desired functional of state variables, characterizing the quality of such reconstruction. The theoretical results are then illustrated numerically using chaotic systems with contrasting observability properties. By exploring the presence of functionally unobservable regions in embedded attractors, we also apply our theory for the early warning of seizure-like events in simulated and empirical data. The studies demonstrate that the proposed functional observability condition can be assessed a priori to guide time-series analysis and experimental design for the dynamical characterization of complex systems.
SELECTIVE CORNER MATCHING FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGE REGISTRATION

An efficient corner matching scheme in high-resolution images is presented. The approach partitions the two images into equal sub-images, and each sub-image of the first image is linked (paired) with all highly similar sub-images from the second image. The unlinked sub-images are suppressed from further processing. This limits the number of hypothesis-matched corner pairs that are processed, as only linked sub-images that sufficiently overlap are searched for correspondences. Experiments are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Negative refraction and partial focusing in an anisotropic metamaterial realized by a loaded transmission line network

We have studied the electromagnetic wave propagation in a two-dimensional anisotropic metamaterial (AMM) realized by a periodic structure composed of an anisotropically loaded transmission line (TL) network. The dispersion relation of the TL metamaterial is analysed by rigorous periodic TL theory, which shows hyperbolic dispersion surface in phase space below a certain critical frequency. We have constructed an interface between an isotropic normal medium and an AMM with a properly designed normal TL mesh and the loaded TL network, respectively, and analysed the electromagnetic wave propagation in such a system using microwave circuit simulations. We directly demonstrate the negative refraction of energy flow and the positive refraction of the wave vector, as well as the partial focusing phenomenon in such AMM, have good agreement with the theoretical prediction. When the dissipation is included in the simulation on actual microstrip line structure, we find that the dissipation in the TL metamaterial affects only the magnitude of the propagating energy, not the refraction phenomenon.
Machine-learning approaches to identify determining factors of happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic: retrospective cohort study

Objective To investigate determining factors of happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design Observational study. Setting Large online surveys in Japan before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants A random sample of 25 482 individuals who are representatives of the Japanese population. Main outcome measure Self-reported happiness measured using a 10-point Likert scale, where higher scores indicated higher levels of happiness. We defined participants with ≥8 on the scale as having high levels of happiness. Results Among the 25 482 respondents, the median score of self-reported happiness was 7 (IQR 6–8), with 11 418 (45%) reporting high levels of happiness during the pandemic. The multivariable logistic regression model showed that meaning in life, having a spouse, trust in neighbours and female gender were positively associated with happiness (eg, adjusted OR (aOR) for meaning in life 4.17; 95% CI 3.92 to 4.43; p<0.001). Conversely, self-reported poor health, anxiety about future household income, psychiatric diseases except depression and feeling isolated were negatively associated with happiness (eg, aOR for self-reported poor health 0.44; 95% CI 0.39 to 0.48; p<0.001). Using machine-learning methods, we found that meaning in life and social capital (eg, having a spouse and trust in communities) were the strongest positive determinants of happiness, whereas poor health, anxiety about future household income and feeling isolated were important negative determinants of happiness. Among 6965 subjects who responded to questionnaires both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no systemic difference in the patterns as to determinants of declined happiness during the pandemic. Conclusion Using machine-learning methods on data from large online surveys in Japan, we found that interventions that have a positive impact on social capital as well as successful pandemic control and economic stimuli may effectively improve the population-level psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.
WAVELET INPAINTING BY NONLOCAL TOTAL VARIATION

Wavelet inpainting problem consists of filling in missed data in the wavelet domain. In [17], Chan, Shen, and Zhou proposed an efficient method to recover piecewise constant or smooth images by combining total variation regularization and wavelet representations. In this paper, we extend it to nonlocal total variation regularization in order to recover textures and local geometry structures simultaneously. Moreover, we apply an efficient algorithm framework for both local and nonlocal regularizers. Extensive experimental results on a variety of loss scenarios and natural images validate the performance of this approach.
Weak Asymptotical Stability of Yang-Mills' Gradient Flow

where $-gradJ(\cdot)$ is the Euler-Lagrangian operator of $J(\cdot)$ . Concerning the variational problems, there are two important problems, the existence of critical points and their stability. The classical Morse theory covers the analysis of the variational problems on finite-dimensional spaces. In differential geometry, we find several variational problems on infinite-dimensional spaces. For such problems in discussing the properties of a critical point, several authors study those of the corresponding gradient flow. The gradient flow $u(t)$ of $J(\cdot)$ with the initial value $v$ is, if exists, a C’-flow satisfying
Polishing process of single crystal sapphire substrate based on femtosecond laser

Monocrystal sapphire have excellent properties such as high strength, hard and brittle, high temperature resistance, chemical corrosion resistance, wear resistance and good infrared transmittance, which are widely used in semiconductor, defense, aerospace and other frontier fields. As a typical hard and brittle material, sapphire has become an obstacle to the development of its application for ultra-precision machining with high efficiency and low damage. Therefore, a suitable method is needed to achieve ultra-precision processing of monocrystal sapphire. Different from traditional machining, laser polishing technology has the characteristics of non-contact processing and no mechanical processing stress, while femtosecond laser processing technology has the advantages of cold processing and no selectivity to the material, so it is suitable for surface polishing of sapphire. In this article, the influence of the femtosecond laser with the center wavelength of 515 nm on the surface polishing of sapphire under different processing modes, scanning interval and scanning speed was studied. By adjusting the laser parameters, the surface roughness of single crystal sapphire was reduced from 1.58 μm to less than 0.3 μm by femtosecond laser polishing.
Biofilm and Rivers: The Natural Association to Reduce Metals in Waters

This article focuses on a very peculiar habitat, the thin biofilm that covers the surface of rocks, cobbles, sediment grains, leaf litter, and vegetation on a riverbed. Species composition changes over time and depends on environmental conditions and perturbation of water quality. It provides several ecosystem services, contributing to the biogeochemical fluxes and reducing contamination by absorbing the pollutants. Biofilm into the Toce River (Ossola Valley, Piedmont, Italy) was investigated to assess its capacity to accumulate the metals and macroions from the water column. In this preliminary work, we investigated three sample points, in two different seasons. The community composition of biofilm was determined via morphological analysis (diatoms and non-diatoms algal community). We characterize the biofilm, a community of different organisms, from different perspectives. In the biofilm, Hg was analyzed with an automated mercury analyzer, other metals and macroions with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) (Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, and Zn), and the carotenoid and chlorophyll composition of the photosynthetic organism with HPLC analysis for the primary producers. The results evidence a seasonal pattern in metals and macroions levels in the biofilm, and a significant difference in the biofilm community and in carotenoid composition, suggesting the utility of using the biofilm as an additional bioindicator to monitor the water quality of the river.