Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Benzodithiophene (BDT) and benzodiselenophene (BDSe) isomers’ charge transport properties for organic optoelectronic devices

This study's primary objective is to give a thorough examination of the comparative charge transport and optoelectronic characteristics of all conceivable isomers of benzodithiophene (BDT) and benzodiselenophene (BDSe). Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulations have been performed on all the possible isomers of benzodithiophene (BDT) and benzodiselenophene (BDSe) and results are compared with corresponding experimental known isomers. The absorption energies and HOMO–LUMO energy levels were predicted by Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TD–DFT). Electron and hole Reorganization Energies (RE), Hole Extraction Potential (HEP) and Electron Extraction Potential (EEP), Ionization Potentials (IP) and Electron Affinities (EA) of all the isomers are reported. The UV–visible absorption of BDT and BDSe isomers are between 250–417 nm and 290–445 nm respectively. Comparatively, the simulated hole and electron reorganization energy of all the BDT and BDSe isomers have low values and hence expected applications in the field of Organic Optoelectronic Devices. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Biologics for Reducing Cardiovascular Risk in Psoriasis Patients

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome. Among them, CVD is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in psoriasis patients. Since CVD is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality, primary care clinicians are increasingly committed to reducing the risk of CVD in patients with psoriasis. Biologics targeting TNF-α, IL-12/23, and IL-17 are systemic therapies that can dramatically improve the condition of psoriasis. Recent studies have reported that these inflammatory cytokine signals may promote atherosclerosis, suggesting that biologics might be effective for improving psoriasis as well as reducing the risk of CVD. Here, we reviewed cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients, the association between psoriatic inflammation and atherosclerosis, and the efficacy of biologics for reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Accelerated convergence in TLM algorithms for the Laplace equation

Transmission line matrix (TLM) schemes for the Laplace equation exhibit some curious features. There exist values of TLM parameters where convergence towards the analytical values is very rapid. This phenomenon is first examined using a binary scattering approach. A Fourier analysis of the equivalently bounded diffusion equation does not reveal any features that would account for these observations. However, a similar analysis using the Telegraphers' equation suggests that a TLM model under optimum conditions is operating at the transition between real and imaginary solutions. Small differences between the optimized parameters predicted by the two approaches are probably due to inaccuracies in the Fourier description of the heat‐injecting boundary condition that is used in TLM models. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Blurred lines between electoral and parliamentary representation: The use of constituency staff among Members of the European Parliament

Parliamentarians receive public funding to employ local staff in the constituency. Local staff help members of parliament to execute their representative duties, but can also become an electoral asset. Drawing on theories of personal vote-seeking we study local staff as an example of constituency service. Modelling within-individual changes in local staff size among 1174 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), we find that the number of local staff increases before both European and national elections, and more so in candidate-centred than party-centred systems. Despite a single European Parliament (EP) staff system, EU citizens are represented differently depending on where they elect their members and the electoral system that applies. Attempts to mend the EU’s democratic deficit by strengthening MEPs’ contacts with citizens through local staff potentially means that European public money is used to fund EP incumbents’ electoral campaigns. We discuss the implications of our findings for the democratic functioning of the European multi-level system.
Investigation of the Key Genes Associated with Anthocyanin Accumulation during Inner Leaf Reddening in Ornamental Kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala)

Ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala) is a popular decorative plant in late autumn and winter. However, only during low-temperature color-changed periods below rough 15 °C can the plant accumulate anthocyanins and exhibit a diverse array of foliar color patterns. In this study, we probed into the potential mechanism of inner leaf reddening in a red-leaf pure line of ornamental kale by physiological, metabolic, and transcriptomic analyses. Determination of anthocyanin contents in the uncolored new white leaves (S0), the light red leaves (S1) in the reddening period and the red leaves (S2) completing color change, and analysis of anthocyanin metabolites at stage S2, revealed that the coloring of red leaves was mainly attributed to the accumulation of cyanidins. We further used transcriptomic sequencing between the pairwise S0, S1, and S2 stages to identify 21 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis, among which the expression level of 14 DEGs was positively correlated with anthocyanin accumulation, and 6 DEGs were negatively correlated with anthocyanin accumulation. A total of 89 co-expressed genes were screened out, from which three DEGs (BoCHI, Bo4CL3, and BoF3H) were identified as hub genes in co-expression DEGs network. BoDFR and BoCHI were the DEGs with the highest expressions at S2. Moreover, two co-expressed DEGs related to stress response (BoBBX17 and BoCOR47) also exhibited upregulated expressions and positive correlations with anthocyanin accumulation. A deep dive into the underlying regulatory network of anthocyanin accumulation comprising these six upregulated DEGs from S0 to S2 was performed via trend, correlation, and differentially co-expression analysis. This study uncovered the DEGs expression profiles associated with anthocyanin accumulation during ornamental kale inner leaf reddening, which provided a basis for further dissecting the molecular mechanisms of leaf color characteristic change in ornamental kale at low temperatures.
Effect of Hamstring Tightness and Fatigue on Dynamic Stability and Agility in Physically Active Young Men

Hamstring extensibility has been defined as a factor to diminished dynamic stability and therefore increased risk of injury. The purpose of this study was to analyse the effects of hamstring tightness and fatigue on dynamic stability and agility. Nineteen participants were divided between the normal extensibility group (NEG) (n = 9, 82.2° ± 12.4°) and hamstrings tightness group (HTG) (n = 10, 64° ± 4.9°) using the passive straight leg raise test. To analyse dynamic stability and agility, they performed the modified Star Excursion Balance Test (mSEBT) and Dynamic Postural Stability Index (DPSI), and hexagon agility test, respectively, before and after a fatigue protocol. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine differences among conditions: NEG vs. HTG, and rested vs. fatigued. HTG showed a significantly lower reach in the anterior direction in the mSEBT in pre- and post-fatigue than NEG. Participants in the NEG showed poor stability after landing in the mediolateral direction on DPSI post-fatigue. No significant changes were found in agility related with the group nor fatigue state. Participants with hamstring extensibility reduction has no differences in dynamic stability after landing nor agility after fatigue test, but significantly affects reaching distances during one-leg balance. As a conclusion, a reduction in range of motion in HTG was observed, but no other effects were observed on performance and dynamic stability after a local fatigue protocol depending on hamstring extensibility.
A 16.5-31 GHz Area-Efficient Tapered Tunable Transmission Line Phase Shifter

This paper presents a Tapered Tunable Transmission Line (Tapered TTL) phase shifter that achieves a higher area efficiency than conventional Tunable Transmission Line (TTL) phase shifters while maintaining the same phase shift range with similar insertion losses. A systematic methodology is provided for the optimum design of the proposed phase shifter to maximize its area efficiency while providing the desired phase shift range and satisfying the maximum allowed input/output return and insertion losses. To verify the efficacy of the proposed solution, an eleven-cell phase shifter is fabricated in a standard 65-nm Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor (CMOS) technology and the measurement results are reported. The fabricated circuit provides a 180-degree phase shift over the frequency range of 16.5 to 31 GHz with an average insertion loss of 7.2 dB. The proposed design presents a 25 percent reduction in the chip area per unit delay in comparison to the conventional design with the same average insertion loss.
Redoxtrons – An experimental system to study redox processes within the capillary fringe

Spatiotemporal characterisation of the soil redox status within the capillary fringe (CF) is a challenging task. Air‐filled porosities (ε), oxygen concentration (O2) and soil redox potential (EH) are interrelated soil variables within active biogeochemical domains such as the CF. We investigated the impact of water table (WT) rise and drainage in an undisturbed topsoil and subsoil sample taken from a Calcaric Gleysol for a period of 46 days. We merged 1D (EH and matric potential) and 2D (O2) systems to monitor at high spatiotemporal resolution redox dynamics within self‐constructed redoxtron housings and complemented the data set by a 3D pore network characterization using X‐ray microtomography (X‐ray μCT). Depletion of O2 was faster in the organic matter‐ and clay‐rich aggregated topsoil and the CF extended >10 cm above the artificial WT. The homogeneous and less‐aggregated subsoil extended only 4 cm above the WT as indicated by ε–O2–EH data during saturation. After drainage, 2D O2 imaging revealed a fast aeration towards the lower depths of the topsoil, which agrees with the connected ε derived by X‐ray μCT (εCT_conn) of 14.9% of the total porosity. However, small‐scaled anoxic domains with O2 saturation <5% were apparent even after lowering the WT (down to 0.25 cm2 in size) for 23 days. These domains remained a nucleus for reducing soil conditions (EH < −100 mV), which made it challenging to characterise the soil redox status in the CF. In contrast, the subsoil aeration reached O2 saturation after 8 days for the complete soil volume. Values of εCT_conn around zero in the subsoil highlighted that soil aeration was independent of this parameter suggesting that other variables such as microbial activity must be considered when predicting the soil redox status from ε alone. The use of redoxtrons in combination with localised redox‐measurements and image based pore space analysis resulted in a better 2D/3D characterisation of the pore system and related O2 transport properties. This allowed us to analyse the distribution and activity of microbiological niches highly associated with the spatiotemporal variable redox dynamics in soil environments.
Consensus-Based Energy Management of Microgrid With Random Packet Drops

Decentralized energy management using consensus-based algorithm is a vibrant research field since it can promote the local accommodation of the renewable energy generation without raising privacy and scalability issues. Most of the existing methods assume that the communication links are reliable, which might not be true in real-world implementations. This paper focuses on tackling the problem of random packet drops. We first formulate the models of the energy management problem in the microgrid and the information packet drop in the communication network. Based on the models, we conclude that losing the information about incremental electricity cost estimation is tolerable, while losing the information about the power mismatch estimation is not. We propose a novel consensus algorithm that tracks and exchanges the accumulated value of the power mismatch estimation so that the information loss can be recovered. An equivalent form of the proposed method is established by augmenting the communication links with virtual buffering nodes. Based on the augmented communication topology, we theoretically prove the convergence of the proposed algorithm and the optimality of the solution. Several case studies are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Backward Coalescence Times for Perfect Simulation of Chains with Infinite Memory

This paper is devoted to the perfect simulation of a stationary process with an at most countable state space. The process is speciﬁed through a kernel, prescribing the probability of the next state conditional to the whole past history. We follow the seminal work of Comets, Fernández and Ferrari (2002), who gave sufﬁcient conditions for the construction of a perfect simulation algorithm. We deﬁne backward coalescence times for these kind of processes, which allow us to construct perfect simulation algorithms under weaker conditions than in Comets, Fernández and Ferrari (2002). We discuss how to construct backward coalescence times (i) by means of information depths , taking into account some a priori knowledge about the histories that occur; and (ii) by identifying suitable coalescing events .
Sub-monolayer quantum dots in confinement enhanced dots-in-a-well heterostructure

We have investigated optical properties and device performance of sub-monolayer quantum dots infrared photodetector with confinement enhancing (CE) barrier and compared with conventional Stranski-Krastanov quantum dots with a similar design. This quantum dots-in-a-well structure with CE barrier enables higher quantum confinement and increased absorption efficiency due to stronger overlap of wavefunctions between the ground state and the excited state. Normal incidence photoresponse peak is obtained at 7.5 μm with a detectivity of 1.2 × 1011 cm Hz1/2 W−1 and responsivity of 0.5 A/W (77 K, 0.4 V, f/2 optics). Using photoluminescence and spectral response measurements, the bandstructure of the samples were deduced semi-empirically.
A Methodological Tool to Integrate Theoretical Concepts in Climate Change Adaptation to Spatial Planning

Climate change adaptation has become an important policy domain, as it has the potential to substantially reduce many of the adverse impacts of climate change. Several scientific terms and general concepts have been used to comprehend adaptation, including vulnerability, exposure, sensitivity, adaptability, and resilience. However, most of these concepts are often used in inconsistent ways and their relationship is to a large extent unclear. As a result, there is a lack of clear understanding of adaptation and its practical implementation in fields such as spatial planning, whose role in tackling climate change, especially through ecosystem approaches, is critical. This paper attempts to investigate the practical integration of adaptation in the context of spatial planning, specifically through Green Infrastructure (GI) planning. Applying a thematic analysis to 91 scientific and major policy documents, the main determinants of the critical concepts that relate to adaptation were identified, classified, and intertwined with key determinants of GI planning and design. The analysis led to the development of a methodological tool, named REAd GrIn. This model can be used to prepare and evaluate spatial plans and policies, which integrate the concepts of resilience, vulnerability, and adaptability to achieve adaptation through spatial planning.
Ego-motion estimation with a lowpower millimeterwave radar on a UAV

Radar sensors have been shown to be capable of performing simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) tasks. However, single-chip mmWave radar sensors have received little attention because of their limited resolution. In this paper, we present a novel approach to obtain a robust ego-motion estimation of a UAV using a low power single-chip millimeter wave (mmWave) FMCW radar sensor. By using a novel method to match local radar signal descriptors, we are able to achieve a robust trajectory estimation. We then propose to optimise the trajectory by extracting loop closures from low-dimensional latent space descriptors. We validate our solution in an industrial IoT lab with a drone, but it can be applied more broadly in power contrained platforms.
Highly conductive diamond probes for scanning spreading resistance microscopy

Scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM) is a powerful method for the characterization of Si semiconductor devices based on atomic force microscopy (AFM). It requires conductive probe tips made of doped diamond. Although various solid diamond probes have been fabricated, they could not satisfy the requirements for SSRM. Therefore, we have developed a SSRM probe composed of a pyramidal diamond tip attached to a Si cantilever. This letter describes the probe fabrication process briefly and presents excellent SSRM measurements obtained on Si calibration samples. Solid diamond tips integrated in Si cantilevers were used for SSRM showing a significantly higher dynamic range than the conductive probes known to date.
Deformation mechanisms in silicon nanoparticles

We report here on the observation of dislocation nucleation and glide in silicon nanoparticles, after phase transformation from diamond cubic to β-tin crystal structure, within the formed β-tin metallic phase region in atomistic simulations of indentation. The simulation results provide an explanation of the super-high hardness of silicon nanoparticles measured in experiments. By comparing the simulation results with experimental measurement of hardness, we are able to evaluate the performance of two widely used interatomic potential functions: Stillinger–Weber and Tersoff potentials. Through simulations, we have found a critical size of silicon nanoparticles where there is a change in deformation mechanisms, strength, and hardness. The effect of the applied strain rate on simulation results is also investigated.
Ion erosion and elemental purity of deposited Si films on Al

Sputter erosion depths in Si films deposited on Al substrates by PVD, CVD and plasma spay methods were measured after exposure to As^+ ions in a DC implanter beam and Ga^+ ions with a scanned FIB. Erosion depths are measured by optical methods. Metallic contamination in the deposited Si films were measured with RBS. Si surface textures were examined by SEM. Graphical abstract Si erosion depths for As^+ and Ga^+ ions normalized to 40 keV As^+ nuclear stopping powers
The Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Torix tukubana (Annelida: Hirudinea: Glossiphoniidae)

Torix tukubana is a poorly understood proboscidate leech species, generally an ectoparasite on amphibian species. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of T. tukubana was sequenced using next-generation sequencing (NGS), and the essential characteristics, gene arrangement, and phylogenetic relationship were analyzed. The results showed that the T. tukubana mitogenome was 14,814 bp in length, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs, and 1 control region (CR). The mitogenome composition presented a strong A + T bias (73.6%). All tRNAs had the typical clover structure except the trnS1 (TCT), whose dihydrouridine (DHU) arm was short, having only one complementary base pair. Additionally, 8 gene order patterns were identified among 25 known Hirudinea species, and T. tukubana was identical to the Hirudinea ground pattern. A phylogenetic analysis based on 13 PCGs indicated that all the studied species clustered into three main clades. The relationships among Hirudinea species were basically consistent with their gene arrangement results, but different from their morphological taxonomy. T. tukubana was in the monophyletic group of Glossiphoniidae, a finding consistent with previous research. Our results provided the essential characteristics of the T. tukubana mitogenome. As the first complete mitogenome of Torix, it could offer valuable information for a systematic understanding of the Hirudinea species.
Control of entanglement between two atoms by the Stark shift

Considering a quantum model consisting of two effective two-level atoms and a single-mode cavity, this paper investigates the entanglement dynamics between the two atoms, and studies the effect of the Stark shift on the entanglement. The results show that, on the one hand the atom–atom entanglement evolves periodically with time and the periods are affected by the Stark shift; on the other hand, the two atoms are not disentangled at any time when the Stark shift is considered, and for large values of the Stark shift parameter, the two atoms can remain in a stationary entangled state. In addition, for the initially partially entangled atomic state, the atom–atom entanglement can be greatly enhanced due to the presence of Stark shift. These properties show that the Stark shift can be used to control entanglement between two atoms.
Dispersion in Electro-Osmotic Flow Through a Slit Channel With Axial Step Changes of Zeta Potential

An analytical study is presented in this paper on hydrodynamic dispersion due to steady electro-osmotic flow (EOF) in a slit microchannel with longitudinal step changes of ζ potential. The channel wall is periodically patterned with alternating stripes of distinct ζ potentials. Existing studies in the literature have considered dispersion in EOF with axial nonuniformity of ζ potential only in the limiting case where the length scale for longitudinal variation is much longer than the cross-sectional dimension of the channel. Hence, the existing theories on EOF dispersion subject to nonuniform charge distributions are all based on the lubrication approximation, by which cross-sectional mixing is ignored. In the present study, the general case where the length of one periodic unit of wall pattern (which involves a step change of ζ potential) is comparable with the channel height, as well as the long-wave limiting case, are investigated. The problem for the hydrodynamic dispersion coefficient is solved numerically in the general case, and analytically in the long-wave lubrication limit. The dispersion coefficient and the plate height are found to have strong, or even nonmonotonic, dependence on the controlling parameters, including the period length of the wall pattern, the area fraction of the EOF-suppressing region, the Debye parameter, the Peclet number, and the ratio of the two ζ potentials.
A Region-Based Image Matching Combining Global and Local Features

A new approach is presented to match two images in presenting large scale changes. The novelty of our algorithm is a hierarchical matching strategy for global region features and local descriptors, which combines the descriptive power of global features and the discriminative power of local descriptors. To predict the likely location and scale of an object, global features extracted from the segmentation regions is used in the first stage for an efficient region matching. This initial matching can be ambiguous due to the instability and unreliability of global region feature, and therefore in the later stage local descriptors are matched within each region pair to discard false positives and the final matches are filtered by RANSAC. Experiments show the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method in comparing to other approaches.