Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Novel Aporphine- and Proaporphine–Clerodane Hybrids Identified from the Barks of Taiwanese Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) Thwaites var. pendula with Strong Anti-DENV2 Activity

Hybrid natural products produced via mixed biosynthetic pathways are unique and often surprise one with unexpected medicinal properties in addition to their fascinating structural complexity/diversity. In view of chemical structures, hybridization is a way of diversifying natural products usually through dimerization of two similar or dissimilar subcomponents through a C–C or N–C covalent linkage. Here, we report four structurally attractive diterpene–alkaloid conjugates polyalongarins A–D (1–4), clerodane-containing aporphine and proaporphine alkaloids, the first of its kind from the barks of Taiwanese Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) Thwaites var. pendula. In addition to conventional spectroscopic analysis, single crystal X-ray crystallography was employed to determine the chemical structures and stereo-configurations of 1. Compounds 1–4 were subsequently subjected to in vitro antiviral examination against DENV2 by evaluating the expression level of the NS2B protein in DENV2-infected Huh-7 cells. These compounds display encouraging anti-DENV2 activity with superb EC50 (2.8–6.4 μM) and CC50 values (50.4–200 μM). The inhibitory mechanism of 1–4 on NS2B was further explored drawing on in-silico molecular docking analysis. Based on calculated binding affinities and predicted interactions between the functional groups of 1–4 and the allosteric-site residues of the DENV2 NS2B-NS3 protease, our analysis concludes that the clerodane–aporphine/proaporphine-type hybrids are novel and effective DENV NS2B-NS3 protease inhibitors.
Flow Modeling of Pseudoshocks in Backpressured Ducts

Scramjet operation in the lower hypersonic regime between Mach 4 and 7 is characterized by what is called dual-mode combustion. In this situation, the backpressure generated by heat release in the combustor separates the wall boundary layer upstream of fuel injection, forming a highly complex flow known as a pseudoshock. The pseudoshock phenomenon has been studied extensively in the experimental literature, and its structure has been found to be affected by the duct Mach number, the extent of the wall boundary layer, and the streamwise area distribution of the duct. This paper presents a quasi-one-dimensional analysis technique for calculating the flow through a pseudoshock. It is quite general, and it can be used for ducts with any supersonic inflow, cross-sectional shape, and streamwise area distribution. Comparison of the results of this analysis with experimental data indicates that it provides a good estimate of both the interaction length and the pressure distribution for X-type pseudoshocks that oc.
A REVIEW OF NEW COMPOSITE MATERIALS FOR THERMAL PROTECTION IN AN AERO-ENGINE APPLICATION

The paper is aimed at exploring new composite materials for thermal protection in an aero-engine application. Aluminium hybrid composites have been widely used to substitute materials in the aerospace industry because of their high thermal resistance, wear resistance and strength-to-weight ratio. This review article covers standard fire test results of different types of burners and burn-through times of the composites and polymeric materials. The paper evaluates the performance of different structural composite materials including synthetic fibres, natural fibres and some type of coating on the materials in a pool-fire scenario. It also deals with the practical use of flame retardancy and performance factors including safety in an aircraft related to polymer composites. It was found that most of the materials used could only be categorized as fire resistance materials except GLARE materials and synthetic/natural fibre composites and aerogel composites which showed the characteristic of fireproof materials.
Algorithms for Real-Valued Noisy Damped Sinusoid Parameter Estimation

In this article, an improved version of three state-of-the-art interpolated discrete-time Fourier transform (IpDTFT) algorithms for the estimation of the frequency and the damping factor of noisy damped sinusoids is proposed. Sinusoid amplitude and phase are also estimated. Improvement is obtained by both compensating the effect on the estimated parameters of the spectral leakage from the fundamental image component and minimizing the estimator variance through a suitable selection of the interpolation points. The obtained estimates are then further improved by applying a linear signal fit (LSF) algorithm. The accuracies of the proposed algorithms are compared with each other and with the related Cramér–Rao lower bound through computer simulations. The required computational times are also briefly analyzed in order to assess the algorithms usefulness in real-time applications.
Braneworld models with a non-minimally coupled phantom bulk field: a simple way to obtain the –1-crossing at late times

We investigate general braneworld models, with a non-minimally coupled phantom bulk field and arbitrary brane and bulk matter contents. We show that the effective dark energy of the brane-universe acquires a dynamical nature, as a result of the non-minimal coupling which provides a mechanism for an indirect ``bulk-brane interaction'' through gravity. For late-time cosmological evolution and without resorting to special ansatzes or to specific areas of the parameter space, we show that the –1-crossing of its equation-of-state parameter is general and can be easily achieved. As an example we provide a simple, but sufficiently general, approximate analytical solution, that presents the crossing behavior.
A Lightweight Architecture for Query-by-Example Keyword Spotting on Low-Power IoT Devices

Keyword spotting (KWS) is a task to recognize a keyword or a particular command in a continuous audio stream, which can be effectively applied to a voice trigger system that automatically monitors and processes speech signals. This paper focuses on the problem of user-defined keyword spotting in low-resource settings. A lightweight neural network architecture is developed for tackling the keyword detection task using query-by-example (QbyE) techniques. The architecture uses a convolutional recurrent neural network (CRNN) to extract the frame-level features of input audio signals. A customized model compression method is proposed to compress the network, making it suitable for low power settings. In the keyword enrollment, all enrolled keyword examples are merged to generate a single keyword template, which is responsible for detecting a target keyword in keyword search. To improve the efficiency of keyword searching, a segmental local normalized DTW algorithm is introduced. Experiments on the real-world collected datasets show that our approach consistently outperforms the state-of-the-art methods, and the proposed system can run on an ARM Cortex-A7 processor and achieve real-time keyword detection.
Missing Fe: hydrogenated iron nanoparticles

Although it was found that the FeH lines exist in the spectra of some stars, none of the spectral features in the ISM have been assigned to this molecule. We suggest that iron atoms interact with hydrogen and produce Fe-H nanoparticles which sometimes contain many H atoms. We calculate infrared spectra of hydrogenated iron nanoparticles using density functional theory methods and find broad, overlapping bands. Desorption of H2 could induce spinning of these small Fe-H dust grains. Some of hydrogenated iron nanoparticles posses magnetic and electric moments and should interact with electromagnetic fields in the ISM. FenHm nanoparticles could contribute to the polarization of the ISM and the anomalous microwave emission. We discuss the conditions required to form FeH and FenHm in the ISM.
Antiglycation Effects of Adlay Seed and Its Active Polyphenol Compounds: An In Vitro Study

This study aimed to evaluate the antiglycation effects of adlay on protein glycation using in vitro glycation assays. Adlay seed was divided into the following four parts: the hull (AH), testa (AT), bran (AB), and polished adlay (PA). A solvent extraction technique and column chromatography were utilized to investigate the active fractions and components of adlay. Based on a BSA-glucose assay, the ethanolic extracts of AT (ATE) and AB (ABE) revealed a greater capacity to inhibit protein glycation. ATE was further consecutively partitioned into four solvent fractions with n-hexane, ethyl acetate (ATE-Ea), 1-butanol (ATE-BuOH), and water. ATE-BuOH and -Ea show marked inhibition of glucose-mediated glycation. Medium–high polarity subfractions eluted from ATE-BuOH below 50% methanol with Diaion HP-20, ATE-BuOH-c to -f, exhibited superior antiglycation activity, with a maximum inhibitory percentage of 88%. Two phenolic compounds, chlorogenic acid and ferulic acid, identified in ATE-BuOH with HPLC, exhibited potent inhibition of the individual stage of protein glycation and its subsequent crosslinking, as evaluated by the BSA-glucose assay, BS-methylglyoxal (MGO) assay, and G.K. peptide-ribose assay. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the antiglycation properties of ATE in vitro that suggest a beneficial effect in targeting hyperglycemia-mediated protein modification.
Effect of probe coupling on MOSFET series resistance extraction up to 110 GHz

The measurement of series extrinsic resistances of MOSFETs is not straightforward and the gate resistance (Rg) in particular is very sensitive to noise measurement and measurement inaccuracies. They are critical elements that need an accurate estimation for proper FET modeling and RF figures of merit assessment, as they limit the extrinsic cutoff and maximum oscillation frequencies (ft, fmax) in deeply scaled CMOS technologies. This work compares the extrinsic resistances extraction with different off-wafer and on-wafer calibration and de-embedding methods to provide an insight on the appropriate procedure for accurate correction. Then, measurements obtained with three different probe technologies are compared. A resonance-like signature specific to each probe technology is observed, caused by unwanted coupling between the probe and the on-chip neighbor environment of the test structures. This coupling is not well corrected by the calibration and de-embedding procedure and is reflected back on the corrected measurements, mainly on the fmax and Rg curves. Overall, the best probe technology for DC-110 GHz measurements among the probes tested in this work is identified to be Picoprobe, featuring a gate resistance extraction with less than ±3% variation from 10 to 60 GHz.
Enhanced confinement with increased extent of the low magnetic shear region in tokamak plasmas

The Hamiltonian representation of magnetic field lines enables one to study their confinement properties in tokamaks through the use of symplectic maps such as the symmetric tokamap and its bounded version, the latter being introduced here. In this time-independent purely magnetic framework, we observed the drastic improvement in the confinement of magnetic field lines produced by the local vanishing of the shear profile. This amounts to a non-twist condition that notably acts in the same way the safety profile being (non-strictly) monotonic or having a reversed shear. We single out the effect of the amount of flatness of the safety profile in the vicinity of its zero shear point. All other things being equal, the beneficial effect of the vanishing of the shear profile is shown to be increased if the radial extent of the low-shear region is increased. To be specific, the low-shear region induces the formation of a belt of robust KAM tori acting as an internal transport barrier whose width is all the larger as the extent of the low-shear region is broad.
Clinical Utility of Eye Tracking in Assessing Distractibility in Children with Neurological Disorders or ADHD: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study aims to investigate distractibility quantified by recording and analyzing eye movements during task-irrelevant distraction in children with and without ADHD and in children with and without neurological disorders. Gaze behavior data and press latencies of 141 participants aged 6–17 that were collected during a computerized distraction paradigm with task-irrelevant stimuli (IDistrack) were analyzed. Children using attention-regulating medication were excluded from participation. Data were analyzed for subgroups that were formed based on the presence of neurological disorders and the presence of ADHD separately. Participants with ADHD and participants with neurological disorders spent less time fixating on the target stimuli compared to their peers without ADHD (p = 0.025) or their peers without neurological disorders (p < 0.001). Participants with and without ADHD had equal press latencies (p = 0.79). Participants with neurological disorders had a greater press latency compared to their typically developing peers (p < 0.001). Target fixation duration shows a significant association with parent-reported attention problems (r = −0.39, p < 0.001). We conclude that eye tracking during a distraction task reveals potentially valid clinical information that may contribute to the assessment of dysfunctional attentional processes. Further research on the validity and reliability of this paradigm is recommended.
Prediction Model of the Quality of Life for Patients with Pancreatic Cancer

This study attempted to establish a predictive model that systematically and comprehensively predicts the quality of life (QoL) of patients with pancreatic cancer. The study used a descriptive cross-sectional design. A total of 248 patients was included who were selected via the convenience sampling method. A structured questionnaire was used and the collected data were analyzed for fitness, using the SPSS WIN 25.0 program and AMOS 24.0. The perceived health status of the patients with pancreatic cancer would directly affect their QoL and indirectly influence the QoL through social support, symptoms, functional status, and age. The application of social support intervention programs to relieve specific symptoms and improve the functional status according to the conditions of patients may contribute to improving the QoL of pancreatic cancer patients. This predictive model could be used as the basis for developing a nursing intervention plan and writing evaluation guidelines for practitioners who provide nursing care for patients with pancreatic cancer.
Using GEOBIA and Vegetation Indices to Assess Small Urban Green Areas in Two Climatic Regions

The importance of small urban green areas has increased in the context of rapid urbanization and the densification of the urban tissue. The analysis of these areas through remote sensing has been limited due to the low spatial resolution of freely available satellite images. We propose a timeseries analysis on 3 m resolution Planet images, using GEOBIA and vegetation indices, with the aim of extracting and assessing the quality of small urban green areas in two different climatic and biogeographical regions: temperate (Bucharest, Romania) and mediterranean (Athens, Greece). Our results have shown high accuracy (over 91%) regarding the extraction of small urban green areas in both cities across all the analyzed images. The timeseries analysis showed consistency with respect to location for around 55% of the identified surfaces throughout the entire period. The vegetation indices registered higher values in the temperate region due to the vegetation characteristics and city plan of the two cities. For the same reasons, the increase in the vegetation density and quality, as a result of the distance from the city center, and the decrease in the density of built-up areas, is more obvious in Athens. The proposed method provides valuable insights into the distribution and quality of small urban green areas at the city level and can represent the basis for many analyses, which is currently limited by poor spatial resolution.
Reconstruction of the skull and description of new anatomical features of Diadectes absitus (Diadectidae, Diadectomorpha) from the early Permian of central Germany

ABSTRACT Presented for the first time is a reconstruction of the skull of Diadectes (Diadectomorpha) based on several specimens of a single species Diadectes absitus from the early Permian of central Germany. Since its first discovery at the end of the 19th century the only reconstructions of the skull of Diadectes were without specific designation, despite a rich Permo-Carboniferous fossil record. The skull of D. absitus is reconstructed in dorsal, lateral, posterior, and ventral views and includes exocranial and endocranial elements. The reconstructions of Diadectes presented here are compared with those of all other authors, and the differences are analysed and discussed. The comparisons recognised three features not recorded in other species of Diadectes: (1) anterior and posterior margins of the transverse process of the pterygoid parallel one another; (2) the angle between the posterior margin of the transverse process and the lateral margin of the quadrate ramus of the pterygoid is sharply defined; and (3) the anterior ventral margin of the transverse process of the pterygoid bears a distinct sharp ridge. These characters are discussed in the context of the skull anatomy of Diadectes and inaccuracies in previous cranial reconstructions of the genus are rectified.
Determinants of Severe Asthma – A Long-Term Cohort Study in Northern Sweden

Background Risk factors for severe asthma are not well described. The aim was to identify clinical characteristics and risk factors at study entry that are associated with severe asthma at follow-up in a long-term prospective population-based cohort study of adults with asthma. Methods Between 1986 and 2001, 2055 adults with asthma were identified by clinical examinations of population-based samples in northern Sweden. During 2012–2014, n = 1006 (71% of invited) were still alive, residing in the study area and participated in a follow-up, of which 40 were identified as having severe asthma according to ERS/ATS, 131 according to GINA, while 875 had other asthma. The mean follow-up time was 18.7 years. Results Obesity at study entry and adult-onset asthma were associated with severe asthma at follow-up. While severe asthma was more common in those with adult-onset asthma in both men and women, the association with obesity was observed in women only. Sensitization to mites and moulds, but not to other allergens, as well as NSAID-related respiratory symptoms was more common in severe asthma than in other asthma. Participants with severe asthma at follow-up had lower FEV1, more pronounced FEV1 reversibility, and more wheeze, dyspnea and nighttime awakenings already at study entry than those with other asthma. Conclusion Adult-onset asthma is an important risk factor for development of severe asthma in adults, and obesity increased the risk among women. The high burden of respiratory symptoms already at study entry also indicate long-term associations with development of severe asthma.
MMFNet: Multisensor Data and Multiscale Feature Fusion Model for Intelligent Cross-Domain Machinery Fault Diagnosis

Although cross-domain fault diagnosis has received much attention in intelligent mechanical fault diagnosis, most existing methods only achieve knowledge transfer within the data from a single sensor. For a complex industrial system, multiple sensors are usually required to monitor its operating conditions coordinately. In such a situation, the fault diagnosis capability of existing cross-domain methods might be impaired significantly. To address this issue, in this article, a multisensor data and multiscale feature fusion network (MMFNet) is proposed to achieve cross-domain fault diagnosis using multisensor data. More specifically, a multiscale feature extraction module based on the pyramid principle is designed to fuse both deep and shallow features of the complex raw signal. Then, a Transformer-based multiscale features fusion and domain adaptation module is developed to fuse multiscale features and achieve the domain invariant of the sensor data. Finally, the proposed transferable Transformer is used for multisensor features cross-domain fusion. With the developed MMFNet, the features from multiple sensors can be comprehensively captured so that a more accurate fault diagnosis can be achieved. A series of experiments on a complex planetary gearbox demonstrate the effectiveness and practicability of the proposed method for fault diagnosis.
EXCHANGE RATE RISK IN A NEWSVENDOR FRAMEWORK UNDER A GAMMA- DISTRIBUTED EXCHANGE RATE ERROR AND ISOELASTIC DEMAND

In a global supply chain consisting of one retailer and one manufacturer, both from specific countries, when there is a time lag between the payments made whilst placing the order and the time when the order is realized, threat in the form of exchange rate fluctuation influences the optimal pricing and order quantity decisions. We explain the effect of exchange rate fluctuation underneath Gamma distribution when the retailer or producer undertakes to share the exchange rate risk and the demand error is modelled in the multiplicative form in the news vendor framework.
A Historical Twist on Long-Range Wireless: Building a 103 km Multi-Hop Network Replicating Claude Chappe’s Telegraph

In 1794, French Engineer Claude Chappe coordinated the deployment of a network of dozens of optical semaphores. These formed “strings” that were hundreds of kilometers long, allowing for nationwide telegraphy. The Chappe telegraph inspired future developments of long-range telecommunications using electrical telegraphs and, later, digital telecommunication. Long-range wireless networks are used today for the Internet of Things (IoT), including industrial, agricultural, and urban applications. The long-range radio technology used today offers approximately 10 km of range. Long-range IoT solutions use “star” topology: all devices need to be within range of a gateway device. This limits the area covered by one such network to roughly a disk of a 10 km radius. In this article, we demonstrate a 103 km low-power wireless multi-hop network by combining long-range IoT radio technology with Claude Chappe’s vision. We placed 11 battery-powered devices at the former locations of the Chappe telegraph towers, hanging under helium balloons. We ran a proprietary protocol stack on these devices so they formed a 10-hop multi-hop network: devices forwarded the frames from the “previous” device in the chain. This is, to our knowledge, the longest low power multi-hop wireless network built to date, demonstrating the potential of combining long-range radio technology with multi-hop technology.