Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BP5 monolayer with multiferroicity and negative Poisson’s ratio: a prediction by global optimization method

Based on global optimization Cuttlefish algorithm, we predict a stable two-dimensional (2D) phase of boron phosphide with 1:5 stoichiometry, i.e. boron pentaphosphide (BP5) monolayer, which has a lower formation energy than that of the commonly believed graphitic phase (g-BP). BP5 monolayer is a multiferroic material with coupled ferroelasticity and ferroelectricity. The predicted reversible strain is up to 41.41%, which is the largest one among all reported ferroelastic materials. Due to the non-centrosymmetric structure and electronegativity differences between boron and phosphorus atoms, an in-plane spontaneous polarization of 1.63 × 10−10 C m−1 occurs in BP5. Moreover, the recently hunted negative Poisson’s ratio property, is also observed in BP5. As an indirect semiconductor with a band gap of 1.34 eV, BP5 displays outstanding optical and electronic properties, for instance strongly anisotropic visible-light absorption and high carrier mobility. Finally, we demonstrate that AlN (0 1 0) surface could be a suitable substrate for epitaxy growth of BP5 monolayer. Due to the rich and extraordinary properties of BP5, it’s considered to be a potential nanomaterial for designing electromechanical or optoelectronic devices, such as nonvolatile memory with conveniently readable/writeable capability.
Of Local Operations and Physical Wires

In this work (multipartite) entanglement, discord and coherence are unified as different aspects of a single underlying resource theory defined through simple and operationally meaningful elemental operations. This is achieved by revisiting the resource theory defining entanglement, Local Operations and Classical Communication (LOCC), placing the focus on the underlying quantum nature of the communication channels. Taking the natural elemental operations in the resulting generalization of LOCC yields a resource theory that singles out coherence in the wire connecting the spatially separated systems as an operationally useful resource. The approach naturally allows to consider a reduced setting as well, namely the one with only the wire connected to a single quantum system, which leads to discord-like resources. The general form of free operations in this latter setting is derived and presented as a closed form. We discuss in what sense the present approach defines a resource theory of quantum discord and in which situations such an interpretation is sound -- and why in general discord is not a resource. This unified and operationally meaningful approach makes transparent many features of entanglement that in LOCC might seem surprising, such as the possibility to use a particle to entangle two parties, without it ever being entangled with either of them, or that there exist different forms of multipartite entanglement.
Complete genome sequence of functional probiotic candidate Lactobacillus amylovorus CACC736

Abstract Lactobacillus amylovorus CACC736 was originated from swine feces in Korea. The complete genome sequences of the strain contained one circular chromosome (2,057,809 base pair [bp]) with 38.2% guanine-cytosine (GC) content and two circular plasmids, namely, pCACC736-1 and pCACC736-2. The predicted protein-coding genes, which are encoding the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated proteins, biosynthesis of bacteriocin (helveticin J), and the related proteins of the bile, acid tolerance. Notably, the genes related to vitamin B-group biosynthesis (riboflavin and cobalamin) were also found in L. amylovorus CACC736. Collectively, the complete genome sequence of the L. amylovorus CACC736 will aid in the development of functional probiotics in the animal industry.
Stereolithographically 3D Printed SiC Metastructure for Ultrabroadband and High Temperature Microwave Absorption

Broadband microwave absorption is essential on the realms of electromagnetic compatibility and protection in civil application scenarios. However, coordination of material and structure is difficult without proper iterative design between material and structure resulting in insurmountable drawbacks of traditional microwave absorption medium operating under high temperature erosion. Herein, SiC metastructure is manufactured in bulk by stereolithographic 3D printing. The dielectric loss tangent of SiC sintered body is over 0.5 and up to 1.5 at most showing good electromagnetic energy dissipation properties. The optimized SiC metastructure with complicated suspended features achieves −10 dB broadband microwave absorption from 6.96 to 40 GHz at room temperature (RT) across total frequency range of 33.04 GHz. The proposed SiC metastructure is able to endure in situ 1000 °C and ex situ 1600 °C erosion in air atmosphere maintaining −10 dB effective bandwidth in 4.54–40 and 10.89–39.67 GHz, respectively. Broadband microwave absorption under oblique incidence from 0° to 60° is also achieved in a wide temperature range from RT to 1600 °C. The densification of SiC results in a high mechanical strength of 217.36 MPa for structural load bearing applications. The intrinsic electromagnetic variation of SiC under different temperature is relaxed and adapted to the metastructure design. The functions of broadband microwave absorption and high temperature protection are integrated into one metastructure.
ANALYTICAL LIGHT CURVE MODELS OF SUPERLUMINOUS SUPERNOVAE: χ2-MINIMIZATION OF PARAMETER FITS

We present fits of generalized semi-analytic supernova (SN) light curve (LC) models for a variety of power inputs including 56Ni and 56Co radioactive decay, magnetar spin-down, and forward and reverse shock heating due to supernova ejecta–circumstellar matter (CSM) interaction. We apply our models to the observed LCs of the H-rich superluminous supernovae (SLSN-II) SN 2006gy, SN 2006tf, SN 2008am, SN 2008es, CSS100217, the H-poor SLSN-I SN 2005ap, SCP06F6, SN 2007bi, SN 2010gx, and SN 2010kd, as well as to the interacting SN 2008iy and PTF 09uj. Our goal is to determine the dominant mechanism that powers the LCs of these extraordinary events and the physical conditions involved in each case. We also present a comparison of our semi-analytical results with recent results from numerical radiation hydrodynamics calculations in the particular case of SN 2006gy in order to explore the strengths and weaknesses of our models. We find that CS shock heating produced by ejecta–CSM interaction provides a better fit to the LCs of most of the events we examine. We discuss the possibility that collision of supernova ejecta with hydrogen-deficient CSM accounts for some of the hydrogen-deficient SLSNe (SLSN-I) and may be a plausible explanation for the explosion mechanism of SN 2007bi, the pair-instability supernova candidate. We characterize and discuss issues of parameter degeneracy.
SPITZER SECONDARY ECLIPSES OF THE DENSE, MODESTLY-IRRADIATED, GIANT EXOPLANET HAT-P- 20 b ?> USING PIXEL-LEVEL DECORRELATION

HAT-P-20b is a giant metal-rich exoplanet orbiting a metal-rich star. We analyze two secondary eclipses of the planet in each of the 3.6 and 4.5 μm bands of Warm Spitzer. We have developed a simple, powerful, and radically different method to correct the intra-pixel effect for Warm Spitzer data, which we call pixel-level decorrelation (PLD). PLD corrects the intra-pixel effect very effectively, but without explicitly using—or even measuring—the fluctuations in the apparent position of the stellar image. We illustrate and validate PLD using synthetic and real data and comparing the results to previous analyses. PLD can significantly reduce or eliminate red noise in Spitzer secondary eclipse photometry, even for eclipses that have proven to be intractable using other methods. Our successful PLD analysis of four HAT-P-20b eclipses shows a best-fit blackbody temperature of 1134 ± 29 K, indicating inefficient longitudinal transfer of heat, but lacking evidence for strong molecular absorption. We find sufficient evidence for variability in the 4.5 μm band that the eclipses should be monitored at that wavelength by Spitzer, and this planet should be a high priority for James Webb Space Telescope spectroscopy. All four eclipses occur about 35 minutes after orbital phase 0.5, indicating a slightly eccentric orbit. A joint fit of the eclipse and transit times with extant RV data yields e cos &ohgr; = 0.01352 − 0.00057 + 0.00054 ? > and establishes the small eccentricity of the orbit to high statistical confidence. HAT-P-20b is another excellent candidate for orbital evolution via Kozai migration or other three-body mechanisms.
TNP Analogues Inhibit the Virulence Promoting IP3-4 Kinase Arg1 in the Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans

New antifungals with unique modes of action are urgently needed to treat the increasing global burden of invasive fungal infections. The fungal inositol polyphosphate kinase (IPK) pathway, comprised of IPKs that convert IP3 to IP8, provides a promising new target due to its impact on multiple, critical cellular functions and, unlike in mammalian cells, its lack of redundancy. Nearly all IPKs in the fungal pathway are essential for virulence, with IP3-4 kinase (IP3-4K) the most critical. The dibenzylaminopurine compound, N2-(m-trifluorobenzylamino)-N6-(p-nitrobenzylamino)purine (TNP), is a commercially available inhibitor of mammalian IPKs. The ability of TNP to be adapted as an inhibitor of fungal IP3-4K has not been investigated. We purified IP3-4K from the human pathogens, Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans, and optimised enzyme and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assays to determine the half inhibitory concentration (IC50) and binding affinity (KD), respectively, of TNP and 38 analogues. A novel chemical route was developed to efficiently prepare TNP analogues. TNP and its analogues demonstrated inhibition of recombinant IP3-4K from C. neoformans (CnArg1) at low µM IC50s, but not IP3-4K from C. albicans (CaIpk2) and many analogues exhibited selectivity for CnArg1 over the human equivalent, HsIPMK. Our results provide a foundation for improving potency and selectivity of the TNP series for fungal IP3-4K.
Alternaria species in section Alternaria associated with Iris plants in China

Plants of the Iris genus have been widely cultivated because of their medicinal, ornamental, and economic values. It commonly suffers from Alternaria leaf spot or blight disease leading to considerable losses for their commercial values. During an investigation of 14 provinces or municipalities of China from 2014 to 2022, a total of 122 Alternaria strains in section Alternaria were obtained from diseased leaves of Iris spp. Among them, 12 representative strains were selected and identified based on morphological characterization and multi-locus phylogenetic analysis, which encompassed the internal transcribed spacer of rDNA region (ITS), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), translation elongation factor 1 alpha (TEF1), RNA polymerase second largest subunit (RPB2), Alternaria major allergen gene (Alt a 1), an anonymous gene region (OPA10-2), and endopolygalacturonase gene (EndoPG). The strains comprised two known species of A. alternata and A. iridicola, and two new species of A. setosae and A. tectorum, which were described and illustrated here. Their pathogenicity evaluated on Iris setosa indicated that all the strains could induce typical Alternaria leaf spot or blight symptoms. The results showed that the virulence was variable among those four species, from which A. tectorum sp. nov. was the most virulent one, followed by A. setosae sp. nov., A. iridicola and A. alternata.
Early Monitoring of Cotton Verticillium Wilt by Leaf Multiple "Symptom" Characteristics

Early diagnosis of cotton verticillium wilt (VW) and accurate assessment of the disease degree are important prerequisites for preventing the large-scale development of cotton VW. Hyperspectral techniques have been widely used for monitoring the extent of plant diseases, but early detection of VW disease in cotton remains a challenge. In this study, the Boruta algorithm was used to select the key physiological characteristics (leaf temperature, chlorophyll a content, and equivalent water thickness) of cotton leaves at the early stage of VW disease, and then the Relief-F algorithm was used to select the spectral features indicating multiple “symptoms” of cotton VW disease at the early stage. In addition, a new cotton VW early monitoring indicator (CVWEI) was constructed by combining the weights of the new index and related bands using a hierarchical analysis (AHP) and entropy weighting method (EWM). The study showed that the physiological indices constructed under VW stress were better indicators of VW disease than traditional vegetation indices; CVEWI achieved a high accuracy of 95% in the test set, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.89; and the test set R2 was 0.73 and RMSE was 3.15% for monitoring disease severity, compared to the optimal classification constructed using a single spectral index. The results may provide new ideas and methods for early and accurate monitoring of VW and other fungal diseases.
DFT Investigations on the Ring-Opening Polymerization of Trimethylene Carbonate Catalysed by Heterocyclic Nitrogen Bases

Organocatalysts for polymerization have known a huge interest over the last two decades. Among them, heterocyclic nitrogen bases are widely used to catalyse the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of heterocycles such as cyclic carbonates. We have investigated the ring-opening polymerization of trimethylene carbonate (TMC) catalysed by DMAP (4-dimethylaminopyridine) and TBD (1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene) as case studies in the presence of methanol as co-initiator by Density Functional Theory (DFT). A dual mechanism based on H-bond activation of the carbonyl moieties of the monomer and a basic activation of the alcohol co-initiator has been shown to occur more preferentially than a direct nucleophilic attack of the carbonate monomer by the heterocyclic nitrogen catalyst. The rate-determining step of the mechanism is the ring opening of the TMC molecule, which is slightly higher than the nucleophilic attack of the TMC carbonyl by the activated alcohol. The calculations also indicate TBD as a more efficient catalyst than DMAP. The higher energy barrier found for DMAP vs. TBD, 23.7 vs. 11.3 kcal·mol−1, is corroborated experimentally showing a higher reactivity for the latter.
Mergers as a competitiveness strategy in different business sectors during economic crisis period: Evidence from Greece

This paper investigates the accounting performance of companies listed on the Athens Stock Exchange after mergers by the industrial sector during the period of the financial crisis in Greece. More specifically, all mergers of listed companies during the period 2012–2016 are examined, with the analysis of a final sample of twenty-six companies listed on the Athens Stock Exchange. The evaluation of the accounting statements and the performance of Greek listed companies is done by extracting and comparing various figures from them (financial ratios) before and after the implementation of mergers. This research is based on the methodology of Healy, Palepu, and Ruback (1992) and Ramaswamy and Waegelein (2003) in order to explore if there is a positive or negative result from the merger transaction. The research results did not show any statistically significant change in any of the research financial ratios after the mergers. However, the effect of the absorbing company’s industry was examined in relation to the analyzed financial ratios and no better performance was observed for those in any industry. Finally, mergers as a competitiveness strategy in the business arena managed to provide the involved companies with a stable accounting performance during the crisis period in Greece.
Are We Taking Off? A Critical Review of Urban Aerial Cable Cars as an Integrated Part of Sustainable Transport

The overall growth of the world’s population and urbanization lead to rethinking transport planning, further developing the conventional transport systems, and complementing new ones usefully, especially in urban environments. One way to cope with this challenge is to leave behind the already severely saturated urban land use model and move to the third dimension. This includes the use of urban aerial cable cars, which can complement conventional public transport in certain transport relations. Accordingly, this paper aims to answer how the recent, past, or planned implementations of urban aerial cable cars are assessed in the scientific literature, what open research questions need to be answered to enhance the success of transport systems, and what the chances are of cable cars becoming a standard part of transport planners’ repertoires. Following systematic literature review methods, 54 studies from different databases were identified and processed in a multi-stage procedure to provide transparent insight into the relevant literature. The results, especially concerning urban and transport integration, are discussed in detail, emphasizing that cable cars have already partially found their niche, but their role in the urban environment has not yet been sufficiently studied. In conclusion, the study’s originality fills the gap in providing a review of urban aerial cable cars from a transport planning perspective by systematically considering today’s globally available literature.
Experimental Study of Garlic Root Cutting Based on Deep Learning Application in Food Primary Processing

Garlic root cutting is generally performed manually; it is easy for the workers to sustain hand injuries, and the labor efficiency is low. However, the significant differences between individual garlic bulbs limit the development of an automatic root cutting system. To address this problem, a deep learning model based on transfer learning and a low-cost computer vision module was used to automatically detect garlic bulb position, adjust the root cutter, and cut garlic roots on a garlic root cutting test bed. The proposed object detection model achieved good performance and high detection accuracy, running speed, and detection reliability. The visual image of the output layer channel of the backbone network showed the high-level features extracted by the network vividly, and the differences in learning of different networks clearly. The position differences of the cutting lines predicted by different backbone networks were analyzed through data visualization. The excellent and stable performance indicated that the proposed model had learned the correct features in the data of different brightness. Finally, the root cutting system was verified experimentally. The results of three experiments with 100 garlic bulbs each indicated that the mean qualified value of the system was 96%. Therefore, the proposed deep learning system can be applied in garlic root cutting which belongs to food primary processing.
Interplay between heartbeat oscillations and wind outflow in microquasar IGR J17091-3624

During the bright outburst in 2011, the black hole candidate IGR J17091-3624 exhibited strong quasi-periodic flare-like events (on timescales of tens of seconds) in some characteristic states, the so-called heartbeat state. From the theoretical point of view, these oscillations may be modeled by the process of accretion disk instability, driven by the dominant radiation pressure and enhanced heating of the plasma. Although the mean accretion rate in this source is probably below the Eddington limit, the oscillations will still have large amplitudes. As the observations show, the source can exhibit strong wind outflow during the soft state. This wind may help to partially or even completely stabilize the heartbeat. Using our hydrodynamical code GLADIS, we modeled the evolution of an accretion disk responsible for X-ray emission of the source. We accounted for a variable wind outflow from the disk surface. We examined the data archive from the Chandra and XMM-Newton satellites to find the observed limitations on the wind physical properties, such as its velocity and ionization state. We also investigated the long-term evolution of this source, which lasted over about 600 days of observations, using the data collected by the Swift and RXTE satellites. During this long period, the oscillations pattern and the observable wind properties changed systematically. We found that this source probably exhibits observable outbursts of appropriate timescales and amplitudes as a result of the disk instability. Our model requires a substantial wind component to explain the proper variability pattern, and even complete suppression of flares in some states. The wind mass-loss rate extracted from the data agrees quantitatively well with our scenario.
Nonidealities in Rotating Detonation Engines

A rotating detonation engine (RDE) is a realization of pressure-gain combustion, wherein a traveling detonation wave confined in a chamber provides shock-based compression along with chemical heat release. Due to the high wave speeds, such devices can process high mass flow rates in small volumes, leading to compact and unconventional designs. RDEs involve unsteady and multiscale physics, and their operational characteristics are determined by an equilibrium between large- and small-scale processes. While RDEs can provide a significant theoretical gain in efficiency, achieving this improvement requires an understanding of the multiscale coupling. Specifically, unavoidable nonidealities, such as unsteady mixing, secondary combustion, and multiple competing waves associated with practical designs, need to be understood and managed. The secondary combustion processes arise from fuel/air injection and unsteady and incomplete mixing, and can create spurious losses. In addition, a combination of multiple detonation and secondary waves compete and define the dynamical behavior of mixing, heat release distribution, and the overall mode of operation of the device. This review discusses the current understanding of such nonidealities and describes the tools and techniques used to gain insight into the extreme unsteady environment in such combustors. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, Volume 55 is January 2023. Please see http://www.annualreviews. org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.