Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative Study of Heat Transfer Parameter Estimation Using Inverse Heat Transfer Models of a Trailing Liquid Nitrogen Jet in Welding

Welding induces distortions and stresses in welded structures. A heat sink trailing the weld arc is one among the methods used to reduce the stresses and distortions. Researchers have made use of cooling agents like atomized water and liquid nitrogen (LN2) jet as trailing heat sinks. As the inclusion of a heat sink alters the temperature distribution, estimation of heat removal due to cooling jet is a prerequisite for the study of the effects of the heat sink on stresses and distortions. Analytical methods for the estimation of heat transfer parameters are complicated due to nonuniform cooling by the impinging jet, boiling heat transfer of cooling jet, stray fluid particles on the work-piece surface, and the sharp localized temperature gradient on the work piece due to weld heat input. Therefore, an inverse heat transfer (IHT) method is adapted to estimate the heat transfer parameters due to heat sink. Experiments were conducted using automated tungsten inert gas welding apparatus on a low-carbon steel work piece with an LN2 trailing jet, and transient temperature history was recorded at select points. A finite-element method is used as a solution procedure for IHT method. The heat transfer parameters are estimated by comparing the temperature history at a point from the experiment with the temperature history of the same point in the finite-element model by an iterative method. The heat transfer coefficient, heat flux of LN2 jet, and effective radius of the jet are estimated using two-dimensional and three-dimensional models.
Research Progress of Fixed Bed Dehumidification System: A Mini Review

Abstract: In recent years, the fixed bed dehumidification system has received extensive attention. Research shows that the fixed bed can be combined with the vapor compression refrigeration system to replace the traditional air conditioning (A/C) system, improve the dehumidification efficiency of the system and reduce energy consumption of A/C. In this study, the optimization and improvement methods of the fixed bed dehumidifier in recent years are introduced in detail firstly. It points out that adding heating/cooling devices to the fixed bed can greatly improve the dehumidification capacity and efficiency of the system, which is the main method to improve the fixed bed currently; Optimizing the structure of fixed bed is also an effective method, but the current research results have limited improvement on dehumidification performance; Optimizing the regeneration mode of fixed bed can improve the utilization rate of renewable energy and improving the overall dehumidification efficiency of the system, but the research in the direction is still insufficient; The parallel double packed bed structure can ensure the continuous operation of the fixed bed to improve the dehumidification efficiency of the system, but such systems are large in scale and high in cost. Then the dehumidification performances of various systems are summarized and comprehensively compared. Finally, the future optimization and improvement direction of the fixed bed is pointed out.
A mono-atomic orbital-based 1D topological crystalline insulator

Topological crystalline insulators (TCIs) are classified by topological invariants defined with respect to the crystalline symmetries of their gapped bulk. The bulk-boundary correspondence then links the topological properties of the bulk to robust observables on the edges, e.g., the existence of robust edge modes or fractional charge. In one dimension, TCIs protected by reflection symmetry have been realized in a variety of systems where each unit cell has spatially distributed degrees of freedom (SDoF). However, these realizations of TCIs face practical challenges stemming from the sensitivity of the resulting edge modes to variations in edge termination and to the local breaking of the protective spatial symmetries by inhomogeneity. Here we demonstrate topologically protected edge states in a mono-atomic, orbital-based TCI that mitigates both of these issues. By collapsing all SDoF within the unit cell to a singular point in space, we eliminate the ambiguity in unit cell definition and hence remove a prominent source of boundary termination variability. The topological observables are also more tolerant to disorder in the orbital energies. To validate this concept, we experimentally realize a lattice of mechanical resonators where each resonator acts as an"atom"that harbors two key orbital degrees of freedom having opposite reflection parity. Our measurements of this system provide direct visualization of the $sp$-hybridization between orbital modes that leads to a non-trivial band inversion in the bulk. Furthermore, as the spatial width of the resonators is tuned, one can drive a transition between a topological and trivial phase. In the future we expect our approach can be extended to realize orbital-based obstructed atomic insulators and TCIs in higher dimensions.
Identifying urban functional zones by capturing multi-spatial distribution patterns of points of interest

ABSTRACT Urban Functional Zone (UFZ) identification is vital for urban planning, renewal, and development. Point of Interest (POI), as one of the most popular data in UFZ studies, is transformed into a geo-corpus under specific sampling strategies, which can be used with Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology to extract geo-semantic features and identify UFZs. However, existing studies only capture a single spatial distribution pattern of POIs, while ignoring the other spatial distribution information. In this paper, we developed an integrated geo-corpus construction approach to capture multi-spatial distribution patterns of POIs that were represented by different modal POI embeddings. Subsequently, random forest model was leveraged to classify UFZs based on those embeddings. A set of combination experiments were designed for performance validation. The results show that our proposed method can effectively identify UFZs with an accuracy of 72.9%, with an improvement of 8.5% compared to the baseline methods. The outcome of this study will help urban planners to better understand UFZs through investigating the integrated spatial distribution patterns of POIs embedded in UFZs.
On characterizing full dimensional weak facets in DEA with variable returns to scale technology

The frontier of the Production Possibility Set (PPS) consists of two types of full dimensional facets, efficient and weak facets. Identification of all facets of the PPS can be used in sensitivity and stability analysis, to find the closet target for inefficient Decision-Making Units (DMUs), and to determine the status of returns to scale of a DMU, among others. There has been a surge of articles on determining efficient facets in recent years. There are, however, many cases where knowledge of weak facets is required for a thorough analysis. This is the case, in particular, when the frontier of the PPS is constructed only of weak facets. The existing algorithms for finding weak facets either require knowledge of all extreme directions of the PPS or applicable only under some restrictions on the position of weak efficient DMUs. We provide a complete characterization of weak facets. Using this characterization, we then devise a different algorithm to find weak facets. We illustrate our algorithm using a numerical example.
MULTILEVEL HIERARCHICAL NETWORK DESIGN

In this paper, we discuss a formulation and solution approach for multilevel single allocation uncapacitated hub location problem (MSAUHLP). We present a quadratic programming formulation for the problem. We also developed an efficient heuristic algorithm using a heuristic model based on GA and TS namely M-GATS to solve the proposed model. We verified and demonstrated the applicability of our method by presenting extensive calculation results based on data given in well known dataset. Our proposed heuristic is very efficient in finding an optimal solution of a large size network (up to 200 nodes) with in a reasonable amount of calculation time.
Status of the GERDA Experiment at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso

The Germanium Detector Array (GERDA) is a low background experiment at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) of the INFN designed to search for the rare neutrinoless double beta decay () of Ge. In its first phase, high purity germanium diodes inherited from the former Heidelberg-Moscow and IGEX experiments are operated “bare” and immersed in liquid argon, with an overall background environment of 10−2 cts/(keV·kg·yr), a factor of ten better than its predecessors. Measurements on two-neutrino double beta decay () giving and recently published background model and pulse shape performances of the detectors are discussed in the paper. A new result on has been recently published with a half-life limit on decay (90% C.L.). A second phase of the experiment is scheduled to start during the year 2014, after a major upgrade shutdown. Thanks to the increased detector mass with new designed diodes and to the introduction of liquid argon instrumentation techniques, the experiment aims to reduce further the expected background to about 10−3 cts/(keV·kg·yr) and to improve the sensitivity to about (90% C.L.).
Boundary element method to the study of a Stokes flow past an obstacle in a channel

The author gives an integral representation for the stream function and for the vorticity, corresponding to the problem of the Stokes flow past an obstacle in a channel. Using the Green's functions of the biharmonic equation and of the Laplace equation for the infinite horizontal strip, the above problem is reduced to a set of integral equations on the boundary of the obstacle. The boundary element method is used to solve these integral equations. The numerical results are given for the case of a circular obstacle.
Effect of combining exogenous fibrolytics enzymes with Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Eucalyptus essential oil on the in vitro ruminal fermentation and digestibility of wheat straw

This study aimed to determine the efficacy of exogenous fibrolytics enzymes (EFE) to create a synergy with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) or essential oil (Eucalyptus globulus) (EO) to promote the in vitro ruminal fermentation and digestibility of wheat straw (WS). The EFE was a mixture (1:1, v/v) of Î²-1, 3-1, 4-glucanase and endo-1,4-Î²-D-xylanase produced by the Trichoderma longibrachiatum. The WS was supplemented with EFE (EFE1=1, EFE2=2 Î¼l/g DM), SC (SC1=0.5, SC2=1 mg/g DM), EO (EO1=30, EO2=60 Î¼l/g DM) and the combinations EFE1+EO1, EFE1+EO2, EFE2+EO1, EFE2+EO2 and EFE1+SC1, EFE1+SC2, EFE2+SC1, EFE2+SC2. Compared to the control, both EFE and SC alone or in combination, improved the rate and the extent of WS fermentation. The potential GP improved only with EFE2, SC1, and EFE2+SC2 by 31.7, 24.9, 37.4% and the rate Rmax by 36, 59.2 and 55.2%, respectively. The organic matter digestibility and the energetic use of WS improved with the highest doses EFE2 and EFE2+SC2. While the EO alone or combined with the EFE had a depressive effect on all fermentation and digestibility parameters. The EFE seems to be more beneficial for the fermentation and digestibility of WS than when it was combined with SC or EO. Therefore, there is no synergetic effect between EFE and SC or EO with the used doses on fibrous by-product like wheat straw.
Influence of Cone Physical Characteristics and Extraction Exposure Period on Seed Yield of Pinus patula

This study examines the correlation between extraction exposure periods and cone physical characteristics on Pinus patula seed yield. Systematic random sampling was employed for tree identification in an even-aged clonal seed orchard, and the laboratory phase was laid down as a factorial experiment with two factors: cone physical characteristics and extraction exposure period at three levels. Seed counts were taken for cones categorized as; heavy, light, narrow, and wide at three extraction exposure periods 6 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours in a constant oven temperature of 65°C. The experiment had 12 (L1,H1,N1,W1,L2,H2,N2,W2,L3,H3,N3,W3)treatments with 60 cones per treatment. The time spent counting and returning cones during the inter-stage observation ranged from 10 to 15 minutes. Data collected were tabulated and means analyzed using ANOVA with results generated as per the objectives. The number of seeds released within the hours of exposure was captured as the seed extraction rate. The first six hours yielded the optimum number of seeds per cone with the mean highest number of seeds from wide cones. The lowest mean number of seeds released observed was 28, from light cones, while the highest mean number of seeds was observed to be 56 from wide cones. Cone sorting based on size before extraction is recommended for optimized seed yield. The stages of seed extraction employed here can be used in mechanized seed extraction cabinets equipped with timers at controlled temperatures.
Survival analysis for personal loan data using generalized additive models

This article presents flexible methods for modeling censored survival data using penalized smoothing splines when the covariate values change for the duration of the study. The Cox proportional hazards model has been widely used for the analysis of censored survival data. However, a number of theoretical problems with respect to the baseline survival function and the baseline cumulative hazard function remain unsolved. The basic concept considered in the present article is to use generalized additive models (GAM) with B-splines to estimate the survival function without the baseline hazard assumption. The proposed methods are discussed according to the way in which they deal with censored observations, competing risk, and time-dependent covariates. We evaluate the performance of the proposed method for predicting loan default with early payment as competing risk using data from a U.K. financial institution.
Dynamics and efficiency of type III solar radio emission

Existing calculations of nonlinear coupling coefficients for fundamental and harmonic emission via three-wave interactions are refined and used to calculate the conversion efficiency of Langmuir energy into electromagnetic waves when the Langmuir waves have the observed bursty form. Resulting field strengths for harmonic emission are found to be consistent with typical International Sun Earth Explorer 3 (ISSE 3) observations at 1 AU. Fundamental emission at 1 AU is found to proceed only when stimulated by the presence of a source of ion sound waves. However, it is argued that electrostatic decay of Langmuir waves can supply the necessary waves provided the driving electron beam is sufficiently fast. Under these conditions, the predicted fundamental field strengths can account for both the highest and typical fields observed; they also dominate the predicted harmonic fields, consistent with observations. This mechanism is also consistent with previous observations that fundamental emission generally occurs early in type III events, when the beam is fastest. For typical parameters it is shown that neither fundamental nor harmonic emission saturates its respective source instability, contrary to previous assumptions. However, saturation cannot be ruled out under particularly favorable conditions.
Responses in left inferior frontal gyrus are altered for speech‐in‐noise processing, but not for clear speech in autism

Autistic individuals often have difficulties with recognizing what another person is saying in noisy conditions such as in a crowded classroom or a restaurant. The underlying neural mechanisms of this speech perception difficulty are unclear. In typically developed individuals, three cerebral cortex regions are particularly related to speech‐in‐noise perception: the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the right insula, and the left inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Here, we tested whether responses in these cerebral cortex regions are altered in speech‐in‐noise perception in autism.
Statistical classification with missing covariates

Summary. Some results related to statistical classification in the presence of missing covariates are presented. We derive representations for the best (Bayes) classifier when some of the covariates can be missing; this is done without imposing any assumptions on the underlying missing probability mechanism. Furthermore, without assuming any missingness‐at‐random type of conditions, we also construct Bayes consistent classifiers that do not require any imputation‐based techniques. Both parametric and non‐parametric situations are considered but the emphasis is on the latter. In addition to simple missingness patterns, we also consider the full Swiss cheese model, where the missing covariates can be anywhere. Both mechanics and the theoretical validity of our results are discussed.
Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) positive methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in raw milk in Punjab

The emergence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as a foodborne pathogen has posed a serious public health issue. Milk is extensively consumed food worldwide. The aim of this study was to estimate the presence of MRSA in raw milk in Punjab, by culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. Raw milk samples (291) were collected from all over Punjab. These 291 samples comprised 204 and 87 cow and buffalomilk samples respectively. The S. aureus was isolated on Baird Parker agar and typical colonies were subjected to biochemical tests and PCR for genus (16S rDNA) and species (nuc) specific detection. All the S. aureus isolates were further subjected to susceptibility testing to oxacillin and detection of mecA gene for methicillin resistance. Out of 291 samples, 42 (14.43%) showed contamination of S. aureus. Prevalence of S. aureus contamination was higher in cow milk (15.68%) than buffalo milk (11.49%). Only, three (1.03%) samples (one from buffalo and two from cow) were positive for MRSA. On SCC mec typing, all the MRSA positive isolates belonged to SCC mec type V, which is characteristic of Community Associated-MRSA (CA-MRSA). One isolate was also positive for pvl gene. PFGE showed that all the four isolates were closely related to each other. The results show that MRSA arepresent in food of animal origin and has potential to spread through it.
Review on the Selection of Aptamers and Application in Paper-Based Sensors

An aptamer is a synthetic oligonucleotide, referring to a single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid or ribonucleic acid ligand produced by synthesis from outside the body using systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) technology. Owing to their special screening process and adjustable tertiary structures, aptamers can bind to multiple targets (small molecules, proteins, and even whole cells) with high specificity and affinity. Moreover, due to their simple preparation and stable modification, they have been widely used to construct biosensors for target detection. The paper-based sensor is a product with a low price, short detection time, simple operation, and other superior characteristics, and is widely used as a rapid detection method. This review mainly focuses on the screening methods of aptamers, paper-based devices, and applicable sensing strategies. Furthermore, the design of the aptamer-based lateral flow assay (LFA), which underlies the most promising devices for commercialization, is emphasized. In addition, the development prospects and potential applications of paper-based biosensors using aptamers as recognition molecules are also discussed.
An Intelligent Multi-Floor Navigational System Based on Speech, Facial Recognition and Voice Broadcasting Using Internet of Things

Modern technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and physical systems used as navigation systems play an important role in locating a specific location in an unfamiliar environment. Due to recent technological developments, users can now incorporate these systems into mobile devices, which has a positive impact on the acceptance of navigational systems and the number of users who use them. The system that is used to find a specific location within a building is known as an indoor navigation system. In this study, we present a novel approach to adaptable and changeable multistory navigation systems that can be implemented in different environments such as libraries, grocery stores, shopping malls, and official buildings using facial and speech recognition with the help of voice broadcasting. We chose a library building for the experiment to help registered users find a specific book on different building floors. In the proposed system, to help the users, robots are placed on each floor of the building, communicating with each other, and with the person who needs navigational help. The proposed system uses an Android platform that consists of two separate applications: one for administration to add or remove settings and data, which in turn builds an environment map, while the second application is deployed on robots that interact with the users. The developed system was tested using two methods, namely system evaluation, and user evaluation. The evaluation of the system is based on the results of voice and face recognition by the user, and the model’s performance relies on accuracy values obtained by testing out various values for the neural network parameters. The evaluation method adopted by the proposed system achieved an accuracy of 97.92% and 97.88% for both of the tasks. The user evaluation method using the developed Android applications was tested on multi-story libraries, and the results were obtained by gathering responses from users who interacted with the applications for navigation, such as to find a specific book. Almost all the users find it useful to have robots placed on each floor of the building for giving specific directions with automatic recognition and recall of what a person is searching for. The evaluation results show that the proposed system can be implemented in different environments, which shows its effectiveness.
Upscaling Groundnut Seed Production and Delivery through Long-Term Public–Private and Development Organization Partnerships: Experiences from Tanzania

Making quality seed of improved legume varieties sustainably available and accessible to farmers in a timely manner and at affordable price is a major challenge in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Overcoming this challenge requires collective and long-term action through public–private and development organization partnerships (PPDOPs). The PPDOP model was tested by key seed system actors under the Tropical Legumes (TL) and Accelerated Varietal Improvement and Seed Delivery of Legumes and Cereals in Africa (AVISA) projects from 2008 to 2021. The study used the case of groundnut in Tanzania to assess the role played by long-term PPDOPs in groundnut seed production and delivery systems. The effectiveness of seed production and delivery models of the various actors involved in the TL and AVISA projects was analyzed. The study used secondary data obtained from annual reports, unpublished and published literature, and institutional websites. The PPDOP model brought about significant changes to the seed systems. It was found that sustained seed production and delivery over a decade enhanced the performance of the groundnut value chain in Tanzania. Under the TL and AVISA projects, a total of 49,046 tons of groundnut from different seed classes were produced through PPDOPs, covering an estimated 613,078 hectares with improved groundnut varieties. The intervention reached 45,201 stakeholders through 3048 demonstration plots, 128 field days, 55 seed fairs, and 8147 tons of small seed packs of 1–5 kg. The study recommends the use of long-term PPDOPs in seed production and delivery systems for greater impacts on increased variety adoption and consistent seed supply and availability in SSA. Long-term PPDOPs ensure proper coordination, open communication, clear accountability, solid trust, and standardized practices among actors in seed production and delivery systems.