Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Theory-Driven Design in Metaverse Virtual Reality Learning Environments: Two Illustrative Cases

The metaverse entails modes of interactivity that hold enormous potential for education in various contexts and domains. The metaverse represents a convergence of technologies, such as immersive virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality, that allow for multimodal engagements with digital objects, virtual environments, and people. In this article, we focus specifically on the ways by which VR interactions with the metaverse can enhance learning and education. In our view, two primary issues have so far hindered the development of successful metaverse educational applications: first, the lack of theory-driven designs that use technologies such as VR in ways that are consistent with what we know about how people learn, and second, insufficient methods of evaluating metaverse technologies that go beyond usability and instead capture their efficacy for improving learning outcomes. To address these issues, this article aims to explore how three learning theories—experiential learning theory, distributed cognition theory, and embodied learning theory—can be applied to the design of educational VR, and how these theories can be leveraged to better support educational applications of the metaverse. We also introduce two science education VR environments developed in our lab that employ these theories to demonstrate how the design and development of the educational metaverse can be guided by research and evaluated on its ability to generate new learning.
Modulatory Effects of Co-Fermented Pu-erh Tea with Aqueous Corn Silk Extract on Gut Microbes and Fecal Metabolites in Mice Fed High-Fat Diet

Pu-erh tea is recognized for its weight loss effects, but its potential association with gut microbiota and metabolites remains unclear. This research explored the alterations in gut flora and metabolite composition upon treatment with a co-fermented Pu-erh tea with an aqueous corn silk extract (CPC) in obese mice by employing integrated 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing and untargeted metabolomics processes. For 8 weeks, mice were fed control, high-fat, and high-fat diets which included a 46 mg/mL CPC extract. The CPC extract the alleviated high-fat diet (HFD), it stimulated systemic chronic inflammation, and it reduced the body weight, daily energy consumption, and adipose tissue weight of the mice. It also modified the gut microbiota composition and modulated the Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Allobaculum, Turicibacter, and Rikenella genera. Fecal metabolomics analysis revealed that the CPC extract influenced the caffeine, cysteine, methionine, tryptophan, biotin metabolism pathways, primary bile acid, and steroid biosynthesis. This research revealed that the CPC extract could inhibit HFD-stimulated abnormal weight gain and adipose tissue accumulation in mice, and modulate mice gut microbiota composition and multiple metabolic pathways.
Research on Microstructure, Synthesis Mechanisms, and Residual Stress Evolution of Polycrystalline Diamond Compacts

The microstructure and residual stress of polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) play crucial roles in the performance of PDCs. Currently, in-depth research is still to be desired on the evolution mechanisms of microstructure and residual stress during high pressure high temperature (HPHT) synthesis process of PDCs. This study systematically investigated the influencing mechanisms of polycrystalline diamond (PCD) layer material design, especially the Co content of the PCD layer, on microstructure and residual stress evolution in PDCs via Raman spectroscopy and finite element micromechanical simulation. The research shows that when the original Co content of the PCD layer is higher than 15 wt. %, the extra Co in the PCD layer will migrate backwards towards the carbide substrate and form Co-enrichment regions at the PCD–carbide substrate interface. As the original Co content of the PCD layer increases from 13 to 20 wt. %, the residual compressive stress of diamond phase at the upper surface center of the PCD layer gradually decreases and transforms into tensile stress. When the original Co content of the PCD layer is as high as 30 wt. %, the residual stress transforms back into significant compressive stress again. The microstructure-based micromechanical simulation at the PCD–carbide substrate interface shows that the Co-enrichment region is the key for the transformation of the residual stress of the diamond phase from tensile stress into significant compressive stress.
Studies on Sensory and Phytochemical Characteristics of Poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) Varieties for Their Oil Utilisation

Poppy is a significant pharmaceutical crop, but the seeds and the cold-pressed oil have a big potential as healthy foods. Breeding has mainly focused on agronomical characteristics and alkaloid content. Here, we compared the sensory values, fatty acid and headspace volatile composition of poppy oils and flours produced from different varieties. Two industrial and four culinary varieties were cultivated in our field in 2021–2022. The sensory test differentiated well among varieties. Typical poppy odour and flavour were stronger both in the oils and the flours of the blue-seed varieties compared to the white-seed ones. For most varieties, the harvest year caused no relevant differences. Linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids were the main components both in oils and flours. Larger differences were detected in the volatiles (e.g., 2 and 3 methyl-butanal and 3 methyl-butanol γ-n-caprolactone, pentofuran), depending on genotype and year. A higher ratio of saturated fatty acids negatively influenced the flavour and odour characteristics. In the headspace volatiles, these features correlated negatively with 2-pentylfuran and hexanal. The oil content of poppy flour has a positive effect on colour, appearance, tactility and poppy flavour. Our results support a goal-oriented use of poppy genotypes for high-quality dietary products.
Etude de l'endommagement en fatigue d'alliages d'aluminium brasés pour échangeurs thermiques automobiles

L'automobile necessite l'utilisation d'echangeurs thermiques permettant d'assurer au moteur des conditions de fonctionnement en temperature acceptables (autour de 90°C). La fiabilite de ces echangeurs ne peut etre negligee car ils peuvent etre a l'origine de complications mecaniques importantes en cas de dysfonctionnement. La maitrise des divers modes d'endommagement des echangeurs thermiques lies aux conditions d’utilisation devient des lors un enjeu incontestable pour les industriels en charge de leur production, tant du point de vue materiaux, que du comportement general de la structure en service (influence du procede d'assemblage, design,.). Les echangeurs thermiques presentent aujourd’hui une sensibilite accrue aux sollicitations thermomecaniques cycliques induites en service, du fait, essentiellement, d’une constante diminution des epaisseurs des composants. Celle-ci est responsable d’une augmentation significative des contraintes internes pour des conditions en service identiques, pouvant avoir pour consequence directe et irreversible la rupture d’un tube, temoin d’une incompatibilite matiere/design/process. Deux configurations matieres industrielles ont ici ete etudiees. Il s’agit de structures tri-couches colaminees de type tube, constituees respectivement de deux et trois alliages d’aluminium distincts (4xxx/3xxx/4xxx ou 4xxx/3xxx/7xxx), pour une epaisseur totale de 270µm. Ces dernieres ont ete developpees pour permettre l’utilisation du procede de brasage comme procede d’assemblage (alliage 4xxx). Toutefois, une telle architecture, combinee a un procede thermique d’assemblage severe (600°C), est responsable d’une modification profonde de la microstructure avec l’apparition de structures de solidification, responsables entre autres de nombreuses irregularites de surface (appelees Gouttes de Placage Residuelles - GPR) ainsi que d’importants gradients de proprietes mecaniques dans l’epaisseur. Ces travaux de recherche s’appuient sur une approche experimentale et numerique developpee pour etudier les mecanismes d'endommagement en fatigue relatifs a de telles structures fines heterogenes. Associant diverses techniques experimentales telles que la correlation d’images numeriques (2D-3D) ou la tomographie a rayons X (de laboratoire ou a l’ESRF), elle permet une analyse precise des mecanismes d’amorcage et de propagation des fissures de fatigue (sur eprouvette de fatigue classique ou de type echangeur thermique). Le role des differents placages dans chacune des phases de l’endommagement a ainsi ete mis en evidence (4xxx : amorcage, 7xxx : propagation des fissures). Des simulations par la methode des elements finis nous ont permis de completer ces observations en proposant une quantification precise de l’influence de l’etat de surface (GPR) sur la tenue en fatigue des eprouvettes testees. Enfin, des essais de fatigue realises directement sur echangeurs thermiques ont permis de corroborer les resultats obtenus sur eprouvettes modeles.
Commercially Fabricated Low Loss Superconducting Resonators Integrated With Detectors for Frequency Domain Multiplexing Readout of Future Cosmic Microwave Background Experiments

Planned Stage-IV cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments call for telescopes with the order of 500 000 transition edge sensor (TES) bolometers. Such large arrays would benefit from detector multiplexing, as well as miniaturization and integration of readout components. In addition, fabrication of micro-fabricated devices at a commercial foundry could potentially boost production rate and reduce overall cost. To this end, HYPRES, Inc., LBNL, and U.C. Berkeley are developing low loss, superconducting LC resonators integrated with antenna coupled TES bolometers for frequency multiplexing readout. The resonators are fabricated on the same wafer and are in the same process flow as the TES detectors, reducing size, weight, and wiring complexity of a detector module compared to the conventional design, where each component is fabricated separately. We have fabricated and tested resonators from 0.6 to 70 MHz, both as standalone devices and integrated with TES bolometers, all fabricated on 150- mm wafers. We discuss the design and fabrication of these devices and present measurements of the standalone resonators.
Ekstrover atau Introver : Klasifikasi Kepribadian Pengguna Twitter dengan Menggunakan Metode Support Vector Machine

Orang bertipe kepribadian ekstrover dan introver sama-sama menggunakan media sosial namun dalam tingkatan berbeda dan dengan alasan yang berbeda pula. Untuk dapat memahami seseorang, profil media sosialnya dapat digunakan sebagai sumber informasi. Pada penelitian ini, dilakukan klasifikasi kepribadian pengguna Twitter ke dalam kelas ekstrover atau introver dengan menggunakan metode Support Vector Machine (SVM). Profil pengguna Twitter diunduh melalui Twitter API sebanyak 46 akun. Pelabelan tipe kepribadian dilakukan berdasarkan hasil kuesioner kepribadian. Jumlah ciri yang digunakan sebanyak 17 ciri. Fungsi kernel yang digunakan adalah kernel RBF. Setelah melakukan seleksi parameter, dilakukan pelatihan untuk mendapatkan model terbaik. Model tersebut digunakan terhadap data uji. Dari hasil pengujian diketahui bahwa metode SVM dapat diterapkan untuk mengklasifikasi kepribadian ekstrover dan introver dengan akurasi sebesar 88,89%.
Platformed audiovisualities on the strategies by female independent musicians

This article discusses insights of a research regarding the platformed audiovisualities on the strategies by the female independent musicians of Porto Alegre (Brazil) and Milan (Italy) during the Covid-19 pandemic, considering their practices of resistance in this period with the usages an appropriation of technology. Based on qualitative research using the cartographic method (Canevacci, 1997), we mapped female musicians (composers, singers and instrumentalists), and their videos, and made interviews. Our analysis shows two relational tendencies, constellations (Canevacci, 1997), which illuminate the information gathered, making it possible to understand and analyse it by means of the empirical data connection and edition, in an interpretative process which holds the knowledge’s luminous sense: 1) the narrative built on the divulgation steps; and 2) the network articulated with the audience and other musicians. Considering their strategies, our research highlights the artivism which is present on their actions. With that, when actualising the audiovisualities, being women and into practices of resistance, they might have also actualised the do-it-yourself ethos in both independent music scenes.
A Smart Leaf Blow Robot Based on Deep Learning Model

Although leaves are everywhere in the world, and they also play a vital role in our daily life, they tend to fall all over the ground in due course, thereby making it difficult for pedestrians and vehicles to move. In this paper, an automatic leaf blower was designed and based on the concept of convolutional neural network(CNN). This system can automatically collect leaves into a garbage bag. A four-wheel driving robot was implemented to drive a blow machine. The control sensors of this robot mainly include a camera, ultrasound, the electronic compass and acceleration. Besides, an ultra-wide band located module was used to obtain the position of the current robot during the working process. Also, the computer vision was employed to recognize whether the leaves are on the ground. For this, ResNet50 deep CNN was used as the training model to recognize the fallen leaves. Since there are many kinds of trees, their leaves are different shape. We collected the images of these leaves as dataset for training, and the recognition rate achieved 92.5%. The obtained result was sent to the controller to control the moving direction of the robot. For the real-time operation, the embedded system was used to sense the leaf data to decide the movement made by the machine based on a control algorithm. The CNN model was implemented with an accelerator on the embedded system for the real-time purpose, which the recognition speed can achieve 20 frames per second form the camera. The automatic leaf blow machine can be possibly used in an effective way instead of human power.
Factorized estimation of high‐dimensional nonparametric covariance
 models

Estimation of covariate‐dependent conditional covariance matrix in a high‐dimensional space poses a challenge to contemporary statistical research. The existing kernel estimators may not be locally adaptive due to using a single bandwidth to explore the smoothness of all entries of the target matrix function. In this paper, we propose a novel framework to address this issue, where we factorize the target matrix into factors and estimate these factors in turn by the kernel approach. The resulting estimator is further regularized by thresholding and optimal shrinkage. Under certain mixing and sparsity conditions, we show that the proposed estimator is well‐conditioned and uniformly consistent with the underlying matrix function even when the sample is dependent. Simulation studies suggest that the proposed estimator significantly outperforms its competitors in terms of integrated root‐squared estimation error. We present an application to financial return data.
Plant domestication, cultivation, and foraging by the first farmers in early Neolithic Northeast China: Evidence from microbotanical remains

North China is regarded as a center of domestication for broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica ssp. italica). The Neolithic Xinglonggou site (ca. 8000–7500 cal. BP) in the Liao River region has revealed the earliest macrobotanical evidence of domesticated millets in Northeast China, but controversy remains as to the importance of the millets in human diet. We employed an interdisciplinary approach involving analyses of starch grains, phytoliths, and usewear patterns to study a range of materials from Xinglonggou, including grinding stones, human dental calculus, and vegetative charcoal. The results demonstrate a broad spectrum of plant exploitation by the first farmers in Northeast China rather than dependence upon singular crops. Furthermore, three types of underground storage organs appear to be major staples, while millets were secondary to another early and important cultivated cereal, Job’s tears (Coix lacryma-jobi L.). Wild grasses and acorns also account for small portions of plants used. This study documents the northernmost and earliest occurrence of Job’s tears in temperate Northeast China, a species which may have originated in the subtropical regions. We argue that Job’s tears may have been one of the earliest domesticates in China along with millets.
Native Pig Neutrophil Products: Insights into Their Antimicrobial Activity

Cationic antimicrobial peptides are molecules with potential applications for treating infections due to their antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties. The aim of this work was to explore the antimicrobial activity and mechanisms of action of a porcine neutrophil cathelicidin mixture (MPPN). Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and experiments of both time–kill kinetics and effects on growth curves were performed. Planar black lipid bilayer conductance was measured to analyze the interaction of MPPN with lipid bilayers. Visualization of bacterial surfaces and membrane alterations was achieved using atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The effects on the activity of efflux pumps (EPs) were studied with an intracellular accumulation of acridine orange (AO) assay. In E. coli, MPPN behaves as a bactericide at high concentrations and as a bacteriostatic at lower concentrations. The bacteriostatic effect was also observed for slightly shorter periods in S. enterica. The mixture was not active on S. aureus. The increase in AO accumulation in the presence of MPPN indicates that, at least in E. coli, the mixture causes inhibition of the EP function. Observed and detected variable conductance events demonstrate a strong MPPN effect on lipid bilayers. Damage to the structure of treated E. coli indicates that MPPN induces alterations in the bacterial surface. The use of AMPs capable of inhibiting EP can be seen as a good tool to combat antimicrobial resistance since they could be used alone or in combination with other conventional antibiotics to which bacteria have become resistant.
FLC-EDC: A Fast Low-Cost Error Detection and Correction Scheme for AVFS System Based on Flip-Flops Resampling in 28-nm CMOS

Error detection and correction techniques are conventionally employed in resilient systems to eliminate timing margins preserved in ICs. However, existing technologies still pose a significant overhead for resiliency or have limitations at near-threshold voltages. This brief presents a low-cost and wide-range timing management scheme FLC-EDC based on resampling. A novel 8-transistor timing detector (8T-TD) with a fast response time of 12.35ps (only 30.3% of 24T DFF’s) at TT, 0.9V, 25°C is proposed, which operates stably across a wide voltage range from 0.29V to 1.1V. Besides, the detection range is extended to a multi-timing detector (multi-TD) with the proposed timing collector, which significantly reduces the power and latency while reducing circuit stages. A compact error correction circuit based on a new mechanism is proposed, which postpones the rising edge of the clock and performs timing recovery through flip-flops resampling. Implemented on a 28nm CMOS neural network accelerator chip across 0.45V−1.1V, it achieves 34.6%/48.7% power reduction and 43.8%/253.4% frequency gain at the super-/near-threshold (0.9V/0.55V) at the cost of 3.27% area overhead. This scheme eliminates almost all timing margins, which effectively saves energy and increases energy efficiency.
A Comparative Study of The Attitude of Hindu and Muslim Women, Their Educational Level and Social Change in Sitamarhi District

Education is an important factor in any society, with the help of which both direction and condition of the society change. In ancient India, traditional education was imparted through religious institutions. In the Vedic period, the status of women was very good and high, women were able to work side-by-side with their husbands and could decide for their future life. She had the right over the property of her father and husband. Swayamvar system was the strong foundation of the social status of women. The study aims to find out the effect of revolution and progress in education due to social change in present times on Hindu and Muslim Women. In the study descriptive research design has been used. It is clear from the result obtained from the study of the data that the social status of Hindu and Muslim women there is a general level of attitude towards change. Women with higher education expressed less attitude and women with less education expressed more attitude. This research would be much useful in future for study related to Hindu and Muslim women in different walks of life.
Encrypted Model Predictive Control of a Nonlinear Chemical Process Network

This work focuses on developing and applying Encrypted Lyapunov-based Model Predictive Control (LMPC) in a nonlinear chemical process network for Ethylbenzene production. The network, governed by a nonlinear dynamic model, comprises two continuously stirred tank reactors that are connected in series and is simulated using Aspen Plus Dynamics. For enhancing system cybersecurity, the Paillier cryptosystem is employed for encryption–decryption operations in the communication channels between the sensor–controller and controller–actuator, establishing a secure network infrastructure. Cryptosystems generally require integer inputs, necessitating a quantization parameter d, for quantization of real-valued signals. We utilize the quantization parameter to quantize process measurements and control inputs before encryption. Through closed-loop simulations under the encrypted LMPC scheme, where the LMPC uses a first-principles nonlinear dynamical model, we examine the effect of the quantization parameter on the performance of the controller and the overall encryption to control the input calculation time. We illustrate that the impact of quantization can outweigh those of plant/model mismatch, showcasing this phenomenon through the implementation of a first-principles-based LMPC on an Aspen Plus Dynamics process model. Based on the findings, we propose a strategy to mitigate the quantization effect on controller performance while maintaining a manageable computational burden on the control input calculation time.
Reflection-type transparent metamaterial polarization rotator with ultra-wide bandwidth

Polarization is the most fundamental property of electromagnetic waves and the key to control its propagation, while conventional methods can only achieve polarization conversion in narrowband and lack of optical transparency. In this paper, we design an ultra-broadband transparent polarization converter consisting of a surface-etched indium tin oxide (ITO)-polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resonator, a laser-cut polymethyl methacrylate layer, and an ITO-PET substrate bonded together. The structure simulation can achieve the co-polarization reflection coefficient less than −10 dB in 13.1–32.3 GHz. Then, we analyze the conversion mechanism from electric field, magnetic field, and surface current distribution. Moreover, the actual test performance achieves polarization conversion over 90% at 11.5–25.2 GHz with wide-angle incidence performance and visible light transmittance up to 53%. The excellent performance of this structure provides a new idea for the future design of ultra-broadband transparent polarization converters and expands the application of polarization converters in optical fields such as RF.