Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A mobility and load aware OLSR routing protocol for UAV mobile ad-hoc networks

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are widely used in military and civilian fields, which promotes the need of networking. Due to the complex features of UAV MANET, the development of UAV MANET faces many technical challenges, such as routing. Generally speaking, Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) protocol gives better performance on delay compare to AODV protocol, so the OLSR protocol meets the high demand for real-time of UAV communication. High mobility and load imbalanced are two significant characteristics of UAV networks. The performance of UAV networks is largely affected by these characteristics. In order to reduce the effects of these problems, a Mobility and Load aware OLSR (ML-OLSR) protocol is proposed in this paper. The mobility-aware algorithm and load-aware algorithm are introduced to the OLSR protocol. The modelling and simulation of the ML-OLSR protocol was completed within QualNet simulator. Simulation results show that ML-OLSR outperforms the original OLSR protocol in terms of packet delivery ratio and average end-to-end delay.
Zinc Oxide-Encapsulated Copper Nanowires for Stable Transparent Conductors

Cu nanowire (NW)-based transparent conductors are considered to be highly promising constituents of next-generation flexible transparent electronics. However, the fast oxidation of copper under ambient conditions hinders the use of Cu NWs. Herein, we demonstrate a low-cost and scalable approach for preparing a ZnO shell on the surface of Cu NWs under ambient conditions. The covered ZnO shells enhance the oxidative stability of Cu NWs. The optical and electrical properties of ZnO@Cu NWs remain similar to the original performance of the Cu NWs (for example, before encapsulating: 13.5 Ω/sq. at 84.3%, after encapsulating: 19.2 Ω/sq. at 86.7%), which indicates that encapsulation with a ZnO shell enables the preservation of the transparency and conductivity of Cu NW networks. More importantly, the ZnO@Cu NWs exhibit excellent stability in terms of long-term storage, hot/humid environments, and strong oxidizing atmosphere/solution.
Rheology of water ices V and VI

We have measured the mechanical strength (σ) of pure water ices V and VI under steady state deformation conditions. Constant displacement rate compressional tests were conducted in a gas apparatus at confining pressures from 400 250 K. Ices V and VI are thus rheologically distinct but by coincidence have approximately the same strength under the conditions chosen for these experiments. To avoid misidentification, these tests are therefore accompanied by careful observations of the occurrences and characteristics of phase changes. One sample each of ice V and VI was quenched at pressure to metastably retain the high-pressure phase and the acquired deformation microstructures; X ray diffraction analysis of these samples confirmed the phase identification. Surface replicas of the deformed and quenched samples suggest that ice V probably deforms largely by dislocation creep, while ice VI deforms by a more complicated process involving substantial grain size reduction through recrystallization.
Structural heterogeneities around the megathrust zone of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake from tomographic inversion of onshore and offshore seismic observations

We performed a three‐dimensional seismic tomography around the coseismic slip area of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. By combining data from the aftershock period collected by ocean bottom seismographs (OBSs), OBS data from previous studies off the Miyagi coast, and land seismic data, we modeled the detailed seismic velocity structure along the plate boundary from the Japan Trench to near the coastline. Our results indicate that VP, VS, and VP/VS along the plate boundary change drastically about 60 km landward from the trench axis. Trenchward of this boundary, velocities are consistent with a fluid‐rich environment (low VP and VS and high VP/VS) associated with the occurrence of sediment compaction and opal‐to‐quartz metamorphism. This area also corresponds to the contact between the slab and upper crust or between the slab and the sediment layer. A comparison of our results with numerical simulations and geological studies suggests that thermal pressurization might have occurred near the trench axis during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. To the west of this boundary, where VP, VS, and VP/VS have moderate values, our model showed small‐scale heterogeneous structures in the subducted oceanic crust near the hypocenter of the Tohoku earthquake with regions of low and high VP/VS on the updip and downdip sides of the hypocenter, respectively. We interpret the former as corresponding to the strong coupling patch and the latter as the localized fluid‐rich zone. Small‐scale heterogeneities thus may affect the nucleation and rupture processes of large earthquakes.
Spatial distribution of PCDDs, PCDFs and dl-PCBs along the cascade of urban reservoirs

The river environment is a highly complex system with a variety of processes continuously changing along its continuum (River Continuum Concept). Therefore identification of the threats that result from different elements of the river ecosystem is an intricate task, mainly because of the transportation and biological, geological and chemical processes occurring in such a system. The overall objective of the presented study was to examine the concentration and pattern of polychlorinated dibenzo- para -dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in the five urban, cascade reservoirs. The obtained data demonstrated an increasing total concentration of toxic PCDDs/PCDFs and dl-PCBs along the studied reservoirs starting from 266 ng/kg d.w. in the first pond up to 11,400 ng/kg d.w. in the last pond, wherein the highest World Health Organization – Toxic Equivalent (WHO-TEQ) concentration (18.9 ng TEQ/kg d.w.) was also recorded. The exception from this rule, with the lowest total and WHO-TEQ concentrations (182 ng/kg d.w. and 1.31 ng TEQ/kg d.w., respectively) was the middle newly constructed III reservoir, equipped with the sediment traps and sand separators at the stormwater outlets and ecotone zones around its catchment for enhancing the purification of inflowing stormwater. This situation may indicate the importance of such solutions for the reduction of PCDDs, PCDFs and dl-PCBs in the urban water ecosystems.
A Detailed Comparative Analysis of the Structural Stability and Electron-Phonon Properties of ZrO2: Mechanisms of Water Adsorption on t-ZrO2 (101) and t-YSZ (101) Surfaces

In this study, we considered the structural stability, electronic properties, and phonon dispersion of the cubic (c-ZrO2), tetragonal (t-ZrO2), and monoclinic (m-ZrO2) phases of ZrO2. We found that the monoclinic phase of zirconium dioxide is the most stable among the three phases in terms of total energy, lowest enthalpy, highest entropy, and other thermodynamic properties. The smallest negative modes were found for m-ZrO2. Our analysis of the electronic properties showed that during the m–t phase transformation of ZrO2, the Fermi level first shifts by 0.125 eV toward higher energies, and then decreases by 0.08 eV in the t–c cross-section. The band gaps for c-ZrO2, t-ZrO2, and m-ZrO2 are 5.140 eV, 5.898 eV, and 5.288 eV, respectively. Calculations based on the analysis of the influence of doping 3.23, 6.67, 10.35, and 16.15 mol. %Y2O3 onto the m-ZrO2 structure showed that the enthalpy of m-YSZ decreases linearly, which accompanies the further stabilization of monoclinic ZrO2 and an increase in its defectiveness. A doping-induced and concentration-dependent phase transition in ZrO2 under the influence of Y2O3 was discovered, due to which the position of the Fermi level changes and the energy gap decreases. It has been established that the main contribution to the formation of the conduction band is made by the p-states of electrons, not only for pure systems, but also those doped with Y2O3. The t-ZrO2 (101) and t-YSZ (101) surface models were selected as optimal surfaces for water adsorption based on a comparison of their surface energies. An analysis of the mechanism of water adsorption on the surface of t-ZrO2 (101) and t-YSZ (101) showed that H2O on unstabilized t-ZrO2 (101) is adsorbed dissociatively with an energy of −1.22 eV, as well as by the method of molecular chemisorption with an energy of −0.69 eV and the formation of a hydrogen bond with a bond length of 1.01 Å. In the case of t-YSZ (101), water is molecularly adsorbed onto the surface with an energy of −1.84 eV. Dissociative adsorption of water occurs at an energy of −1.23 eV, near the yttrium atom. The results show that ab initio approaches are able to describe the mechanism of doping-induced phase transitions in (ZrO2+Y2O3)-like systems, based on which it can be assumed that DFT calculations can also flawlessly evaluate other physical and chemical properties of YSZ, which have not yet been studied quantum chemical research. The obtained results complement the database of research works carried out in the field of the application of biocompatible zirconium dioxide crystals and ceramics in green energy generation, and can be used in designing humidity-to-electricity converters and in creating solid oxide fuel cells based on ZrO2.
Transcriptomics Reveals the Mechanism of Rosa roxburghii Tratt Ellagitannin in Improving Hepatic Lipid Metabolism Disorder in db/db Mice

A complex metabolic disorder, type 2 diabetes, was investigated to explore the impact of ellagitannin, derived from Rosa roxburghii Tratt (RTT), on liver lipid metabolism disorders in db/db mice. The findings demonstrated that both RTT ellagitannin (C1) and RTT ellagic acid (C4) considerably decelerated body mass gain in db/db mice, significantly decreased fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels, and mitigated the aggregation of hepatic lipid droplets. At LDL-C levels, C1 performed substantially better than the C4 group, exhibiting no significant difference compared to the P (positive control) group. An RNA-seq analysis further disclosed that 1245 differentially expressed genes were identified in the livers of experimental mice following the C1 intervention. The GO and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that, under ellagitannin intervention, numerous differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in fatty acid metabolic processes, the PPAR signaling pathway, fatty acid degradation, fatty acid synthesis, and other lipid metabolism-related pathways. The qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis results indicated that RTT ellagitannin notably upregulated the gene and protein expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). In contrast, it downregulated the gene and protein expression levels of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP), recombinant fatty acid synthase (FASN), and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC). Therefore, RTT ellagitannin can activate the PPAR signaling pathway, inhibit fatty acid uptake and de novo synthesis, and ameliorate hepatic lipid metabolism disorder in db/db mice, thus potentially aiding in maintaining lipid homeostasis in type 2 diabetes.
Ultrasound-Responsive Nanobubbles for Combined siRNA-Cerium Oxide Nanoparticle Delivery to Bone Cells

This study aims to present an ultrasound-mediated nanobubble (NB)-based gene delivery system that could potentially be applied in the future to treat bone disorders such as osteoporosis. NBs are sensitive to ultrasound (US) and serve as a controlled-released carrier to deliver a mixture of Cathepsin K (CTSK) siRNA and cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeNPs). This platform aimed to reduce bone resorption via downregulating CTSK expression in osteoclasts and enhance bone formation via the antioxidant and osteogenic properties of CeNPs. CeNPs were synthesized and characterized using transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The mixture of CTSK siRNA and CeNPs was adsorbed to the surface of NBs using a sonication method. The release profiles of CTSK siRNA and CeNPs labeled with a fluorescent tag molecule were measured after low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) stimulation using fluorescent spectroscopy. The maximum release of CTSK siRNA and the CeNPs for 1 mg/mL of NB-(CTSK siRNA + CeNPs) was obtained at 2.5 nM and 1 µg/mL, respectively, 3 days after LIPUS stimulation. Then, Alizarin Red Staining (ARS) was applied to human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining was applied to human osteoclast precursors (OCP) to evaluate osteogenic promotion and osteoclastogenic inhibition effects. A higher mineralization and a lower number of osteoclasts were quantified for NB-(CTSK siRNA + CeNPs) versus control +RANKL with ARS (p < 0.001) and TRAP-positive staining (p < 0.01). This study provides a method for the delivery of gene silencing siRNA and CeNPs using a US-sensitive NB system that could potentially be used in vivo and in the treatment of bone fractures and disorders such as osteoporosis.
LIVING WITH EARTHQUAKES: KNOW YOUR FAULTS

Over the last 20 years our understanding of how active faults move in earthquakes, and our ability to recognise them before they move, has increased dramatically. From a situation in the 1970s when even the most fundamental characteristics of earthquake faults, such as their depth and orientation, were known only crudely, we can now resolve precise details of their shape, position and even slip variation over their surface, without going anywhere near the epicentral region. These advances have come through the combined use of seismology and space-based surveying techniques, particularly GPS and radar interferometry, so that we are now concerned with apparent discrepancies between the results from these various techniques at a level that would have been dismissed as noise just a few years ago. At the same time we have become much better at identifying active earthquake-generating structures before they move, largely through appreciating the signature they produce in the landscape at the surface. This review outlines some of these developments and discusses where they are taking us. Perhaps we will be less embarrassed in the future than we have been in the recent past by large earthquakes that occurred on faults that were unknown or unappreciated at the time, but most of which could have been identified beforehand, given our better understanding of what to look for. We also have a much better idea of how to visualise the deformation of the continents which, after all, is where we live and where earthquakes cause most damage. The continents behave quite unlike the rigid plates in the oceans: they crumple or fragment over huge regions, so that it makes no sense to ask: “what plate is Greece, or Tibet, on? ” The challenge has been to work out the overall motions in such places and see how they are achieved by slip on faults in earthquakes. Some of the processes we can see occurring today require the faulting to evolve with time and we are starting to recognise this in the landscape, identifying faults that grow, interact, or even die, becoming inactive. We are progressing beyond the goal of trying to understand how faulting achieves the present-day large-scale motions to the more profound question of how the fault configurations have evolved through time. Many of these developments have direct application in earthquake hazard assessment, in that they help us to identify active geological structures and to anticipate the likely surface deformations that accompany seismic slip on faults at depth.
Topographic Influences on Wind-Driven, Stratified Flow in a β-Plane Channel: An Idealized Model for the Antarctic Circumpolar Current

Abstract Topographic influences are examined in an eddy-resolving model of oceanic channel flow forced by steady zonal winds. With small explicit lateral friction, transient eddies generated by the baroclinic instability of the mean flow transfer momentum downward to the bottom layer. In the flat-bottom case, bottom friction is the only efficient sink of eastward momentum. When bottom topography is present, the topographic form stress can replace the bottom friction sink in the momentum budget, and a large decrease of the zonal transport results. Large wale topography (of the scale of the forcing) provides the largest form stress. Topographic effects decay with height as suggested by the Prandit scaling, and therefore only topographic scales larger than the Rossby radius can affect the whole water column. In that case, the interfaces are deformed by standing eddies on topographic length scales, and standing eddies replace transient eddies in transferring momentum downward. The bottom-layer mean streamfunc.
Using High-Resolution X-Ray Computed Tomography to Test the Preparation of Stalagmites for Paleo-Climate Reconstruction

Stalagmites being prepared for paleoclimate analysis should typically be slabbed along the central growth axis. This is an important first step because it allows for the highest resolution of sampling with minimal over- or under-sampling of the growth layers. Further, stable isotope ratios and trace element concentrations along the central growth axis most closely record climate variability. Choosing how to slab to best expose the central growth axis for geochemical sampling is challenging based on external morphology alone. High-resolution X-ray computed tomography (XRCT) can provide the ability to discern the internal growth morphology of stalagmites non-destructively, inexpensively, and rapidly. These data can inform selection of optimal slabbing plane(s) and can help identify locations for preliminary U-series dating. We develop a conceptual screening model to assess rapidly the internal morphologies of uncut stalagmites. The specifics of screening the internal morphologies through XRCT scans include investigating the internal porosity of the sample, the number and size of voids and hiatuses, and the presence and absence of growth layers and growth axes. We demonstrate that XRCT scans capture the migration of center of growth in uncut stalagmites of both simple and complex internal morphologies. XRCT scanning facilitates the investigation of stalagmites with complex internal growth banding, opening up avenues to work on such samples when stalagmites with simpler internal morphologies are not available. Further, screening stalagmites for paleoclimate reconstructions using XRCT improves the sustainability of speleothem science by helping researchers select which stalagmites should be returned to caves without destructive slabbing, thereby minimizing impact on caves.
External Geophysics, Climate and Environment Representing and communicating deep uncertainty in climate-change assessments

IPCC reports provide a synthesis of the state of the science in order to inform the international policy process. This task is made difficult by the presence of deep uncertainty in the climate problem that results from long time scales and complexity. This paper focuses on how deep uncertainty can be effectively communicated. We argue that existing schemes do an inadequate job of communicating deep uncertainty and propose a simple approach that distinguishes between various levels of subjective understanding in a systematic manner. We illustrate our approach with two examples. To cite this article: M. Kandlikar et al.,
Effect of Biochar on Soil Properties and Organic Carbon Sink in Degraded Soil of Southern Guinea Savanna Zone, Nigeria

Biochar incorporation into soil has been shown to improve the soil quality for crop production and sequestered organic carbon into the soil thereby mitigating climate change. The experiment was conducted during 2010 rainy season at the research and teaching farm of the college of agriculture, Lafia, Nasarawa state, Nigeria. To evaluate the effect of biochar on soil properties and the amount of organic carbon that can be sequestered in the soil. The treatments consist of biochar rates: 0, 5 and10t/ha laid in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). 10t/ha of biochar produced the highest levels of (pH, = 6.91; %Total Nitrogen, =0.38; K, =1.59; %Organic Carbon, = 0.56; Mg, = 2.50 and Cation Exchange Capacity = 11.35) compare to the other rate and control. However, application of 5t/ha of biochar did not show any significant effect compared with the control. Biochar
Variable density flow and solute transport simulation of regional aquifers containing a narrow freshwater‐saltwater transition zone

Variable density flow and solute transport simulation of aquifer systems containing narrow transition zones between freshwater and saltwater requires particular attention to certain aspects of the numerical method and its application to be successful. Typically, only cases involving wide transition zones have been simulated with variable density transport models, possibly because of inaccuracies in the modeling approaches used. The major components of a successful approach are threefold. First, functionally consistent approximation of terms involved in fluid velocity calculations is necessary. In the case of Galerkin finite element methodology, a significant modification is required to the standard approach in order to achieve consistency. Second, the simulator must be verified in a particular series of tests. The usual tests using Henry's problem for verification of density-dependent transport simulators are inadequate to check for consistency of the velocity approximations and for the accuracy of simulating flow driven by bouyancy forces. Third, adequately fine spatial discretization is required when applying the simulator for spatial stability of the numerical transport solution and to allow accurate representation of narrow transition zones and the effects of low transverse dispersivity. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated through simulation of the flow of fresh and saline groundwater in the layered basalt aquifer of southern Oahu, Hawaii. The transition zone in this regional flow system is narrow except near the discharge area where it is broadly dispersed. Simulation of this common situation with an inconsistent approximation gives grossly incorrect results, while simulation with a consistent model provides a robust tool for analysis of system hydrology.
Impact of Barents Sea winter air‐sea exchanges on Fram Strait dense water transport

Impacts of extreme Barents Sea air-sea exchanges are examined using the HadCM3 coupled ocean-atmosphere model. Variability in the Barents Sea winter air-sea density flux is found to be a potentially significant factor in determining changes in the southward transport of dense water through Fram Strait. The density flux variability is primarily driven by the thermal term, FT, due to heat loss to the atmosphere. The other two terms (haline flux and ice formation) play a relatively minor role. The difference in ocean circulation between winters with extreme strong and weak Barents Sea surface density flux anomalies is analysed. This reveals an increase in strong winters of both the north-westwards intermediate depth flow out of the basin and the east-west deep flows north of Spitsbergen and south through the Fram Strait. A linear fit yields a Fram Strait southward transport increase of 1.22 Sv for an increase in FT of 1x10-6 kg m-2 s-1. For the ten strongest Barents Sea surface density flux winters, the Fram Strait winter southward transport increases by 2.4 Sv. This compares with a reduction of 1.0 Sv for the corresponding weakest winters. Furthermore, the properties of the southwards flowing water are modified in strong density flux winters. In such winters, the Fram Strait water below 250 m is colder by up to 0.5 i? ½C and fresher by 0.05 than the climatological winter mean.