Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electrochemically stable tunnel-type α-MnO2-based cathode materials for rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries

The purpose of this study is the synthesis of α-MnO2-based cathode materials for rechargeable aqueous zinc ion batteries by hydrothermal method using KMnO4 and MnSO4 as starting materials. The aim is to improve the understanding of Zn2+ insertion/de-insertion mechanisms. The as-prepared solid compounds were characterized by spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. X-ray diffraction showed that the hydrothermal reaction forms α-MnO2 and Ce4+-inserted MnO2 structures. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the formation of α-MnO2 with hexagonal MnO2 and Ce-MnO2 structures. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the formation of nanostructured MnO2 (nanofibers) and Ce-MnO2 (nanorods). The electrochemical performance of MnO2 was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) tests in half-cells. CV results showed the reversible insertion/de-insertion of Zn2+ ions in MnO2 and Ce-MnO2. GCD cycling tests of MnO2 and Ce-MnO2 at 2500 mA/g demonstrated an impressive electrochemical performance, excellent cycling stability throughout 500 cycles, and high rate capability. The excellent electrochemical performance and the good cycling stability of MnO2 and Ce-MnO2 nanostructures by simple method makes them promising cathode materials for aqueous rechargeable zinc-ion batteries.
Plant production of a virus-like particle-based vaccine candidate against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a disease leading to spontaneous abortions and stillbirths in sows and lowered life quality and expectancy in growing pigs. PRRS is prevalent worldwide and has significant economic impacts to swine industries around the globe. Co-expression of the two most abundant proteins in the viral envelope, the matrix protein (M) and glycosylated protein 5 (GP5), can produce a neutralizing immune response for the virus providing a potentially effective subunit vaccine against the disease, but these proteins are difficult to express. The goal of this research was to display antigenic portions of the M and GP5 proteins on the surface of tobacco mosaic virus-like particles. A modified tobacco mosaic virus coat protein (TMVc) was transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves and targeted to three subcellular compartments along the secretory pathway to introduce glycosylation patterns important for M-GP5 epitope immunogenicity. We found that accumulation levels in the apoplast were similar to the ER and the vacuole. Because glycans present on plant apoplastic proteins are closest to those present on PRRSV proteins, a TMVc-M-GP5 fusion construct was targeted to the apoplast and accumulated at over 0.5 mg/g of plant fresh weight. TMVc virus-like particles self-assembled in plant cells and surface-displayed the M-GP5 epitope, as visualized by transmission electron microscopy and immunogold localization. These promising findings lay the foundation for immunogenicity and protective-immunity studies in animals to examine the efficacy of this vaccine candidate as a measure to control PRRS.
Prototype Design and Synthesis of Cluster MPSoC Architecture for Multiple Applications

Modern embedded devices require high performances such as computing, throughput and power consumption. Multiprocessor System-on-Chip (MPSoC) is a promising solution to meet the requirements. And the Network-on-Chip (NoC) is used as the interconnection of MPSoC. Whereas it brings more challenge on application programming and fast design exploration of software and hardware implements automatically. In this paper we propose a cluster MPSoC architecture, which adopts hybrid interconnection of processor clusters and NoC. And we present a design automation and synthesis methodology to generate MPSoCs in a system-level way for multiple application use-cases. And it merges them onto a minimal hardware architecture of resources. The desired MPSoC design is generated with short design time, making it suited for fast design exploration for MPSoC development. The proposed design flow is implemented into a tool for Xilinx FPGAs. The experiments results illuminate that our design methodology is a convenient approach to generate the MPSoC design for multiple use-cases.
Three Culturally Sensitive Research Methods for Educational Administration and Leadership Research

: The social, political, economic and cultural contexts of today's educational systems and schools are diverse in ways that require greater attention to equity, diversity, social inclusion, ethics and perspectives of school leaders and learners. In some developing countries like Cameroon in Central Africa where education leaders are not trained for leadership role. It’s the duty of the educational system willing to encourage research to meet the unique needs of educators and students who represent underserved corruption, tribalism, nepotism, and cultural groups experiencing marginalization. These matters move beyond the personal and become professional, as they are further complicated by high-stakes accountability standards and the prioritization of “closing the achievement gap” in schools and the different educational systems. As such, this paper offers multicultural research considerations of three contrasting research methods used in educational leadership and administration research seeking to explore the views of school leaders in Cameroon in relation to effective school leadership preparation and management development in preparing aspiring heads for successful school leadership. This paper aims to find out, how close-end Leadership and Management Development Questionnaire (LMDQ), field document and standardized open-ended interviews methods are suited procedures, strategies, processes or techniques for collecting and analysing data in order to create better understanding of Leadership and Administration Development Research. The author presents a rationale and theoretical framework for the use of these three contrasting research methods often used together in a qualitative mixed method studies investigating educational method of assessing school leadership and management development models. While LMDQ can provide evidence of patterns amongst large populations, qualitative field document analysis and standardized open-ended interview research methods often gather more in-depth insights on participant attitudes, thoughts, and actions. The findings of this qualitative mixed method studies generate confirmatory results despite differences in methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
A Continuation-Based Method to Compute the Relevant Unstable Equilibrium Points for Power System Transient Stability Analysis

The computation of the unstable equilibrium point (UEP) is a key step involved in the direct methods of power system transient stability analysis. A new continuation-based method to compute the UEPs is proposed. The mechanical powers of the generators are changed to form a parameterized equation. Then the solution curve of the equation is traced by the continuation method from the stable equilibrium point to a UEP. The direction of power increase is determined to get a UEP relevant to the fault. The obtained UEPs are mostly type-1 and the method is applicable to detailed generator models. The method is tested in several systems and satisfactory results are obtained.
EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LISTENING SELF-EFFICACY AND METACOGNITIVE AWARENESS OF LISTENING STRATEGIES

Many language experts and researcher emphasised the crucial awareness and intervention to accentuate listening comprehension. However, listening skill is the least prominent and seldom tackled compared to other language skills. Listening is the key to an effective communication in university and in real life. It is used widely during tertiary education and associated to the overall academic achievement. Listening skill was not developed enough to effectively process the input from various resources across disciplines. Students also often perceive that listening is an innate skill and will be improved naturally. But listening skill can be very complex where students need to direct focus, derive meaning, and differentiate the sound. Therefore, they need to have a clear understanding of the processes involved in listening comprehension. Additionally, they need to integrate strategies that can be used to enhance comprehension. Having self-efficacy beliefs and employing the appropriate listening strategies can improve focus and promote listening comprehension. This study probe on the relationship between listening self-efficacy and metacognitive awareness of listening strategies (MALS). Two instruments were utilised in this study which are English Listening Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (ELSEQ) and Metacognitive Awareness of Listening Strategies Questionnaire (MALQ). Students showed moderate level of listening self-efficacy in this study. Next, students partly agreed with the metacognitive awareness of listening strategies, and problem solving has the highest average score followed by directed attention. Equally important, there was a positive correlation between the learner’s self-efficacy beliefs and the average score of their MALS. This study is hoped to shed the light on listening skill empirically so that students can progress their listening process during their degree study.
DESIGNING A CHILDREN'S IQRA BOOK USING AUGMENTED REALITY TECHNOLOGY IN HIJAIYAH LETTERS

--The whole world is struggling to save itself from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. So that teaching and learning activities, both at the elementary school to tertiary levels, are disrupted. Slowly the progress of distance learning began to cause various problems, one of which was the difficulty for elementary schools and PAUD in carrying out practical learning, such as practical learning of the Koran such as Iqra '. And the enthusiasm of students becomes slack due to a lack of enthusiasm compared to face-to-face learning as usual. By using Augmented Reality as an alternative learning media, it is hoped that a learning activity can be more interesting for children. Another benefit obtained is a more advanced learning media by utilizing current technological developments. The design of the Iqra book which contains hijaiyah letters is designed with pictures and guides on how to write hijaiyah letters that are easy to understand and child-friendly color compositions, this book is also related to the interests of educational institutions, because of its function as a reference in the field of information and computer technology as well as visual design. Knowledge enrichment indirectly helps improve the competence of educators and students.
Effect of metformin alone and in combination with etoposide and epirubicin on proliferation, apoptosis, necrosis, and migration of B-CPAP and SW cells as thyroid cancer cell lines

Background and purpose: There has not been a comprehensive study on the simultaneous effects of metformin, etoposide, and epirubicin on thyroid cancer cells. Hence, the current research proposed the in vitro study on the effect of metformin alone and in combination with etoposide and epirubicin on the rate of proliferation, apoptosis, necrosis, and migration against B-CPAP and SW-1736 cells as thyroid cancer cell lines. Experimental approach: MTT-based proliferation assay, combination index method, flow cytometry, and scratch wound healing assays were used to evaluate the simultaneous effects of the three approved drugs against thyroid cancer cells. Findings/Results: This study showed that the toxic concentration of metformin on normal Hu02 cells was more than 10 folds higher than B-CPAP and SW cancerous cells. Metformin in combination with epirubicin and etoposide could increase percentages of B-CPAP and SW cells in early and late apoptosis and necrosis phases in comparison with their single concentrations, significantly. Metformin in combination with epirubicin and etoposide could arrest the S phase in B-CPAP and SW cells, significantly. Metformin in combination with epirubicin and etoposide could reduce ~100% migration rate, whereas single concentrations of epirubicin and etoposide could reduce ~50% migration rate. Conclusion and implication: Combined treatment of metformin with anticancer drugs epirubicin and etoposide can increase the mortality in thyroid cancer cell lines and reduce the toxicity of these drugs on the normal cell line, which could be the starting point for proposing a new combination strategy in the therapy of thyroid cancer to induce more potency and reduce acute toxicity.
Neuroprotective effects of alpha-lipoic acid on radiation-induced brainstem injury in rats

Background and purpose: Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is an antioxidant with radioprotective properties. We designed the current work to assess the neuroprotective function of ALA in the presence of oxidative stress induced by radiation in the brainstem of rats. Experimental approach: Whole-brain radiations (X-rays) was given at a single dose of 25 Gy with or without pretreatment with ALA (200 mg/kg BW). Eighty rats were categorized into four groups: vehicle control (VC), ALA, radiation-only (RAD), and radiation + ALA (RAL). The rats were given ALA intraperitoneally 1 h before radiation and killed following 6 h, thereafter superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in the brainstem were measured. Furthermore, a pathological examination was carried out after 24 h, 72 h, and five days to determine tissue damage. Findings/Results: The findings indicated that MDA levels in the brainstem were 46.29 ± 1.64 μM in the RAD group and decreased in the VC group (31.66 ± 1.72 μM). ALA pretreatment reduced MDA levels while simultaneously increasing SOD and CAT activity and TAC levels (60.26 ± 5.47 U/mL, 71.73 ± 2.88 U/mL, and 227.31 ± 9.40 mol/L, respectively). The greatest pathological changes in the rat’s brainstems were seen in RAD animals compared to the VC group after 24 h, 72 h, and 5 days. As a result, karyorrhexis, pyknosis, vacuolization, and Rosenthal fibers vanished in the RAL group in three periods. Conclusion and implications: ALA exhibited substantial neuroprotectivity following radiation-induced brainstem damage.
Dual formulations of a hybrid FEM/MOM method for nonlinear analysis [of EM fields]

Hybrid FEM/MOM methods use the equivalence theorem to transform the actual problem into equivalent problems in the exterior and interior regions. In this paper, dual edge element differential formulations in terms of two-component vector potentials are used to solve the interior problem. In the exterior problem, the method of moments (MOM) has been used. A nonlinear matrix equation for the problem solution is obtained by forcing the continuity of the actual tangential electric and magnetic fields on the boundary of the nonlinear solid bodies. Two-dimensional numerical results are used to show the characteristics of the method.
BOLSTERING DEEP LEARNING WITH METHODS AND PLATFORMS FOR TEACHING PROGRAMMING

After decades of effort informatics and programming are part of the high school curriculum in Slovakia. The demand and popularity of IT impacts the education and continuously conquers space. Nowadays informatics is present from primary schools in the examined region. Although the students are more exposed to IT compared to previous generations learning programming offers numerous challenges for the beginners. Our goal is to streamline and deepen the learning process by evaluating the learning habits and observe the usage of a newly implemented platform. To improve the understanding of the currently prioritised learning styles we combined the advantages of survey with more direct interview methods. Based on the multilateral data collected from students’ and teachers’ perspective we provide methodological recommendations on improving the programming education to facilitate deep learning.
MPPT ALGORITHM USING DECREMENTED WINDOW-SCANNING METHOD FOR HOME SCALE PHOTOVOLTAIC-BASED POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS

This paper presents a hardware implementation of a novel method to operate a photovoltaic-based electric power system at its maximum power point. A maximum power point tracing (MPPT) algorithm named decremented window-scanning (DWS) is proposed and validated in real experiments. The scanning process operates based on perturbing signal with variable duty ratios of the pulse-width modulated signal applied to a DC-DC converter circuit in the MPPT module. The characteristic of the proposed MPPT algorithm is its simplicity to implement on a microcontroller device. It consumes 11,518 bytes memory, or 37% of total 30,720 byte available memory slots in the microcontroller. The MPPT algorithm is tested using 100Wp photovoltaic (PV) panel under three diﬀerent partial shading conditions. The experimental results show that the MPPT unit can ﬁnd the expected duty ratios that can turn the PV unit to operate at its maximum power points.
Effect of various factors on the measurement error of structural components of machine parts materials microhardness using computer vision methods

To assess the causes of failure of parts in operation, it is often necessary to assess the degradation of the structural and phase composition of the material and determine the cause of its change. Microhardness test is used to evaluate the mechanical properties of microvolumes of the material. Microhardness of structural components of steels and cast irons (armco iron ferrite, austenitic component of steel 12 Х 18 Н 10 Т and cementite of centrifugally cast chrome-nickel cast iron (cast coating Ø910 mm)) was determined by restored four-sided pyramid impression with a square base and a top angle of 136±1. The paper evaluates the influence of the main factors on the micro-hardness error of ferritic, austenitic and carbide component of steels and cast irons: the amount and speed of the indenter load, the stiffness of the substrate, the field of distribution of plastic deformations around the impression, the quality of the surface preparation, the influence of grain boundaries and the relaxation of the impression shape over time. The main factors affecting the accuracy of measurements by the reconstructed impression method have been determined for each of the investigated phases: ferrite, austenite, and cementite
Non‐homogeneous non‐linear damped wave equations in unbounded domains

We present a global existence theorem for solutions of u tt −∂ i a ik (x)∂ k u+u t =f(t,x,u,u 1 ,⊇u,⊇u t ,⊇ 2 u), u(t=0)=u 0 , u t (t=0)=u 1 , u=u(t,x), t≥0, x∈Ω. Ω equals R 3 or Ω is an exterior domain in R 3 with smoothly bounded star-shaped complement. In the latter case the boundary condition u|δ Ω =0 will be studied. The main theorem is obtained for small data (u 0 ,u 1 ) under certain conditions on the coefficients a ik . The L p −L q decay rates of solutions of the linearized problem, based on a previously introduced generalized eigenfunction expansion ansatz, are used to derive the necessary a priori estimates
A circular economy approach for recovering multiple resources form different wastewater treatment sludges

wastewater treatment sludges P.M. Binder1, E. Blázquez Ribas1, N. Guerra Gorostegi1, I. Hidayat1, L. Paredes Barro1, L. Llenas Argelaguet1, N. Frison2, M. Ballottari2, S. Cazzaniga2, F. Fatone3, S. Ponsá Salas1 1 BETA Technological Centre, UVIC-UCC, Vic, Catalonia, 08500, Spain 2 Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, 37134, Italy 3 Department of Science and Engineering of Materials, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
Stepwise verification and upscaling process for bioethanol production from source-separated food waste

separated food waste P. Tsafara, K. Passadis, Ι. Bousoulas, D. Malamis E.M. Barampouti, S. Mai National Technical University of Athens, School of Chemical Engineering, Unit of Environmental Science & Technology, 9 Iroon Polytechniou Str. , Zographou Campus, GR-15780 Athens, Greece
Effects of magnetic field and target plasma on the penetration behaviour of compact toroid plasma by heat load measurements in CPD

Compact toroid (CT) injection experiments have recently been carried out in a compact plasma wall interaction experimental device (CPD) in the presence of toroidal as well as poloidal magnetic field and low density RF target plasma. Spectroscopic studies have been carried out using an IR camera, an IR spectrometer and an Hα monitor to estimate the heat load deposition on the target and also to study the magnetic field as well as RF target plasma effects on CT plasma penetration behaviour. Using IR camera imaging of the target plate, heat load deposition on it has been estimated from the observed temperature rise of the plate and has been compared with the energy content of CT plasma. The estimation suggests that nearly 700 J of energy is uniformly deposited on the target plate under vacuum condition without any magnetic field. On the other hand, post exposure analysis of target plate using scanning electron microscopy has indicated local melting of the target plate. It has been observed that radial penetration of CT towards the target plate is reduced with the increase in the external magnetic field, both toroidal and poloidal. Moreover, the presence of RF target plasma in external magnetic fields seems to change the CT penetration behaviour significantly.
Monte Carlo simulations of Ising-like phase transitions in the three-dimensional Ashkin-Teller model

The results of the large-scale Monte Carlo simulations of the continuous phase transitions in the three-dimensional Ashkin-Teller model on a cubic lattice are presented in the two-parameter space. The invariance of the ratio of the square of the second moment of the order parameter to its fourth moment in the critical region and the Metropolis algorithm are exploited. Using the universality hypothesis and the finite-size-scaling analysis, the accurate positions of the continuous phase-transition lines are calculated and their Ising character is confirmed. Approximate locations of the tricritical points are also estimated.
Multiple Scattered Sight Lines to the Red QSO 2MASX J10494334+5837501

The reddened, highly polarized QSO 2MASX J1049334+5837501 (2M 1049+5837) shows a strong IR dust signature with a spectral energy distribution peaked at ~20 μm and a luminosity of ~1011 L☉, but the active nucleus is outshone at optical wavelengths by the host galaxy. Remarkable variations with wavelength in the degree and position angle of polarization require two primary sources of scattered flux from the active nucleus. These are: (1) a reddened component with P ≥ 8% that we identify with material near the axis of a presumed obscuring dust torus in the context of orientation-dependent unification schemes for active galactic nuclei (AGNs); and (2) a faint, very blue source that is only important at λ ≲ 4500 Å. The latter component is only revealed because of its extremely high polarization (P = 20%-30%) and the fact that flux from the nucleus and the scattering lobes is nearly completely extinguished in this spectral region. High-resolution images show extensions approximately orthogonal to the two position angles of polarization. Consideration of these characteristics suggests refinements to the standard, first-order picture offered by the unified scheme for AGNs. Namely, that there can be multiple scattered sight lines within some AGNs, and that it is possible that the "polar scattering lobes" can provide sufficient scattering optical depth that the emergent nuclear spectrum is highly reddened. These deviations are useful in explaining the existence of highly polarized, red, type 1 AGNs that form a significant fraction of the QSOs found in near-IR surveys. Importantly, the utility of the type 1/type 2 spectral signature as an indicator of orientation becomes less effective as the dust covering factor increases and nuclear radiation is more effectively scattered into all sight lines.