Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A rhombic nanoantenna for infrared detection applications

In this paper, rhombic nanoantenna for infrared (IR) detection in frequency band from 10 to 60 THz is proposed. The nanoantenna consists of square aperture etched within a gold metal plate with rhombic patch placed inside the aperture. A parametric study on the nanoantenna dimensions has been carried out for maximum electric field at ƒ= 28 THz. Different types of metals are used for nanoantenna as silver, gold, or copper. The radiation characteristics of the proposed IR antenna have been investigated. The effect of the polarization of the plane wave, linear, left-hand and right-hand circular polarizations on the received IR energy detector is investigated. A duplication of gold metal plate with rhombic patch placed inside the aperture on the back side of the substrate is used to improve the electric field of the nanoantenna. Metal connector between the receiving gaps on the top and bottom of the substrate is introduced to maximize the IR energy detection. The IR detector is designed, optimized and analyzed using the finite integration technique.
Changes in Gene Expression in Arabidopsis Shoots during Phosphate Starvation and the Potential for Developing Smart Plants1

Our aim was to generate and prove the concept of “smart” plants to monitor plant phosphorus (P) status in Arabidopsis. Smart plants can be genetically engineered by transformation with a construct containing the promoter of a gene up-regulated specifically by P starvation in an accessible tissue upstream of a marker gene such as β-glucuronidase (GUS). First, using microarrays, we identified genes whose expression changed more than 2.5-fold in shoots of plants growing hydroponically when P, but not N or K, was withheld from the nutrient solution. The transient changes in gene expression occurring immediately (4 h) after P withdrawal were highly variable, and many nonspecific, shock-induced genes were up-regulated during this period. However, two common putative cis-regulatory elements (a PHO-like element and a TATA box-like element) were present significantly more often in the promoters of genes whose expression increased 4 h after the withdrawal of P compared with their general occurrence in the promoters of all genes represented on the microarray. Surprisingly, the expression of only four genes differed between shoots of P-starved and -replete plants 28 h after P was withdrawn. This lull in differential gene expression preceded the differential expression of a new group of 61 genes 100 h after withdrawing P. A literature survey indicated that the expression of many of these “late” genes responded specifically to P starvation. Shoots had reduced P after 100 h, but growth was unaffected. The expression of SQD1, a gene involved in the synthesis of sulfolipids, responded specifically to P starvation and was increased 100 h after withdrawing P. Leaves of Arabidopsis bearing a SQD1::GUS construct showed increased GUS activity after P withdrawal, which was detectable before P starvation limited growth. Hence, smart plants can monitor plant P status. Transferring this technology to crops would allow precision management of P fertilization, thereby maintaining yields while reducing costs, conserving natural resources, and preventing pollution.
X-ray linear dichroism dependence on ferroelectric polarization

X-ray absorption spectroscopy and photoemission electron microscopy are techniques commonly used to determine the magnetic properties of thin films, crystals, and heterostructures. Recently, these methods have been used in the study of magnetoelectrics and multiferroics. The analysis of such materials has been compromised by the presence of multiple order parameters and the lack of information on how to separate these coupled properties. In this work, we shed light on the manifestation of dichroism from ferroelectric polarization and atomic structure using photoemission electron microscopy and x-ray absorption spectroscopy. Linear dichroism arising from the ferroelectric order in the PbZr0.2Ti0. 8O3 thin films was studied as a function of incident x-ray polarization and geometry to unambiguously determine the angular dependence of the ferroelectric contribution to the dichroism. These measurements allow us to examine the contribution of surface charges and ferroelectric polarization as potential mechanisms for linear dichroism. The x-ray linear dichroism from ferroelectric order revealed an angular dependence based on the angle between the ferroelectric polarization direction and the x-ray polarization axis, allowing a formula for linear dichroism in ferroelectric samples to be defined.
The inertial response of induction-machine-based wind turbines

The inertial response of a generator is influenced by the sensitivity of the generator's electromagnetic torque to changes in the power system frequency. This paper deals with the inertial response of wind turbines employing induction-machine-based generators. A model of a field-oriented controlled doubly fed induction generator based on a fifth-order induction-generator model is described. The proposed model is implemented in a reference frame that allows the factors affecting the inertial response of a doubly fed induction generator to be easily examined. A comparison between the inertial response of a squirrel-cage and doubly fed induction-machine-based wind-turbine generator is performed using the developed models. It is found that the inertial response of a doubly fed induction generator employing field-oriented control is strongly influenced by the rotor current-controller bandwidth.
Molecular Differentiation of the African Yellow Fever Vector Aedes bromeliae (Diptera: Culicidae) from Its Sympatric Non-vector Sister Species, Aedes lilii

Introduction Yellow fever continues to be a problem in sub-Saharan Africa with repeated epidemics occurring. The mosquito Aedes bromeliae is a major vector of yellow fever, but it cannot be readily differentiated from its non-vector zoophilic sister species Ae. lilii using morphological characters. Genetic differences have been reported between anthropophilic Ae. bromeliae and zoophilic Ae. lilii and between forest and domestic populations. However, due to the application of different molecular markers and non-overlapping populations employed in previous studies, interpretation of species delimitation is unclear. Methodology/Principle Findings DNA sequences were generated from specimens of Ae. simpsoni s.l. from the Republic of Benin, Tanzania and Uganda for two nuclear genes apolipophorin 2 (apoLp2) and cytochrome p450 (CYPJ92), the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (COI) barcoding region. Nuclear genes apoLp2 and CYPJ92 were unable to differentiate between species Ae. bromeliae and Ae. lilii due to ancestral lineage sorting, while ITS sequence data provided clear topological separation on a phylogeny. The standard COI barcoding region was shown to be subject to species introgression and unable to clearly distinguish the two taxa. Here we present a reliable direct PCR-based method for differentiation of the vector species Ae. bromeliae from its isomorphic, sympatric and non-biomedically important sister taxon, Ae. lilii, based on the ITS region. Using molecular species verification, we describe novel immature habitats for Ae. lilii and report both sympatric and allopatric populations. Whereas only Ae. lilii is found in the Republic of Benin and only Ae. bromeliae in Tanzania, both species are sympatric in Uganda. Conclusions/Significance Our accurate identification method will allow informed distribution and detailed ecological studies that will facilitate assessment of arboviral disease risk and development of future targeted vector control.
Constraints on biomass energy deployment in mitigation pathways: the case of water scarcity

To limit global warming to well below 2 ° most of the IPCC-WGIII future stringent mitigation pathways feature a massive global-scale deployment of negative emissions technologies (NETs) before the end of the century. The global-scale deployment of NETs like Biomass Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) can be hampered by climate constraints that are not taken into account by Integrated assessment models (IAMs) used to produce those pathways. Among the various climate constraints, water scarcity appears as a potential bottleneck for future land-based mitigation strategies and remains largely unexplored. Here, we assess climate constraints relative to water scarcity in response to the global deployment of BECCS. To this end, we confront results from an Earth system model (ESM) and an IAM under an array of 25 stringent mitigation pathways. These pathways are compatible with the Paris Agreement long-term temperature goal and with cumulative carbon emissions ranging from 230 Pg C and 300 Pg C from January 1st onwards. We show that all stylized mitigation pathways studied in this work limit warming below 2 °C or even 1.5 °C by 2100 but all exhibit a temperature overshoot exceeding 2 °C after 2050. According to the IAM, a subset of 17 emission pathways are feasible when evaluated in terms of socio-economic and technological constraints. The ESM however shows that water scarcity would limit the deployment of BECCS in all the mitigation pathways assessed in this work. Our findings suggest that the evolution of the water resources under climate change can exert a significant constraint on BECCS deployment before 2050. In 2100, the BECCS water needs could represent more than 30% of the total precipitation in several regions like Europe or Asia.
Training lay counsellors to provide psychosocial support to ART users: Successes and failures

Abstract This study reports on a pilot project to train eight patient advocates (PAs) who provided psychosocial support to users of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in basic counselling skills. PAs received 18 hours of training over the course of 3 months. A cadre of raters evaluated the PAs after the training using the Counsellor Rating Form and a Counsellor Evaluation Form. Counsellor activities that were rated as approaching acceptability were: reflection of content, encouraging, summarising, gathering data, exploring alternatives, giving directives and terminating the session. Counselling activities rated as requiring further training were reflection of feeling, interpretation, exploring logical consequences, confrontation, identifying positive assets and challenging. These results are discussed in the context of creating and sustaining a health-enabling community for ART users.
A generic framework for constrained optimization using genetic algorithms

In this paper, we propose a generic, two-phase framework for solving constrained optimization problems using genetic algorithms. In the first phase of the algorithm, the objective function is completely disregarded and the constrained optimization problem is treated as a constraint satisfaction problem. The genetic search is directed toward minimizing the constraint violation of the solutions and eventually finding a feasible solution. A linear rank-based approach is used to assign fitness values to the individuals. The solution with the least constraint violation is archived as the elite solution in the population. In the second phase, the simultaneous optimization of the objective function and the satisfaction of the constraints are treated as a biobjective optimization problem. We elaborate on how the constrained optimization problem requires a balance of exploration and exploitation under different problem scenarios and come to the conclusion that a nondominated ranking between the individuals will help the algorithm explore further, while the elitist scheme will facilitate in exploitation. We analyze the proposed algorithm under different problem scenarios using Test Case Generator-2 and demonstrate the proposed algorithm's capability to perform well independent of various problem characteristics. In addition, the proposed algorithm performs competitively with the state-of-the-art constraint optimization algorithms on 11 test cases which were widely studied benchmark functions in literature.
Risks and benefits of invasive epilepsy surgery workup with implanted subdural and depth electrodes

Purpose: In patients with pharmacoresistant focal‐onset seizures, invasive presurgical workup can identify epilepsy surgery options when noninvasive workup has failed. Yet, the potential benefit must be balanced with procedure‐related risks. This study examines risks associated with the implantation of subdural strip and grid, and intracerebral depth electrodes. Benefit of invasive monitoring is measured by seizure outcomes. Diagnostic procedures made possible by electrode implantation are described.
Research on Realization of a Multi-hop Network Based on Delay Tolerant Network on Disasters

In Recent, there have been serious larger disasters, such as earthquakes tsumami, typhoons have around the world. Once disaster occurred, communication network infrastructure is often seriously damaged and network traffic is heavily congested. Particularly since the communication network infrastructure of mountainous and coast areas are not well developed, it is difficult to normally use the communication means once the disaster happened. For those cases, Delay / Disruptions Tolerant Network (DTN) can realize mobile devices communication without constructing infrastructure. In this paper, we propose a DTN based Multi-hop network for temporal network in the case of disaster and considered transmission disruption and transmission delay. In order to evaluate the usefulness of our proposed, we constructed an experimental prototype to by smart devices and evaluate the performance.
Evaluation of biochemical and haematological parameters and prevalence of selected pathogens in feral cats from urban and rural habitats in South Korea

Objectives In this study, we evaluated the potential association between the habitat types of feral cats and the prevalence of selected infectious pathogens and health status based on a set of blood parameters. Methods We live-trapped 72 feral cats from two different habitat types: an urban area (n = 48) and a rural agricultural area (n = 24). We compared blood values and the prevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) and haemotropic Mycoplasma infection in feral cats from the two contrasting habitats. Results Significant differences were observed in several blood values (haematocrit, red blood cells, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine) depending on the habitat type and/or sex of the cat. Two individuals from the urban area were seropositive for FIV (3.0%), and eight (12.1%) were positive for FeLV infection (five from an urban habitat and three from a rural habitat). Haemoplasma infection was more common. Based on molecular analysis, 38 cats (54.3%) were positive for haemoplasma, with a significantly higher infection rate in cats from rural habitats (70.8%) compared with urban cats (47.8%). Conclusions and relevance Our study recorded haematological and serum biochemical values, and prevalence of selected pathogens in feral cat populations from two different habitat types. A subset of important laboratory parameters from rural cats showed values under or above the corresponding reference intervals for healthy domestic cats, suggesting potential differences in the health status of feral cats depending on the habitat type. Our findings provide information about the association between 1) blood values (haematological and serum biochemistry parameters) and 2) prevalence of selected pathogen infections and different habitat types; this may be important for veterinarians who work with feral and/or stray cats and for overall cat welfare management.
How controlling shareholders tunnel under a strong legal system: a Hong Kong case

It is widely believed that common-law legal systems are more protective of minority shareholders than are code-law legal systems. However, even in countries with high quality common-law legal systems and accounting standards, suspicious transactions between a firm and its controlling shareholder are reported every now and again. This study examines an alleged tunnelling transaction in Hong Kong market and aims to answer that how controlling shareholders circumvent a strong legal system to tunnel resources from firms. The results show that controlling shareholders carefully choose the timing and the content of disclosure to affect views of investors. The close relationship between controlling shareholders and inside directors also plays a key role in wining majority votes. The findings suggest that the legal systems per se, without an appropriate property rights structure, may not provide effective investor protection as expected.
Dominant localization of prostaglandin D receptors on arachnoid trabecular cells in mouse basal forebrain and their involvement in the regulation of non-rapid eye movement sleep

Infusion of prostaglandin (PG) D2 into the lateral ventricle of the brain induced an increase in the amount of non-rapid eye movement sleep in wild-type (WT) mice but not in mice deficient in the PGD receptor (DP). Immunofluorescence staining of WT mouse brain revealed that DP immunoreactivity was dominantly localized in the leptomeninges (LM) of the basal forebrain but that PGD synthase immunoreactivity was widely distributed in the LM of the entire brain. Electron microscopic observation indicated that DP-immunoreactive particles were predominantly located on the plasma membranes of arachnoid trabecular cells of the LM. The region with the highest DP immunoreactivity was clearly defined as bilateral wings in the LM of the basal forebrain located lateral to the optic chiasm in the proximity of the ventrolateral preoptic area, one of the putative sleep centers, and the tuberomammillary nucleus, one of the putative wake centers. The LM of this region contained DP mRNA 70-fold higher than that in the cortex as judged from the results of quantitative reverse transcription–PCR. PGD2 infusion into the subarachnoid space of this region increased the extracellular adenosine level more than 2-fold in WT mice but not in the DP-deficient mice. These results indicate that DPs in the arachnoid trabecular cells of the basal forebrain mediate an increase in the extracellular adenosine level and sleep induction by PGD2.
The treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus with agents approved for type 2 diabetes mellitus

Introduction: The management of type 1 diabetes remains a challenge for clinicians. Current practice is to administer insulin analogues to best mimic normal physiological insulin profiles. However, despite our best efforts the majority of individuals with type 1 diabetes continue to suffer from suboptimal glucose control, significant hypoglycemia and microvascular tissue complications of the disease. There is thus a significant unmet need in the treatment of T1DM to obtain better glycemic control. Areas covered: We discuss the use of α-glucosidase inhibitors, dipeptidyl-peptidase inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists, biguanides, thiazolidinediones and sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors in individuals with T1DM. Expert opinion: Non-insulin therapies present a unique and exciting adjunctive treatment for individuals with type 1 diabetes. Although data are scarce, the classes of medications discussed help to lower glucose, decrease glycemic excursions and in some cases improve body weight, along with allowing dose reductions in total daily insulin. Glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists and sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors, in particular, have been demonstrated to provide clinical improvements in individuals with T1DM and we feel their use can be explored in obese, insulin-resistant patients with T1DM, those with frequent and significant glycemic excursions or individuals with persistently elevated hemoglobin A1c.
Three-Dimensional Scattering and Inverse Scattering from Objects With Simultaneous Permittivity and Permeability Contrasts

There has been increasing efforts in enhanced biomedical and geophysical imaging in the recent years exploring the magnetic contrast agent. The handling of both dielectric and magnetic contrasts adds on difficulties to the forward and inverse scattering problems. In this paper, the 3-D scattering and the inverse scattering from objects having simultaneous electric and magnetic contrasts are presented, where the permittivity, conductivity, and permeability of the objects can all be different from the background. To cope with the challenging high computation cost in the 3-D scattering problem, we formulate the combined field volume integral equations and extend the stabilized biconjugate gradient method and fast Fourier transform (BCGS-FFT) method to compute the electromagnetic field incorporating both the electric and magnetic contrasts. The variational Born iterative method for electrical contrast inversion in axisymmetric media is generalized to 3-D and to the simultaneous reconstruction of objects with electric and magnetic contrasts. The BCGS-FFT method provides the predicted scattered field from the 3-D heterogeneous objects and the Fréchet derivatives in the inverse scattering problem. The efficient forward solver also dramatically reduces the computation time of the inverse problem. Numerical results are presented to validate the forward solver and to demonstrate the effectiveness of the inverse scattering method.
Incentive compatibility in stated preference valuation methods

Assessing values of goods that are not bought or sold in markets is challenging and controversial, yet often inescapable for informing many public policy decisions. For these goods, there is no natural mechanism, such as a market, that could indicate their value. At the same time, values of non-market goods measured in monetary terms are needed in a wide range of contexts. The values provide estimates of benefits from considered public policy projects, which are essential for the cost-benefit analyses of these projects. The values also help measure losses from natural damages necessary in litigation processes. Economics has developed tools for non-market value assessment, which can be grouped into two categories: revealed preference methods and stated preference methods. To gauge values of non-market goods, revealed preference approaches rely on observed behaviour of individuals, such as how often and how far they travel to make use of non-market goods (for example, national parks). Stated preference approaches ask individuals about their preferences towards given non-market goods in specially designed surveys. This thesis focuses on the use of stated preference methods for valuation of non-market goods.
Myocardial lactate extraction and release at rest and during heavy exercise in healthy men.

The relationship between myocardial lactate extraction and blood lactate concentration and the possibility that simultaneous uptake and release of lactate occur in the normal human heart was investigated by measuring arterial-coronary sinus differences of lactate and of labelled lactate during infusion of 14C lactate in 13 healthy young male volunteers. Measurements were done at rest, during increased cardiac work with unaltered arterial lactate concentration achieved by atrial pacing and during increased cardiac work and increased arterial lactate concentration achieved by supine cycle ergometer exercise. There was on no occasion a significant difference in 14C lactate specific activity between arterial and coronary sinus blood, i.e. no significant admixture of non-labelled lactate occurred in the coronary sinus indicating that on no occasion was there any sign of lactate release. The myocardial extraction of lactate seemed to be a linear function of arterial lactate concentration. During exercise with an arterial lactate concentration of 6 mmol l-1 and above, lactate could have covered approximately 75-100% of the oxidative metabolism. Thus, during short-term heavy work myocardial lactate extraction dominates over other substrates (mainly free fatty acids and glucose) taken up by the heart, and used for oxidation by the heart muscle cells.