Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
X-band radar-absorbing structures based on MWCNTs/NiZn ferrite nanocomposites

Microwave absorbers present a wide range of applications in radar and telecommunications. To improve the microwave absorption characteristics of radar-absorbing structures (RASs), magnetic and dielectric materials are blended in different proportions because the impedance mismatch of dielectric materials, resulting from poor permeability, can be eliminated by a combination with magnetic loss fillers. Herein, E-glass/epoxy composites were prepared by blending multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with Ni0.5Zn0. 5Fe2O4 (NZF) nanopowder to enhance the composites’ microwave absorption. Nanocomposite laminates with different filler contents were fabricated by a simple and low-cost process of in situ polymerisation. The dielectric characteristics were estimated in the X-band, and possible loss mechanisms were studied. A two-layered RAS exhibited a reflection loss of −16 dB for a bandwidth of 2.2 GHz with a matching thickness of 3 mm. The resulting mechanical and thermal properties suggest that the proposed MWCNTs/NZF composite exhibiting good microwave absorption properties can be used in high-performance RASs.
Assessing Landscape Ecological Risk Induced by Land-Use/Cover Change in a County in China: A GIS- and Landscape-Metric-Based Approach

Landscape ecological risk assessment (LERA) evaluates different types of potential environmental impacts and their cumulative effects, thereby providing policy insights for sustainable regional land-use and ecosystem management. In a departure from existing literature that heavily relies on low-resolution land-use data for LERA at provincial or municipal scales, this study applies high-resolution land-use data to a relatively small research area (county). In addition, this study modifies the evaluation units of LERA from equal-sized grids to watersheds and refines the ecological vulnerability weight on the basis of finer-resolution data. The main findings are summarized as follows: (1) In 2011–2013, nearly 866 ha of land use in Xiapu County changed; moreover, the construction land, which was mainly concentrated in Songgang Street and Xinan Town, increased the most (340 ha). (2) Landscape ecological risk (LER) was roughly maintained, and areas of high ecological risk were mainly concentrated along the coast. (3) The spatial distribution of LER maintained a relatively aggregated pattern, with no trend toward more aggregated or more dispersed change. This study further discusses the relationship between local LER and land-use change and how to balance global and local LER in planning practices.
Protonacijske ravnoteže linearnih homopolikiselina

Polielektroliti su polimerni spojevi čiji su monomeri u otopinama, odnosno u taljevinama, električki nabijeni.1–23 Najjednostavniji polielektroliti sastoje se od identičnih monomernih podjedinica koje sadržavaju funkcijske skupine (nosioce električkog naboja) povezane u lanac. Takvi spojevi poznati su i pod nazivom linearni homopolielektroliti.1–23 Ukoliko polimerni lanci sadržavaju više različitih funkcijskih skupina, polielektroliti se nazivaju heteropolielektrolitima.
Infection biomarkers in assisting the judgement of blood stream infection and patient prognosis: a retrospective study incorporating principal components analysis

Background This study aimed to evaluate whether inexpensive and quickly available infection biomarkers including procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell (WBC) count, and percentage of neutrophils (N%) are helpful in assisting the judgement of blood culture results and patient prognosis. Methods This retrospective study included patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Changzheng Hospital from July 2015 to June 2017 and had at least one episode of blood culture with matched infection biomarkers (PCT, CRP, WBC, and N%). Primary infection biomarkers were transformed into newly derived components using the principal component analysis (PCA) method. Each observation was plotted as a point on the component map using factor scores as coordinates. The distribution characteristics of patients with different blood culture results and prognosis were explored. The diagnostic performance of the components and infection biomarkers in the discrimination of blood culture results and patient prognosis were compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results A total of 768 episodes of blood cultures from 436 patients were analyzed. Patients with positive blood cultures were associated with higher ICU mortality, in-hospital mortality, longer ICU stay and hospital stay (P<0.001 for all). In PCA, the 4 sets of primary infection biomarkers (PCT, CRP, WBC, and N%) were transformed into components 1 and 2. On the component map, observations of positive blood cultures were more likely to be distributed in the first and second quadrants than those of negative blood cultures (OR, 6.28, 95% CI, 4.14–9.64, P<0.001). Compared to patients with negative blood cultures, non-survivors with positive blood cultures were more likely to be distributed in the first and second quadrants (OR, 6.90, 95% CI, 2.67–20.98, P<0.001), followed by survivors with positive blood cultures (OR, 3.44, 95% CI, 1.97–6.13, P<0.001). PCT- and CRP-derived component had the largest area under curves (AUCs) in the discrimination of blood culture results (0.81) and patient prognosis (0.69). Conclusions PCT- and CRP-derived component was more strongly associated with blood culture results and patient prognosis than WBC- and N%-derived component and primary biomarkers.
Ludic Ethics: The Ethical Negotiations of Players in Online Multiplayer Games

This study introduces the ludic ethics approach for understanding the moral deliberations of players of online multiplayer games. Informed by a constructivist paradigm that places players’ everyday ethical negotiations at the forefront of the analysis, this study utilises a novel set of game-related moral vignettes in a series of 20 in-depth interviews with players. Reflexive thematic analysis of these interviews produced four key themes by which participants considered the ethics of in-game actions: (1) game boundaries, (2) consequences for play, (3) player sensibilities, and (4) virtuality. These results support the conceptualisation of games as complex ethical sites in which players negotiate in-game ethics by referring extensively – although not exclusively – to a framework of ‘ludomorality’ that draws from the interpreted meanings associated with the ludic digital context.
El ocio en el medio natural como promotor de la conexión emocional con la naturaleza. Un estudio en clave ambiental con adolescentes pontevedreses (Galicia-España)

Los jóvenes cada vez tienen menos ocio en la naturaleza. Esta realidad se vincula con el despertar de la conciencia ambiental, pues el ocio en estos entornos promueve una mayor conexión emocional con la naturaleza, lo que influye en las actitudes y comportamientos proambientales. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue analizar la influencia que ejerce la experiencia de ocio en espacios naturales en el grado de conexión emocional con la naturaleza en una muestra de alumnos de educación secundaria de la provincia de Pontevedra (Galicia,España). Asimismo, se estudió el rol de variables como el lugar de residencia y el género. A partir de un muestreo por cuotas cruzadas se aplicó un cuestionario elaborado ad hoc con683 casos válidos. Los datos informan que los adolescentes que tienen más experiencias de ocio en entornos naturales presentan un mayor grado de conectividad; el alumnado del ámbito rural muestra valores más elevados; y que son las estudiantes las que presentan una conectividad más alta. En conclusión, se subraya la necesidad de potenciar en los más jóvenes el ocio en entornos naturales como estrategia para restituir la armonía entre el ser humano y la naturaleza.
On single well forced gradient tracer tests : implications of aquifer physical heterogeneity and tracer behaviour

Single well forced gradient tracer tests are a potential cost-effective approach to estimate in situ aquifer contaminant fate and transport parameters for use in natural attenuation assessments and remediation schemes. To date dipole flow tracer tests have been used to measure the conservative and hydraulic parameters of an aquifer, while push-pull tests are well characterised for use with biodegrading tracers. The effect of typical aquifer physical heterogeneity on the ability of single well tests to successfully estimate parameters has not yet been characterised. Also, the ability of single well tests to accurately and quickly measure aquifer parameters using tracer mixtures should be analysed. To investigate the effect of physical heterogeneity on single well tests scaled down ultraviolet imaging experiments were performed in a low profile box. Potential tracers for use in mixtures were investigated through column and batch experiments: Inorganic anions and fluorescein, inorganic cations, acetate and trichlorofluoroethene were considered to measure conservative transport parameters, cation exchange capacity, biodegradation potential and hydrophobic sorption respectively. Numerical modelling was used to simulate reactive tracer signals in single well forced gradient tests. Results suggest that dipole flow tracer tests are appropriate for measuring conservative transport parameters and the sorption of lowly retarded tracers, but are not highly suitable for biodegrading tracers. Tests could be performed with non-recirculating flow, allowing simpler modelling, if equal injection and extraction flow rates could be ensured. Push-pull tests are suitable for biodegrading tracers and moderate to highly retarded tracers. This limits the potential to use reactive tracer mixtures in these tests. Dipole flow tracer test breakthrough curves are highly susceptible to heterogeneity, and could be used to identify discrete permeability variations in aquifers. The effect of heterogeneity is not significant on push-pull test breakthrough curves, but seriously affects tracer plume migration. Inorganic anions provided the most reliable conservative tracer. Trichlorofluoroethene was found to be a suitable tracer to measure hydrophobic sorption. The biodegradation surrogate chosen for a field test should biodegrade similarly to the contaminant under study.
Multispecies Reactive Transport in a Microporous Rock: Impact of Flow Heterogeneity and Reversibility of Reaction

We study the impact of pore space heterogeneity on mixing and reaction in porous media. We simulate the parallel injection of two streams of reactants at different pH in a three‐dimensional microporous consolidated rock whose pore space was resolved by differential micro‐CT imaging. As an exemplar of a heterogeneous medium, we consider the pore structure obtained from a Portland carbonate sample. We use direct numerical simulation to study the coupled impact of flow heterogeneity, characterized by a wide distribution of velocities and chemical reversibility on multispecies reaction. The flow field is found from the Darcy‐Brinkman equation while the advection‐diffusion equation describes transport, which is coupled to a general multispecies geochemical solver for homogeneous reactions; precipitation, and dissolution are ignored. We observe a highly nonuniform spatial distribution of concentration and rates of formation and consumption. For advection‐dominated transport, the heterogeneous flow field leads to significant transverse mixing in macropores at early times, followed by a slower mixing driven by diffusion between macropore and micropore regions. The effective rates of formation and consumption are species‐dependent and distinct in macroporosity and microporosity: while some species reach an asymptotic rate in well‐mixed regions, others still show a transient nonmonotonic behavior as a consequence of incomplete mixing. Our findings have important implications for the understanding of time‐ and space‐dependent reaction rate behavior: the coupled impact of pore space heterogeneity and reversible reactions need to be taken into account as key determinants to describe multispecies reactive transport.
Discrete-Time DC-Link Voltage and Current Control of a Grid-Connected Inverter with LCL-Filter and Very Small DC-Link Capacitance

The paper presents a controller design for grid-connected inverters (GCI) with very small dc-link capacitance that are coupled to the grid via an LCL filter. The usual controller designs would fail and result in instability. The proposed controller has a cascaded structure with a current controller as inner control loop and an outer dc-link voltage controller. The controller design is performed in discrete time and it is based on a detailed stability analysis of the dc-link voltage controller to determine the controller parameters which guarantee stability for all operating points. The inner loop is a state-feedback current controller that is designed based on the discrete linear-quadratic regulator (DLQR) theory. An additional integral error feedback assures steady-state accuracy of the current control loop. The simulation and experimental results validate performance and stability of proposed controller design.
Improved Short Memory Principle Method for Solving Fractional Damped Vibration Equations

In this paper, an improved short memory principle based on the Grünwald–Letnikov definition is proposed and applied in solving fractional vibration differential equations. The improved idea is to adjust the truncation of memory time in short memory principle (SMP) to the truncation of binomial coefficient terms, and the finite coefficients are repeatedly applied to the step size gradually enlarged. In this method, a very small initial step size is used to meet the accuracy requirements, and then the step size is gradually enlarged to prolong the memory time and reduce the amount of calculation. Examples of free vibration, forced vibration with a single-degree-of-freedom and a vehicle suspension two-degree-of-freedom vibration reduction model verify the method’s accuracy and effectiveness.
The effect of sport training on otolith function in adults with profound sensorineural hearing loss

Abstract Objectives It seems that regular physical activity leading to favourable alternations in the bodily system, including improved muscle mass, as well as better postural control. This study aims to assess the effect of strenuous training program on balance function in deaf adults. Methods During a cross-sectional design, 50 deaf patients and 22 healthy adults (with no history of vertigo and hearing loss) were included. Deaf patients were also classified as “non-athletes” and “athletes” groups. The vestibular (Otolith) function testing was carried out using the cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) and ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP). Results The mean p13 latency and p13-n23 amplitude of cVEMPs in the control group were significantly shorter, and larger than the deaf groups, respectively. Furthermore, the mean p13-latency in “athletes deaf” group was significantly earlier than the “non-athletes deaf” group. The p1 and n1 oVEMP peak latencies were significantly prolonged in deaf patients than the controls. The comparison of the asymmetry ratio between the control and deaf groups was significant only for the cVEMP response. Conclusion Our results indicated that otolithic dysfunction is a common and hidden problem in the deaf population. Strenuous sport training in adults can be considered as an effective therapeutic intervention to stimulate vestibular function in deaf patients.
Comment on “Potential short‐term earthquake forecasting by farm animal monitoring” by Wikelski, Mueller, Scocco, Catorci, Desinov, Belyaev, Keim, Pohlmeier, Fechteler, and Mai

Earthquake forecasting is considered to be the “holy grail” in seismology. Many forecasting methods have been suggested over decades. Some of them are based on geophysical observations related to the preparatory process of an event, and others are less obviously associated with the physical properties of an earthquake. One of the most prominent examples of the latter is the forecast of large earthquakes based on anomalous animal behavior before the event (see Woith et al., 2018 and references therein). Many authors claim to have been successful in predicting single events. However, the rules defining a “successful prediction” are often ill defined. Therefore, a proper evaluation of the predictive power of a proposed precursor should include at least the following pieces of information: (a) the number of successful predictions (earthquake with precursor), (b) the number of false alarms (precursor without earthquake), and (c) the number of failures-to-predict (earthquake without precursor). To determine these numbers, the alarm volume within time, space, and “strength” (e.g., magnitude range or ground motion range) has to be well defined by the prediction scheme. A flexible and easy tool for this purpose is the Molchan (or error) diagram (Molchan, 1990). Here, we apply this technique in order to study whether or not the anticipatory patterns between animal and seismic activity reported by Wikelski et al. (2020) (hereinafter referred to as WK2020) have significant forecasting skills. We restrict our analysis to a statistical evaluation of the forecasting power and refrain from commenting on the plausibility of such patterns or on the modeling technique used to generate the proposed precursor. In other words, we consider the time series of the proposed precursory signal without questioning its origin. For this analysis, we use the data, which have been provided online by WK2020. Received: 10 September 2020 | Accepted: 12 October 2020 DOI: 10.1111/eth.13105
Seasonal monitoring of Drosophila suzukii and its non‐crop hosts in Wuhu, Eastern China

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is a serious pest that prefers fresh fruits and is native to Southeast Asia. In our study, apple cider vinegar bait traps were used to capture and monitor the population dynamics of this native pest in Wuhu City, China, from May/June 2017 to May 2018. The research was conducted at 15 locations in two fruit orchards in Wuhu. Traps caught more adults in general in a Meiling blueberry orchard than in a Xicun mixed orchard, and the highest trap counts occurred near harvest time (October). Females had more mature eggs from September to November, and the number of mature eggs declined thereafter. We found several non‐crop hosts, which can provide food and reproductive resources for D. suzukii and are common in forests and field margins. By comparing the number of captured adults in the Meiling and Xicun orchards, we found that blueberry was preferred by D. suzukii among the fruits in our search. Fruit ripening times differed among crops; therefore, fly populations moved between crop and non‐crop habitats during the year or had varying population dynamics on different crops in different seasons. The D. suzukii population and the number of mature eggs decreased in summer and winter but increased in spring and autumn. Drosophila suzukii had higher survival rates with blueberry than those with other fruits, and D. suzukii could use four non‐crop species growing around the orchards as host plants.
A novel dual memristor hyperchaotic system and its application for secure communication based on three‐fold function projection synchronization

A novel simplest four‐dimensional hyperchaotic system with dual memristors is designed by using a charge‐controlled memristor and a generalized voltage‐controlled memristor. Based on the conventional dynamic analysis method and MATLAB simulation software, the dynamic characteristics of the dual memristor hyperchaotic system such as Lyapunov exponent spectrum, phase diagram, and bifurcation diagram are studied. The novel system is found to exhibit singular nonlinear phenomena, such as limit cycle, state transition and multiple scroll attractor with certain parameter values. Being different from most known chaotic systems, which contain only two isolated unstable equilibrium points, the novel system has an infinite number of unstable equilibriums points and a larger Lyapunov exponent. What is more, the three‐fold function projection synchronization of the dual memristor hyperchaotic system and its application for secure communication is studied. Based on Lyapunov stabilization theory and adaptive sliding mode control method, three driving systems and three response systems are synchronized according to the corresponding scaling function matrix, respectively. In the secure communication system, the message signal is separated into three parts loaded in the different drive systems with different initial conditions to increase the reliability. The corresponding numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the results obtained.
Spectroscopic properties, molecular structure, anticancer and antimicrobial evaluation of some new moxifloxacin metal complexes in the presence of 1,10-phenanthroline

New series of Y(III), Zr(IV), Pd(II), La(III) and U(VI) complexes with moxifloxacin (MOX) and 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen) were synthesized and the chelation behaviours have been investigated. The complexes were characterized using elemental analysis, molar conductance, magnetic properties, thermal studies and various spectral techniques such as FT-IR, UV-Vis, 1H NMR and mass spectra. The kinetic and thermodynamic parameters (E*, ΔH*, ΔS* and ΔG*) were calculated using Coats-Redfern and Horowitz-Metzeger methods. The bond length and force constant, F(U=O), for the uranyl complex was calculated. The DFT calculations were carried out to understand the optimized molecular geometry for the compounds. The calculated data indicated that Pd(II) complex with smaller energy gap value (∆E = 0.136 au) is more reactive than all compounds and La(III) complex with greater energy gap (∆E = 0.192 au) is less reactive. All studied compounds are treated as soft (η = 0.068-0.096) except MOX treated as hard (η = 0.16). The HOMO of all complexes is localized on MOX (100%) without any density on the Phen (0%) except Pd(II) complex, the HOMO is localized on Phen (61%). The LUMO in U(VI) complex is localized mainly on the U(VI) ion (63%), and in the Y(III) complex is localized mainly on Phen (89%). The cytotoxic activities against MCF-7, HCT-116 and the antimicrobial activity were tested. KEY WORDS: Moxifloxacin, 1,10-Phenanthroline, Spectroscopy, Thermal analysis, DFT, Antitumor agents Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2020, 34(2), 295-312 DOI: https://dx.doi. org/10.4314/bcse.v34i2. 8
Generative Adversarial Network Using Weighted Loss Map and Regional Fusion Training for LDR-to-HDR Image Conversion

SUMMARY High dynamic range (HDR) imaging refers to digital image processing that modiﬁes the range of color and contrast to enhance image visibility. To create an HDR image, two or more images that include various information are needed. In order to convert low dynamic range (LDR) images to HDR images, we consider the possibility of using a generative adversarial network (GAN) as an appropriate deep neural network. Deep learning requires a great deal of data in order to build a module, but once the module is created, it is convenient to use. In this paper, we propose a weight map for local luminance based on learning to reconstruct locally tone-mapped images.
Excited-state structure and dynamics of isoprene from absolute resonance Raman intensities

Absolut resonance Raman excitation profiles have been measured for isoprene (2-methylbutadiene) in resonance with lowest allowed 1 B u excited electronic state at 220 nm. The absolute cross sections and the absorption spectrum have been modeled by using a time-dependent, wavepacket propagation technique to quantitate the ground-to-excited-state geometric distortions for ten totally symmetric modes. Strong methylene wagging overtone intensities indicate a substantial reduction of C=C torsional force constants in the 1 B u state; the frequencies of the a u and b g wags decrease from ground-state values of 622 and 755 cm -1 to 0±200 and 300±100 cm -1 , respectively