Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Geophysical mapping of hyporheic processes controlled by sedimentary architecture within compound bar deposits

Hyporheic exchange influences water quality and controls numerous physical, chemical, and biological processes. Despite its importance, hyporheic exchange and the associated dynamics of solute mixing are often difficult to characterize due to spatial (e.g., sedimentary heterogeneity) and temporal (e.g., river stage fluctuation) variabilities. This study coupled geophysical techniques with physical and chemical sediment analyses to map sedimentary architecture and quantify its influence on hyporheic exchange dynamics within a compound bar deposit in a gravel‐dominated river system in southwestern Ohio. Electromagnetic induction (EMI) was used to quantify variability in electrical conductivity within the compound bar. EMI informed locations of electrode placement for time‐lapse electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) surveys, which were used to examine changes in electrical resistivity driven by hyporheic exchange. Both geophysical methods revealed a zone of high electrical conductivity in the center of the bar, identified as a fine‐grained cross‐bar channel fill. The zone acts as a baffle to flow, evidenced by stable electrical conditions measured by time‐lapse ERI over the study period. Large changes in electrical resistivity throughout the survey period indicate preferential flowpaths through higher permeability sands and gravels. Grain size analyses confirmed sedimentological interpretations of geophysical data. Loss on ignition and x‐ray fluorescence identified zones with higher organic matter content that are locations for potentially enhanced geochemical activity within the cross‐bar channel fill. Differences in the physical and geochemical characteristics of cross‐bar channel fills play an important role in hyporheic flow dynamics and nutrient processing within riverbed sediments. These findings enhance our understanding of the applications of geophysical methods in mapping riverbed heterogeneity and highlight the importance of accurately representing geomorphologic features and heterogeneity when studying hyporheic exchange processes.
Critical success factors (CSFs) for motivating end-user stakeholder’s support for ensuring sustainability of PPP projects in Nigerian host communities

Purpose This study aims to investigate two public private partnership (PPP) road projects in Nigeria for exploring factors that can motivate end-user stakeholders for contributing towards sustaining a PPP project in the long-term. Design/methodology/approach Using a case study methodology approach, this study adopts two-way data collection strategies via in-depth interviews with PPP experts and end-user stakeholders in Nigeria host communities and a questionnaire survey to relevant stakeholders. Findings The study identifies an eight-factor structure indicating critical success factors for ensuring end-user stakeholders support PPP projects on a long-term basis in their host communities. Originality/value Results of the study have huge implications for policymakers and project companies by encouraging the early integration of far-sighted measures that will promote long-term support and sustainability for PPP projects amongst the end-user stakeholders.
Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Medicinal Plants and Herbs

Human beings have relied on herbs and medicinal plants as sources of food and remedy from time immemorial. Bioactive compounds from plants are currently the subject of much research interest, but their extraction as part of phytochemical and/or biological investigations present specific challenges. Herbalists or scientists have developed many protocols of extraction of bioactive ingredients to ensure the effectiveness and the efficacy of crude drugs that were used to get relief from sickness. With the advent of new leads from plants such as morphine, quinine, taxol, artemisinin, and alkaloids from Voacanga species, a lot of attention is paid to the mode of extraction of active phytochemicals to limit the cost linked to the synthesis and isolation. Thus, the extraction of active compounds from plants needs appropriate extraction methods and techniques that provide bioactive ingredients-rich extracts and fractions. The extraction procedures, therefore, play a critical role in the yield, the nature of phytochemical content, etc. This chapter aims to present, describe, and compare extraction procedures of bioactive compounds from herbs and medicinal plants.
Establishment of transition point in operating mode for Constant Current Constant Voltage (CC-CV) charging of Li-ion batteries

The present-day Li-ion batteries when operated, needs precise monitoring of the charging voltage. Several charging techniques have been tested so far with varying degrees of success. One of the most widely used charging techniques is the CC-CV (constant current constant voltage) charging. When performing this, the safety considerations must be maintained with respect to over voltage charging which is a very common problem during constant current charging. In order to prevent over voltage charging, the charging mode must be then shifted from CC to CV mode. So, this transition point of the charging mode from CC to CV is very crucial for the safe operation and health of the battery in the long run. The problem is that, this transition point doesn’t remain the same for the battery. So, in this paper the factors on which it depends are discussed and a Li-ion battery was charged in a few different charging rates using the CC-CV technique to demonstrate the process.
The Role of Idiothetic Signals, Landmarks, and Conjunctive Representations in the Development of Place and Head-Direction Cells: A Self-Organizing Neural Network Model

Abstract Place and head-direction (HD) cells are fundamental to maintaining accurate representations of location and heading in the mammalian brain across sensory conditions, and are thought to underlie path integration—the ability to maintain an accurate representation of location and heading during motion in the dark. Substantial evidence suggests that both populations of spatial cells function as attractor networks, but their developmental mechanisms are poorly understood. We present simulations of a fully self-organizing attractor network model of this process using well-established neural mechanisms. We show that the differential development of the two cell types can be explained by their different idiothetic inputs, even given identical visual signals: HD cells develop when the population receives angular head velocity input, whereas place cells develop when the idiothetic input encodes planar velocity. Our model explains the functional importance of conjunctive “state-action” cells, implying that signal propagation delays and a competitive learning mechanism are crucial for successful development. Consequently, we explain how insufficiently rich environments result in pathology: place cell development requires proximal landmarks; conversely, HD cells require distal landmarks. Finally, our results suggest that both networks are instantiations of general mechanisms, and we describe their implications for the neurobiology of spatial processing.
Interoperability and Other Issues at the IP–Anti-trust Interface: The EU Microsoft Case

The judgment in 2007 of the Court of First Instance in Microsoft Corporation v European Commission was the culmination of one of the biggest anti-trust battles ever to have taken place in the European Union. Although most aspects of the European Commission's original decision of 2004 were upheld, the Microsoft case remains interesting at several levels. The judgment deals with the question of when it is permissible, in the public interest, to encroach upon the exclusivity of intellectual property rights-holders, by requiring the grant of licences to third parties seeking to enter or remain on the market. The case provides an illustration of Community policy objectives being implemented through the medium of the competition rules, namely the opening up of the software industry to more competition and the encouragement of innovation in information technology. It also provides an illustration of differing attitudes to the anti-trust regulation of unilateral conduct by companies with a dominant market position in Europe and the United States.
Racial fairness in violence risk instruments: a review of the literature

ABSTRACT Violence risk instruments are used in numerous countries to estimate an individual’s risk of reoffending. The racial fairness of violence risk instruments has received increasing attention due to ostensible differences among Anglo populations and racial minorities (e.g. African Americans and Indigenous populations). Fairness, which has numerous definitions (sensitivity fairness, error rate balance, calibration, predictive parity, statistical parity), can affect a risk instrument’s utility in varying ways. This literature review explored how notions of fairness are discussed in the risk instrument literature with a specific focus on racial fairness. It also examined and critiqued the varying proposed resolutions to increase fairness. Many of these forms of fairness were found to be rarely satisfied in the literature. Further, the complications in achieving multiple forms of fairness simultaneously and the challenges of optimising both fairness and accuracy are discussed. Last, proposed solutions to increase racial fairness were often found to encompass significant limitations. Future directions for racial fairness in risk instruments are discussed, with a focus on exploring the trade-offs among varying fairness definitions and among fairness and accuracy.
Unveiling motivation for luxury fashion purchase among Gen Z consumers: need for uniqueness versus bandwagon effect

ABSTRACT As Gen Z consumers become an important target segment for the luxury fashion industry, it is crucial to deepen the understanding of their luxury consumption motivations. Based on the functional theories of attitudes, this study examined the impacts of both the need for uniqueness and the bandwagon effect on the multi-functions of attitudes and purchase intentions toward luxury fashion brands. Using a structural equation modelling technique, data provided by 486 college students revealed that the bandwagon effect exhibited a substantial direct impact on their purchase intentions and an indirect impact mediated by the hedonic function of attitude. While our results also support the positive influence of the need for uniqueness on attitudes and purchase intention, it does highlight the greater importance of the bandwagon effect in the context of the luxury brand. Our findings offer marketing insights and implications that enhance luxury brand consumption among Gen Z consumers.
The Effect of Treating String Bean Pods with Modified Atmosphere Packaging and UV-C Irradiation on Their Storage Life

The aim of the experiment was to determine the optimal treatment of string bean pods, prolonging their storage life. To this end, the effect of modified atmosphere packaging in Xtend® bags (CH-49) and UV-C radiation on the quality of string beans ‘Unidor’ in cold storage was studied. Observations of the pods and their measurements were made after 14 and 28 days and chemical analyses 14 days after irradiation exposure and storage at 2–4 °C. The tests were conducted in laboratory conditions in a completely randomized design. Storing bean pods in Xtend® bags significantly increased the weight and umber of pods fit for consumption, compared to those stored in bulk. However, the content of dry matter, total sugars, and protein in pods stored in Xtend® bags decreased. Irradiation, regardless of the exposure time and the distance of lamps from the surface, contributed to an increase in the weight and number of pods suitable for consumption after 14 and 28 days. After 14 days irradiated pods contained more dry matter, L-ascorbic acid, polyphenols and flavonoids. After UV-C irradiation for 600 s with lamps at a height of 40 cm pods in Xtend® bags responded with the most favorable protein content.
Study and evaluation of automatic GPU offloading method from various language applications

ABSTRACT Heterogeneous hardware other than a small-core central processing unit (CPU) is increasingly being used, such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or many-core CPU. However, to use heterogeneous hardware, programmers must have sufficient technical skills to utilise OpenMP, CUDA, and OpenCL. On the basis of this, we previously proposed environment-adaptive software that enables automatic conversion, configuration, and high performance operation of once-written code, in accordance with the hardware to be placed. However, the source language for offloading was mainly C/C++ language applications, and there was no research into common offloading for various language applications. In this paper, for a new challenge, we study a common method for automatically offloading various language applications in not only C language but also Python and Java. We evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method in multiple applications of various languages. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Evaluating targeted heuristics for vulnerability assessment in flood impact model chains

In flood risk management, the choice of vulnerability functions has a remarkable impact on the overall uncertainty of modelling flood damage. The spatial transferability of empirical vulnerability functions is limited, leading to the need for computation and validation of region‐specific vulnerability functions. In data‐scarce regions however, this option is not feasible. In contrast, the physical processes of flood impact model chains can be developed in these regions because of the availability of global datasets. Here we evaluated the implementation of a synthetic vulnerability function into a flood impact model. The function bases on expert heuristics on a targeted sample of representative buildings (targeted heuristics). We applied the vulnerability function in a meso‐scale river basin and evaluated the new function by comparing the resulting flood damage with the damage computed by other approaches, (1) an ensemble of vulnerability functions available from the literature, (2) an individual vulnerability function calibrated with region‐specific data, and (3) the vulnerability function used in flood risk management by the Swiss government. The results show that targeted heuristics can be a valuable alternative for developing flood impact models in regions without any data or only few data on flood damage.
Beyond the control room: The smart (sustainable?) pathway of Rio de Janeiro in times of crisis=Para além da sala de controle: o caminho da cidade inteligente (sustentável?) do Rio de Janeiro em tempos de crise

O Rio de Janeiro tem sido considerado na literatura como exemplo das limitacoes no desenvolvimento de cidades inteligentes, personificado pela sala de controle da IBM, desenvolvida no furor da agenda Olimpica da cidade. Nos ultimos anos, a discussao sobre este tema passou a incluir nocoes de desenvolvimento sustentavel na forma de uma perspectiva "inteligente-sustentavel" de desenvolvimento urbano, observada pelo aumento da preocupacao com aspetos socioambientais para alem daqueles de natureza estritamente economica e tecnologica. Este artigo baseia-se em 61 iniciativas em curso na cidade para analisar como as ambicoes da mesma evoluiram neste aspeto, examinando dominios, atores e foco num novo contexto de turbulencia politica e restricoes orcamentais. Enquanto a maioria das iniciativas reflete ambientes colaborativos limitados e tensoes entre ambicoes "smart" e de sustentabilidade, ha evidencia de que a estagnacao provocada pela crise pode coexistir com a fusao entre iniciativas "de cima para baixo" e de "baixo para cima", abrindo espaco para novos desafios na forma de entender o desenvolvimento urbano, inteligente e sustentavel, no contexto de cidades em situacoes de crise e escassez de recursos.
Influence of mode confinement factor on the modulation properties of the Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting VCSEL laser

Vertical cavity surface emitting laser VCSEL is currently the main solution for many technological aspects, ultrafast optical interconnecting, Gigabit Ethernet, etc. In this paper we present the simulation results by using OptiwaveTM software version 7, of the effects of optical mode confinement factor on the modulation properties )which inspected by eye diagram of the received signals) of the vertical cavity surface emitting laser VCSEL, with the range (820)Gbps of pseudo random bit sequence PRBS. The quality of the VCSEL modulation have been inspected by time domain signals, spectrums and eye diagram. Simulation results appeared an improvement in the characteristics of received bit sequences of (8, 10, 12.5, 16 and 20) Gbps bit rates, represented by the rising the value of quality factor QF (1.77 to 4.81) versus increasing the value of optical mode confinement factor Γ(0.2 to 0.5) respectively, and a decreasing in jitter time of superimposed traces of eye pattern and well opining eye pattern. And in the corresponding, the bit error rates BERs of the received signals have been decreased, with rising the value of mode confinement factor Γ of the laser at constant modulation index and constant temperature of the laser. Also, the VCSEL’s modulation response differences with different bitrates, causes different values of QF and BER for individual value of mode confinement factor Γ.
Bio-Mechanical and Bio-Rheological Aspects of Sickle Red Cells in Microcirculation: A Mathematical Modelling Approach

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited monogenic disease characterized by distorted red blood cells that causes vaso-occlusion and vasculopathy. Presently, electrophoresis of haemoglobin and genotyping are used as routine tests for diagnosis of the SCD. These techniques require specialized laboratories and are expensive. The low-cost microfluidics-based diagnostic tool holds a great attention for screening of red blood cell (RBC) deformability. In the present study, lubrication theory has been applied in order to develop a biomechanical model of microcirculation with altered rheological properties of sickle blood in the capillary, which is smaller in size compared to the cell diameter, to explain the multifactorial nature and pathogenesis of vaso-occlusion in SCD. The governing equations have been solved analytically for realistic boundary conditions and simulated using MATLAB. We found that the axial velocity of the cell decreases with a decrease in deformability and compliance. The height of the lubricating film predicts deformation of the cell with respect to local pressure in the microcirculation. Leak back and drag force depend non-linearly on the deformed cell radius with varying viscosity of the plasma and Reynolds number. The modelling predictions of this study is in coherence with experimental results. The analyzed parameters provide unique insights with novel possibilities to design a microfluidics-based effective therapeutic intervention for SCD.
Consumers’ Trust in Greek Traditional Foods in the Post COVID-19 Era

We are entering a new, unprecedented global economic and social era following the COVID-19 pandemic, in which there will be opportunities and threats for the goods and services provided. Traditional foods (TFs) could have their chances in the new food chain which will be developed, as long as they become the food of choice for the consumers of the future. This paper investigates consumers’ trust in Greek TFs, and northwest Greek TFs, in order to assess their potential consumption in the new economy. Trust was tested using the variables of safety, healthiness, sustainability, authenticity and taste, assessing consumers’ confidence and satisfaction with the TFs, their raw materials, and the technologies used for their production. A self-response questionnaire survey was carried out in May and June 2021 on a sample of 548 participants through the Google platform. In order to analyze the data, basic descriptive statistical tools were used, combined with crosstabs and chi-square tests. The results show that the participants trust the Greek TFs because they “strongly agree” by an average of 20%, and “agree” by an average of 50% that they are safe, healthy, sustainable, authentic and tasty. A similar pattern was recorded for the regional northwest Greek TFs as well. These results indicate that TFs could be the food of choice because they bear consumers’ trust in the coming “new normality”, where trust will be a major factor of choice for the purchase of goods and services.
Identification of Potential miRNA-mRNA Regulatory Network in Denervated Muscular Atrophy by Bioinformatic Analysis

Muscle atrophy caused by long-term denervation leads to the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, resulting in a poor recovery of functional muscles and decreasing quality of life. Increasing differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMs) have been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of denervated muscle atrophy. However, there is still insufficient evidence to explain the role of miRNAs and their target genes in skeletal muscle atrophy. Therefore, an integrative exploration of the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network in denervated muscle atrophy is necessary. A total of 21 (16 upregulated and 5 downregulated) DEMs were screened out in the GSE81914 dataset. Med1, Myod1, Nfkb1, Rela, and Camta1 were predicted and verified to be significantly upregulated in denervated muscle atrophy, from which 6 key TF-miRNA relationship pairs, including Med1-mir-1949, Med1-mir-146b, Myod1-mir-29b, Nfkb1-mir-21, Rela-mir-21, and Camta1-mir-132, were obtained. 60 target genes were then predicted by submitting candidate DEMs to the miRNet database. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that target genes of DEMs were mainly enriched in the apoptotic process and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Through the PPI network construction, key modules and hub genes were obtained and potentially modulated by mir-29b, mir-132, and mir-133a. According to the qRT-PCR results, the expression of COL1A1 and Ctgf is opposite to their related miRNAs in denervated muscle atrophy. In the study, a potential miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was firstly constructed in denervated muscle atrophy, in which the mir-29b-COL1A1 and mir-133a-Ctgf pathways may provide new insights into the pathogenesis and treatment.
Study on the performance characterization and yarn mechanical properties of poly-m-phenylene isophthalamide nanofiber

In this paper, poly-m-phenylene isophthalamide (PMIA) staple fibers were dissolved in a LiCl/N,N-dimethylacetamide solvent system in order to prepare PMIA nanofibers via the electrospinning method. The mean diameter of the nanofiber was between 72 and 247 nm and gradually increased with increasing LiCl concentration. PMIA nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, a thermogravimetric analyzer and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis. Besides, the tensile strength of PMIA nanofiber yarns was tested and analyzed, combining the orthogonal array method. The results showed that the diameter and uniformity of nanofibers decreased gradually with increasing PMIA and LiCl solution concentration. The thermal properties, the specific surface area and chemical structures of PMIA nanofibers were improved comparing with PMIA stable fiber. It was found out that the LiCl concentration could influence the interactions among polymer molecules and caused the fibrils to wrap around each other, forming fiber clusters. The LiCl concentration was the most important factor affecting the tensile strength of PMIA nanofiber yarn.