Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The essential role of the plasma sheath in plasma–liquid interaction and its applications—A perspective

Based on the current knowledge, a plasma–liquid interface looks and behaves very differently from its counterpart at a solid surface. Local processes characteristic to most liquids include a stronger evaporation, surface deformations, droplet ejection, possibly distinct mechanisms behind secondary electron emission, the formation of an electric double layer, and an ion drift-mediated liquid resistivity. All of them can strongly influence the interfacial charge distribution. Accordingly, the plasma sheath at a liquid surface is most likely unique in its own way, both with respect to its structure and behavior. However, insights into these properties are still rather scarce or uncertain, and more studies are required to further disclose them. In this Perspective, we argue why more research on the plasma sheath is not only recommended but also crucial to an accurate understanding of the plasma–liquid interaction. First, we analyze how the sheath regulates various elementary processes at the plasma–liquid interface, in terms of the electrical coupling, the bidirectional mass transport, and the chemistry between plasma and liquid phase. Next, these three regulatory functions of the sheath are illustrated for concrete applications. Regarding the electrical coupling, a great deal of attention is paid to the penetration of fields into biological systems due to their relevance for plasma medicine, plasma agriculture, and food processing. Furthermore, we illuminate the role of the sheath in nuclear fusion, nanomaterial synthesis, and chemical applications. As such, we hope to motivate the plasma community for more fundamental research on plasma sheaths at liquid surfaces.
A Novel Advancing Signal Processing Method Based on Coupled Multi-Stable Stochastic Resonance for Fault Detection

In recent years, methods for detecting motor bearing faults have attracted increasing attention. However, it is very difficult to detect the faults from weak motor bearing signals under the strong noise. Stochastic resonance (SR) is a popular signal processing method, which can process weak signals with the noise, but the traditional SR is burdensome in determining its parameters. Therefore, in this paper, a new advancing coupled multi-stable stochastic resonance method, with two first-order multi-stable stochastic resonance systems, namely CMSR, is proposed to detect motor bearing faults. Firstly, the effects of the output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for system parameters and coupling coefficients are analyzed in-depth by numerical simulation technology. Then, the SNR is considered as the fitness function for the seeker optimization algorithm (SOA), which can adaptively optimize and determine the system parameters of the SR by using the subsampling technique. An advancing coupled multi-stable stochastic resonance method is realized, and the pre-processed signal is input into the CMSR to detect the faults of motor bearings by using Fourier transform. The faults of motor bearings are determined according to the output signal. Finally, the actual vibration data of induction motor bearings are used to prove the effectiveness of the proposed CMSR. The comparison results with the MSR show that the CMSR can obtain a higher output SNR, which is more beneficial to extract weak signal features and realize fault detection. At the same time, this method also has practical application value for engineering rotating machinery.
Anaerobic Degradability of Commercially Available Bio-Based and Oxo-Degradable Packaging Materials in the Context of their End of Life in the Waste Management Strategy

There are discrepancies concerning the time frame for biodegradation of different commercially available foils labeled as biodegradable; thus, it is essential to provide information about their biodegradability in the context of their end of life in waste management. Therefore, one-year mesophilic (37 °C) anaerobic degradation tests of two bio-based foils (based on starch (FS), polylactic acid (FPLA)) and oxo-degradable material (FOXO) were conducted in an OxiTop system. Biodegradation was investigated by measuring biogas production (BP) and analyzing structural changes with differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing and digital microscopic analyses, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. After 1 year, FOXO had not degraded; thus, there were no visible changes on its surface and no BP. The bio-based materials produced small amounts of biogas (25.2, FPLA, and 30.4 L/kg VS, FS), constituting 2.1–2.5% of theoretical methane potential. The foil pieces were still visible and only starting to show damage; some pores had appeared in their structure. The structure of FPLA became more heterogeneous due to water diffusing into the structure. In contrast, the structure of FS became more homogenous although individual cracks and fissures appeared. The color of FS had changed, indicating that it was beginning to biodegrade. The fact that FS and FPLA showed only minor structural damage after a one-year mesophilic degradation indicates that, in these conditions, these materials would persist for an unknown but long amount of time.
The roles of collagen XVIII and its endostatin domain in wound healing, hair follicle cycling and bone development

Collagen XVIII is a basement membrane proteoglycan, which has three variant N-termini. These variants are coded by two promoters; promoter 1 directs the synthesis of a short variant and promoter 2 directs the synthesis of two longer variants, of which the middle variant is generated from the longest by splicing. The longest variant contains a cysteine-rich domain in its N-terminus, which shows homology to the frizzled receptors of the Wnt molecules and can inhibit Wnt/betacatenin signalling in vitro. The C-terminal domain of collagen XVIII, endostatin, is an inhibitor of tumor growth and angiogenesis. Lack of collagen XVIII accelerates cutanous wound healing and wound angiogenesis. Overexpression of endostatin leads to delayed wound healing and the presence of morphologically abnormal wound capillaries. Moreover, endostatin overexpression leads to delayed formation of the wound epidermal basement membrane and impaired maturation of hemidesmosomes. Endostatin treatment decreases osteoblast proliferation in vitro. Moreover, osteoblast proliferation and mineralization of the matrix by osteoblasts are inhibited when cells are treated with endostatin together with VEGF. In vivo, lack of collagen XVIII leads to delayed formation of secondary ossification centers in mouse femurs, whereas overexpression of endostatin leads to a slower growth of bone length. However, both of these changes are transient and mild, suggesting that collagen XVIII/endostatin is not essential for skeletal development. The growth of hair follicles is delayed in the mice overexpressing endostatin. This delay in growth is preceded by an impaired hair follicle associated angiogenesis. Lack of collagen XVIII causes an accelerated onset of the first hair cycle. A similar change can be seen in mice lacking the long variants of collagen XVIII. Lack of the short variant causes mild acceleration in the catagen of the first cycle, and anagen is also significantly accelerated in these mice. The long variants were located in the bulge region, which contains the hair follicle stem cells, and in the basement membrane surrounding the dermal papilla. As it is known that several Wnt-inhibitors are upregulated in the bulge, our results suggest that the longest variant of collagen XVIII may have a role as a regulator of Wnt-signalling in hair follicles.
Advanced diabetic kidney disease complicated by acute interstitial nephritis: A case report and literature review

Currently, diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the main cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide. The condition of advanced DKD is severe and is often accompanied by a number of complica‐ tions, such as heart failure and pulmonary infection, requiring multiple‐drug treatment. However, any type of medicine has the potential to cause acute interstitial nephritis (AIN). In addition, as renal fibrosis in advanced DKD is already severe without taking any complications, such as AIN into account, it remains unclear whether steroidal therapy can benefit the condition. The present study describes the case of a patient with advanced DKD complicated by AIN, who was adminis‐ tered steroidal therapy. Ultimately, the patient's renal function partially improved. The present study also presents a brief review, discussing past experience on DKD with complica‐ tions. On the whole, it is demonstrated that even patients with advanced DKD may still benefit from steroid therapy.
Havana Tradition Platform Pipe Production and Disposition: Implications for Interpreting Regional Variation in Midwestern Hopewell Ceremonialism

This study documents the contexts of platform pipe creation, distribution, and disposition at Illinois Havana Hopewell Tradition (50 BC to AD 200–250) sites to identify regional variation in Hopewell ceremonialism and exchange. We observe that the large deposits of stone pipes buried during communal rituals in the Scioto Valley and the continued influence of the Hopewell Sphere of Interaction have skewed archaeological interpretation. Aside from the several large deposits, pipes are limited in the Scioto Tradition and seldom found in habitation areas. In Illinois, pipe fabrication debris commonly occurs in habitation areas along with numerous examples of pipe repair and maintenance. Local pipestones—often from northern Illinois Sterling deposits—predominate, and exotic imported pipestones are unusual. Pipes are rare inclusions with individual burials as indicators of status, spiritual prowess, achievement, or group membership. The high value placed on pipes as communal sacra in Ohio and their value in Illinois as items of personal influence parallels their common occurrence in Illinois and their unique context in Ohio Hopewell. This study of the contexts of pipe manufacture and deposition reinforces current discussions of such artifact assemblages as important in documenting local variations in political, social, and religious mortuary ceremonialism across the “Hopewellian sphere. ”
Design of a large bandwidth 2 × 2 interferometric switching cell based on a sub-wavelength grating

In the last few decades, increasing research effort has focused on the design of telecommunication payload systems with advanced features and lower costs in space applications. In this context, photonic solutions have already proven the potential to achieve additional functionalities, such as multiplexing or switching of RF or microwave signals, with consequent additional benefits in terms of size and mass reduction. In this paper, we report on the design of a 2 × 2 switching cell based on a thermo-optic interferometric configuration, whose key element is a sub-wavelength grating. We have theoretically demonstrated a broadband operation, with better performance in terms of operating wavelength range and compactness with respect to the existing interferometric cells. The switching cell shows a worst extinction ratio of about 13 dB, insertion loss of less than 2 dB, crosstalk of 12 dB, over a bandwidth of 150 nm, within a footprint as small as 240 µm × 9 µm. To demonstrate its potential use as a routing fabric in flexible telecommunication satellite payloads, as an example, the designed switching cell has been used as a building block of an 8 × 8 dilated Banyan matrix, where large bandwidth (150 nm), low crosstalk (−38 dB), small footprint (≈1620 µm × 576 µm) and relatively low power consumption (276 mW) have been achieved.
A dynamical and numerical study of the effects of the topography of the Tibetan Plateau and westerly wind speed on the East Asian Trough

The effects of the topography of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and westerly wind speed on the East Asian Trough (EAT) is discussed with analysis using a dynamical model, and verified with numerical experiments based on real cases. The dynamical model utilizes a complex terrain function to approximate the TP topography, and derives a stream function generated by the TP terrain. The numerical experiments used for the verification consider the influence of different TP terrain heights and westerly wind speeds. The results show that the topography of the TP has a prominent contribution to the intensity of the EAT, but little effect on its position. The topography of the TP in the westerly winds causes a low‐pressure trough to its east, which promotes a deepening of the EAT to the east side of the TP. In contrast, in the context of the TP, westerly wind speed has an important influence on the position of the EAT, but a minor impact on the deepening of the EAT. A larger westerly wind speed causes a more eastern position of the EAT. These findings indicate that the combination of large‐scale topography and westerly wind speed plays a key role in the evolution of the EAT, in the terms of intensity and position.
Study on the Implementation of a Simple and Effective Memory System for an AI Chip

In this study, a simple and effective memory system required for the implementation of an AI chip is proposed. To implement an AI chip, the use of internal or external memory is an essential factor, because the reading and writing of data in memory occurs a lot. Those memory systems that are currently used are large in design size and complex to implement in order to handle a high speed and a wide bandwidth. Therefore, depending on the AI application, there are cases where the circuit size of the memory system is larger than that of the AI core. In this study, SDRAM, which has a lower performance than the currently used memory system but does not have a problem in operating AI, was used and all circuits were implemented digitally for simple and efficient implementation. In particular, a delay controller was designed to reduce the error due to data skew inside the memory bus to ensure stability in reading and writing data. First of all, it verified the memory system based on the You Only Look Once (YOLO) algorithm in FPGA to confirm that the memory system proposed in AI works efficiently. Based on the proven memory system, we implemented a chip using Samsung Electronics’ 65 nm process and tested it. As a result, we designed a simple and efficient memory system for AI chip implementation and verified it with hardware.
Comparative Studies between Physicochemical Properties in Aconiti Laterdis Radix Praeparata and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Decoction before and after Combination

Objective: To analyze the physicochemical properties differences between Aconiti Laterdis Radix Praeparata and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma decoction before and after combination. Method: Use inductivity measurer,turbid meter,viscosity meter and surface tension apparatus to measure the physicochemical properties( inductivity, salinity, turbid, viscosity, surface tension) of four kinds of decoctions; use laser diffraction to measure particle size of these four different decoctions; analyze the physicochemical properties between these decoctions. Result: There are indeed physicochemical properties differences between these decoctions; the inductivity and salinity of Aconiti Laterdis Radix Praeparata and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma combination are less than those of other decoctions,but the particle size of combination is larger than that of other decoctions. Conclusion: Supply a research data for studying correlativity between effective chemical constituents and physicochemical properties in decotions before and after combinated.
New alternatives for improving and assessing the color of dark–cutting beef – a review

ABSTRACT Myoglobin (Mb) is a sarcoplasmic heme protein present in muscle cells, which acts as a short–term oxygen (O2) reserve in the muscle tissue. After slaughtering and exsanguination, Mb is the major pigment that provides the red color in meat. The concentration of Mb together with its redox state are two pivotal factors that determine meat color. The elevated pH of dark–cutting beef can affect both physical and biochemical properties resulting in decreased oxygenation. The darkening observed in high ultimate pH (pHu) beef concerns meat processors as color is the initial attribute that impacts on the purchase. Thus, any atypical meat color (i.e., loss of brightness) reduces consumer interest in the product. Several studies have demonstrated that immunological castration is effective in preventing both aggressive behavior and undesirable dark–cutting of bull meat. However, little information is available on the effects of processing techniques that limit the oxidation of ferrous iron (Fe2+), Mb or promote metmyoglobin (MMb) reduction in dark–cutting beef. Because of the importance of color to fresh beef marketability, this review aimed at overviewing the significance of pHu in beef color and color stability and to discuss new alternatives for improving and assessing the beef color of dark–cutting beef, especially in Nellore bulls and their crossbreds, which are widely used in beef cattle production in Brazil.
Heterobimetallic Models of the [NiFe] Hydrogenases: A Structural and Spectroscopic Comparison

Hydrogen has emerged as a leading alternative fuel; however, efficient chemical methods for generating hydrogen from water are lacking. Thus, chemists have turned to nature for inspiration. The [NiFe] hydrogenases possess rich structural, spectroscopic, and functional properties, motivating extensive synthetic efforts to model the complex active sites. In this comment, the geometric and electronic structures of the [NiFe] hydrogenases are compared to model compounds that most closely reproduce features of the native enzyme. The implications of this comparison and opportunities for advancing the catalytic activity of model compounds are discussed. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Exploratory Study of Flexural Performance of Mechanically Recycled Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Shreds as Reinforcement in Cement Mortar

Millions of tons of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) waste have been steadily generated from end-of-life wind turbine blades and many other GFRP composites prevalent in everyday life, with limited reuse options. Recycled GFRP (rGFRP) by mechanical processing could be used in mortar and concrete as fibers or fillers. Maintaining the composite nature of rGFRP with a high fiber content is paramount to increased mechanical properties for concrete. In this study, high-modulus rGFRP particles were produced in three small, medium, and large relative sizes by hammer milling and screening. Small and medium rGFRPs were used in 1, 2, 3%, and large rGFRP in 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7% volume replacing sand in mortar. Almost all rGFRP-mortars showed significant improvement in flexural strength with their high modulus. All size groups of rGFRP progressively showed higher fracture toughness at higher amounts. Within the large group, 5 and 7%Vol had flexural toughness of about 2.00J compared with 0.75J of 3%Vol. Large rGFRP at 5 and 7%Vol offered nearly 60% and 70% 28 day equivalent flexural ratio. Micrographs of rGFRP–matrix interfaces from fracture faces showed rGFRP was well embedded within the matrix, provided bridging and deflecting of microcracks, and failed in pullout or rupture modes. Fly ash and silica fume had a positive synergy with 3%Vol large rGFRP and improved its flexural toughness from 0.75J to 1.12 and 1.00J, respectively. The investigated recycling process and sizes of rGFRP shreds showed great promise in this exploratory study and are recommended for further evaluation for highway and bridge concrete.
Adopting technology in schools: modelling, measuring and supporting knowledge appropriation

ABSTRACT Integration of technology in schools rests on effective teacher education programmes that help teachers create new teaching and learning methods and adopt them for classroom use. Social learning processes play a key role in this, but there is a lack of understanding of their role in technology adoption and in evidencing them in teacher education programmes. Using the knowledge appropriation model, we propose a self-report questionnaire instrument to evidence knowledge creation and learning practices during training. With a sample of N = 109 in-service teachers participating in the Teacher Innovation Laboratory, a teacher professional development programme that is built around school−university co-creation partnerships, we demonstrate the instrument to be reliable and to differentiate between groups who completed different programmes. The instrument predicted intended adoption of technology-enhanced learning methods beyond individual level constructs, highlighting the important role that social practices play for the eventual adoption of technologies in the classroom.
Foliar and Root Applications of Vegetal-Derived Protein Hydrolysates Differentially Enhance the Yield and Qualitative Attributes of Two Lettuce Cultivars Grown in Floating System

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is a leafy vegetable cultivated widely for its fast and year-round production and its beneficial phytochemical content, which may be boosted further by plant biostimulants that are considered eco-sustainable means for enhancing horticultural crop production. A greenhouse experiment was carried out to evaluate the yield and qualitative parameters of two differently pigmented lettuce cultivars grown in a floating raft system either untreated or treated (leaf, root or leaf/root application) with vegetal protein hydrolysates (PHs). For foliar application (F), lettuce plants were sprayed at a dose of 3 mL L−1, whereas for root application, 0.15 (T1) or 0.3 (T2) mL L−1 was applied to the nutrient solution alone or in combination with foliar spray (T1 + F and T2 + F) with the same foliar concentration. Bio-morphometric and production data were collected after harvest. Physiological and plant nutrition assays included leaf gas exchange, leaf fluorescence, SPAD index, mineral content, carotenoids, total phenols, total ascorbic acid content and antioxidant activities. Cultivar-specific reactions to biostimulant application were noted: whilst the green pigmented cultivar thrived under nutrient solution applications and recorded higher yield by 82.7% (T1) or (T1 + F) and 71.7% (T2), the red cultivar thrived under combined treatments, yielding 55.4% (T2 + F) higher than control and providing the most concentrated phytochemical content. These latter treatments also engendered the highest SPAD index, Fv/Fm ratio, CO2 assimilation, stomatal conductance and transpiration. In addition, the T2 + F treatment boosted ‘Canasta’ hydrophilic antioxidant activity (21.9%) and total ascorbic acid (5.6-fold). Nutrient solution treatments alone proved advantageous when compared to foliar treatments, while mixed treatments proved genotype-specific. New research on genotype specificity of biostimulant effects is warranted for future use, in order to rationalize biostimulant application modes and dosages.
Data-Driven Energy Storage Scheduling to Minimise Peak Demand on Distribution Systems with PV Generation

The growing adoption of decentralised renewable energy generation (such as solar photovoltaic panels and wind turbines) and low-carbon technologies will increase the strain experienced by the distribution networks in the near future. In such a scenario, energy storage is becoming a key alternative to traditional expensive reinforcements to network infrastructure, due to its flexibility, decreasing costs and fast deployment capabilities. In this work, an end-to-end data-driven solution to optimally design the control of a battery unit with the aim of reducing the peak electricity demand is presented. The proposed solution uses state-of-the-art machine learning methods for forecasting electricity demand and PV generation, combined with an optimisation strategy to maximise the use of photovoltaic energy to charge the energy storage unit. To this end, historical demand, weather, and solar energy generation data collected at the Stentaway Primary substation near Plymouth, UK, and at other six locations were employed.