Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural Network Based Retrieval of Inherent Optical Properties (IOPs) Of Coastal Waters of Oceans

Inherent optical properties (IOPs) of the coastal oceans are modulated independently by the in-water optical constituents, which cause variations in the water leaving radiances or re-mote sensing reflectances. Accurate determination of IOPs and the optical constituents from water-leaving radiances or reflectances using conventional empirical ratio approaches fail in the coastal oceans. Alternate non-parametric approaches such as neural network (NN) based approaches can be developed to derive the parameters of interest using training datasets. Further NN based approaches can deal with the non-linearity of functional dependence between optical constituents and the IOPs.To retrieve the IOPs, earlier NN models used Levenberg-Marquardt with Bayesian Regularization as an optimizer for learning the weights of the model, which has a slow learning rate. Moreover, with low-resource datasets while retrieving IOPs till the third level, the probability of error propagation becomes high. To overcome these two problems, we present a Modified Neural Network (MNN) algorithm (modification of NN model [3] to retrieve Inherent Optical Properties (IOPs) of ocean waters, in which three Neural Networks (NN) were developed in parallel. Our method is based on the approach where we use the Adam optimizer, instead of the Levenberg-Marquardt since it has a faster training time. Also, the error propagation is observed to be very less even with low-resource data while retrieving IOPs at the third level, with a decent R2 score.Results of the MNN algorithm indicate that MNN retrieves IOPs with an R2 = 0.99 between measured and predicted values for bbp(443) and R2 = 0.99 for apg(443) at Level 1. Level-2 products give R2 = 0.98 and R2 = 0.99 between measured and predicted values for apg(443) and adg(443) respectively. Similarly Level-3 products give R2 = 0.97 and R2 = 0.51 between measured and predicted values for ag(443) and ad(443) respectively. The algorithm retrieves better R2 score for all parameters except ad(443) compared to Semi Analytical Algorithm, Quasi Analytical Algorithm and NN algorithm by [3]. The new technique has the advantage of faster convergence and better generalization capacity for deriving IOPs from complex waters. The new algorithm is also able to separate gelbstoff and detrital absorption.
PREPARATION OF CZTS THIN FILM EMPLOYING RAPID THERMAL PROCESSING METHOD

CZTS thin film was fabricated by sulfurization process of deposited thin films on Mo coated glass substrates. Cu, Zn, and Sn thin film layers were deposited sequentially to form Glass/Mo/CuSn/Zn/Cu. The CuSn layer in the stacked structure was formed by annealing process in the sputtering chamber after sequential deposition of Cu and Sn, respectively. The sulfurization process was performed by rapid thermal processing method (RTP) so as to obtain kesterite CZTS structure. The obtained CZTS thin film was analyzed using several characterization methods such as EDX, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM and PL measurements. The EDX measurements showed that elemental loss was not observed after the annealing process in sulfur atmosphere. The fabricated CZTS thin film showed Cu stoichiometric and Zn rich composition. The XRD pattern of annealed sample revealed formation of kesterite CZTS structure. The Raman spectra of the sample proved formation of kesterite CZTS structure. In addition, some CTS phases were detected in the structure by Raman spectroscopy. Polycrystalline surface microstructure was seen in SEM surface measurement. The room temperature PL measurement exhibited a transition around at 1.39 eV that is very close to band gap of kesterite CZTS structure. Overall, with this study, it has been shown that the CZTS thin film structure can be easily produced using the RTP method with very high heating rate.
Cultivation of new taste: taste makers and new forms of distinction in China’s Coffee Culture

ABSTRACT Specialty coffee is increasingly produced and consumed as part of routine life in many cities in modern China, but the social and cultural shifts it has engendered yet to be systematically examined. By examining the intersections between social media and the operations of independent Chinese coffeehouses in the field of taste, this paper puts forward the idea of new taste among Chinese millennials, which comprises individual subjectivity, heterogeneous social relationships, and forms of class distinction. Using taste-oriented keyword searches on WeChat official accounts, 20 articles were returned and analyzed in terms of their textural and visual orientations to examine the processes underlying how taste is influenced in the consumption of specialty coffee in China. Findings suggest the importance of taste makers in this process, from routine creation of aesthetic ambience in the coffeehouses to the construction of affective taste spaces online, and the establishment of taste cycles from online to offline, which all underpin class privilege. Moreover, the emergence of an ‘urban café community’ appears to be characterized by specific forms of belonging resulting from a productive effect of the interplay between independent coffeehouses and consumers in everyday urban life in which a set of aesthetic boundaries reside. Second, these digital consumers distinguish themselves socially by positioning themselves as having a cosmopolitan taste grounded in coffee appreciation instead of merely consuming coffee for physiological benefits. These findings extend taste propositions through engagement of Chinese digital millennial consumers to uncover the underlying cultural classifications.
Network pharmacology-based analysis of the effects of puerarin on sarcopenia

Background With the acceleration of population aging, sarcopenia will place a heavy burden on families and society. Thus, effective treatments urgently need to be developed to slow down the development of sarcopenia. This study adopted a network pharmacological approach to explore the possible mechanisms of puerarin in treating sarcopenia. Methods The potential therapeutic targets of puerarin were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) database, while the targets of sarcopenia were obtained from the GeneCards, DisGeNET, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), and Therapeutic Target Database (TTD) databases. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was generated by BisoGenet, and core targets were identified by a topological analysis. To determine the potential targeting pathways, the core targets were further imported into the Metascape platform for the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses. The results were visualized using an online bioinformatics tool. Results We identified 53 targets for puerarin and 129 targets for sarcopenia. A total of 206 core targets, which were considered potential therapeutic targets, were identified from the merged PPI network. Further, the GO and KEGG analyses revealed that the functions of the core targets and related pathways were mainly associated with the cell cycle, apoptosis, protein synthesis, and proteolysis. Conclusions Puerarin has the potential to treat sarcopenia through the regulation of the cell cycle, apoptosis, and protein homeostasis. Our study has laid a foundation for further studies on drug development and pharmacological experiments in the treatment of sarcopenia.
The Psychological Education Strategy of Music Generation and Creation by Generative Confrontation Network under Deep Learning

In order to study the role of generative adversarial network (GAN) in music generation, this article creates a convolutional GAN-based Midinet as a baseline model through the music generation process and creative psychological education and GAN principle. Additionally, it proposes a music generation model based on music theory rules and a chord-constrained GAN dual-track music generation model. Based on this model, a deep chord gated recurrent neural generative adversarial network (DCG_GAN) is proposed. The generated melodies are evaluated in both subjective and objective directions. The results show that the three evaluation indicators of DCG_GAN have the highest scores in the subjective evaluation. The average score given by ordinary listeners reaches 3.76 points, and the professional score reaches 3.58 points, which are 0.69 and 1.31 points higher than the baseline model, respectively. In the objective evaluation, DCG_GAN is improved by 8.075% in empty bars rate (EBR). The UPC (num_chroma_used) evaluation index value of the DCG_GAN model is improved by 0.52 compared with the baseline model. The qualified note ratio (QNR) evaluation index value is improved by up to 4.46% among the five audio tracks. The proposed overall style-based music generation model has superior performance in music generation. Both subjective and objective evaluations show that the generated music is more favored by the audience, indicating that the combination of deep learning and GAN has a great effect on music generation.
A study of LTE-V2X mode 4 performances in a multi-application context

With the growing importance of cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS), 3GPP has standardized LTE-V2X (Long Term Evolution - Vehicle-to-everything) in Release 14 to address specifically vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity. This standard introduces a mode 4 in which vehicles allocate radio resources autonomously without cellular infrastructure support for direct vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications. However, as LTE-V2X is a recent technology (compared to WAVE and ITS-G5), it is not sufficiently evaluated in the literature. In this work, we propose an evaluation of LTE-V2X mode 4 performances considering the impact of the sensing-based resource allocation mechanism parameters, the traffic load and the Quality of service (QoS) mechanism. In addition, we propose a comparative study of LTE-V2X mode 4 with ITS-G5. Based on several simulation scenarios from 3GPP, we prove that the Sensing-based SPS mechanism parameters and the traffic load significantly impact on the performance offered by LTE-V2X. In addition, we show that the QoS mechanism of LTE-V2X outperforms the ITS-G5 one in realistic multi-application context.
A 24-31 GHz GaN-on-Si Power Amplifier MMIC

In this paper, a 24-31 GHz power amplifier Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) based on GaN-on-Si technology is presented. Negative feedback networks are used to extend the bandwidth. The designed power amplifier is simulated with the output power of 34 dBm and the gain of at least 24 dB from 24 to 31 GHz. The simulated power added efficiency (PAE) is higher than 35.8% within the operating frequency band. The circuit area is only 3.25 × 1 mm2. The bias circuits are arranged at one side of power amplifier MMIC, which can reduce the integration difficulty when it is used in the front-end model (FEM). The proposed GaN power amplifier MMIC shows high efficiency and simple structure, which is potential in millimeter-wave applications.
Alarming decline of the Great Bustard Otis tarda world population over the last two decades

Summary Since 2005, the world population of Great Bustards Otis tarda has decreased at an annual rate of 3.23%. The current world total is estimated at 31,000–36,000 birds, 34% (range 30–38%) less than 16 years ago. The declines have been observed in nine of 17 countries with extant breeding populations, with highest values in China (-89%) and European Russia (-72%). Marked decreases have also occurred in the Iberian Peninsula, which is still the stronghold for the species with 70–75% of the world population. Within Iberia, declines are particularly alarming in Portugal (-50%), although perhaps even more concerning in Spain, where the -28% (range 25–30%) decrease implies a loss of more than 8,000 individuals. Increases have been only recorded in Germany, Austria, and at a smaller scale in Hungary (respectively, 202%, 91%, and 5%), thanks to continued and intensive conservation actions, and also in the small group breeding in Romania, likely due to dispersal from the increasing West Pannonian population. The isolated populations of Morocco and Iran are on the brink of extinction. More surveys are still needed in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, China, and Mongolia, to confirm numbers and trends. It is urgent to reinforce conservation actions worldwide to stop negative demographic trends and ensure the survival of the species. If current trends continue, IUCN should perhaps consider whether (a) conditions are met to upgrade the species’ Red List category from globally ‘Vulnerable’ to ‘Endangered’, and (b) the two subspecies should be treated as separate conservation units and require different conservation strategies.
Reliability and validity of the 2002 and 2006 Chapel Hill expert surveys on party positioning

This research note reports on the 2002 and 2006 Chapel Hill expert surveys (CHES), which measure national party positioning on European integration, ideology, and several European Union (EU) and non-EU policies. The reliability of expert judgments is examined and the CHES data are cross-validated with data from the Comparative Manifesto Project, the 2003 Benoit-Laver expert survey and the 2002 Rohrschneider-Whitefield survey. The dataset is available on the CHES website.
Sensitivity Analysis and Uncertainty Evaluation in the Design of Structural Health Monitoring Systems

The complexity of uncertainty evaluation for autonomous SHM systems is compounded by the numerous conditions and variables for which the SHM system must demonstrate reliable and consistent performance. Performing all such tests on real structures is often infeasible. This work examines the feasibility of using a statistical experimental design (DOE) framework in the simulation environment in order to conduct a multi-factored sensitivity study to inform subsequent studies and, eventually, the validation of the SHM system. Specifically, we examined the simultaneous effect of varying sensor placement, flaw location, frequency, and sensor size on the performance of a known piezoelectric wafer active sensor (PWAS) in a simulation environment. Using fractional experimental designs, we demonstrate the replicability of using ½ the total number of experimental runs to identify the signal feature exhibiting the most sensitivity to system design factors and the factors exhibiting the greatest effect (greatest variability) on the SHM response. These factors varied depending on the damage index and feature used for analysis. Specifically, emphasis and care should be taken when designing an SHM system based upon the correlation coefficient and difference in peak amplitude with respect to the transmitter angle and receiver angle, in addition to frequency for the difference in peak amplitude. These factors accounted for between 90-98% of all the variability observed in the SHM response for these signal features. The results of this experiment demonstrate: 1) the usefulness of designed experiments for efficient uncertainty evaluation in SHM systems, 2) the sensitivity of damage indices to varying SHM factors, and 3) the ability of simulation experiments to effectively inform subsequent material and real-time experimentation. These initial results have provided the basis for more extensive demonstrations on complex simulation experiments in addition to laboratory and active material.
The Role of Brain Activity in Characterizing Successful Reading Intervention in Children With Dyslexia

Studies of reading intervention in dyslexia have shown changes in performance and in brain function. However, there is little consistency in the location of brain regions associated with successful reading gains in children, most likely due to variability/limitations in methodologies (study design, participant criteria, and neuroimaging procedures). Ultimately for the results to be meaningful, the intervention has to be successful, be assessed against a control, use rigorous statistics, and take biological variables (sex) into consideration. Using a randomized, crossover design, 31 children with dyslexia were assigned to a phonological- and orthographic-based tutoring period as well as a within-subjects control period to examine: (1) intervention-induced changes in behavior (reading performance) and in brain activity (during reading); and (2) behavioral and brain activity pre-intervention data that predicted intervention-induced gains in reading performance. We found gains in reading ability following the intervention, but not following the control period, with no effect of participants’ sex. However, there were no changes in brain activity following the intervention (regardless of sex), suggesting that individual brain changes are too variable to be captured at the group level. Reading gains were not predicted by pre-intervention behavioral data, but were predicted by pre-intervention brain activity in bilateral supramarginal/angular gyri. Notably, some of this prediction was only found in females. Our results highlight the limitations of brain imaging in detecting the neural correlates of reading intervention in this age group, while providing further evidence for its utility in assessing eventual success of intervention, especially if sex is taken into consideration.
Ectopic Fetal Liver Tissue in the Placenta of a Twin Pregnancy: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Ectopic liver tissue represents a rare entity and is mostly attributed to events occurring during embryogenesis. Previous case reports documented the presence of fetal liver parenchyma within temporarily developed organs during pregnancy, such as the placenta or the umbilical cord. Moreover, the terminology of these benign findings varies from “ectopic liver” to “hepatocellular adenoma-like neoplasm” or “hepatocellular adenoma”. Ancillary tests performed on these lesions have shown positive immunohistochemical staining for hepatocellular origin marker HepPar-1. Only one recent case report comprising molecular analysis showed no beta-catenin gain-of-function mutation. We report a case of ectopic liver in one placenta of a twin pregnancy, with an updated review of literature.
Parasocial interactions with real and virtual influencers: The role of perceived similarity and human-likeness

Digitally created online celebrities (so-called virtual influencers) have appeared on various social media and video streaming platforms. While the scientific community has recently started to take an interest in this new phenomenon, it still remains mostly unclear how online audiences engage with—and relate to—these artificial digital creations. To address the identified research gap, we conducted a preregistered experiment ( N = 179), comparing viewers’ parasocial interactions (PSIs) with either a human or a virtual influencer. Based on natural stimuli, we find that viewers’ parasocial response does not differ significantly between the two groups. However, by focusing on several theoretically relevant mediator variables, we uncover two opposing effects at play: While a significant direct effect signifies stronger PSIs with the virtual influencer, participants also attribute this persona with less mental human-likeness and similarity to themselves—which ultimately suppresses the observed advantage. Potential explanations for our results are discussed.
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In this paper we study the time slot assignment problem in clusters of SS/TDMA satellite systems interconnected through intersatellite links,. We show that the problem of finding an assignment which minimizes. ,-the total transmission time is NP-complete, Le. , computationally intractable, even for quite restricted intersatellite link patterns and simplified system models. Successively, we focus our attention on clusters of two satellites, proposing a branch-and-bound optimal algorithm. and two fast heuristic algorithms. We investigate the performance of the proposed heuristic algorithms both by a theoretical worst case bound and by simulation trials showing that the produced solutions are close to the optimal on the average.
An Autonomous Clutter Inspection Approach for Radiological Survey Using Mobile Robot

In the event of a radiological emergency, scattered clutters around the accident sites should be thoroughly inspected as they are potentially contaminated and require proper safety handling. The goal of this work was to localise the position of the hotspot within the clutters and estimate their respective radiation intensity using a mobile robot. Given the information from a 2D occupancy map, we proposed a strategy to identify the position of clutters and formulate waypoints that simultaneously serve as sampling positions to acquire radiation measurement. Particle filter was adapted to fuse the measured data and provide the results in real-time. We also introduced clutter contamination analysis that takes into account the limitations of the detector to derive the worst-case scenario; thus, preventing misclassifications of hotspots with low radiation intensity as clean areas. The approach was implemented in ROS and a commercial mobile robot with a Geiger Muller detector. Finally, we evaluated the overall performance in simulation and real-world experiments. Note to Practitioners—This work was motivated by the goal of realising automation of clutter inspection using a mobile robot to complement the current achievement in robotics radiation mapping. Currently, we still rely on human workers to conduct a thorough radiation survey, including detailed inspections on all clutters, before clearing any radiological accident or incident site. The theoretical framework in this paper proposed a practical solution to localise and estimate the intensity of the hotspot within the clutter in real-time. We demonstrated the versatility and performance of our proposed approach using a small commercial robot and Geiger Muller tube (typically available in any radiation facilities). This method reduces radiation exposure to human workers and provides a cost-effective solution for preliminary screening in radiological emergency situations.
Investigating Mechanical Behaviours of PDMS Films under Cyclic Loading

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is widely utilised as a substrate for wearable (stretchable) electronics where high fatigue resistance is required. Cyclic loadings cause the rearrangement of the basic molecular structure of polymer chains, which leads to changes in the mechanical properties of the PDMS structure. Accordingly, it is necessary to investigate reliable mechanical properties of PDMS considering both monotonic and cyclic loading conditions. This study aims to present the mechanical properties of PDMS films against both monotonic and cyclic loading. The effects of certain parameters, such as film thickness and magnitude of tensile strain, on mechanical properties are also investigated. The test results show that PDMS films have a constant monotonic elastic modulus regardless of the influence of thickness and tensile loading, whereas a cyclic elastic modulus changes depending on experimental parameters. Several material parameters, such as neo-Hookean, Mooney–Rivlin, the third-order Ogden model, and Yeoh, are defined to mimic the stress–strain behaviours of the PDMS films. Among them, it is confirmed that the third-order Ogden model is best suited for simulating the PDMS films over the entire tensile test range. This research makes contributions not only to understanding the mechanical behaviour of the PDMS films between the monotonic and the cycle loadings, but also through providing trustworthy hyperelastic material coefficients that enable the evaluation of the structural integrity of the PDMS films using the finite element technique.