Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anthropogenic Gd in urban river water

As an emerging contaminant, rare earth elements (REEs) are becoming an environmental concern, especially in Chinese cities. This study investigated the distribution of REEs in river water and tap water samples in Guiyang, Southwest China. In all water samples, the concentrations of total dissolved REE (∑REE) ranged from 15.1 to 53.3 ng·L–1, with the heavy rare earth elements enriched than the light rare earth elements. Most of the water samples showed significant positive Gd anomalies, with the highest abnormal value calculated to be 29.23. The main reason for the positive Gd anomalies was found to be the release of medical wastewaters containing Gadopentetic acids (Gd-DTPA). Overall, anthropogenic Gd could contributed >60% of total Gd in river waters and tap waters. Because Gd-DTPA is commonly used in large Chinese hospitals, the results of this study implied that anthropogenic Gd release could be common in Chinese cities.
The influence of wind shear to the performance of high-altitude solar-powered aircraft

There is a greatly persistent wind shear in the upper atmosphere, especially at the altitude of 10–20 km. For the idea of dynamic soaring, the wind shear can be treated as a kind of energy resource for aircraft if the aircraft is flying in a proper manner. Based on the above facts, the influence of wind shear to the performance of high-altitude solar-powered aircraft from a new prospect is systemically studied: The wind shear in the upper atmosphere is treated as a kind of energy resource for aircraft, and to be used to compensate the energy consumed by drag. The results of simulations show that the energy extracted from wind shear can compensate about 30–50% of the energy consumed by drag in climbing and 20–40% in descending for high-altitude aircraft when the strength of wind shear is greater than 0.005 s−1 and smaller than 0.01 s−1. This is a valuable conclusion for the high-altitude aircraft, since the strength of wind shear between 10 km and 20 km has fallen into this interval. By defining the dynamic soaring parameter, it has been found that the dynamic soaring parameter is possibly greater than 1 in the place that great enough strength of wind shear can be found, which implies that it is possible for high-altitude aircraft to perform unpowered flight by dynamic soaring if the wind shear can be unitized properly.
Design and Technology Transfer of RFID-Based Medical Sensing Devices

In this paper a Battery-Assisted Passive (BAP) RFID based-on sensing system is proposed with the goal of backscattering sensor data to a reader in human monitoring activities. A suitable Printed Circuit Board (PCB) has been designed to integrate the sensors, the tag and the antenna. The sensors consist in two accurate units able to return the body temperature and the systolic pulse signals, from which the heart rate has been estimated. For the sake of transmitting the gathered sensor information, a data packet has been arranged and returned to the interrogating reader. The device size has been minimized by adopting an 866 MHz ceramic antenna. A very appreciable working distance between the tag and the reader has been obtained both in case of device worn or not. In addition to the electromagnetic properties, design aspects of sensors, microcontroller, and RFID chip and have been taken into consideration to realize a comfortable device.
Alternative Entropy Measures and Generalized Khinchin–Shannon Inequalities

The Khinchin–Shannon generalized inequalities for entropy measures in Information Theory, are a paradigm which can be used to test the Synergy of the distributions of probabilities of occurrence in physical systems. The rich algebraic structure associated with the introduction of escort probabilities seems to be essential for deriving these inequalities for the two-parameter Sharma–Mittal set of entropy measures. We also emphasize the derivation of these inequalities for the special cases of one-parameter Havrda–Charvat’s, Rényi’s and Landsberg–Vedral’s entropy measures.
Inhibiting ACSL1-Related Ferroptosis Restrains Murine Coronavirus Infection

Murine hepatitis virus strain A59 (MHV-A59) was shown to induce pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis of infected cells, especially in the murine macrophages. However, whether ferroptosis, a recently identified form of lytic cell death, was involved in the pathogenicity of MHV-A59 is unknown. We utilized murine macrophages and a C57BL/6 mice intranasal infection model to address this. In primary macrophages, the ferroptosis inhibitor inhibited viral propagation, inflammatory cytokines released, and cell syncytia formed after MHV-A59 infection. In the mouse model, we found that in vivo administration of liproxstatin-1 ameliorated lung inflammation and tissue injuries caused by MHV-A59 infection. To find how MHV-A59 infection influenced the expression of ferroptosis-related genes, we performed RNA-seq in primary macrophages and found that MHV-A59 infection upregulates the expression of the acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 1 (ACSL1), a novel ferroptosis inducer. Using ferroptosis inhibitors and a TLR4 inhibitor, we showed that MHV-A59 resulted in the NF-kB-dependent, TLR4-independent ACSL1 upregulation. Accordingly, ACSL1 inhibitor Triacsin C suppressed MHV-A59-infection-induced syncytia formation and viral propagation in primary macrophages. Collectively, our study indicates that ferroptosis inhibition protects hosts from MHV-A59 infection. Targeting ferroptosis may serve as a potential treatment approach for dealing with hyper-inflammation induced by coronavirus infection.
Ultrastructural and Physicochemical Characterization of a Non-Crosslinked Type 1 Bovine Derived Collagen Membrane

In this work, in vitro testing was used to study the properties of non-crosslinked type 1 bovine derived collagen membranes used in bone regeneration surgery. Collagen membranes were prepared, their surface roughness was quantified by interferometry, their morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), their wettability was measured by the contact angle technique, their mechanical properties were investigated by tensile testing, their phase transformation temperatures were measured by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and their biocompatibility was evaluated by immunological testing. The calorimetry tests showed that the membrane is formed only by type 1 collagen. The SEM observations showed that the morphology consists of layers of highly organized collagen fibers and patterns of striated fibrils typical of type 1 collagen. The small contact angle showed that the membrane is hydrophilic, with the possibility of rapid absorption of body fluids. The tensile tests showed that the membrane has enough elasticity, ductility, and mechanical strength for use in tissue regeneration. With the immunostaining technique, it was possible to confirm the membrane biocompatibility.
Facile Preparation of Oxygen-Vacancy-Engineered MoOx Nanostructures for Photoreversible Switching Systems

Photochromic materials have attracted increasing attention. Here, we report a novel photo-reversible color switching system based on oxygen-vacancy-engineered MoOx nanostructures with water/N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as solvents. In this work, the system rapidly changed from colorless to blue under UV irradiation (360–400 nm) and slowly recovered its colorless state under visible light irradiation. The obtained oxygen vacancy-engineered MoOx nanostructures exhibited good repeatability, chemical stability, and cycling stability. Upon UV light irradiation, H+ was intercalated into layered MoOx nanostructures and the Mo6+ concentration in the HxMoOx decreased, while the Mo5+ concentration increased and increased oxygen vacancies changed the color to blue. Then, it recovered its original color slowly without UV light irradiation. What is more, the system was highly sensitive to UV light even on cloudy days. Compared with other reported photochromic materials, the system in this study has the advantage of facile preparation and provides new insights for the development of photochromic materials without dyes.
Effectiveness of battery-supercapacitor combination in electric vehicles

This paper investigates the application of a supercapacitor bank when used as a power buffer to smooth rapid power fluctuations in and out of the battery of an electric or hybrid vehicle. The study considers the simple case where the supercapacitor bank is connected directly in shunt with the battery as well as the case where it is connected through a DC/DC converter that is necessary to achieve optimal performance. The work is illustrated through computer simulations during vehicle acceleration and deceleration. Partial experimental data on a prototype circuit is also shown. Proper design of such a hybrid electrical energy storage system is expected to result in substantial benefits to the well being of the battery bank.
Comparative performance of PPPs and traditional procurement in Australia

Empirical research comparing projects procured as public–private partnerships (PPPs) with other methods of procurement is important because Australian governments plan to spend $320 billion on infrastructure over the next decade and PPPs are perceived to be an appropriate form of delivery. Estimating cost and risks in Australian capital projects is often characterized by optimism bias—the tendency to be overly optimistic about planned actions—and is too often based on insufficient historical data on which to make decisions. Given this broad context it is important to begin to understand in detail how PPPs have performed against other forms of procurement. To achieve this, a detailed study has been undertaken to compare the project time and cost outcomes observed in the Australian PPP market with those projects delivered by governments via traditional procurement methods. Two sets or pools of projects were compared based on a detailed analysis of publicly available data for a sample of 21 PPP projects and 33 traditional projects. This selection was based on a consideration of previous studies, time and cost metrics, project size and the relative complexity of different project types. In comparing the two sets PPPs demonstrated superior cost efficiency over traditional procurement, which ranged from 30.8% when measured from project inception, to 11.4% when measured from contractual commitment to the final outcome. Between the signing of the final contract and project completion, PPPs were found to be completed 3.4% ahead of time on average, while traditional projects were completed 23.5% behind time. The overall conclusion is that PPPs provide superior performance in both the cost and time dimensions, and that the PPP advantage increases (in absolute terms) with the size and complexity of projects.
Design considerations for high frequency co-axial winding power transformers

An examination is made of the important loss aspects of the design of co-axial winding transformers such as the influence of skin effect on winding resistance, the variation of the core loss caused by nonuniform core flux density, and the choice of the principle dimensions and aspect ratios for maximum efficiency. Experimental measurements on a 50 kVA 50 kHz unit are included to confirm portions of the analytical results and suggested design procedures. <<ETX>>
Gigabit passive optical networks and catv over hybrid bidirectional free space optics +20 km single mode fiber

This article experimentally shows a gigabit passive optical network (GPON)+ community access television system (CATV) link, transmitting in 20 km of single mode optical fiber section or/and in free space. Bidirectional transmission of GPON traffic and CATV and further experimental apparatus is demonstrated and performed, based on signal transparency through the optical path, without optical‐electrical‐optical signal conversion between different media. The viability of such links is here analyzed by measuring the loss of data packets and the carrier‐to‐noise‐ratio value for the video signal overlay. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2867–2871, 2015
The application of facilities management expertise to the hotel renovation process

This paper considers the renovation of hotels in the context of facilities management. It evaluates a study carried out in Egypt into the attitudes of hotel general managers about the importance attached to hotel renovation and refurbishment. The findings show that whilst hotel managers express a belief in the importance of hotel renovation, there is little evidence of strategic thought in the renovation process. Instead, the focus appears to be on the “softer” customer satisfaction aspects of hotel management. There is scope for a more strategic view of FM among hotel managers and owners.
WSN's Based Noise Evading Decision Support System

2 Abstract: In different application areas, Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are used as data acquisition tools for online decision support systems (DSS) but none of the existing techniques tackle noisy data. In this paper, a simplest noise evading algorithm is presented for online DSS that results in enhancing DSS's accuracy. The proposed algorithm has lowest worse case complexity of O (n) compared to O (n /2) of pattern anomaly 2 value (PAV) based algorithm. The proposed mechanism is tested and realized in real agriculture environment where sensor nodes are deployed to collect environmental and soil related data.
Distributed Event-triggered Strategy for Fixed-time Economic Dispatch in Islanded Microgrids

The fixed-time economic dispatch problem is extremely important for microgrids with highly dynamic renewable energy. To reduce unnecessary communication while realizing fixed-time economic dispatch, a distributed event-triggered fixed-time algorithm (abbreviated as disEXAM) is established in the paper. Firstly, based on optimal analysis, the economic dispatch problem can be reformulated by choosing the incremental cost of each generation unit as the consensus variable. Then, a distributed fixed-time economic dispatch algorithm is proposed by employing a fixed-time consensus technique and an event-triggered communication strategy. The algorithm obtains an upper bound for the estimation of the settling time which is irrelevant to the initial status. Finally, simulation results based on the IEEE 14-bus system are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the distributed optimization algorithm.
A Web-Based Platform for Modular Design of Intelligent Instrument Based on Improved Genetic Algorithm

The design of new products is a creative work based on designer’s knowledge or experience. This paper develops a web-based design platform for intelligent instrument with the technology of Java and web database. It aims at offering near-optimal solutions of product design scheme that meets user requirement with the selection of module. An improved genetic algorithm with a binary encoding scheme is proposed to accomplish the selection of module more effectively.
PhD Thesis Measurement of lung function using broadband forced oscillations

Respiratory system impedance (Zrs) is commonly measured at low to medium frequencies (0.5 40 Hz) to infer structural and physiological information about the respiratory system. Coupled with the use of mathematical models of the lungs, Zrs has been used to partition the behaviour of the conductive airways and the respiratory tissues. High-frequency (HF) Zrs beyond 100 Hz has been comparatively less studied and understood. Past work has revealed spectral features at high frequencies termed antiresonances, marked by peaks in the real part of Zrs, often coinciding with zero-crossings in the imaginary part. It has been shown that the first occurrence of antiresonance in humans primarily reflects the contribution of the airways, and is a property of sound wave propagation in the airways. Also, the first antiresonance is altered in diseases such as chronic airflow obstruction, and wheeze in infants. The main aim of this project is to shed further understanding about the first antiresonance, via the behaviour of two parameters characterising this feature of the HF spectrum: the frequency at which the first antiresonance occurs, far,1, and the magnitude of the real part of Zrs at this frequency, Rrs(far,1). In our studies, Zrs is measured as an input impedance using the forced oscillation technique with a loudspeaker-in-box and wavetube setup, and employing pseudorandom frequency signals. We studied the effects of altered lung conditions, first in an animal model, then progressed on to humans.
Physicochemical properties, total hydrocarbon content, and trace metals of water and sediments from major River Estuaries within the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Water and sediment samples from Cross River, Imo River, and Qua Iboe River Estuaries were collected and treated using standard analytical procedures. The samples were analyzed for their physicochemical properties, total hydrocarbon content (THC), and trace metals. Results obtained revealed that, the mean levels of total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity, colour, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), THC, cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in water were higher than their acceptable limits in Nigeria. Whereas, the mean levels water pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrate, sulphate, phosphate, and copper (Cu) were within their acceptable limits. The results obtained also revealed that, the mean levels of nitrate, THC, and Fe in sediments were higher than their recommended limits. While the levels of pH, EC, sulphate, phosphate, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in sediments were within their recommended limits. This study indicated that the anthropogenic activities by oil and oil-related companies within the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria may have contributed significantly to the high level of toxic substances in the water channels within the zone. The results obtained revealed that, the direct or indirect exposure to untreated water from the studied water channels may result in serious health challenges. Hence, the environment should be closely monitored to forestall a devastating situation in the region.
Effect of channel width on pool boiling from a microconfigured heat sink

Microelectronics cooling continues to be an area of great technological challenge for thermal engineers. Chip level heat fluxes of 50-100 W/cm/sup 2/ are projected for the year 2000. The problem of high flux removal from individual chips is further exacerbated by the increase in substrate packing densities. In some designs the substrates on which the chips are mounted are stacked very close together. Heat sinks designed for use in these situations therefore have to be very compact. Two-phase liquid immersion cooling of computers is becoming an increasingly favorable heat removal strategy. A re-entrant cavity heat sink has been developed to address these needs. Previous studies on this heat sink have revealed good heat transfer characteristics in fully developed nucleate boiling coupled with negligible overshoots during the transition from natural convection to pool boiling. In confined situations, the vapor generated moves through the channel formed between adjacent substrates. Bubble transport is therefore affected by the channel width. Saturated pool boiling results are presented and discussed for vertically oriented channels of widths ranging from 0.1 cm to 0.6 cm to cover typical values likely to be encountered. The heat source was a sputtered aluminum thin film heater of size 0.9 cm by 0.9 cm. The cavities were laid out over a 2.5 cm by 2.5 cm area. Testing was carried out in FC-72. It was found that the presence of a parallel plate affected the heat transfer performance adversely. <<ETX>>
Cooperative Attack-Defense Decision-Making of Multi-UAV Using Satisficing Decision-Enhanced Wolf Pack Search Algorithm

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have shown their superiority for applications in complicated military missions. A cooperative attack-defense decision-making method based on satisficing decision-enhanced wolf pack search (SDEWPS) algorithm is developed for multi-UAV air combat in this paper. Firstly, the multi-UAV air combat mathematical model is provided and the attack-defense decision-making constraints are defined. Besides the traditional air combat situation, the capability of UAVs and target information including target type and target intention are all considered in this paper to establish the air combat superiority function. Then, the wolf pack search (WPS) algorithm is used to solve the attack decision problem. In order to improve efficiency, the satisficing decision theory is employed to enhance the WPS to obtain the satisficing solution rather than optimal solution. The simulation results show that the developed method can realize the cooperative attack decision-making.
Crime-Related scenarios do not lead to superior memory performance in the survival processing paradigm

ABSTRACT Processing information according to its survival value improves memory retention. We used mass-testing across three experiments to examine whether the survival processing advantage could be extended to crime-related contexts when adopting both offender’s (Experiment 1 and 2) and victim’s (Experiment 3) perspectives. Interestingly, crime-related scenarios produced the lowest memory retention in Experiments 2 and 3, indicating no mnemonic benefit resulting from crime-related processing. Furthermore, in Experiments 1 and 2, we failed to replicate the standard survival processing effect, while in Experiment 3 the superior survival memory retention emerged in comparison with the standard control conditions (i.e., moving and pleasantness). Overall, our experiments showed that crime-related contexts did not lead to superior memory retention. Moreover, although we detected some failures to replicate the survival processing effect, this evidence is not sufficiently compelling to argue that there was a general absence of the survival processing advantage.
DESIGN FOR TESTABILITY OF REAL-TIME SYSTEMS FOR INDUSTRIAL PROCESS CONTROL UDC 621.11 681.5

Real-time-systems testing for the reliable functioning and protection of the system environment from damages is considered in this paper. A systematic procedure for real-time systems design with emphasis to system testability implementation is considered. The approach to design for testability (DFT) of hard real-time systems by monitoring is described. Different applied techniques for on-line testing on circuit-, system- and application-level are discussed. The modifications of some techniques made in order to accomplish the effective trade-off between space/time overhead and the cost of dependable real-time-system, are considered too. This paper also describes a realization run-time monitoring of real-time systems that can be used to verify formally some properties in design time, and to enable run-time checks. The goal of real time monitoring is to keep system performance within a range that does not change the order and timing of events.
Domestic wastewater management in South and Southeast Asia: the potential benefits of a decentralised approach

Owing to its enormous construction and maintenance costs, the management of wastewater in many urban centres of developing countries via a centralised wastewater management approach is very difficult. Often, untreated wastewater is directly discharged into adjacent natural water courses, causing a grave threat to both public health and the aquatic environment. A decentralised wastewater management approach is a prospective solution to overcome this adverse situation because of its low cost, simple operation and revenue return. To identify the potential of a decentralised wastewater management system in developing countries, the wastewater management policies, institutional frameworks, reuse practices and sanitation situations in selected Asian countries were reviewed and recommendations for effective wastewater management are proposed.