Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stellar winds in M-type AGB stars: the role of dust grains and pulsationVenti stellari in stelle AGB di tipo M: ruolo dei grani di polvere e della pulsazione

It is a matter of fact that stars are subject to mass loss events which may be periodic, semi-periodic or episodic and can vary from insignificant to massive. A quantitative description of this phenomenon is necessary to assemble an accurate model for the evolution of stars and galaxies. Such description requires realistic dynamical models that follow the flow of stellar matter from the atmosphere through the wind acceleration zone into the circumstellar region. Three main aspects characterize the mass loss phenomenon in asymptotic giant branch stars: long-period pulsations with the production and propagation of shock-waves through the atmosphere; dust formation in the region where the temperature is low enough for the formation of grains; momentum transfer from the radiation field to the dust particles together with dust-gas and gas-gas collision. In the first chapter I present a short review of the evolution of stars up to the AGB phase and the main events that are typical of that stage of evolution. In the second chapter the topic of dust driven stellar winds is introduced from a general point of view through the analysis of the fundamental mechanisms at the base of wind formation. Finally, in the third chapter I discuss the problem of driving a dusty wind in an M-type star. Oxides and pure silicates have low opacities in the relevant spectral region while dirty silicates, which should be good candidates due to their high opacity, can form only at large distances from the star. I also highlight a recently proposed solution that invokes scattering on large dust grains (with sizes of a few tenths of a micron) and an interesting argument based on the hypothesis that the process of chemisputtering may be negligible in the atmospheres of AGB stars
Antimicrobial Diterpenes from Rough Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa Mill.)

Solidago rugosa is one of the goldenrod species native to North America but has sporadically naturalized as an alien plant in Europe. The investigation of the root and leaf ethanol extracts of the plant using a bioassay-guided process with an anti-Bacillus assay resulted in the isolation of two antimicrobial components. Structure elucidation was performed based on high-resolution tandem mass spectrometric and one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopic analyses that revealed (–)-hardwickiic acid (Compound 1) and (–)-abietic acid (Compound 2). The isolates were evaluated for their antimicrobial properties against several plant pathogenic bacterial and fungal strains. Both compounds demonstrated an antibacterial effect, especially against Gram-positive bacterial strains (Bacillus spizizenii, Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis, and Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens) with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) between 1 and 5.1 µg/mL (5–20 times higher than that of the positive control gentamicin). In the used concentrations, minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) was reached only against the non-pathogen B. spizizenii. Besides their activity against Fusarium avenaceum, the highest antifungal activity was observed for Compound 1 against Bipolaris sorokiniana with an IC50 of 3.8 µg/mL.
Microwave–osmotic–vacuum combination drying of mango cubes with maltodextrin moderated sucrose solution

Abstract A microwave–osmotic–vacuum combination drying technique was used to evaluate the effect of processing factors such as temperature and concentration with 15% inclusion of maltodetrin (dextrose equivalent, DE 10) during the microwave osmotic drying under continuous medium spray flow (MWODS) and power level during finish microwave vacuum drying (MVD). Moisture loss (ML), solids gain (SG), ML/SG ratio, weight reduction (WR), bulk density (BD), rehydration capacity (RC), drying times, and quality parameters, total color difference (ΔE), texture (hardness and chewiness) were evaluated during the process to assess the product quality. Drying conditions were optimized to maximize ML, ML/SG, WR, BD, RC and minimize ΔE, hardness, chewiness, and drying times. Optimum levels were found at 58.5 °C temperature, 50.0% concentration, and 30 min contact time during MWODS and 20% initial power up to 50% moisture content and 10% final power level to the final moisture content of 20% (32 min). In addition to MVD, freeze drying, vacuum and air drying were also used for comparison for finish drying. Overall, the MWODS with maltodextrin moderated sucrose as solute and MVD for finished drying resulted in better product quality and remained closest to the freeze dried samples.
European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana

: Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), commonly known as the European grape - vine moth (EGVM), is a primary pest of vineyards. This article provides an updated review of its monitoring, model - ling, and management tools. EGVM management strategies analysed here include insecticide-based control, insecticide resistance, side-effects (particularly those caused by the exposure to sublethal doses of pesticides), cultural control, sterile insect technique, pheromone-mediated control strategies (with special reference to pheromone-based mating disruption), biological control, and area-wide control programs. Lastly, we outline significant challenges for future EGVM research and sustainable control implementation.
Fuel for cyclones: How the water vapor budget of a hurricane depends on its motion

Tropical cyclones are fueled by water vapor. Here we estimate the oceanic evaporation within an Atlantic hurricane to be less than one sixth of the total moisture flux precipitating over the same area. So how does the hurricane get the remaining water vapor? Our analysis of TRMM rainfall, MERRA atmospheric moisture and hurricane translation velocities suggests that access to water vapor relies on the hurricane's motion -- as it moves through the atmosphere, the hurricane consumes the water vapor it encounters. This depletion of atmospheric moisture by the hurricane leaves a "dry footprint" of suppressed rainfall in its wake. The thermodynamic efficiency of hurricanes -- defined as kinetic energy production divided by total latent heat release associated with the atmospheric moisture supply -- remains several times lower than Carnot efficiency even in the most intense hurricanes. Thus, maximum observed hurricane power cannot be explained by the thermodynamic Carnot limit.
SEMI-CYCLOTOMIC POLYNOMIALS

The n -th cyclotomic polynomial Φ n ( x ) is irreducible over Q and has integer coeﬃcients. The degree of Φ n ( x ) is ϕ ( n ), where ϕ ( n ) is the Euler Phi-function. In this paper, we deﬁne Semi-Cyclotomic Polynomial J n ( x ). J n ( x ) is also irreducible over Q and has integer coeﬃcients. But the degree of J n ( x ) is ϕ ( n ) 2 . Galois Theory will be used to prove the above properties of J n ( ).
The Mediating Role of Learning Engagement Between Self-Efficacy and Academic Achievement Among Chinese College Students

Purpose The link between academic self-efficacy and academic achievement and its potential mediation by learning engagement was investigated in college students in China. Methods The Chinese versions of the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, Academic Achievement Scale, and Learning Engagement Scale were administered to 1158 Chinese college students (544 men, 614 women; age [years]: M=19.37, SD=1.16, ranging from 17 to 30 years; college year: 641 freshmen, 302 sophomores, 197 juniors, 18 seniors). Results The results showed that, among Chinese college students, there were positive correlations between academic self-efficacy and both academic achievement and learning engagement, and between learning engagement and academic achievement. Additionally, a structural equation model demonstrated that learning engagement could mediate the association between academic self-efficacy and achievement. Conclusion Academic self-efficacy, learning engagement, and academic achievement were found to be significantly and positively associated in Chinese college students, with the association between self-efficacy and achievement observed to be significantly mediated by learning engagement, which mediates the link between self-efficacy and achievement. As the study was cross-sectional, causal inferences were difficult to determine; thus, longitudinal studies should be conducted in the future for further analysis of the causal relationships between these three variables. The present research results reveal the mechanism by which academic self-efficacy of college students impacts their academic achievement, expanding the research perspective of learning engagement, and can help guide the development of interventions to improve college students’ academic achievement.
Long-term Clinical Outcomes After TightRope Versus Hook Plate Fixation for Acute Acromioclavicular Joint Dislocation

Background: There is limited information regarding the long-term efficacy of techniques for surgical fixation after acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocation. Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of hook plate (HP) and TightRope (TR) fixation for acute AC joint dislocations by comparing the long-term clinical and radiological patient outcomes. Study Design: Cohort study, Level of evidence, 3. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed data from 61 patients with acute AC joint dislocation between July 2011 and November 2015. The patients were grouped according to surgical procedure: HP (n = 36) and TR (n = 25). Clinical outcomes at final follow-up were evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain; the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgery score; the Korean Shoulder Score; and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder score. Side-to-side coracoclavicular (CC) distance on radiographs, postoperative complications, and the rate of subacromial erosion in the HP group were also assessed between procedures. Results: The mean follow-up period was 7.0 ± 1.0 years, and there were no significant differences in pain or outcome scores between the HP and TR groups (all P > .05). Forward flexion was better in the TR group (172.6° ± 5.6°) versus the HP group (166.0° ± 10.8°; P = .002). The percentages of patients with a difference in the side-to-side CC distance of <5 mm were 83.3% and 72.0% in the HP and TR groups, respectively (P = .288). Complications were found in 2 patients in the HP group and 1 in the TR group (P ≥ .999). Subacromial erosion was observed in 41.7% of patients after HP fixation, with no difference in VAS pain scores at the final follow-up in patients with versus without subacromial erosion (P = .719). Conclusion: When comparing HP with TR fixation for the treatment of acute AC joint dislocations, there were no significant differences in functional outcome scores, final CC distance, or complications. Slightly better forward flexion was seen after TR fixation. Subacromial erosion occurred in 40% of patients after HP fixation, but this did not affect long-term VAS pain scores. Both surgical techniques are effective treatment options for AC joint dislocation.
Area Effects on Rotating Detonation Engine Performance

Prior work shows that the thermodynamic cycle of the rotating detonation engine can be analyzed as a ZND planar detonation that is transformed into a rotating frame of reference. The resulting cycle model is independent of geometry and consistent with the Euler turbomachinery equation. A two-dimensional inviscid numerical model confirms the essential features of the analytical cycle. A subsequent examination confirms the operation of the Euler equation in a three-dimensional numerical simulation and is consistent with the modified ZND model. The geometry of the RDE is varied over nine different geometries of area and radius values. Specific impulse is shown to be proportional to area ratio. The range of exit swirl angles are shown to be proportional to the ratio of exit to inlet radii. The correlation of performance or swirl with geometry suggests other factors are equally important.
An assistant for learning logic deduction

Education is profiting from the use of new technologies and computers. The future measurement to keep track of students’ effort will take into account out-of-class work, which means that generating new tools for giving students the chance to learn autonomously will be convenient. We still can go a step forward and use artificial intelligence techniques and Cognitive Science improvements in matter of teach. Within this framework, Intelligent Agents Model lets us designing and developing assistants which will be suitable to guide students throughout specific subjects. Here we present the Natural Deduction Assistant (ADN – Asistente para la Deducción Natural), an agent which helps us making logic deductions using the natural deduction technique and which is ran through the Internet.
The Behavior of Information: A Reconsideration of Social Norms

Do social norms really matter, or are they just behavioral idiosyncrasies that become associated with a group? Social norms are generally considered as a collection of formal or informal rules, but where do these rules come from, and why do we follow them? The definition for social norm varies by field of study, and how norms are established and maintained remains substantially open to questions across the behavioral sciences. In reviewing the literature on social norms across multiple disciplines, we found that the common thread appears to be information. Here, we show that norms are not merely rules or strategies, but part of a more rudimentary social process for capturing and retaining information within a social network. We have found that the emergence of norms can be better explained as an efficient system of communicating, filtering, and preserving experiential information. By reconsidering social norms and institutions in terms of information, we show that they are not merely conventions that facilitate the coordination of social behavior. They are, instead, the objective of that social coordination and, potentially, of the evolutionary adaptation of sociality itself.
Investigation on Adsorption of Polar Molecules in Vegetable Insulating Oil by Functional Fossil Graphene

As a new engineering dielectric, vegetable insulating oil is widely used in electrical equipment. Small polar molecules such as alcohol and acid will be produced during the oil-immersed electrical equipment operation, which seriously affects the safety of equipment. The polar molecule can be removed by using functional fossil graphene materials. However, the structural design and group modification of graphene materials lack a theoretical basis. Therefore, in this paper, molecular dynamics (MD) and quantum mechanics theory (Dmol3) were utilized to study the adsorption kinetics and mechanism of graphene (GE), porous graphene (PGE), porous hydroxy graphene (HPGE), and porous graphene modified by hydroxyl and carboxyl groups (COOH-HPGE) on polar small molecules in vegetable oil. The results show that graphene-based materials can effectively adsorb polar small molecules in vegetable oil, and that the modification of graphene materials with carboxyl and hydroxyl groups improves their adsorption ability for polar small molecules, which is attributed to the conversion of physical adsorption to chemical adsorption by the modification of oxygen-containing groups. This study provides a theoretical basis for the design and preparation of graphene materials with high adsorption properties.
The use of stable isotopes to identify surface water–groundwater interaction in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

The role of groundwater, in general, is often overlooked in freshwater ecosystem management policies and in the management of South Africa’s flagship conservation area, the Kruger National Park (KNP). To address this gap, a generalised conceptual model of surface water–ground water (sw–gw) interactions in the southern and central regions of the KNP was developed. To do this, stable isotope ratios (d18O and d2H) of groundwater, rainfall and surface water were used to determine the extent to which the base flow of perennial, seasonal and ephemeral streams on different geologies (granite vs. basalt) is driven by rainfall or groundwater. These results show that the δ18O and δ2H ratios of perennial rivers are similar to that of groundwater, while seasonal and ephemeral rivers on basalts have values closer to rainfall. On granite substrates, however, the isotope ratios of the seasonal and ephemeral rivers have values closer to groundwater than rainfall. The larger seasonal Mbyamiti River had similar isotope ratios to that of groundwater, and the highly ephemeral Nwaswitsontso had episodic interaction with groundwater (i.e. isotopic ratios overlap occasionally). These results show that decisions necessary for the sustainable management of groundwater resources are better informed when the natural interaction, movement, and exchange between groundwater and rivers are understood. This has particular relevance for large conservation areas in southern Africa that are expected to experience more variable climates in the future with both increases in drought and rainfall intensities.
Efficient Partial Shading Detection for Photovoltaic Generation Systems

Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is the core technology for harvesting maximum power from Photovoltaic Power Generation Systems (PVGS). Global MPPT (GMPPT) algorithms have been broadly proposed in the past few years for PVGSs under Partial Shading (PS); however, most of these algorithms make the speed of MPPT slower and consequently lead to more tracking losses when there is no PS. Therefore, an efficient PS Detection (PSD) for PVGSs is proposed in the paper. The proposed PSD estimates the solar irradiance and temperature of a PVGS by the characteristic output function and measured voltages and currents. The occurrence of PS can then be detected by the estimated solar irradiance and temperature along with the proposed PS factor. After the PS condition of a PVGS was determined, the appropriate MPPTs can be chosen to track the MPP effectively and efficiently. This can accelerate MPPT performance, reduce tracking time, and improve power generation efficiency. Simulation results show that the detection accuracy of the proposed PSD can exceed 99% under different PS and temperature conditions. Experimental results demonstrate the validity and performance of the proposed PSD for PVGSs.
Some Applications of Representative Functions to Solvmanifolds

The Auslander-Tolimieri method rests on "the splitting of G," a construction they define for certain torsion-free solvable groups and whose definition involves some arbitrary choices. Now in fact, their "splitting" can be defined invariantly in terms of a functor A (G) introduced in 1957 by Hochschild and the author for arbitrary groups G (cf. [2a]). The group A (G) is defined as the group of automorphisms of the G-algebra of representative functions on G. A (G) is a projective limit of algebraic groups and in general is infinite dimensional. However its unipotent radical U(G) which we call the unipotent hull of G (cf. [2b]) turns out to be finite dimensional in a number of important cases. In a paper " Representative functions on discrete groups" (cf. [4c]), which will be referred to hereafter as RFDG, I had studied the map A (C) -4 A (G) where C is a discrete uniform subgroup of a solvable analytic group G for the purpose of showing that C is arithmetic in G. One of the key observations in RFDG is: although C does not determine G, their unipotent hulls
Transient decrease in B-type natriuretic peptide level after liver transplantation does not ensure favorable post-transplant 30-day outcomes

Background High B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels within the first 3 postoperative days (postBNPPOD3) after liver transplantation (LT) are greatly predictive of the 30-day mortality. We evaluated clinical impact of transient decrease in postBNPPOD3 compared to pretransplant BNP (preBNP) level on mortality and major adverse cardiac event (MACE) within 30 days after LT. Methods We retrospectively evaluated 3,811 LT patients who measured delta BNP (deltaBNP), defined by serial postBNPPOD3 minus preBNP. Thirty-day all-cause mortality and MACE were estimated in patients with deltaBNP < 0 (n = 594, 15.6%) and > 0 (n = 3,217, 84.4%), respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival and multivariable Cox regression analysis were used. Results Within 30 days, 100 (2.6%) of all patients died. Unexpectedly, 30-day mortality rate (6.1% [95% CI: 4.2–8.4%] vs. 2.0% [95% CI: 1.5– 2.5%], P < 0.001) and MACE (24.2% [95% CI: 20.4–28.5%] vs. 15.3% [95% CI: 14.0– 16.7%], P < 0.001) were higher in patients with deltaBNP < 0 compared to those with deltaBNP < 0, respectively. Patients with deltaBNP < 0 had higher preBNP level (median [interquartile range], 251 [118, 586] vs. 43 [21, 92] pg/ml, P < 0.001) and model for end-stage liver disease score (26 [14, 37] vs. 14 [9, 23], P < 0.001) and more transfused intraoperatively. DeltaBNP < 0 remained significant after adjustments for potential confounders in multivariable analysis of 30-day mortality and MACE. Conclusions DeltaBNP < 0 within the first 3 postoperative days is mainly attributed to pre-LT severe liver and cardiac disease status, therefore, transient decrease in BNP level after LT does not ensure favorable post-LT 30-day outcomes.
Intensity Equalization of Bidirectional Fiber Laser Based on a Non-Reciprocal Optical Attenuator

The application of a bidirectional laser requires the laser intensity in both directions to be balanced. However, the CW and CCW light intensities in current bidirectional erbium-doped fiber laser experiments differ due to the gain competition effect. There is no report on equalizing the intensity in the CW and CCW directions. This paper proposes a bidirectional non-reciprocal optical attenuator using the Faraday optical rotation effect. Continuous attenuation adjustment is realized by changing the angle between the polarizer’s transmission axis and the linear polarized light. In this study, we analyzed the influence of different parameters on the device’s performance, built a non-reciprocal attenuator, and tested the bidirectional attenuation curve, which was consistent with the simulation results. The device was integrated into a bidirectional fiber laser, and the light intensity in both directions was balanced through non-reciprocal adjustment. Combined with closed-loop control, the average intensity difference fluctuation between the two directions was controlled at 0.28% relative to the average power, realizing stable long-term bidirectional fiber laser intensity equalization.