Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Salinity and Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer on Fresh Property of Seawater-Blended Cement

The salinity of seawater can affect the properties of mixtures of polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE) and seawater. The purpose of this research is to study the effect of different salinities of water on the property of seawater-mixed cement slurry. Two PCE types with different side chain lengths and acid–ether ratios were used. Their physicochemical properties were explained by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), turbidimetry, and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis. The performance of the PCEs was measured using slump, rheological energy, and solidification time. Finally, by measuring the adsorption volume, adsorption layer thickness, and water film thickness (WFT), the mechanisms involved in performance modification were studied. The results show that the workability and rheological performances of seawater-mixed cement paste are decreased by increasing salinity. With the increase in salinity, the minislump of the seawater-blended cement pastes with two PCEs decreased from 285 mm to 120 mm and from 280 mm to 78 mm, respectively, and the thixotropic areas were increased from less than 2000 Pa/s to above 10,000 Pa/s. Moreover, the adsorption amount of the two PCEs in the cement mixed with high-salinity seawater decreased by 55.99% and 71.56%, respectively, and the thickness of the adsorption layer and water film was decreased with increasing salinity. Compared with the two PCEs, PCE with long side chains and a high acid–ether ratio provided better salt resistance.
The Propagation of Mountain Waves into the Stratosphere: Quantitative Evaluation of Three-Dimensional Simulations.

On 6 January 1992 measurements of a mountain wave with significant amplitude were taken over the southern tip of Greenland during an ER-2 flight at an altitude of about 20 km. This work focuses on 3D numerical simulations of the wave generation and its propagation into the stratosphere during this event. The sensitivity of the simulated mountain wave to surface friction and horizontal resolution is explored. A nonhydrostatic model is used for experiments with horizontal resolutions of 12, 4, and 1.3 km. In all simulations the flow over the southern tip of Greenland generates a mountain wave, which propagates into the stratosphere. Changes of surface friction and horizontal resolution affect mostly the amplitude of the mountain wave. Increasing surface friction on the slopes reduces the amplitude of the excited orographic gravity wave. Horizontal diffusion required for numerical stability attenuates gravity waves during their propagation into the stratosphere. Increasing the horizontal resolution permits a smaller diffusion and thereby results in larger stratospheric wave amplitudes. The experiment with increased surface friction at 1.3-km horizontal resolution shows the best agreement with the observational data of the wave in the stratosphere. The differences between the simulated and measured amplitudes of vertical displacement and temperature anomaly are less than about 20%. The disparity in vertical velocity is larger ; downward velocities were observed up to 4.8 m s21 and simulated up to 2.7 m s21. In the experiments with lower surface friction at 4-km resolution, the accuracy regarding the amplitude of vertical displacement and temperature anomalies is similar, but the simulated maximum downdraft is even weaker. The other experiments with increased surface friction at 4-km resolution and normal friction at 12-km resolution significantly underestimate the wave amplitude. The results of the experiments suggest that the generation of orographic gravity waves and their propagation into the stratosphere can be simulated in three dimensions in a realistic manner provided that the magnitude of the parameterized surface friction is in a realistic range and the horizontal resolution is sufficient.
Efficiency improvement of blended poly(3-hexylthiophene) and 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)-propyl-1-phenyl-(6,6)C61 solar cells by nanoimprinting

This work demonstrates the effects of nanoimprinting on poly(3-hexylthiophene) and 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)-propyl-1-phenyl-(6,6)C61 (P3HT:PCBM)-blended organic solar cells at room temperature. Textured Si wafer was used as a stamp. Nanoimprinting significantly increased the open-circuit voltage, the short-circuit current, and the fill factor, increasing the power conversion efficiency by ∼50%. The fill factor contributed most to the cell efficiency. Upon nanoimprinting, not only the surface structure but also the applied pressure contributed to the performance of the device. The origin of the hydrostatic pressure-induced efficiency improvement was also investigated. The proposed approach has potential to be applied in the future to improve the efficiency of various organic solar cells.
EPHB4-RASA1-Mediated Negative Regulation of Ras-MAPK Signaling in the Vasculature: Implications for the Treatment of EPHB4- and RASA1-Related Vascular Anomalies in Humans

Ephrin receptors constitute a large family of receptor tyrosine kinases in mammals that through interaction with cell surface-anchored ephrin ligands regulate multiple different cellular responses in numerous cell types and tissues. In the cardiovascular system, studies performed in vitro and in vivo have pointed to a critical role for Ephrin receptor B4 (EPHB4) as a regulator of blood and lymphatic vascular development and function. However, in this role, EPHB4 appears to act not as a classical growth factor receptor but instead functions to dampen the activation of the Ras-mitogen activated protein signaling (MAPK) pathway induced by other growth factor receptors in endothelial cells (EC). To inhibit the Ras-MAPK pathway, EPHB4 interacts functionally with Ras p21 protein activator 1 (RASA1) also known as p120 Ras GTPase-activating protein. Here, we review the evidence for an inhibitory role for an EPHB4–RASA1 interface in EC. We further discuss the mechanisms by which loss of EPHB4–RASA1 signaling in EC leads to blood and lymphatic vascular abnormalities in mice and the implications of these findings for an understanding of the pathogenesis of vascular anomalies in humans caused by mutations in EPHB4 and RASA1 genes. Last, we provide insights into possible means of drug therapy for EPHB4- and RASA1-related vascular anomalies.
Long-Term Cola Intake Does Not Cause Evident Pathological Alterations in the Femoral Bone Microstructure: An Animal Study in Adult Mice

Short-term animal experiments and association studies in humans have shown that cola intake may have a detrimental impact on bone mineral density (BMD); however, other bone parameters have not been investigated. This study examined the effects of long-term cola consumption on the femoral bone microstructure using adult mice (n = 32) as an animal model, which were divided into water and cola groups depending on whether they received water or cola along with a standard rodent diet for 6 months. Micro-computed tomography revealed that cola intake did not significantly affect all measured parameters characterizing trabecular bone mass and microarchitecture, as well as cortical microarchitecture and geometry in both sexes, although a slight deterioration of these parameters was noted. Cola consumption also resulted in a slightly, statistically insignificant worsening of bone mechanical properties. In contrast to female mice, males receiving cola had a lower area of primary osteons’ vascular canals. Nevertheless, long-term cola intake did not cause evident pathological alterations in the femur of adult mice, possibly due to a balanced diet and no restriction of physical activity. Therefore, the adverse effects of cola consumption on BMD, the only bone parameter studied so far, may be caused by other risk and lifestyle factors.
Antioxidant and Anticancer Potential of the New Cu(II) Complexes Bearing Imine-Phenolate Ligands with Pendant Amine N-Donor Groups

Cu(II) complexes bearing NNO-donor Schiff base ligands (2a, b) have been synthesized and characterized. The single crystal X-ray analysis of the 2a complex revealed that a mononuclear and a dinuclear complex co-crystallize in the solid state. The electronic structures of the complexes are optimized by Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. The monomeric nature of 2a and 2b species is maintained in solution. Antioxidant activities of the ligands (1a, b) and Cu(II) complexes (2a, b) were determined by in vitro assays such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radicals (DPPH.) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radicals (ABTS+). Our results demonstrated that 2a showed better antioxidant activity. MTT assays were performed to assess the toxicity of ligands and Cu(II) complexes in V79 cells. The antiproliferative activity of compounds was tested against two human tumor cell lines: MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma) and SW620 (colorectal carcinoma) and on MRC-5 (normal lung fibroblast). All compounds showed high cytotoxicity in the all-cell lines but showed no selectivity for tumor cell lines. Antiproliferative activity by clonogenic assay 2b showed a more significant inhibitory effect on the MCF-7 cell lines than on MRC-5. DNA damage for the 2b compound at 10 µM concentration was about three times higher in MCF-7 cells than in MRC-5 cells.
Urban Subsurface Mapping via Deep Learning Based GPR Data Inversion

Accurate mapping of urban subsurface is essential for managing urban underground infrastructure and preventing excavation accidents. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a non-destructive test method that has been used extensively to locate underground utilities. However, existing approaches are not able to retrieve detailed underground utility information (e.g., material and dimensions) from GPR scans. This research aims to automatically detect and characterize buried utilities with location, dimension, and material by processing GPR scans. To achieve this aim, a method for inverting GPR data based on deep learning has been developed to directly reconstruct the permittivity maps of cross-sectional profiles of subsurface structure from the corresponding GPR scans. A large number of synthetic GPR scans with ground-truth permittivity labels were generated to train the inversion network. The experiment results indicated that the proposed method achieved a Mean Absolute Error of 0.53, a Structural Similarity Index Measure of 0.91, and an $R^{2}$ of 0.96.
Do Fluctuations in Environmental Regulations Inhibit Investment: Evidence from China

The trade-off between the goals of promoting economic growth and protecting the ecological environment makes it possible for the government to constantly adjust the intensity of environmental regulation, leading to sharp fluctuations in environmental regulation in the short term. Fluctuations in environmental regulations may trigger concerns among firms and change their investment decisions. The theoretical model of corporate investment decision is used to analyze the inhibitory effect of environmental regulation fluctuations on investment through expected profits, which is empirically validated in this study by data from 255 Chinese prefecture-level cities. The results indicate that environmental regulation fluctuations reduce investors’ expected profits, which in turn inhibit investment. The heterogeneity analysis shows that environmental regulation fluctuations have no significant effect on investment in cities that are geographically closer to the provincial capital, while a greater inhibitory effect of it is revealed in other cities located further away. Therefore, this inhibitory effect should be weakened by reducing the intervention of administrative orders in environmental regulatory behavior, establishing environmental regulatory supervisory agencies, and taking into full consideration the public’s response to fluctuations in environmental regulation. This study can provide policy implications for optimizing government environmental regulation.
Dissipative Particle Dynamics Simulations for Shape Change of Growing Lipid Bilayer Vesicles

The characteristic shape changes observed in the growth and division of L-form cells have been explained by several theoretical studies and simulations using a vesicle model in which the membrane area increases with time. In those theoretical studies, characteristic shapes such as tubulation and budding were reproduced in a non-equilibrium state, but it was not possible to incorporate deformations that would change the topology of the membrane. We constructed a vesicle model in which the area of the membrane increases using coarse-grained particles and analyzed the changes in the shape of growing membrane by the dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method. In the simulation, lipid molecules were added to the lipid membrane at regular time intervals to increase the surface area of the lipid membrane. As a result, it was found that the vesicle deformed into a tubular shape or a budding shape depending on the conditions for adding lipid molecules. This suggests that the difference in the place where new lipid molecules are incorporated into the cell membrane during the growth of L-form cells causes the difference in the transformation pathway of L-form cells.
Swelling and Viscoelastic Properties of Cellulose-Based Hydrogels Prepared by Free Radical Polymerization of Dimethylaminoethyl Methacrylate in Cellulose Solution

The grafting of a stimuli-responsive polymer (poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)) onto cellulose was achieved by performing free radical polymerization of a vinyl/divinyl monomer in cellulose solution. The grafting and crosslinking efficiency in the material have been increased by subsequent irradiation of the samples with ionizing radiation (doses of 10, 30, or 100 kGy). The relative amount of poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) in the prepared hydrogels was determined by infrared spectroscopy. The swelling behavior of the hydrogels was studied thoroughly, including microgelation extent, equilibrium swelling, and reswelling degree, as well as the dependence on the gelation procedure. The dynamic viscoelastic behavior of prepared hydrogels was also studied. The tan δ values indicate a solid-like behavior while the obtained hydrogels have a complex modulus in the range of 14–39 kPa, which is suitable for hydrogels used in biomedical applications. In addition, the incorporation of Ag particles and the adsorption of Fe3+ ions were tested to evaluate the additional functionalities of the prepared hydrogels. It was found that the introduction of PDMAEMA to the hydrogels enhanced their ability to synthesize Ag particles and absorb Fe3+ ions, providing a platform for the potential preparation of hydrogels for the treatment of wounds.
Cognitive Reserve in Isolated Rapid Eye-Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder

Isolated rapid-eye-movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is considered the prodromal stage of α-synucleinopathies (e.g., Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies); however, iRBD patients show a wide variety in the progression timing (5–15 years). The model of cognitive reserve (CR) might contribute to explaining this phenomenon. Our exploratory study aimed to evaluate, for the first time, the impact of CR level on cognitive performance in polysomnography-confirmed iRBD patients. Fifty-five iRBD patients (mean age ± SD: 66.38 ± 7.51; M/F 44/11) underwent clinical and neuropsychological evaluations at the time of diagnosis. The CR Index questionnaire was part of the clinical assessment. We found that iRBD patients with high levels of CR showed: (i) the lowest percentage of mild cognitive impairment (10%), and (ii) the best performance in visuo-constructive and verbal memory functions (i.e., the recall of the Rey–Osterrieth complex figure test). Our results suggest that CR might help iRBD patients better cope with the cognitive decline related to the neurodegenerative process, providing the first preliminary findings supporting CR as a possible protective factor in this condition. This might pave the way for future longitudinal studies to evaluate the role of CR as a modulating factor in the timing of iRBD conversion and cognitive deterioration development.
Mousike or music? Using analysis to explore shifts in musical attention

ABSTRACT This paper argues that ethnomusicology has trended away from analysing music sound and, consequently, has not distinguished between two distinct-yet-complementary modes of attention, namely the multimodal cognition associated with mousike and the more ‘teleomusical’ (music-directed) attention associated with music. Building on (1) research on music in ancient Greece and China, (2) studies on multimodal perception, (3) the discovery of teleomusical perception in infants, and (4) three contemporary case studies, this paper concludes that mousike and music may be best understood as endpoints on a continuum of musical engagement. Mousike requires attending to the synergistic interaction among competing modalities, such as the linguistic, musical, visual, and kinesthetic, whereas music involves a greater amount of ‘technologizing’ in ‘extending’ musical cognition (extended mind thesis), requiring an attentive shift towards music sound. Founded on stages in infant development, the adult processes of attending to mousike and music must be ascertained through analysis, which can, nevertheless, present both challenges and advantages. The challenges are the biases that can emerge from the music-directed emphasis of ethnomusicological training, which may impede our ability to attend to other competing modalities in performance; the advantages are the revelatory insights that can only come from attending to music sound.
Polymer waveguide technology for flexible display applications

We consider applications of wave-guiding technologies for flexible displays. First, a flexible backlight can be constructed by guiding laser light through an optical fiber arranged in a spiral manner. The light leaks out via the grooves fabricated on the optical fiber. For uniform illumination, the probability of light extraction at each groove and the pitch of the grooves are adjusted. Second, a polymer waveguide with successive branches distributes the optical power from a laser to two-dimensional emission points on a plane. The division ratio at each branch is an important design parameter for uniform light output. At each branch and emission point, a mirror is placed for 90-degree optical path redirection. This constitutes a flexible backlight. Third, in a more technically demanding design, a mirror based on the micro-electro-mechanical systems technology scans a laser beam on the entrance surface of the waveguide and each emission point is addressed sequentially. An image can be displayed by intensity modulation of the laser light synchronized to this scanning action. The precision of the waveguide fabrication and the beam scanning accuracy would determine the display resolution. Finally, such a waveguide may be applied for concentrated photovoltaic applications. An array of lenses is stacked on the waveguide so that the optical power is focused on each mirror. The direction of the light propagation is reversed. Now the exit surface of the waveguide is coupled to solar cells. In all these cases, the polymer waveguide technology offers a cost advantage due to its feasibility for the roll-to-roll process.
Recent Advances of Enzyme-Free Electrochemical Sensors for Flexible Electronics in the Detection of Organophosphorus Compounds: A Review

Emerging materials integrated into high performance flexible electronics to detect environmental contaminants have received extensive attention worldwide. The accurate detection of widespread organophosphorus (OP) compounds in the environment is crucial due to their high toxicity even at low concentrations, which leads to acute health concerns. Therefore, developing rapid, highly sensitive, reliable, and facile analytical sensing techniques is necessary to monitor environmental, ecological, and food safety risks. Although enzyme-based sensors have better sensitivity, their practical usage is hindered due to their low specificity and stability. Therefore, among various detection methods of OP compounds, this review article focuses on the progress made in the development of enzyme-free electrochemical sensors as an effective nostrum. Further, the novel materials used in these sensors and their properties, synthesis methodologies, sensing strategies, analytical methods, detection limits, and stability are discussed. Finally, this article summarizes potential avenues for future prospective electrochemical sensors and the current challenges of enhancing the performance, stability, and shelf life.
Ba x Sr 1 − x TiO 3 Thin Films for Tunable Microwave Devices in Cryogenic and Room Temperature Application

The microwave properties of YBCO/Ba 0.05 Sr 0.95 TiO 3 (BST5) and Ag/Ba 0.5 Sr 0.5 TiO 3 (BST50) films were characterized at 80 K and 290 K. At zero bias, the BST5 had a permittivity of 400 and a loss tangent of 0.02; the BST50 had a permittivity of 900 and a loss tangent of 0.1. The respective tunabilities at 3.6 V μ m− 1 were 15% and 44%. Analysis of the performance of phase shifters and tunable filters based on these films showed that both conductor and dielectric losses need to be considered in the selection of materials for devices. A high tunability alone does not guarantee good performance.
Behavioral Web Tracking in e-Learning: An Educational Process Mining Application

This paper introduces an experiment and the first results of a research on computer programming education using process mining methods. A web-based tutorial addresses the topic of agent-based modeling by introducing a guided exercise with NetLogo, a widely used tool for modeling natural and social phenomena. A goal of the project is to analyze the goodness of the learning process, also through appropriate tests placed between the pages and at the end of the tutorial. Actual data extracted on student behavior (e.g., length of time spent on different parts of each web page, movements on the page, mouse position and mouse clicks) are examined using process discovery technique. Special attention is given to the return of student learning outcomes through visualization. Our solution includes heatmaps and direct-follow graphs of the real processes. Initial results are encouraging on the possibility of improving the assessment of learning processes by relying on techniques from the discipline of process mining, as shown by the case of web-based behaviour tracking data.
Optical Coherence Tomography Velocimetry with Complex Fluids

We present recent results obtained with an Optical Coherence Tomography Velocimetry technique. An optical interferometer measures the velocity of a sheared fluid at specific depths of the sample using the coherence length of the light source. The technique allows the dynamics of 3 pico liter volumes to be probed inside opaque complex fluids. In a study of opaque starch suspensions, classical bulk rheology experiments show non-linear shear thickening, whereas observations of the velocity profiles as a function of distance across the gap show Newtonian behavior. The ability of the technique to measure velocity fluctuations is also discussed for the case of polyacrylamide samples which were observed to display shear banding behavior. A relationship between the viscoelasticity of the sample and the size of the apparent fluctuations is observed.