Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Atomic magnetometers and their application in industry

In modern detection techniques, high-precision magnetic field detection plays a crucial role. Atomic magnetometers stand out among other devices due to their high sensitivity, large detection range, low power consumption, high sampling rate, continuous gradient measurements, and good confidentiality. Atomic magnetometers have become a hot topic in the field of magnetometry due to their ability to measure not only the total strength of the Earth’s magnetic field, but also its gradients, both slow- and high-velocity transient magnetic fields, both strong and weak. In recent years, researchers have shifted their focus from improving the performance of atomic magnetometers to utilizing their exceptional capabilities for practical applications. The objective of this study is to explore the measurement principle and detection method of atomic magnetometers, and it also examines the technological means and research progress of atomic magnetometers in various industrial fields, including magnetic imaging, material examination, underwater magnetic target detection, and magnetic communication. Additionally, this study discusses the potential applications and future development trends of atomic magnetometers.
Investigating the concept of representation in the neural and psychological sciences

The concept of representation is commonly treated as indispensable to research on brains, behavior, and cognition. Nevertheless, systematic evidence about the ways the concept is applied remains scarce. We present the results of an experiment aimed at elucidating what researchers mean by “representation. ” Participants were an international group of psychologists, neuroscientists, and philosophers (N = 736). Applying elicitation methodology, participants responded to a survey with experimental scenarios aimed at invoking applications of “representation” and five other ways of describing how the brain responds to stimuli. While we find little disciplinary variation in the application of “representation” and other expressions (e.g., “about” and “carry information”), the results suggest that researchers exhibit uncertainty about what sorts of brain activity involve representations or not; they also prefer non-representational, causal characterizations of the brain’s response to stimuli. Potential consequences of these findings are explored, such as reforming or eliminating the concept of representation from use.
Role of Wnt signaling pathway in joint development and cartilage degeneration

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent musculoskeletal disease that affects approximately 500 million people worldwide. Unfortunately, there is currently no effective treatment available to stop or delay the degenerative progression of joint disease. Wnt signaling pathways play fundamental roles in the regulation of growth, development, and homeostasis of articular cartilage. This review aims to summarize the role of Wnt pathways in joint development during embryonic stages and in cartilage maintenance throughout adult life. Specifically, we focus on aberrant mechanical loading and inflammation as major players in OA progression. Excessive mechanical load activates Wnt pathway in chondrocytes, resulting in chondrocyte apoptosis, matrix destruction and other osteoarthritis-related changes. Additionally, we discuss emerging Wnt-related modulators and present an overview of emerging treatments of OA targeting Wnt signaling. Ultimately, this review provides valuable insights towards discovering new drugs or gene therapies targeting Wnt signaling pathway for diagnosing and treating osteoarthritis and other degenerative joint diseases.
Assessing citizens’ views on the importance of animal welfare and other sustainability aspects in livestock farming using best–worst scaling

In recent years, farm animal welfare has become an important issue from both an animal science and a societal perspective. Moreover, livestock production is increasingly associated with negative consequences for human health, the environment, and the climate. Thus, there is clear evidence that a more sustainable focus in animal husbandry is needed. However, this is a complex and challenging task, as different stakeholders and emerging trade-offs regarding sustainability need to be considered. For example, outdoor climate housing systems may be socially valued and bring benefits to animal welfare, but at the same time may be detrimental to the environment, the climate, human health, or even animal health. With regard to a sustainable, future-oriented transformation of animal husbandry, it is crucial to identify potential trade-offs and to evaluate them from not only a scientific perspective, but also a societal perspective. Therefore, the aim of this study is to find out how citizens assess the importance of various aspects of livestock production from different goal categories (e.g., ensuring animal welfare vs. environmental or climate protection), as well as within the category “ensuring animal welfare” (e.g., good housing conditions vs. good health conditions). A total of 2,000 participants were recruited via an online panel provider using quota and split sampling. We used the best–worst scaling (BWS) approach to measure the importance of the different aspects for four different farm animal species (dairy cows: n = 503; fattening pigs: n = 500; broilers: n = 499; and laying hens: n = 498). The results show that, regardless of animal species, in a trade-off situation, citizens prioritize animal welfare and human health over other sustainability aspects and, in particular, over product attributes (i.e., product price and taste). In terms of animal welfare, the provision of good housing conditions was found to be the most important sub-aspect for all animal species, but good feeding and animal health were also ranked highly. We consider our results valuable for the development of policy frameworks aimed at a sustainable and socially accepted transformation of current animal husbandry.
Effects of simulated hypo-gravity on lower limb kinematic and electromyographic variables during anti-gravitational treadmill walking

Introduction: This study investigated kinematic and EMG changes in gait across simulated gravitational unloading levels between 100% and 20% of normal body weight. This study sought to identify if each level of unloading elicited consistent changes—particular to that percentage of normal body weight—or if the changes seen with unloading could be influenced by the previous level(s) of unloading. Methods: 15 healthy adult participants (26.3 ± 2.5 years; 53% female) walked in an Alter-G anti-gravity treadmill unloading system (mean speed: 1.49 ± 0.37 mph) for 1 min each at 100%, 80%, 60%, 40% and 20% of normal body weight, before loading back to 100% in reverse order. Lower-body kinematic data were captured by inertial measurement units, and EMG data were collected from the rectus femoris, biceps femoris, medial gastrocnemius, and anterior tibialis. Data were compared across like levels of load using repeated measures ANOVA and statistical parametric mapping. Difference waveforms for adjacent levels were created to examine the rate of change between different unloading levels. Results: This study found hip, knee, and ankle kinematics as well as activity in the rectus femoris, and medial gastrocnemius were significantly different at the same level of unloading, having arrived from a higher, or lower level of unloading. There were no significant changes in the kinematic difference waveforms, however the waveform representing the change in EMG between 100% and 80% load was significantly different from all other levels. Discussion: This study found that body weight unloading from 100% to 20% elicited distinct responses in the medial gastrocnemius, as well as partly in the rectus femoris. Hip, knee, and ankle kinematics were also affected differentially by loading and unloading, especially at 40% of normal body weight. These findings suggest the previous level of gravitational load is an important factor to consider in determining kinematic and EMG responses to the current level during loading and unloading below standard g. Similarly, the rate of change in kinematics from 100% to 20% appears to be linear, while the rate of change in EMG was non-linear. This is of particular interest, as it suggests that kinematic and EMG measures decouple with unloading and may react to unloading uniquely.
Effect of Organizational Commitment on Employee Turnover Intention Using Old Generation Commercial Banks in Ilorin as Case Study

The regulatory and competitive dynamics in the Nigerian Banking industry compelled Old Generation Banks (OGBs) in Nigeria to alter their Human Resource policies and practices, which may affect the banks’ Human Resource outcomes when investigated. Thus, this study interrogated whether employees’ organizational commitment exerts significant effect on turnover intentions in OGBs in Ilorin metropolis. OGB employees were randomly sampled and surveyed using structured questionnaire. Research data were analyzed using basic descriptive statistics, while the research hypotheses were tested using regression at 5-percent significant level. Accordingly, the study confirmed that organizational commitment exerted significant influence on employees’ turnover intention in OGBs in Ilorin. However, only normative commitment is a strong predictor of employee turnover intention. The study, therefore, recommends that the OGBs’ Human Resource executives should not only sustain but upgrade normative commitment indicators (training and development and related investment on banks’ personnel) so as to reduce turnover intentions among the bankers and avoid accompanying costs of positive turnover intention.
Reducing the blocking Effect in Image and Video Coding by Three Modes of Adaptive Filtering or Interpolating 1

Most image and video coding techniques are based on the method of Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) after partitioning the image into square blocks. This method is called block DCT (BDCT). It is considered as one of the best methods of image and video compression. However, in cases of high compression ratios, the BDCT method results in the block boundaries being visible in the reconstructed image (after decoding). This distortion is called the blocking effect or blocking artifacts. In this research we illustrate the blocking effect and its causes. Then, we propose two methods for reducing the blocking effect using a 3-mode adaptive filtering and a 3-mode adaptive interpolation. We realize the two proposed methods by two suitable algorithms, seeking to effectively and relatively simply reduce the blocking artifacts without causing degradation of the other characteristics of the image quality (taking into account some specific requirements of video coding). We present the results of applying both the algorithms. The results show the effectiveness of the two proposed methods.
Effect of seawater on early age hydration, microstructure and 1 mechanical properties of cement paste

: Using seawater for concrete manufacturing promisingly provides significant economical 7 and environmental benefits. In this study, ordinary Portland cement (OPC) hydration in distilled 8 water and seawater and compares the evolution of solid phases was investigated by heat evolution, 9 hydrated phase, hydration kinetics, and microstructure characterization. The results show that 10 seawater can promote the early hydration of tricalcium silicate (C 3 S) during the hydration 11 acceleration period. The hydrated phase assemblage was influenced by the dissolved ions in seawater. 12 Friedel’s salt was detected as a specific hydration phase in seawater, which was formed by chemical 13 combination between the aluminate ferrite monosulfate (AFm) phase and chloride ions. In addition, 14 the monocarboaluminate can be converted into a stable phase as Friedel’s salt in the seawater, due to 15 the reaction with chloride ions. Furthermore, the ettringite becomes more stable when coexists with 16 Friedel’s salt than that with monocarboaluminate, and thus ettringite formed in seawater remains 17 67% higher than that formed in distilled water at the later curing age. Moreover, additional 18 unhydrated cement and less amorphous calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) were formed in seawater, 19 which might be responsible for the slightly lower compressive strength of cement mortar prepared by 20 seawater. Generally, a modeled evolution of the solid phase and pore solution have been established,
Ab initio molecular dynamics of water by quantum Monte Carlo

Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge first my supervisor Prof. Sandro Sorella. During the years in SISSA, he guided me in exploring the world of QMC with great patience and enthusiasm. He's not only a master in Physics but also an expert in high performance computing. He never exhausts new ideas and is always advancing the research at the light speed. For four years, I had an amazing journey with him. I would like to appreciate Dr. my classmate Guglielmo Mazzola. I really learned a lot from the collaboration on various projects we did. I would like to thank Michele Casula and W.M. C. Foulkes who read and correct my thesis and also give many suggestive comments. I would like to express the gratitude to my parents who give me unlimited support even though they are very far from me. Without their unconditional love, I can't pass through the hardest time. I feel very sorry for them because I went home so few times in the previous years. Therefore, I would like to dedicate this thesis to them. I remember the pleasure with my friends in Trieste who are from all over the world. Through them, I have access to so many kinds of food and culture. They help me when I meet difficulties and they wipe out my loneliness by sharing the joys and tears of my life. Especially, I would like to thank all my Italian friends because they often have to bear my poor spoken Italian. I would like to thank all my colleagues. They are always very kind to spare their precious time to share their wealth of knowledge with me in order to resolve my doubts. Last but not the least, I would like to thank SISSA and Trieste. SISSA is by far the best place I have ever worked or studied. Besides its academic prestige, it's attractive because of its wonderful location and facilities. The beautiful garden and the whole landscape view of Trieste gulf alleviate a lot my stress during the working hours. Trieste city is charming and the local people (in general, Italian people) are warmhearted. I had so many unforgettable memories of Trieste. For this reason, every time I see the lights on the Trieste coast when my train runs across the historic bridge in Barcola, I'm filled with happiness since my beloved city is approaching and my home is there.
Characterization of a Bacillus velezensis with Antibacterial Activity and Its Inhibitory Effect on Gray Mold Germ

The present study provides a comprehensive overview of the Bacillus velezensis strain Htq6, and its potential applications in plant disease control. Htq6 is an endophytic bacterium derived from walnut, which was found to possess a strong inhibitory effect on a wide range of plant pathogenic microorganisms and was identified as a good plant disease control agent. The entire genome of the Bacillus velezensis Htq6 was sequenced, and a comparative genomic analysis was conducted with various Bacillus species in order to better understand the mechanism of the strain’s biological control. At the same time, a new classification result was presented. Additionally, transcriptome analysis was performed to explore the response mechanism of tomato gray mold fungus after treatment with the fermentation liquid of Bacillus velezensis Htq6. The study analyzed the distribution of various secondary metabolite gene clusters in the Bacillus model strains and employed RNA-Seq technology to obtain transcriptome expression profiles. Furthermore, the cell wall, cell membrane, and antioxidant-related genes of Botrytis cinerea were analyzed, providing insight into the antibacterial mechanism of biocontrol bacteria and the stress response mechanism of Botrytis cinerea. The results of the research are promising, and could potentially lead to the development of an effective biocontrol agent for the prevention and control of various plant diseases.
Sensory evaluation and proximate composition analysis of pasteurized crab meat and determination of its peroxide and free fatty acid value during storage at 4° Celsius

In the present findings, the range of Free Fatty Acid formation was found to be between 0.53±0.002 and a final value of 2.11±0.006 for control sample and between 0.43±0.002 to a final value of 1.45±0.002 in the sample with VP+1%O respectively. Peroxide Values increased from an initial value of 0.84±0.001mEqO 2 /kg fat to 12.87±0.004mEqO 2 /kg fat in the control sample and 0.70±0.004 mEqO 2 /kg fat to 5.59±0.006 mEqO 2 /kg fat in the sample with vaccum packing (VP+1%O). Proximate composition analysis revealed the moisture content 76.3 ± 2.5%, protein content 19.1 ± 1.7%, fat content 0.86 ± 0.1% and ash content 1.7 ± 0.1% and the present differences between compositions might be related to variations in temperature, nutrient availability, migration behaviors, animal physiology and reproductive strategies. The sample with a combination of oregano oil and vacuum packaging showed value well below the acceptability limit. The sensory scores were recorded to go down during the chilled storage period especially for the control sample in which rate of decrease was the most rapid ( p< 0.05) to each other in terms of lowering of sensory attributes. The end results showed a greater sensory acceptability of the samples treated with oregano oil.
Proximate Composition, Mineral Content and Functional Properties of Composite Flours and Microbiological/Sensory Analysis of Composite Flour Bread

Composite flour is a mixture of several flours obtained from either roots, tubers, cereals and legumes with or without the addition of wheat flour. This study evaluated the proximate, some mineral compositions and functional properties of composite flour produced from potato, cassava and soybean and the effect of the fortification on microbial growth on the bread produced. The flour variations were prepared in 50:50 (%w/w) followed by the estimation of proximate composition, mineral contents and functional properties. Bread production was carried out using CP, CS and WC variants as well as whole wheat and cassava flours. Consequently, sensory evaluation and microbial load of the finished product were evaluated. The results showed that the CPF and CSF have highest moisture content (20%) and SF have lowest moisture content (2.85%), consequently, the SF have highest crude protein content (43.41%) and CF have the lowest crude protein content (4.34%), similarly, the percentage of the crude fibre showed that the CSF have the highest (27%) and WF have the lowest crude fibre content (3.06%), the lipid content of SF shows the highest (12.2%) and the CF shows the lowest (0.55 %), calcium content of the flours shows that the CPF have the highest (2.02g/100g) and the WF shows the lowest (0.25g/100g) and the phosphorus content showed that the CSF have the highest (1.58g/100g) and the CF have the lowest (0.01g/100g). The SWC showed that the wheat flour (WF) = 11.00 ± 1%is significantly (p<0.05) different from the cassava flour (CF) = 6.33 ± 0.58% and cassava-soybean flour (CSF) = 6.67 ± 0.58%. In the hand, water absorption capacity (WAC) revealed that the wheat flour (WF) = 1.74 ± 0.24(gH 2 O/gflour)is significantly (p<0.05) different from cassava flour (CF) = 2.10 ± 0.08(gH 2 O/gflour)and cassava-potato flour (CPF) =2.16 ± 0.07(gH 2 O/gflour). Also, the oil absorption capacity (OAC) showed that wheat flour (WF) = 1.80 ± 0.15(goil/gflour)is significantly (p<0.05) different from cassava flour (CF) = 2.41 ± 0.07(gH 2 O/goil), cassava-potato flour (CPF) = 2.21 ± 0.81(goil/gflour)and cassava-soybean flour (CSF) = 2.15 ± 0.10(goil/gflour). The microbial growth is higher on the wheat flour bread, WFB, followed by cassava flour bread, CFB, and there was a lower growth in cassava-potato flour bread, CPFB. The proximate composition and the functional properties of the composite flour bread identified through the study clearly substantiate the feasibility of using legume/tuber composite flours in bread formulations.
Testing the Challenge Hypothesis in Stumptail Macaque Males: The Role of Testosterone and Glucocorticoid Metabolites in Aggressive and Mating Behavior

Simple Summary In most primates, the “challenge hypothesis” predicts increases in male–male aggressive behavior and testosterone during reproductive challenges, i.e., mating competition, or during periods of social instability, especially in seasonal breeders. However, few studies have investigated the role of stress hormones, such as glucocorticoids, and social rank in non-seasonal primates. In this study, we tested some predictors of the “challenge hypothesis” during a period of social stability in a non-seasonal primate. We collected data on aggressive behavior (male-to-male and male-to-female), copulation, and fecal samples (n = 700) to quantify testosterone and glucocorticoid metabolites (fTm and fGCm, respectively) in seven adults of stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides) living in semi-captivity. We found that fTm and fGCm increased during times of copulation, although neither of the two hormones were associated with aggression between males. Besides, fGCm levels were positively associated with male-to-female aggression, indicating a possible social stress challenge. Both fTm and fGCm levels were higher in higher- and middle-ranking males. Our findings partially support the “challenge hypothesis” in stumptail males and highlight the importance of glucocorticoid secretion during challenging situations; our results also indicate that during periods of social stability, testosterone is not associated with aggression, at least in a non-seasonal primate. Abstract The “challenge hypothesis” predicts higher male–male aggressive behavior along with increases in testosterone levels during times of reproductive challenges and social instability. In addition, in some primate species, higher glucocorticoid levels can be observed as well, but this is usually modulated by dominance rank. We studied rank-related aggressive behavior, mating activity, and fecal testosterone and glucocorticoid metabolites (fTm and fGCm) in male stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides) in order to test some predictions of the “challenge hypothesis”. Over a 20-month period, we collected data on aggressive behavior and copulation, as well as fecal samples (n = 700) to quantify fTm and fGCm in seven adult stumptail males living in captivity. During periods of mating activity, male-to-male aggression increased in higher- and middle-ranking males. Neither fTm nor fGCm levels predicted male-to-male aggression. fGCm levels (but not fTm) were positively associated with male-to-female aggression; however, this association was pronounced during periods of mating activity. fGCm levels differed according to social rank, with middle-ranking males having the highest levels. Both hormones were higher during periods of mating activity, but only in higher- and middle-ranking males. Taken together, our findings partially support the challenge hypothesis in a non-seasonal primate and shed some light on the unique social and mating system of the stumptail macaque.
Absent, outside, inside: integrating the “environment” into Regulation Theory

This text aims to explain a paradox: the modest contribution of Regulation Theory to the debates on the Capitalocene. After explaining the changing role of the “environment” in regulationist analyses for nearly 50 years, we argue that they mostly adopt an apolitical definition / perspective of the environment and lack a critical and reflexive approach. In brief, the regulationist framework needs a truly political ecology.