Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Heat Capacity of Drained Peat Soils

Soil-specific heat capacity (cp) and volumetric heat capacity (Cv) are recognized as a fundamental soil property essential for the accurate prediction of soil temperature and heat flow. This study presents the analysis of these thermal properties for drained peat soils in Poland. The objectives of this study were to (i) measure and develop a method for determining cp, (ii) analyze the (Cv) data for undisturbed soil samples from surface layers, and (iii) test the applicability of the cp value for calculating Cv of drained peat soils using the mixing model concept. The cp value was measured under laboratory conditions using a modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC) for 18 soil layers sampled in six degraded peat soil profiles. The Cv was estimated for undisturbed triplicate soil samples from the 22 depths (66 samples) by using a dual-needle probe. The cp data for the organic soils were linearly temperature-dependent (MDSC) for the temperature range considered (−20 °C–30 °C). The overall average cp value was equal to 1.202 J g−1 K−1 at a temperature of 0 °C. An increment in temperature of 1°C corresponded to an increase in cp of 0.0043 J g−1 K−1 on average. Nevertheless, the lowest cp value was obtained for moss samples whereas the highest value represents alder peats. The Cv data measured using the heat thermal probe (HTP) method changed linearly with changes in the soil moisture content (θv) of the moorsh soils. The volumetric heat capacity calculated using the mixing model was comparable to the mean of measured values obtained on the triplicate samples.
Product-service systems em laboratório de análises clínicas: um estudo de caso

Increasingly, companies offer complete solutions, which include products and services, to its customers. This change in organizations’ portfolios has been occurring for a number of reasons: strategic issues, customer demands, or even low environmental impact trends. This paper aims to add the customer´s perspective on such a scenario through a case study in the laboratories of one of the major Latin American public hospitals. The acquisition of clinical analysis equipment was investigated; the results show an evolutionary trajectory of PSS implementation during the last decades. As a customer, this laboratory went through three phases of evolution: first, as equipment buyer; second, when equipment was no longer laboratory property, changing to leasing contracts; and third, a new method of purchasing, called the PSS solution. In this third phase, the laboratory observed important advantages related to product use and internal demands. The changes in the purchase process brought important gains to the laboratory, such as a secure operating system, risks shared with the solution provider, and specialized technical support.
Research of evaluation indexes for asphalt mixtures based on viscoelastic-damage mechannics theory

In all mechanics models,modified Burgers model is considered relative correct and simple one;however this model is just coincident with static load,so can't distinguish the remained viscoelastic strain and viscous flow stain.If modified Burgers model is composed with Van Der Poel model and external viscopot,remained viscoelastic strain and viscous flow stain can be distinguished.To adopt coupling damage model can describe asphalt mixtures' three phases distortion,and if uninstalled time is 10 times as loaded time,remained viscoelastic strain is accounted less than 10 percent of permanent deformation,so can be ignored.In interim loaded Haversine,the constitutive model is derived,and using origin7.5 software to simulate,the correlation coefficient is above at 0.99. At last two evaluation indexes were put forward(creep degree and AAR) to describe mixtures high temperature performance.
Substrate-Free Untagged Detection of miR393a Using an Ultrasensitive Electrochemical Biosensor

Rapid and sensitive detection of numerous regulatory pathways in growth and development processes and defensive responses in plant–pathogen interactions caused by miRNA has been the current interest of agricultural scientists. Herein, an uncomplicated ultrasensitive electrochemical biosensor was fabricated to detect miR393a, as its detection is of vital importance for plant diseases. A streptavidin-coated screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) was fabricated and characterized by scanning electrochemical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, surface plasmon resonance, and cyclic voltammetry. The two-dimensional (2D) structure and chemical functionality of the streptavidin-coated SPCE render it a superior platform for loading a modified probe via a 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide–N-hydroxysuccinimide linker. This biorecognition platform is capable of efficiently using its excellent conductivity, greater surface area, and effective electrochemical execution due to its synergistic effect between streptavidin and carbon electrodes. The biosensor showed a good linear response (R2 = 0.96) to miR393a concentrations ranging from 100 nM to 100 fM. This streptavidin-based biosensor is highly sensitive to the minimum concentration of miR393a, lowest detection limit, and ultrasensitivity under optimized conditions, i.e., 100 fM, 0.33 fM, and 33.72 μA fM–1 cm–2, respectively. In addition, remarkable recoveries could be obtained to confirm the feasibility of this assay in plant disease samples. The fabricated technology could offer a selective, adaptable, and farmer-friendly strategy for the timely detection of miRNA of plant samples.
Equal Efficacy and Safety Profile in Elderly Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Receiving Palliative Treatment

Simple Summary Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver tumor and a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide with an increasing incidence, especially in elderly people. However, as elderly patients are often characterized by other comorbidities and frailty, palliative treatment in this subgroup of patients remains challenging for clinicians. In this retrospective study, we found a good tolerability and safety of elderly patients receiving palliative treatment for metastatic HCC, primarily transarterial chemoembolization and systemic treatment. Furthermore, we found no significant difference in terms of overall survival between younger and older patients in this cohort. Abstract Palliative treatment of elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often challenging due to comorbidities or frailty, and data about the outcome and overall survival (OS) in these patients are limited. This was a retrospective single centre study. Patients were grouped according to their age as young (<60 years; YP), intermediate (60–70 years; IP) or elderly (>70 years; EP). Administration of chemotherapy or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) was defined as palliative treatment. Therapy-related adverse events (AE) were assessed via CTCAE 5.0. Out of 656 patients analyzed, n = 359 received palliative treatment: YP: n = 90; IP: n = 127 and EP: n = 142. The median OS (months) in patients receiving TACE (n = 254) was 17 vs. 18 vs. 20 months for YP, IP, and EP, respectively (p = 0.44) and 15 vs. 16 vs. 17 months (p = 0.56), respectively, in patients receiving chemotherapy (n = 105). AEs differed non-significantly between the subgroups. Multivariate analysis revealed impaired liver function and advanced tumor stage as significant factors for impaired OS. In this study, the mOS and rate of AEs were equal between elderly and younger HCC patients receiving palliative treatment. Therefore, we propose regular palliative treatment stratification in spite of the high age of patients.
An exploration of b2c mobile commerce adoption in Ghana: An empirical integration of technology acceptance model (TAM) and theory of planned (TPB) behaviour

Mobile commerce is expected to grow exponentially given the high penetration of mobile devices in Ghana, however just a few M-commerce applications have been able to meet expectations. The purpose of this paper is to explore behavioral processes involved in mobile commerce acceptance and use in B2C market. User experience and Age was incorporated into the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to predict intentions to use M-commerce. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was applied to test each theory, as well as user experience, and the variables’ interactive effects on the criterion of M-commerce usage intentions. Both TAM and TPB were supported in their predictions of M-commerce usage intentions and usage.
Metformin inactivates the cGAS-STING pathway through autophagy and suppresses senescence in nucleus pulposus cells.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a complex process involving many factors, among which excessive senescence of nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) is considered to be the main factor. Our previous study found that metformin may inhibit senescence in nucleus pulposus cells; however, its working mechanism is still largely unknown. In the current study, we found that metformin may inactivate cGAS-STING pathway during oxidative stress. Knock-down of STING may further suppress senescence, indicating metformin may exert its effect through cGAS-STING pathway. Damaged DNA is a major inducer of the activation of cGAS-STING pathway. Mechanistically, our study showed that DNA damage was reduced during metformin treatment; however, suppression of autophagy by 3-methyladenine (3MA) may compromise the effect of metformin on DNA damage. The in vivo study also showed that 3MA may recede the therapeutic effect of metformin on IVDD. Taken together, our results reveal that metformin may suppress senescence via inactivating the cGAS-STING pathway through autophagy, implying the new application of metformin in cGAS-STING pathway related diseases.
BER performance and data throughput of body sensor networks for reliable biological signal transmission over the human body

According to the IEEE 802.15 task group 6, human body communication (HBC) is a wireless body area network (WBAN) that operates at frequency band 5–50 MHz. In particular, communication between nodes is through body surface to body surface, and the human body acts as the transmission channel. This paper designs the link budget signaling parameters required for reliable transmission of biological signals over the IEEE 802.15. 6a HBC channel model, and investigates the bit-error-rate (BER) and data throughput performances of different modulation schemes. These modulation schemes include non-coherent binary frequency shift keying (NcBFSK) with non-coherent detection, in addition to the commonly used schemes for HBC communications, namely coherent binary phase shift keying (CBPSK), coherent binary frequency shift keying (CBFSK), and on-off keying (OOK). According to the numerical results based on theoretical analysis, experimental results, as well as Monte-Carlo simulations, NcBFSK with non-coherent detection and bandwidth-integration window product , CBPSK, CBFSK, and OOK, represent appropriate solutions for the reliable transmission of biological signals over HBC-based WBANs. The results are based on and 1 Mbps data rate for low data rate applications, and and data rate = 10 Mbps for high data rate applications.
Comparison of Two Stump Closure Techniques in Laparoscopic Appendicectomy: A Single-Centre Prospective Cohort Study

Introduction Acute appendicitis is a frequent illness that manifests as an emergency and most of the cases necessitate surgical intervention. One of the most critical processes in a laparoscopic appendicectomy is the closure of the appendicular stump. For the closure of the stump of the appendix, several approaches have been employed and explored, but the one with the best outcomes has yet to be proved. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the medical results and cost analyses of laparoscopic appendicectomy with two of the commonly used stump closure techniques - ENDOLOOP® and Hem-o-lok®. Materials and methods A two-year prospective hospital-based cohort study was conducted from June 2019 to July 2021. All the patients in the study were randomly assigned to one of two experimental arms (ENDOLOOP® and Hem-o-lok®). The clinical and follow-up data of these patients were collected and tabulated into a data sheet and analyzed. Results In total, 180 individuals were included in the research (90 in each arm). No statistically significant difference was found in comparing the age, gender or diameter of the appendix among the two groups. The time taken for surgery showed significant differences among the two study groups. The time taken for the procedure in the Hem-o-lok® group was significantly lower than the ENDOLOOP® group (40.3 ± 12.3 minutes vs 50.83 ± 10.5 minutes, p < 0.001). No intraoperative or immediate postoperative complications were noted in either of the groups. The average duration of hospital stay was 2.7 ± 0.9 days in the Hem-o-lok® group, while it was 3.1 ± 0.8 days in the ENDOLOOP® group (p = 0.986). The material cost for the stump ligation with Hem-o-lok® was Rs. 310 ± Rs. 76 while that using ENDOLOOP® was Rs. 630 ± Rs. 118 (p < 0.001). In the Hem-o-lok® subset of patients, the mean direct expenses of laparoscopic appendicectomy were considerably lower. During the 12-week follow-up period, none of the patients had any post-operative complications. Conclusion According to the results of this study, both the technical variations of appendix stump closure are equal in terms of postoperative complications. When compared to the ENDOLOOP® group, the Hem-o-lok® group had a shorter duration of surgery and ended up spending less money. Hem-o-lok® clips have the potential to become the preferred way of anchoring the appendix base during laparoscopic appendicectomy.
Global trends in the digital transformation of the healthcare industry

National health systems are experiencing a number of common global challenges: population growth, demographic ageing, the prevalence of chronic noncommunicable diseases, the constant growth of health-care costs, while increasing resource scarcity, including staffing. At the same time, the rapid development of information technologies, including the accumulation of big data, artificial intelligence, telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, and the increasing availability of high-performance mobile devices and a high-speed Internet connection create truly unique prospects for the development of digital healthcare products and services. Growth of investment from tech giants and venture capital funds is one of the main drivers of digital healthcare transformation. More and more innovative products are being offered not to enhance the effectiveness of existing processes within health systems, but to create new alternative ways to receive medical care or reduce problems in its delivery. Thus, a key customer and a user of digital healthcare products is gradually becoming not the heads of medical organizations, public health authorities or doctors, but patients themselves. In this article, we present an analysis of the existing global trends and directions of development of the digital healthcare market, form our image of the future and the most prospective scenarios and technologies for products and services in this area.
Structure and properties of chitosan/sodium dodecyl sulfate composite films

In this study, we investigated the effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) content on the structure and properties of chitosan films. It is found that the binding of SDS to chitosan was realized through the interactions between –SO4− and –NH3+, forming an ionically cross-linked film. Structural analysis revealed that the crystallization was greatly hindered by introducing SDS. With an increase of SDS content, the glass transition temperatures (Tg) of chitosan films increased due to the formation of crosslinks. Compared to pure chitosan film, the composite films had lower content of moisture and possessed better thermal stability. In addition, the mechanical properties of the as-obtained composite films were closely related to the content of SDS, and were significantly improved in the biopolymer films with moderate SDS content. These results indicate that the microstructure as well as properties of the chitosan films can be regulated by adding SDS.
A novel selective harmonic elimination for duple voltage boosting nine level inverter topology with fewer switching components for renewable energy applications

ABSTRACT A multilevel inverter plays a predominant role in improving the performance as well as efficiency of the inverter. In this study, the proposed idea of the selective harmonic elimination (SHE) for Duple Voltage Boosting nine-level inverter topology with fewer switching components possesses two times better voltage boosting capability than the considered conventional models. The proposed inverter comprises 12 power semiconductor switches, two capacitors, and a single diode, which is connected to a single dc (direct current) source. The duple 9-level topology has been studied and evaluated under different multicarrier PWM (pulse width modulation) techniques in order to obtain lw THD (total harmonic distortion), and the results proves that the Level Control PWM Technique exhibits a better THD value of 9.35%. To improve the quality of the output waveform, the SHE has been designed to fix the predominant harmonics so that the lower order harmonics are minimized to generate a lower THD. A detailed discussion has been made with the results of the proposed inverter THD, which are then compared with other nine-level inverters MATLAB/SIMULINK that has been used to perform the simulation of the duple model, and the obtained simulation results have been validated for different modulation indices. The FPGA SPARTAN 6E controller tests the experimental prototype of the nine-level inverter, and their cost function is represented in dollars, which is compared with the other similar nine-level inverters.
Lidar-assisted feedforward and feedback control design for wind turbine tower load mitigation and power capture enhancement

In the wind industry, research needs exist in the areas of reduction of wind turbine structural loads and maximization of wind energy capture in order to reduce the cost of wind energy. For modern large scale variable-speed variable-pitch wind turbines, these goals can be achieved via the use of modern controllers. Current commercial wind turbine control algorithms are typically feedback only and operate on a feedback signal such as the error in rotor speed or power out of the turbine. Recent advances in light detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems, which can provide realtime upcoming wind speed or direction measurements in front of the turbine using lasers, open a new area of research in feedforward wind turbine control. Feedforward controllers that use preview wind measurements can compensate for the effect of wind disturbances on rotor speed and turbine structural components (blades, tower, shaft, etc.). Feedback controllers can be augmented with these feedforward control strategies to improve turbine performance compared to feedback only controllers. In the dissertation, a number of combined feedforward and feedback control designs are proposed and developed for use with the Alstom ECO-100 3 MW turbine and the 600 kW controls advanced research turbine (CART3) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) National Wind Technology Center (NWTC). Two research directions of wind turbine performance are pursued using LIDAR-enabled feedforward and feedback control designs: mitigating each turbine’s fatigue loads and improving each turbine’s energy production. For mitigating fatigue loads, an adaptive feedforward controller based on a filtered-x recursive least squares (FX-RLS) algorithm has been designed to augment a predesigned collective pitch feedback controller for the CART3. Adaptive control has the potential to overcome some of the drawbacks of linear time-invariant (LTI) control, because the control law in this case can be updated at every time step according to the wind input conditions.
Mapping gaseous dimethylamine, trimethylamine, ammonia, and their particulate counterparts in marine atmospheres of China’s marginal seas – Part 2: Spatiotemporal heterogeneity, causes, and hypothesis

Abstract. Spatiotemporal heterogeneities in the concentrations of alkaline gases and their particulate counterparts in the marine atmosphere over China's marginal seas were investigated in terms of causes and chemical conversion during two winter cruise campaigns, using semi-continuous measurements made by an onboard URG-9000D Ambient Ion Monitor-Ion Chromatograph (AIM-IC, Thermo Fisher). During the cruise campaign over the East China Sea from 27 December 2019 to 6 January 2020, the concentrations of gas-phase atmospheric trimethylamine (TMAgas) varied by approximately 1 order of magnitude, with an average (± standard deviation) of 0.10±0.04 µg m−3 corresponding to a mixing ratio of 26±17 pptv. Corresponding mean values were 0.037±0.011 µg m−3 (14±5 pptv in mixing ratio) over the Yellow Sea during the period from 7 to 16 January 2020 and 0.031±0.009 µg m−3 (12±4 pptv in mixing ratio) over the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea from 9 to 22 December 2019. By contrast, the simultaneously observed concentrations of TMA in PM2.5, detected as TMAH+, over the East China Sea were 0.098±0.069 µg m−3 and substantially smaller than the 0.28±0.18 µg m−3 observed over the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea from 9 to 22 December 2019. A significant correlation between TMAgas and particulate TMAH+ was observed over the East China Sea, but no correlation was found over the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea. Proportional or disproportional variations in concentrations of TMAgas with particulate TMAH+ over the sea zones were probably attributed to the difference in the enrichment of TMAH+ in the sea surface microlayer. In addition, spatiotemporal heterogeneities in concentrations of atmospheric ammonia (NH3gas), atmospheric dimethylamine (DMAgas), and DMA in PM2.5, detected as DMAH+, were investigated. Case analyses were performed to illustrate the formation and chemical conversion of particulate aminium ions in marine aerosols. Finally, we hypothesized the release of basic gases and particulate counterparts from the ocean to the atmosphere, together with the secondary formation of DMAH+ and chemical conversion of TMAH+, in the marine atmosphere.
Cognitive frequency diverse array radar with situational awareness

By jointly utilising the advantages of cognitive radar with situational awareness due to closed-loop control and frequency diverse array (FDA) with range-angle-dependent beampattern, this study proposes a cognitive FDA radar with situational awareness. Different from conventional phased-array, FDA offers a range-dependent beampattern. The proposed cognitive FDA radar can avoid undesired strong interferences and focus to the desired targets through the presented closed-loop control algorithm. This algorithm aims to maximise the receiver output signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) performance by iteratively optimising the frequency increment in a closed-loop manner. That is, the cognitive FDA radar can adaptively change its frequency increment according to the environment and thus better performance can be obtained. The cognitive FDA radar performance is evaluated by examining the SINR and direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation mean square errors. How the performance depends on the FDA frequency increment is also investigated. Simulation results show that the cognitive FDA radar yields much better SINR performance and thus higher DOA estimation precision than basic FDA and conventional phased-array radars.