Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Beam Forming of Lamb Waves for Structural Health Monitoring

Structural health monitoring techniques are being developed to reduce operations and support costs, increase availability, and maintain safety of current and future air vehicle systems. The use of Lamb waves, guided elastic waves in a plate, has shown promise in detecting localized damage, such as cracking or corrosion, due to the short wavelengths of the propagating waves. Lamb wave techniques have been utilized for structural health monitoring of simple plate and shell structures. However, most aerospace structures are significantly more complex and advanced techniques may be required. One advanced technique involves using an array of piezoelectric transducers to generate or sense elastic waves in the structure under inspection. By adjusting the spacing and/or phasing between the piezoelectric transducers, transmitted or received waves can be focused in a specific direction. This paper presents beam forming details based on analytical modeling, using the finite element method, and experimental testing, using an array of piezoelectric transducers on an aluminum panel. Results are shown to compare well to theoretical predictions.
Triturating versatile carbon materials as saturable absorptive nano powders for ultrafast pulsating of erbium-doped fiber lasers

Five triturating nano-scale carbon materials based saturable absorbers are compared for passively mode-locked high-gain erbium-doped fiber lasers (EDFLs), including few-layer graphene nano-sheets, graphite, graphene oxide, carbon black and charcoal nano-particles. Nonlinear transmittance analyses show that these nano-scale carbon powders with saturation intensity increased from 0.8 to 6.1 MW/cm2 can reduce their modulation depth (MD) from 60% (few-layer graphene) to 23% (charcoal nano-powder). Except few-layer graphene, other carbon materials exhibit Raman scattering spectra with enlarged D-peaks and attenuated 2D-peaks. Even with the nonlinear absorbance slightly decreased from 5.4 × 10−2 (few-layer graphene) to 3.7 × 10−2 (charcoal), these carbon material powders still start the mode-locking of the EDFLs with <500-fs pulsewidth at L-band. The effect of saturable absorber induced self-amplitude modulation (SAM) becomes weakened, whereas the intense self-phase modulation (SPM) dominates the pulse shortening force afterwards. These observations elucidate that the carbon based saturable absorber plays a role like the mode-locking initiator and stabilizer instead of serving as a strong pulse compressor.
Mixed planting enhances soil multi‐nutrient cycling by homogenizing microbial communities across soil vertical scale

Soil multi‐nutrient cycling (SMC) driven by microbial communities determines the primary productivity of forests. While functional microbes and microbial community composition are thought to contribute to SMC, the importance of different microbial communities in SMC enhancement in forest ecosystems are largely unknown. Here, we aimed to decode the underlying mechanisms of bacterial and fungal communities in the surface (0–20 cm) and subsurface soils (20–40 cm) that drive SMC in two afforestation models: pure plantation (Chinese fir) and mixed plantation (different tree varieties). Mixed planting significantly enhanced the SMC along the soil vertical spatial scale, implying that mixed planting effectively alleviated soil degradation caused by pure planting. This was attributed to the homogenization effect of mixed planting on bacterial and fungal community assemblies across the soil vertical scales. Specifically, fungal communities mainly contributed to SMC in the surface soil in mixed plantations, and bacterial communities were the primary drivers of SMC in the subsurface soil. Furthermore, multiple regression and structural equation modeling confirmed that specific key fungal taxa preferentially mediate the transformation of available phosphorus and soil organic carbon, and contribute 77.0% of SMC variation in the surface soil, while bacterial taxa mainly drive the transformation of ammonium nitrogen and soil organic carbon, and account for 60.0% of SMC variation in the subsurface soil. This study highlights the different patterns of bacterial and fungal community assembly, and their function in SMC along the soil vertical spatial scale, and advances the understanding of the roles of soil microbial communities in degraded forest soil remediation.
Experimental study on heat transfer of alfalfa during the vibration-assisted compression

Compression alfalfa into briquettes is an effective way to solve the problem of storage and transportation. In the process of compression, heat is generated, which raises the temperature in the material. The appropriate temperature can improve the quality of alfalfa briquettes. In this paper, the effect of assisted vibration frequency, moisture content, and particle size on the compression temperature were tested. The results showed that when the vibration was applied, the material particle temperature in the mold rose significantly, and the core particle temperature rose faster than the edge temperature. The vibration frequency was the most significant factor affecting heat transfer in the three studied factors. When the moisture content and particle size were constant, the heat transfer effect increased first and then decreased with the vibration frequency, and it had an optimal value at 17 Hz. When the vibration frequency and particle size were constant, the heat transfer effect increased first and then decreased with the moisture content. It had an optimal value of 20%. The experimental results explained the effect of vibration frequency, moisture content, and particle size on temperature variation during alfalfa compression and provided a basis for reasonable process parameters.
Effective recombination coefficients of neutral carbon and singly ionized nitrogen

Effective recombination coefficients were calculated for neutral carbon and singly ionized N lines using an atomic model potential to obtain accurate nonhydrogenic transition probabilities and recombination cross sections of singly excited states. Published nonhydrogenic data for two-electron transitions and dielectronic recombination coefficients were used to complete the calculation of the cascade. The tabulated coefficients are given as a function of temperature and can be used to calculate the emissivity of recombination lines of transitions from levels with n less than 8 and l less than 3. Total recombination coefficients are also given. 29 refs.
Application of Phytoplankton Taxonomic α-Diversity Indices to Assess Trophic States in Barrier Lake: A Case of Jingpo Lake

Phytoplankton taxonomic α-diversity indices are useful tools to characterize the trophic states in freshwater ecosystems. However, the application of these indices to assess trophic states in large barrier lakes is rare, especially in China. To test the usefulness of phytoplankton taxonomic α-diversity indices in trophic state assessments, we investigated the taxonomic α-diversity-Comprehensive Trophic Level Index (TLI) relationships in the second largest alpine lava barrier lake (Jingpo Lake, China) in the rainy and dry season from 2017 to 2018. Based on a two-year dataset, we found that there was a significant difference in the phytoplankton community, α-diversity indices, and TLI dynamic between the rainy season and the dry season. First, there was significant variation in phytoplankton abundance, the Margalef index, and the Shannon-Wiener index in different hydrological periods (p < 0.05). Second, the mean TLI in the rainy season (44 ± 5) was higher than in the dry season (41 ± 5) (p < 0.05). Lastly, the response characteristics of the Margalef and Shannon-Wiener index with TLI were different in different hydrological periods, and the relationship between the Pielou evenness index and TLI was weak. This study highlights that phytoplankton taxonomic α-diversity indices are relevant tools in water quality assessments but selecting the fit index is necessary. The current study provides key information about phytoplankton community, α-diversity, and trophic states in the largest alpine lava barrier lake, and the results of the study will benefit water quality management and biodiversity conservation in barrier lakes.
Poincaré invariants are Seiberg–Witten invariants

Recently there has been a renewed interest in Donaldson invariants and Seiberg–Witten invariants due to the influx of virtual intersection theory. See Mochizuki [15], Gottsche, Nakajima and Yoshioka [6], and [4], for instance. The purpose of this paper is to prove a conjecture (Theorem 1.1 below) of Durr, Kabanov and Okonek in [4], which provides a natural algebro-geometric theory of Seiberg–Witten invariants. Our main technique is the cosection localization principle in Kiem and Li [8] that effectively localizes the virtual cycle when there is a cosection of the obstruction sheaf.
Source Switched Charge-Pump PLLs for High-Dose Radiation Environments

This article presents a radiation tolerant charge-pump phase-locked loop (PLL) with low static phase error variability suitable for high-performance clock systems in high-dose radiation environments. We investigate the use of source switching charge-pump architectures to minimize any voltage- or dose-dependent charge injection and address the limitations of enclosed layout transistors (ELTs) in the conventional drain switched charge-pump. The circuit has been processed in a 65-nm complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology and has been experimentally verified with X-rays up to a total ionizing dose of 180 Mrad.
Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CA15 (DSM 33960) as a Candidate Probiotic Strain for Human Health

Lactobacilli with probiotic properties have emerged as promising tools for both the prevention and treatment of vaginal dysbiosis. The present study aimed to study the in vitro probiotic potential of the Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CA15 (DSM 33960) strain isolated from a healthy vaginal ecosystem. The strain was evaluated for both functional (antagonistic activity against pathogens; H2O2, organic acid, and lactic acid production; antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities; ability to adhere to intestinal mucus and to both CaCo-2 and VK7/E6E7 cell lines; exopolysaccharide production; surface properties; and ability to survive during gastrointestinal transit) and safety (hemolytic, DNase, and gelatinase activities; mucin degradation ability; production of biogenic amines; and resistance to antimicrobials) characteristics. Data revealed that the tested strain was able to antagonize a broad spectrum of vaginal pathogens. In addition, the adhesion capacity to both vaginal and intestinal cell lines, as well as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, was detected. The ability of the Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CA15 (DSM 33960) strain to survive under harsh environmental conditions occurring during the gastrointestinal passage suggests its possible oral delivery. Thus, in vitro data highlighted interesting probiotic properties of the CA15 (DSM 33960) strain, which could represent a valuable candidate for in vivo vaginal infections treatment.
Effect of 1,3-Beta Glucans Dietary Addition on the Growth, Intestinal Histology, Blood Biochemical Parameters, Immune Response, and Immune Expression of CD3 and CD20 in Broiler Chickens

Simple Summary Recently, finding alternative feed additives for antibiotics has become an increasing approach by animal nutritionists. This study evaluated the addition of 1,3-β-glucans as a potential growth promoter alternative to antibiotics in broiler chicken diets at the following four grading levels: 0, 50, 100, and 150 mg 1,3-β-glucans kg−1. The study concluded that 1,3-β-glucan could be included in broiler chicken diets for improving the development and integrity of the intestine and enhancing the bird’s immune status. Dietary 1,3-β-glucan has a hypolipidemic effect and improves the hormonal profile of birds without affecting their growth rate. Abstract This experiment evaluated the impact of the dietary addition of 1,3-β-glucans (GLU) on broiler chickens’ growth, intestinal histology, blood biochemical parameters, and immunity. Two hundred three-day-old male broilers (Ross 308) (97.93 ± 0.19 g/chick) were randomly assigned into four treatments with five replicates, each containing ten birds, in a complete randomized design. The four treatments were formulated with 0, 50, 100, and 150 mg 1,3-β-glucans kg−1 in broiler chicken diets. During the study, no significant impacts (p > 0.05) were observed in weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR) between treatment groups. Based on the results of total body weight gain and FCR, the optimal level of 1,3-β-glucan is 120 mg Kg−1. The intestinal histomorphology was improved by GLU supplementation, as indicated by increased villi height and villi height to crypt depth ratio (p < 0.01). All levels of supplemental β-1,3 glucan decreased the serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride levels, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (p < 0.05). The serum levels of growth hormones (GH), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4) were increased in GLU-supplemented groups (p < 0.05). The serum immune indices (lysozyme activity, interleukin 10 (IL10), complement 3 (C3), and total protein levels) were increased in the GLU-supplemented groups (p < 0.05). Dietary GLU up-regulated the immunoexpression of CD3 (T-cell marker) and CD20 (B-cell marker) in the spleen of birds (p < 0.01). It can be concluded that 1,3-β-glucan can be added to broiler chicken diets for improving the development and integrity of the intestine and enhancing the bird’s immune status. The optimal level for 1,3-β-glucan dietary supplementation was 120 mg Kg−1. Dietary 1,3-β-glucan has a hypolipidemic effect and improves the hormonal profile of birds without affecting their growth rate.
Development of a Measure to Assess Attitudes Towards Nasal versus Autoinjector Glucagon Delivery Devices for Treatment of Severe Hypoglycemia

Background For individuals managing diabetes, the administration of glucagon for severe hypoglycemia can be lifesaving, yet, until recently, there were no easy-to-use devices for these stressful emergencies. New products have emerged to meet this need, including nasal glucagon (NG) and auto-injector glucagon (AI). This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a new measure, the Glucagon Device Attitudes Questionnaire (GDAQ), in assessing attitudes toward NG and AI from the perspectives of persons with diabetes on insulin (PWDs), caregivers, and acquaintances. Methods Developed based on qualitative research, the GDAQ consists of 38 rating items for each device and 16 direct-elicitation of attitudes of device relative to each other. It was administered to participants via a cross-sectional online survey. Twenty-six rating items were included in principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Items comprising each factor were averaged to form scales. Additionally, 12 direct elicitation items were averaged to form an overall “Attitudes” scale. Reliability and validity analyses were conducted. Descriptive statistics were provided for the rating items not included in the factor analysis. Results A total of 405 PWDs, 313 caregivers, and 305 acquaintances participated. Three factors were identified: “Prepared and Protected” (7 items), “Hesitation” (12 items), and “Device Perceptions by Others” (7 items); factor loadings ranged from 0.13 to 0.92, 0.50 to 0.89, and 0.16 to 0.92, respectively. Cronbach’s alpha for the four scales ranged from 0.76 to 0.96. Correlations of the scales with their global item ranged from 0.30 to 0.90. The items outside of the factor analysis showed good distribution in responses and differentiation between the two devices. Discussion This study supports the validity and reliability of the GDAQ, which successfully conceptualizes attitudes towards devices for administering glucagon among different respondent groups. Use of the GDAQ can help guide the development and testing of new glucagon drug/device combinations.
Ensembling EEG bands for Mental State Assessment

The assessment of mental status is an important task in psychiatry. But the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic has reduced the number of face-to-face assessments with physicians, and thus making it difficult. In recent years, some studies have used EEG (electroencephalogram) to help assess depression or mental state. Users can thus further assess mental state through simple EEG measurement. Since the EEG measurement will obtain multiple frequency bands related to mental or emotion state, if only one frequency band is used to evaluate a specific emotion or mental state, it may be insufficient. Some studies have proposed an ensemble method of multiple frequency bands for emotion recognition. In this study, we will use ensemble multi-bands EEG frequency to do and assist mental state or depression assessment. Through the method of ensemble learning, we integrate the frequency bands which is mainly related to mental state to assist the evaluation of mental state. From the experimental results, we can find that this method has a good effect.
Transient behavior of far-field diffraction patterns of a Gaussian laser beam due to the thermo-optical effect in metal nanocolloids

We report on the experimental observation of the temporal dynamics of diffraction pattern formation when a low-power Gaussian laser beam passes through a cell with nanoparticles suspended in a liquid. As it turned out, the stable far-field picture on the screen is formed in the interval of a few seconds after laser radiation passage. These diffraction patterns consist of several coaxial bright and dark rings, whose diameter and number vary, depending on the type and concentration of the colloidal solution, as well as on the optical depth of the colloid and laser power. The observed behavior of the diffraction pattern dynamics are interpreted theoretically based on the Fresnel–Kirchhoff integral and the analytical solution of the heat transfer equation.
Investigating the Impact of a Curse: Diseases, Population Isolation, Evolution and the Mother’s Curse

The mitochondrion was characterized for years as the energy factory of the cell, but now its role in many more cellular processes is recognized. The mitochondrion and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) also possess a set of distinct properties, including maternal inheritance, that creates the Mother’s Curse phenomenon. As mtDNA is inherited from females to all offspring, mutations that are harmful to males tend to accumulate more easily. The Mother’s Curse is associated with various diseases, and has a significant effect on males, in many cases even affecting their reproductive ability. Sometimes, it even leads to reproductive isolation, as in crosses between different populations, the mitochondrial genome cannot cooperate effectively with the nuclear one resulting in a mito-nuclear incompatibility and reduce the fitness of the hybrids. This phenomenon is observed both in the laboratory and in natural populations, and have the potential to influence their evolution and speciation. Therefore, it turns out that the study of mitochondria is an exciting field that finds many applications, including pest control, and it can shed light on the molecular mechanism of several diseases, improving successful diagnosis and therapeutics. Finally, mito-nuclear co-adaptation, paternal leakage, and kin selection are some mechanisms that can mitigate the impact of the Mother’s Curse.
Analysis of Variations in Maxillary Second Molar Buccopalatal Inclination in Angle’s Class I, Angle’s Class III Malocclusion, and Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate (UCLP) Cases: A Comparative Observational Study

Introduction Cleft of the lip and/or the palate is commonly inherited defect which involves cleft of lip and palate. Maxillary second molar inclination has been studied in various malocclusion. Every abnormality in body is compensated to some extend by compensation. Our objectives were to evaluate maxillary second molar inclination in Angle's Class I, Class III malocclusion, and unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) patients in transverse plane and to compare variation in maxillary second molar inclination in Angle's Class I, Class III malocclusion, and UCLP cases buccopalatally in transverse plane. Material and method Model of 45 subjects were analyzed. The maxillary second molar inclination was measured using aid of protractor fixed on the surveyor. Axis under consideration was the axis along the long axis of the central fossa of maxillary second molar. Various standardization regarding measurement of second molar inclination were set. The maxillary second molar inclination was compared among 3 groups Angle's Class I, Class III malocclusion, and UCLP cases. Results Data was analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc Tukey test. There was a significant difference between inclination of maxillary second molar when Angle's Class I malocclusion was compared with Angle's Class III malocclusion and UCLP cases (p = 0.003 and p = 0.011, respectively). There was not a significant difference between Angle's Class III malocclusion and UCLP cases (p = 0.87). Conclusion Amongst Class III patients and UCLP patients the inclination of maxillary second molar had greater buccal inclination. Maxillary second molar correction would alleviate the effect of deleterious force on periodontium and bone generated by malpositioned teeth.
El análisis de la onda de pulso y el riesgo cardiovascular en individuos normotensos: un ejercicio con el Power Lab

La onda de pulso se ha utilizado como una herramienta de medición para determinar el riesgo cardiovascular mediante un evento denominado la “reflexión sistólica”; este modifica directamente la morfología de la onda y es causado, al parecer, por la dureza de las paredes arteriales. Este ejercicio consistió en realizar registros de onda de pulso a una población de personas de diferentes edades y explorar la aparición de la reflexión sistólica para determinar su relación con el riesgo cardiovascular. Como metodología, se registró la onda de pulso en 23 individuos normotensos en el laboratorio de Fisiología de la facultad de Medicina en la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, y se utilizó el Power Lab y el software Labchart como herramienta para la medición. De acuerdo con los resultados, tres sujetos normotensos del estudio presentaron reflexión sistólica, lo cual sugiere que la modificación de la morfología de la onda de pulso no siempre se presenta únicamente en individuos con hipertensión.
Prenatal Exposure to Ambient PM2.5 and Early Childhood Growth Impairment Risk in East Africa

Height for age is an important and widely used population-level indicator of children’s health. Morbidity trends show that stunting in young children is a significant public health concern. Recent studies point to environmental factors as an understudied area of child growth failure in Africa. Data on child measurements of height-for-age and confounders were obtained from fifteen waves of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for six countries in East Africa. Monthly ambient PM2.5 concentration data was retrieved from the Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group (ACAG) global surface PM2.5 estimates and spatially integrated with DHS data. Generalized additive models with linear and logistic regression were used to estimate the exposure-response relationship between prenatal PM2.5 and height-for-age and stunting among children under five in East Africa (EA). Fully adjusted models showed that for each 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration there is a 0.069 (CI: 0.097, 0.041) standard deviation decrease in height-for-age and 9% higher odds of being stunted. Our study identified ambient PM2.5 as an environmental risk factor for lower height-for-age among young children in EA. This underscores the need to address emissions of harmful air pollutants in EA as adverse health effects are attributable to ambient PM2.5 air pollution.