esa-sceva/satcom-chunk-collection huggingface dataset:
## 4 Conclusions  
The study has been undertaken to investigate the effects of FT damage on the mechanical properties of high-performance RAC. Both water- and sulfate-exposed conditions were considered. Based on the results presented, the following conclusions can be drawn:  
1. The oven-dried mass decreases linearly with FT cycles. However, the saturated mass fluctuates slightly during the tests. The loss of the oven-dried mass is more suitable for assessing FT damage than the saturated mass.
2. The water-exposed FT cycles would result in more severe deterioration in mass loss, elastic modulus and compressive strength, while for the sulfate-exposed FT cycles, the splitting tensile strength and fracture energy have more serious degradation. Compared with compressive strength, deterioration in splitting tensile strength is more severe. The maximum losses in compressive and splitting tensile strength are 28.7% and 35%, respectively.
3. The fracture energy showed an increasing trend to 60 FT cycles, followed by an overall decrease to 180 FT cycles. It indicated a maximum increment of about 45% and 39% for water- and sulfate-exposed samples, respectively, after being subjected to 60 FT cycles. The analysis of failure modes of coarse aggregate reveals that FT damage results in a significant deterioration in the binding force of mortar. After being subjected to 180 FT cycles, the area percentage of pulled-out failure was increased from 7.3% to larger than 17.3%.  
Conceptualization, P.J.; methodology, P.J. and L.L.; validation, P.J. and J.D.; investigation, P.J. and D.Z.; resources, J.D.; writing--original draft preparation, P.J.; writing--review and editing, J.Z. and Z.G.; visualization, P.J.; supervision, Z.G. and Q.W.; project administration, J.D. and Q.W.; funding acquisition, P.J. and Q.W. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
The authors are sincerely grateful for the financial support provided by the Natural Science Basic Research Program of Shaanxi (Program No. 2021)Q-004) and the 2021 Open Project of Failure Mechanics and Engineering Disaster Prevention, Key Lab of Sichuan Province, No. FMEDP202114.  
Not applicable.  
Data Availability Statement: Data are available by request from the corresponding author.  
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
# A Monopole UWB Antenna for WIFI 7/Bluetooth and Satellite Communication
## 6 Conclusions  
In this paper, a novel, miniaturized, and easily fabricated monopole UWB antenna is proposed, which essentially has an omnidirectional radiation at low frequencies. Based on the short-sleeve-shaped patch, the antenna structure has been modified. Furthermore, by utilizing L-shaped patches on both sides of the feed line, multi-functional applications are achieved. The \(-\)10 dB bandwidths of proposed antenna are 18.42% (2.12-2.55 GHz), 14.13% (4.67-5.38 GHz), and 87.46% (5.7-14.56 GHz). The measured results show that the antenna can work in 4G/5G, WiFi (2.4G, 5G, 6G) bands, Bluetooth, X/Ku-bands, and upstream bands of C-bands, where the peak gain in the working frequency bands is between 1.74 and 5.43 dBi. From these findings, it can be concluded that the proposed antenna can be effectively used for multi-frequency wireless communication applications.  
Conceptualization, Z.W.; methodology, M.W.; simulation, M.W.; validation, M.W. and W.N.; writing--review and editing, Z.W. and M.W.; data curation, W.N. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research was funded in part by the Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation under grant 2108085 MF200 and the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Provincial Education Department under grant KJ2020A0307.  
Not applicable.  
The simulated and measured data used to support the findings of this study are included within the article.  
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
# Three Dimensional Digital Sieving of Asphal Mixture Based on X-ray Computed Tomography
###### Abstract  
In order to perform three-dimensional digital sieving based on X-ray computed tomography images, the definition of digital sieve size (DSS) was proposed, which was defined as the minimum length of the minimum bounding squares of all possible orthographic projections of an aggregate. The corresponding program was developed to reconstruct aggregate structure and to obtain DSS. Laboratory experiments consisting of epoxy-filled aggregate specimens were conducted to investigate the difference between mechanical sieve analysis and the digital sieving technique. It was suggested that concave surface of aggregate was the possible reason for the disparity between DSS and mechanical sieve size. A comparison between DSS and equivalent diameter was also performed. Moreover, the digital sieving technique was adopted to evaluate the gradation of stone mastic asphalt mixtures. The results showed that the closest proximity of the laboratory gradation curve was achieved by calibrated DSS, among gradation curves based on calibrated DSS, un-calibrated DSS and equivalent diameter.  
Keywords:asphal mixture; aggregate gradation; sieve analysis; image processing; X-ray computed tomography +
Footnote †: journal: Applied Sciences
# A Taxonomy of Machine Learning Clustering Algorithms, Challenges, and Future Realms
## 2 Taxonomy of Clustering Algorithms
### Partitional Clustering Algorithm
#### 2.2.2 Hard/Crisp Clustering
Since a data stream is limitless, it cannot be kept in memory or on a disc and is thus constrained to only do one pass over the data. Additionally, the order in which data arrives cannot be controlled, and objects cannot be accessed at random. Due to these limitations, traditional clustering algorithms are unable to manage the clustering issues associated with data streams [75], demanding the use of streaming clustering techniques. The number of clusters and handling outliers are two of the three main issues [74] highlighted as being unique to streaming clustering methods. Third, data streams are inherently unpredictable. In order to account for the ever-evolving aspect of streaming content, clusters produced using streaming classification techniques must be updated in real-time. A data stream is unlimited, therefore assuming a set number of clusters will be rather constrained. The cluster configuration is an ongoing process. Because both clusters and outliers change over time, it is difficult to recognize them as quickly as an object is detected a data stream. Other difficulties of streaming data that really are universal to data procedures and yet still apply to broadcast clustering include the single-stage constraints discussed above, the low computing time, which governs the fast response of the computation algorithm, and the limited computation, which also allows us to work with essential summary data. Mode seeking clustering algorithm: the value that appears the most frequently in data collection is returned by the central tendency measure known as the mode. Both qualitative and quantitative qualities can be used to define the mode, and more than one mode may exist in a single data set. Clusters are produced using estimated density functions in mode-seeking clustering algorithms [76; 77]. These modes represent the probability density functions' local maxima. Associating data samples with the closest modes in mode-seeking clustering results in the assignment of cluster labels [78]. Clusters are built automatically in mode seeking clustering technique with the number of detected modes. Mode-seeking clustering may be thought of as an agglomerative method; according to [79], every mode defines one group of data points and a density function is approximate for the dataset (every data point is used to start a new iteration of a mean shift algorithm). The density gradient from each item is tracked to determine which mode it belongs to during the clustering phase. It is said to be that a particular cluster is a place of those items that were in the same mode. According to this method, the number of clusters and the number of modes might be the same [79; 80]. Both the mean shift process [79] and the K-NN mode search procedure [81] were explored in [76], both of which make use of non-parametric density estimations. The width parameter in each of the two methods affects how many modes are included in the density estimate, with clustering being considered.
# Sugar Maple and Red Maple Face-Off: Which Produces More and Sweeter Sap?
## 4 Discussion
### Sugar Season and Sap Yield  
Sugar maple and red maple showed a similar onset of the sap season, but our red maple ended sap exudation approximately 7 days earlier than sugar maple. Our results are in agreement with the literature, suggesting that red maple ends the sap season earlier than sugar maple [11]. Both species showed a seasonal trend in daily sap production, with an increase in the middle of the season, followed by a decrease toward the end of the season. These variations could be influenced by several seasonal factors, such as the pattern in temperature [25], day length [26], and snow melt [27; 28; 29], which drive the reactivation of tree growth in spring.  
The difference in the duration of the sugar season contributed to the difference in sap yield between sugar maple and red maple. While the daily productions are not different, sugar maple has more productive days at the end of the sap season, resulting in greater overall seasonal production. Also, [PERSON] suggested a higher sap yield in sugar maple compared to red maple [6]. However, an explanation for the difference in duration of the sugar season is still lacking, as, to our knowledge, no study has compared the phenology of these two species in detail. By studying bud break in forest and clearcuts, [PERSON] showed that red maple reactivated 7 days earlier than sugar maple [30]. This observation was supported by observations in the field made by the producers, which supported the evidence that the timings of budbreak affect the duration of the sugar season. The bud break would explain the difference in the duration of the sugar season observed between the two species in our study. Our findings highlight the need for more detailed investigations on the spring phenology of these species. Comparative analyses should focus on the eco-physiological drivers behind the differences in budbreak timing and sap flow duration.
## 3 Simulation Case
### Selected Earthquake Ground Motions  
Considering the uncertainty of an earthquake, at least 11 ground motion records are required according to ATC-58 [45] to develop relatively accurate seismic demands of the buildings. Incorporating the seismicity characteristics of the assumed site, a number of 11 earthquake records, listed in Table 2, were selected from the 22 far-field ground motions involving 44 horizontal earthquake components recommended in FEMA P695 [43]. The referent earthquake database has been thoroughly selected for a reasonable representation of the randomness of strong ground motions that may lead a building to the collapse damage state. To comprehensively consider the design spectrum matching and soil-structure interaction and to avoid specific earthquake event dominant-based bias during the selection process, this record group is generally employed for the seismic collapse assessment of buildings. Details of this referent record group are explained in FEMA P695 [43]. As shown in Figure 4, the average spectrum of the selected 11 ground motions is well matched to the design spectrum of severe earthquake intensity in CSDBC [4].  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Story**} & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**Beams**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Columns**} \\ \cline{2-7}  & \multirow{2}{*}{**Size (mm2)**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Concrete**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Reinforcement**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Size (mm2)**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Concrete**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Reinforcement**} \\ \cline{3-3} \cline{5-7}  & & & **Upper Side** & & & & \\ \hline
1 & 300 \(\times\) 500 & C25 & 4025 & 4022 & 500 \(\times\) 500 & C30 & 124022 \\
2 & 300 \(\times\) 500 & C25 & 4025 & 4022 & 500 \(\times\) 500 & C30 & 124022 \\
3 & 300 \(\times\) 500 & C25 & 4025 & 4022 & 500 \(\times\) 500 & C30 & 12402 \\
4 & 300 \(\times\) 500 & C25 & 4022 & 4020 & 500 \(\times\) 500 & C30 & 124020 \\
5 & 300 \(\times\) 500 & C25 & 4022 & 4020 & 500 \(\times\) 500 & C30 & 124020 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 1: Cross-section and longitudinal reinforcement of beams and columns based on the Code for Seismic Design of Buildings in China (CSDBC).  
Figure 3: The example reinforcement concrete (RC) five-storey three-bay frame structure.
# Detecting and Mitigating Attacks on GPS Devices
## 6 Countermeasures and Their Comparison
### Countermeasures for GPS Jamming
#### 6.1.1 Antenna-Based Approaches  
These approaches are predicated on antenna arrays that can be electronically steered. A null in the received antenna pattern can be formed once the interference signal has been detected, and the power of the interference is reduced while maintaining the power of the actual GPS signal. Many papers in the literature propose an antenna-based approach to mitigate the effects of GPS jamming. These approaches involved complete solutions that included interference detection methods and countermeasures. The factors that differentiated these various proposals were (1) antenna technology, (2) measured signal attributes used for antenna null formation, (3) speed of adaptation, and (4) resultant performance, such as depth of nulls. Many other papers proposed anti-jam GPS antenna designs but did not propose interference detection methods or antenna adaptation algorithms. These papers typically assume their proposed antenna design can be paired with suitable adaptation algorithms and measurement approaches. Other studies presented antenna adaptation algorithms but did not present either detection methods or actual antenna design. Many antenna-based approaches previously discussed for GPS jamming and spoofing detection also apply to GPS jamming mitigation. Table 12 summarizes some of the antenna-based approaches found in the literature.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{p{56.9 pt} p{113.8 pt} p{113.8 pt} p{113.8 pt} p{113.8 pt}} \hline \hline
**Author** & **Reference** & **Type of Proposed Approach** & **Antenna Technology** & **Measured Attributes** \\ \hline [PERSON] et al. & [71] & Detection Algorithm Adaptation Algorithm & Generic array & Carrier Phase \\ \hline [PERSON]. [PERSON] et al. & [101] & Antenna Design & Multimode microstrip & N/A \\ \hline [PERSON]. [PERSON] et al. & [102] & Antenna Design & Planar array with annular ring array elements & N/A \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 12: Summary of antenna-based approaches found in the literature for GPS jamming mitigation.  
The question surrounding antenna-based approaches is whether these designs and techniques can be made sufficiently small and simple enough to be feasible options for small systems. Microstrip antennas may be more attractive for UASs than larger arrays; however, small arrays with dipole antenna elements could be feasible, especially for larger unmanned platforms. None of these techniques are likely feasible for smaller unmanned platforms, such as micro UASs.
## 3 Numerical Example and Program Comparison
### Comparison of Ansys with Robot  
The first step necessary for further consideration is to clearly confirm that the selected computer program is reliable and that the results obtained are consistent with the assumptions. For this purpose, an identical building model was prepared in two different programs--Ansys and Robot. The models were loaded with wind at the same speed and then the obtained stress results were compared. The assumed wind speed is 22 m/s and corresponds to the most common wind speed in Poland in accordance with PN-EN 1991-1-4 [33].  
The dimensions of the tunnel in Ansys were selected so that the tunnel cross-section was 10 m wider in each direction than the most distant places of the facility, while the length of the tunnel was selected to leave a distance of 20 m in front of and behind the building. The final dimensions were width 33 m, height 29.5 m, length 74 m. It should be noted that the dimensions of the tunnel should not significantly affect the pressure values in the very center of the windward wall because flow disturbances caused by the low capacity of the tunnel primarily affect the air movement around the building, thus affecting the roof and walls parallel to the direction of flow. Table 1 presents a comparison of the results obtained in various programs.  
Based on the almost identical stresses obtained, regardless of the program, it can be concluded that the results are reliable. The Robot program is a tool used many times by the authors, and its calculations were often compared with those made manually based on applicable standards [33; 34; 35]. Therefore, it was concluded that the values of pressure on the windward wall can be considered reliable.  
Figure 5: Places (A–O) of reading the stress values with numbering.
## 1 Introduction
EB irradiation is used as a curing system. PANI and its composite active species interact with EB radiation, triggering chemical reactions that include chain scission, the production of free radicals, cross-linking, and grafting. Applying a particular dose of radiation can improve conductivity and other properties, as explained in previous reports [21; 22]. An electron beam of 4.5 MeV was employed to irradiate MnO\({}_{2}\)/polyaniline (80% polyaniline and 20% MnO\({}_{2}\)) composite thin films (electrodeposited on a stainless-steel substrate) at dosages of 10 kGy, 20 kGy, and 30 kGy [23]. High-energy electron irradiation causes defects in materials, changing their morphology and characteristics. Irradiating MnO\({}_{2}\)/PANI at 20 KGy resulted in enhanced specific capacitance (840 F/g) and cyclic stability (89.2%). After electron irradiation, the specific capacitance and stability increased. Lithium perchlorate (LiClO4) is a novel bulky lithium salt characterized by significant charge delocalization, facilitating the dissociation of ions within a solvating polymer, such as poly(ethylene oxide). It demonstrates excellent chemical, electrochemical, and thermal stabilities, along with a plasticizing effect that reduces the crystallinity of the host polymer, hence facilitating ionic mobility [24]. Further, LiClO4 is cost-effective, readily purifiable, and generates highly conductive solutions with alkyl carbonate solvents, in which lithiated graphite electrodes exhibit excellent performance. Copper oxide nanoparticles (42 nm) prepared by the co-precipitation method have shown blue-shifted band gaps of 1.45 eV, and the electrical conductivity of the sample was determined to be 0.16 S/m [25]. An electrochemically deposited PANI/CuO on a glassy carbon electrode exhibited a specific capacitance of 286.35 F/g, and after 500 cycles, the specific capacitance of this nanocomposite film was 81.82% of the initial capacitance [26]. Similarly, PANI/CuO and PANI/CuO/GO nanocomposites have been investigated for their physicochemical, optical, and electrochemical properties for supercapacitor applications [27]. Therefore, the synergetic combination of the properties of polyaniline, LiClO4, and CuO in conjunction with improvements in their composite properties using electron beams is of much interest. In this study, the effects of various dosages of EB irradiation on the characteristics of a PANI/LiClO4/CuO (PLC) nanocomposite, including the structure, morphology, electrical conductivity, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and _I-V_, have been studied. Improvements in all related properties were observed after EB irradiation with increased EB doses.
# The Complex Relationship between Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance
## 4 Regulation of Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance  
### Types of Regulation  
The regulation of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes is very complex. Traditionally this regulation is thought of as separate events; however, the genetic regulation is intertwined and connected (Figure 4). Often times the regulation of virulence genes can influence the expression of antibiotic resistance genes and vice versa. Unfortunately, regulation of these genes is impacted by a host of environmental factors that can directly and indirectly affect gene expression. Below, the most common forms of gene regulation, including post-transcriptional modifications (e.g., methylation, etc.), ribo-regulation, an environmental sensing, stress response (e.g., (p)ppGpp), multi-networks of regulation, and biofilm formation through quorum sensing are reviewed.  
Figure 4: Common regulatory mechanisms act as a connection between virulence and antibiotic resistance. Quorum sensing and two component systems upregulate biofilm genes, which in turn upregulate quorum sensing molecules that in turn influence virulence and antibiotic resistance genes. Up-regulated virulence and antibiotic resistance genes serve to upregulate quorum sensing and two component systems and complete the cycle.
## 3 Results and Discussions
### Temperatures  
#### 3.2.1 Water Surface Temperature  
The time series of water surface temperature was obtained by averaging the temperature over six points randomly distributed over the reservoir. The standard deviation was 0.42 K, on average. Since water surface temperature follows a sinusoidal behaviour [78], remotely sensed \(T_{\mathrm{W}}\) (black dots in Figure 5) were interpolated via a sinusoidal function (dashed line) to facilitate the interpretation of the phenomenon. A sinusoidal curve is well matched to the sparse temperature measurements (the Pearson correlation was \(\approx\) 0.96, the Root-Mean-Square Error between measured and sine model was \(\approx\) 1.70 K, which is coherent with the error in inferring surface temperature applying mono-window algorithms, \(\pm\)2-3 K, as reported by [77]). The standard deviation, \(\sigma_{\mathrm{XY}}\), of the differences between measured and interpolated values was \(\approx\) 1.64 K. The resulting amplitude \(\Delta T\) in 2015 was 9.80 K, the average temperature \(\overline{T}\) was 293.16 K, and the peak (303 K) was modelled on DOY 217.
## 2 UWB MIMO Radar System  
The block diagram of the designed UWB MIMO radar system is shown in Figure 1. The system includes: a PC, a two-port VNA (Agilent N9925A, working from 30 kHz to 9 GHz), two 1-8 radio frequency (RF) switchers with one microcontroller, a 16-Vivaldi-antenna MIMO array with about 1.1 m aperture. As the master controller, the PC connects the VNA and microcontroller. A set of RF cables and two switchers connect eight transmitting antennas and eight receiving antennas to the VNA. The eight transmitting antennas are fixed in the middle of the array, and the eight receiving antennas are separately fixed on the upper and lower sides of the array (shown in Figure 1).  
The working principle of the designed radar system is briefly explained here: the VNA is responsible for sending and receiving SFCW signals. The PC is not only used to save and process the received data, but also to remotely operate the microcontroller and VNA. During one period of every S12 measurement by the VNA, only one pair of transmitting and receiving antennas collects  
Figure 1: Block diagram of the designed ultra-wideband multi-input multi-output (UWB MIMO) radar system.  
data, corresponding to two paths of switcher system staying open and all other paths turning off. By switching on and off the switchers to control the data acquisition, the total amount of data obtained in one sampling period is 64 channels.