Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microflotation performance for algal separation

The performance of microflotation, dispersed air flotation with microbubble clouds with bubble size about 50 µm, for algae separation using fluidic oscillation for microbubble generation is investigated. This fluidic oscillator converts continuous air supply into oscillatory flow with a regular frequency to generate bubbles of the scale of the exit pore. Bubble characterization results showed that average bubble size generated under oscillatory air flow state was 86 µm, approximately twice the size of the diffuser pore size of 38 µm. In contrast, continuous air flow at the same rate through the same diffusers yielded an average bubble size of 1,059 µm, 28 times larger than the pore size. Following microbubble generation, the separation of algal cells under fluidic oscillator generated microbubbles was investigated by varying metallic coagulant types, concentration and pH. Best performances were recorded at the highest coagulant dose (150 mg/L) applied under acidic conditions (pH 5). Amongst the three metallic coagulants studied, ferric chloride yielded the overall best result of 99.2% under the optimum conditions followed closely by ferric sulfate (98.1%) and aluminum sulfate with 95.2%. This compares well with conventional dissolved air flotation (DAF) benchmarks, but has a highly turbulent flow, whereas microflotation is laminar with several orders of magnitude lower energy density. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109:1663–1673. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Generalized Frequency Division Multiplexing in cognitive radio

Generalized Frequency Division Multiplexing (GFDM) is a recent multi carrier modulation technique that can provide low out-of-band radiation, which makes it an attractive choice for the PHY layer of cognitive radios operating in fragmented TV white spaces. Primary, incumbent signals can now be protected with a geo-location database query mechanism. Even then, sensing opportunistic users (OU) operating in the same frequency band is important in cognitive radio operations. In this paper, a simulation based study has been performed to compare GFDM matched filter based sensing characteristics with traditional orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) sensing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Sensing with a GFDM based cognitive radio receiver shows better sensing performance.
Inflation Targeting: Some Extensions

Previous analysis of the implementation of inflation targeting is extended to monetary policy responses to different shocks, consequences of model uncertainty, effects of interest rate smoothing and stabilization, a comparison with nominal GDP targeting, and implications of forward-looking behavior. Model uncertainty, output stabilization, and interest rate stabilization or smoothing all call for a more gradual adjustment of the conditional inflation forecast toward the inflation target. The conditional inflation forecast is the natural intermediate target during inflation targeting.
Signals and regulators that govern Streptomyces development.

Streptomyces coelicolor is the genetically best characterized species of a populous genus belonging to the gram-positive Actinobacteria. Streptomycetes are filamentous soil organisms, well known for the production of a plethora of biologically active secondary metabolic compounds. The Streptomyces developmental life cycle is uniquely complex and involves coordinated multicellular development with both physiological and morphological differentiation of several cell types, culminating in the production of secondary metabolites and dispersal of mature spores. This review presents a current appreciation of the signaling mechanisms used to orchestrate the decision to undergo morphological differentiation, and the regulators and regulatory networks that direct the intriguing development of multigenomic hyphae first to form specialized aerial hyphae and then to convert them into chains of dormant spores. This current view of S. coelicolor development is destined for rapid evolution as data from '-omics' studies shed light on gene regulatory networks, new genetic screens identify hitherto unknown players, and the resolution of our insights into the underlying cell biological processes steadily improve.
Exploring Strategic Choices in Marketplace Positioning

We examine B2B e-marketplace designs and how these strategic choices affect both operating and financial performance. A theory-driven framework conceptualizes e-marketplaces as network orchestrators that create value by creating exchange opportunities, and facilitating economic and social exchanges. The locus of impact of e-marketplaces ranges from the network, where it accrues to all firms potentially participating in the exchange; to firm dyads, where the impact is based on specific transactions or relationships; to primarily impacting an individual firm. B2B e-marketplaces may impact information linkages (communication), value linkages (electronic integration and brokerage) or relational (social integration) linkages. Findings based on an analysis of 194 surviving B2B e-marketplaces considered best in class suggest positioning on either transactional lines emphasizing scale, or relational lines emphasizing depth. Emarketplaces with a transactional focus are associated with greater prominence. As expected, horizontal (process) marketplaces draw higher traffic compared to morefocused vertical (industry) marketplaces, and e-marketplaces with resourceful sponsors also attract greater traffic. First-mover advantage was found to be significantly associated with both higher traffic as well as prominence. We also find that a relational positioning is more likely for e-marketplaces dealing with complex products while a transactional positioning is more likely for commodity products.
On the stability of the μ(I) rheology for granular flow

This article deals with the Hadamard instability of the so-called $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}(I)$ model of dense rapidly sheared granular flow, as reported recently by Barker et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 779, 2015, pp. 794–818). The present paper presents a more comprehensive study of the linear stability of planar simple shearing and pure shearing flows, with account taken of convective Kelvin wavevector stretching by the base flow. We provide a closed-form solution for the linear-stability problem and show that wavevector stretching leads to asymptotic stabilization of the non-convective instability found by Barker et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 779, 2015, pp. 794–818). We also explore the stabilizing effects of higher velocity gradients achieved by an enhanced-continuum model based on a dissipative analogue of the van der Waals–Cahn–Hilliard equation of equilibrium thermodynamics. This model involves a dissipative hyperstress, as the analogue of a special Korteweg stress, with surface viscosity representing the counterpart of elastic surface tension. Based on the enhanced-continuum model, we also present a model of steady shear bands and their nonlinear stability against parallel shearing. Finally, we propose a theoretical connection between the non-convective instability of Barker et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 779, 2015, pp. 794–818) and the loss of generalized ellipticity in the quasi-static field equations. Apart from the theoretical interest, the present work may suggest stratagems for the numerical simulation of continuum field equations involving the $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}(I)$ rheology and variants thereof.
The Impact of Cognitive Load on Volitional Running

The effects of physical activity on cognition and the effects of cognitive load on physical activity are complex. Both the nature of the physical activity and cognitive task may influence the interactive effects of performing a physical task while also performing a cognitive task. In a previous study examining the impact of increasing cognitive load on outdoor running speed and the impact of outdoor running on cognitive performance, Blakely et al. (2015) found running speed decreased as cognitive load increased. They also found that the impact of running itself on cognitive performance occurred when the cognitive task was itself demanding (high cognitive load). In the current study we expanded on this previous research by improving the experimental task to rule out peripheral sensory, not central or executive, interference and by incorporating heart rate measures and VO2 max estimates. Twelve runners completed five conditions, two seated cognitive tasks (one low load and one high load), two dual running cognitive tasks and one run only. Results were similar to the original experiment, as the cognitive task became more difficult, voluntary running speed decreased. Also the effects of running on cognitive performance (counting) were found only when the cognitive task was high load.
Oral Communication Needs Of Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Students In Utm: as Perceived By The Learners

At present, English is widely used in Malaysia. The used of the language is getting more important especially for workplace communication. However, there has been an issue that many graduates experience problems in communicating in English, thus leaving them unable to secure jobs despite graduating with excellent results. This problem arises due to several factors. This research seeks to identify the specific needs of the learners in learning oral communication skills in English. It investigated the Oral Communication Needs of Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Students in UTM, from their own perspectives. The purpose of this research is to report findings on these students’ needs in learning oral communication in English, both, for present and future needs. Apart from that, it also looks at the problematic areas in English oral communication faced by the students. Questionnaires were used as a means of data collection. The findings of this study showed that oral presentation is the most important skill needed by the students at present, due to their aim to graduate from UTM. The skill concerned with their future workplace communication is in making telephone conversation and finally more than half of the students felt that they do have problems with their communication skills in English.
Preliminary Resistance Screening on Abamectin in Pear Psylla (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) in Northern Italy

Abstract In northern Italy (Emilia-Romagna region), integrated pest management has been used for several years against pear psylla, Cacopsylla pyri L. (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), a relevant pest of pear (Pyrus spp.) trees. After the outlawing of amitraz in 2005, the most common active ingredient involved is abamectin, a mixture of avermectin B1a and avermectin B1b. After the development of C. pyri resistance to azinphos methyl in southern France, we evaluated, by topical application, the different sensitivities to abamectin on C. pyri populations collected in orchards from Emilia-Romagna, where different field strategies were used, with alternative success in terms of pest management. The LC50 values ranged between 1.61 and 28.37 mg/liter, and they revealed variations more related to collection time than to field strategies. The failure of abamectin treatments against C. pyri in some Emilia-Romagna locations is probably unrelated to resistance development, but rather it is related to incorrect pest defense management, which could interfere with pest parasitoids and predators.
West Nile Virus infection in mice following exposure to a viral aerosol.

MANY of the laboratory infections acquired by people working with arboviruses seem to point to an airborne route of infection. Routine laboratory procedures such as are used in the preparation and handling of dried antigens or the accidental formation of a virus aerosol have been considered to be the sources of some infections in laboratory workers (von Magnus, 1950; Haymaker, Sather and Hammon, 1955). The contaminated dust in infected animal boxes, suspected by some investigators to be associated with other cases of laboratory infections, appeared to involve the respiratory route of infection (Lennette and Koprowski, 1943; Morse, Russ, Needy and Buescher, 1962). In a previous communication (Nir, 1959), a case of West Nile virus infection was described in a member of the laboratory staff where circumstantial evidence supported the hypothesis that infection was due to inhalation of infected material issuing from a defective Waring blendor. It was also shown that airborne infection could occur in animals under experimental conditions. The purpose of this paper is to present some aspects of the pathogenesis of West Nile infection in mice exposed to a viral aerosol, studied through the use of titrations in animals, fluorescent-antibody technique and histological examinations.
The inflationary effects of environmental fluctuations in source–sink systems

Ecological communities are open to the immigration of individuals and are variable through time. In open habitats immigration may permit populations of a species to persist locally even though local biotic and abiotic processes tend to exclude such “sink” populations. A general model for a sink population reveals that autocorrelated environmental variation can dramatically inflate local abundance and that such populations display a characteristic “outbreak” pattern. An experimental protist microcosm exhibits these predicted effects. Because the many ecological and environmental processes that set the rate of exclusion are typically autocorrelated, these theoretical and empirical results have broad implications for our understanding of community structure and highlight a previously unsuspected potential effect of anthropogenic climate change.
Hypertree Decompositions for Query Optimization

The database community has investigated many structure-driven methods, which guarantee that large classes of queries may be answered in (input-output) polynomial-time. However, despite their very nice computational properties, these methods are not currently used for practical applications, since they do not care about output variables and aggregate operators, and do not exploit quantitative information on the data. In fact, none of these methods has been implemented inside any available DBMS. This paper aims at filling this gap between theory and practice. First, we define an extension of the notion of hypertree decomposition, which is currently the most powerful structural method. This new version, called query-oriented hypertree decomposition, is a suitable relaxation of hypertree decomposition designed for query optimization, and such that output variables and aggregate operators can be dealt with. Based on this notion, a hybrid optimizer is implemented, which can be used on top of available DBMSs to compute query plans. The prototype is also integrated into the well-known open-source DBMS PostgreSQL. Finally, we validate our proposal with a thorough experimental activity, conducted on PostgreSQL and on a commercial DBMS, which shows that both systems may significantly benefit from using hypertree decompositions for query optimization.
High prevalence of immunoglobulin A antibody against Epstein-Barr virus capsid antigen in adult patients with lupus with disease flare: case control studies.

OBJECTIVE Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a severe autoimmune disease with rare remission and recurrent flare. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection has been reported to be strongly associated with SLE in the United States, but with an inconclusive role in Asia. We investigated the role of EBV infection in patients with SLE in Taiwan, with one of the highest population densities in Asia. METHODS We conducted case-control studies to test whether EBV infection was associated with adult SLE in Taiwan. In the first study, 36 adults with SLE and 36 sex and age matched controls were enrolled for examination of serum IgG, IgM, and IgA antibody against EBV-virus capsid antigen (EBV-VCA). In the second study, another 36 adult lupus cases and 36 matched controls were enrolled to confirm the high prevalence of IgA antibody against EBV-VCA found in the first study. Further, both groups of SLE patients were combined to analyze the association between the existence of IgA antibody against EBV-VCA and disease activity (determined by SLEDAI score) and disease flare in patients with SLE. RESULTS In the first study, IgA antibody against EBV-VCA was the only marker with significantly higher prevalence in adults with SLE compared to healthy adults (36.1% vs 5.6%; p < 0.005). In the second study, we confirmed that the prevalence of IgA antibody against EBV-VCA was indeed higher in adults with SLE (38.9% vs 2.8%; p < 0.001). With further analysis (pooling analysis), adult SLE patients with IgA antibody against EBV-VCA had higher disease activity compared to SLE patients without IgA antibody against EBV-VCA (SLEDAI 7.8 +/- 6.6 vs 3.3 +/- 2.1; p < 0.001). SLE patients with flare showed much higher prevalence of IgA antibody against EBV-VCA compared to those without flare (81.3% vs 25.0%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION This is the first evidence that IgA antibody against EBV-VCA is strongly associated with disease flare in SLE patients. It suggests that EBV reactivation may contribute toward the disease flare of SLE.
Focal enhancement of motor cortex excitability during motor imagery: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study

Objectives – In order to learn more about the physiology of the motor cortex during motor imagery, we evaluated the changes in excitability of two different hand muscle representations in the primary motor cortex (M1) of both hemispheres during two imagery conditions. Materials and methods – We applied focal transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over each M1, recording motor evoked potentials (MEPs) from the contralateral abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and first dorsal interosseus (FDI) muscles during rest, imagery of contralateral thumb abduction (C‐APB), and imagery of ipsilateral thumb abduction (I‐APB). We obtained measures of motor threshold (MT), MEP recruitment curve (MEP‐rc) and F waves. Results – Motor imagery compared with rest significantly decreased the MT and increased MEPs amplitude at stimulation intensities clearly above MT in condition C‐APB, but not in condition I‐APB. These effects were not significantly different between right and left hemisphere. MEPs simultaneously recorded from the FDI, which was not involved in the task, did not show facilitatory effects. There were no significant changes in F wave amplitude during motor imagery compared with rest. Conclusions – Imagery of unilateral simple movements is associated with increased excitability only of a highly specific representation in the contralateral M1 and does not differ between hemispheres.
Comparison of radiofrequency ablation and transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma within the Milan criteria: A propensity score analysis

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) are used to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study was designed to compare the long‐term survival of HCC patients within the Milan criteria who underwent RFA or TACE. In all, 315 RFA patients and 215 TACE patients with HCC within the Milan criteria were analyzed. Propensity scores were generated to select matched patients. For the propensity model, 101 patients were selected from each arm of the study. Independent prognostic predictors were determined with the Cox proportional hazards model. The long‐term survival was significantly better for the RFA group in the univariate survival analysis (P = 0.048). In the Cox model, the following were identified as independent predictors of poor prognosis (TACE was not): age > 69 years (P = 0.026), serum α‐fetoprotein level > 20 ng/mL (P = 0.003), ascites (P < 0.001), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥ 1 (P = 0.004), total tumor volume (TTV) > 8.2 cm3 (P = 0.020), and vascular invasion (P = 0.023). With similar baseline patient characteristics generated in the propensity score model, there was no significant difference in the long‐term survival rates of the 2 groups of patients. A subgroup analysis showed that among patients with a TTV < 11 cm3, the RFA group had significantly better long‐term survival than the TACE group (P = 0.032). In conclusion, TACE and RFA lead to comparable long‐term survival rates for HCC patients within the Milan criteria. Patients with a smaller TTV (<11 cm3) are likely to benefit more from RFA treatment. Further studies are needed to compare RFA and TACE in patients with early‐stage cancers. Liver Transpl 17:556–566, 2011. © 2011 AASLD.
FOXO1 Plays an Important Role in Enhanced Microvascular Cell Apoptosis and Microvascular Cell Loss in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetic Rats

OBJECTIVE To investigate early events leading to microvascular cell loss in diabetic retinopathy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS FOXO1 was tested in vivo by DNA binding activity and by nuclear translocation in microvascular cells in retinal trypsin digests. In vivo studies were undertaken in STZ-induced diabetic rats and Zucker diabetic fatty rats using the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-specific blocker, pegsunercept, or by inhibiting FOXO1 with RNAi. Microvascular cell apoptosis, formation of pericyte ghosts, and acellular capillaries were measured. Upstream and downstream effects of high-glucose–induced FOXO1 were tested on rat microvascular endothelial cells (RMECs) by small-interfering RNA (siRNA) in vitro. RESULTS DNA binding or nuclear translocation of FOXO1, which was reduced by TNF inhibition, was elevated in type 1 and type 2 diabetic retinas. Diabetes stimulated microvascular cell apoptosis; pericyte ghost and acellular capillary development was inhibited by FOXO1 siRNA. High glucose in vitro decreased FOXO1 phosphorylation and DNA binding activity and decreased Akt phosphorylation in RMECs. High-glucose–stimulated FOXO1 DNA binding activity was mediated through TNF-α and formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), while inhibitors of TNF and ROS and FOXO1 siRNA reduced high-glucose–enhanced RMEC apoptosis. The caspase-3/7 activity and capacity of high glucose to increase mRNA levels of several genes that regulate RMEC activation and apoptosis were knocked down by FOXO1 siRNA. CONCLUSIONS FOXO1 plays an important role in rat retinal microvascular cell loss in type 1 and type 2 diabetic rats and can be linked to the effect of high glucose on FOXO1 activation.