Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plasma-based Recycling of Carbon Dioxide

CO2 gas emissions arising from combustion of fossil fuels and the industrial activities have become more of a concern on a global scale. In this thesis, a closed-loop cycle is proposed for recycling the CO2 and transforming it into something useful, such as hydrocarbon fuels or alcohols. All intermediate steps of this “Carbon Capture and Recycle” process are examined. Among these steps, for conversion of CO2 into CO, the focus is given to non-thermal plasmas under non-equilibrium conditions. When compared to conventional dissociation methods, non-thermal plasmas can initiate the process with lower energy, due to collisions that entail subsequent energy transfers. Another advantage of non-thermal laboratory plasmas is that they can be started with renewable energies when the energy is not in demand, making the cycle carbon neutral. A numerical model is built to simulate CO2 dissociation in non-thermal plasmas. Effects of three vibrational reactions of energy transfer (e-V, V-T, V-V) are examined and process parameters are altered in order to obtain comparative results. It is shown that it is possible to achieve an effective dissociation process under some specific operation conditions. Gas temperature is found to have a crucial impact on the overall process since increasing temperatures increase the V-T relaxation effect. On the other hand, the gas temperature difference between the discharge and afterglow phases promotes the V-V pumping up. The competition between V-T and V-V energy exchanges is observed from the obtained results.
Effectiveness of Nearest-neighbor Data Adjustment in a Clonal Test of Redwood

Range-wide collections and plantation establishment The work reported below analyzed unadjusted and adjusted field data for 172 redwood clones planted at the Russell Reservation site of a provenance test (KUSER et al., 1984). It includes samples from 81 “stands” (i.e. from 81 populations systematically sampled from throughout redwood’s native range) with (usually) 2 clones sampled per stand (map and details are presented in ANEKONDA’s 1992 PhD dissertation: A Genetic Architecture Study of Coast Redwood. Unpublished, available from the University of California, Berkeley, Library). In some of these stands, 1 or 2 additional clones were sampled from substantially different elevations within the stand. The field design also included a bulked set of seedling controls (California seed zone 91-1.0), plus 20 additional clones that were not randomly selected from the 81 stands (some of these 20 clones are from mature ortets, at least partially rejuvenated by tissueculture procedures; others are from juvenile ortets). The means and neighboring-tree observations of these seedlings and 20 non-random clones were used to provide neighbor data for adjustment of the 172 clones’ data, but their data were not further analyzed for the purposes of this paper. The stecklings (field-plantable rooted cuttings) and seedlings had been grown at Simpson Timber Company’s Korbel Nursery. In general, they were rooted in trays of containers, and thus ramets of each clone were in contiguous locations during rooting. The stecklings were, with a few minor exceptions, orthotropic, and their vigorous growth following planting indicated that both seedlings and stecklings were in appropriately good physiological condition at planting. The Russell Reservation planting site is located 15 km inland from San Francisco Bay, in central California. It is transected by a powerline and 2 roads. Two border rows, arranged as (usually) 12-tree contiguous demonstration plots of available clones, surrounded each of the 4 areas comprising the site. It was clear at the time of site preparation that parts of the planting site differed from each other in aspect, fertility and/or other elements of site quality. The westernmost 2 areas, flanking the powerline, have approximately a 5% south-facing slope. The central (largest) area is level and the most fertile, as judged by redwood growth and by the intensity and height of weed growth before and after plantation establishment. The easternmost (smallest) area has a slight west-facing slope and it proved to be, on average, the poorest part of the site. All plants in the experiment were protected from browsing by perimeter fences.
Culture and Subjective Well-Being: Conceptual and Measurement Issues

The present chapter reviews conceptual and measurement issues related to culture and subjective well-being (SWB). Historically, the concepts of happiness gradually shifted from good luck and fortune to the satisfaction of desires and goals. There are still large cultural variations in the concepts of happiness (e.g., fragility). The majority of the popular scales (e.g., the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Subjective Happiness Scale) have been successfully translated into various languages. However, most scales have not been subjected to sophisticated psychometric analyses (e.g., Item Response Theory). Cross-cultural mean comparisons require some caution due to cultural differences in response style, self-presentational concerns, and memory and judgmental biases. In addition to the use of advanced statistical techniques, the use of qualitative and non-invasive measures is recommended.
Receptivity to Freestream Disturbances of Mach 8 Flow over A Sharp Wedge

In this paper, we continue to study the receptivity mechanisms of supersonic boundary layer to freestream disturbances by using both direct numerical simulation and linear stability theory. The receptivity mechanisms of a Mach 8.0 flow over a sharp wedge with half-angle 5.3' to different freestream disturbances, i.e., fast acoustic waves, slow acoustic waves, entropy waves and vorticity waves, are studied. It is found that the forcing fast acoustic waves do not interact directly with the unsta.ble Mack modes. Instead, the stable mode I waves play an important role in the receptivity process because they interact with both the forcing acoustic waves and the unstable Mack-mode wa.ves. The receptivity mechanisms of the second mode to freestream slow a.coustic waves are different from those by freestream fast acoustic waves. The forcing slow acoustic wa.ves can directly generate Mack-mode waves. At small incident angles, slow acoustic waves are more efficient to generate unstable second-mode boundary-layer disturbances than fast acoustic waves. For receptivity to freestream entropy waves or vorticity waves, the generation of boundary-layer disturbances are maiiily through fast acoustic waves generated behind the shock due to the interaction between shock waves and freestream disturbances.
The Study of Whether Leadership Styles of School Directors Influence Foreign English Teachers Willingness of Staying in English Cram Schools in Northern Taiwan

This study investigates whether leadership styles of school directors influence foreign English teachers willingness of staying in English cram schools in Northern Taiwan Three leadership styles named transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire are introduced in this study. A qualitative analysis, face-to-face interviews, is conducted in this study to look into the reasons lead to these correlations between leadership styles and job satisfaction. Interviews show that a good teaching environment and easy-going coworkers are important factors that produce satisfaction among foreign English teachers.
Urogenital symptoms of postmenopausal women in Turkey

Objective: The objective of this study was to collect data on the prevalence and risk factors of urogenital symptoms in postmenopausal women in Turkey. Design: The study was performed with the participation of 510 postmenopausal women who presented to previously defined clinics for reasons other than urogenital complaints. Women completed a questionnaire including questions about their demographic properties and their urogenital symptoms. Data were analyzed by SPSS 10.0. The chi-square test was the statistical test of choice. Results: The mean age of participants was 58.64 ± 8.14 years. The mean age of menopause was 47.21 ± 4.36 years. Urinary frequency was found to be the most common postmenopausal urogenital symptom (16.5%), followed by stress incontinence (10.4%), dyspareunia (10%), and vaginal dryness (9.6%). Risk factors investigated were found not to affect the prevalence of the vaginal symptoms in postmenopausal women. Dysuria was found to be more common in women with diabetes mellitus (P = 0.022) and in women who had given birth to more children (P = 0.018). Stress incontinence was more common in those 60 years of age or older (P = 0.03), in those who had been in the postmenopausal period for more than 20 years (P = 0.01), and in those who had more than three pregnancies (P = 0.047) or who had given birth to more than three children (P = 0.011). Diabetes mellitus (P = 0.001) and use of hormone therapy (P = 0.001) significantly increased the prevalence of urinary frequency. Conclusions: Urogenital symptoms observed in our population were found to be fewer than reported previously. Symptoms that appear in the postmenopausal period may be related to several factors such as age, number of births, time elapsed since menopause, presence of diabetes mellitus, and use of hormone therapy, but this topic requires further study.
Symptoms of the Schizophrenic Negative Syndrome

Background The aim was an investigation of the symptom composition of the negative syndrome of schizophrenia. Method A hundred schizophrenic patients were assessed with various rating scales for positive and negative symptoms and typological criteria. A subgroup with a negative syndrome was defined, and a discriminant analysis performed using symptoms from the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) as discriminant variables. Results The discriminant function classified 92% of patients correctly. All but four SANS symptoms (inappropriate affect, both attentional items and blocking) were significantly correlated with the discriminant function. Conclusions With the exception of some items, the SANS seems to capture adequately the negative syndrome of schizophrenia.
SPIRAL HEAT EXCHANGER OPTIMIZATION USING WIND DRIVEN ALGORITHM

 This paper applies a non-traditional optimization technique known as Wind Driven Optimization (WDO) for a spiral heat exchanger design. WDO is a stochastic nature-inspired paradigm based on atmospheric motion. In this paper, the WDO is compared with a more traditional numerical technique such as Genetic Algorithm (GA) and literature. The purpose of the design of the heat exchanger depends on its application, for example, be minimum cost. This paper focus the optimization on some geometric parameters such as length, width, spacing of the channel for both fluids and outside spiral diameter using as objective function the total annual cost of the heat exchanger. The results presented a reduction of the total annual cost of 19.14% and 59.42% in comparison with GA and literature, respectively. Keywords intelligent systems, spiral heat exchanger, optimization, metaheuristics. Resumo Este artigo aplica uma técnica de otimização não tradicional conhecida como Wind Driven Optimization (WDO) para o design de um trocador de calor em espiral. WDO é uma metaheurística inspirada na natureza baseada em movimento atmosférico. Neste artigo, o WDO é comparado com a metaheurística denominada Algoritmo Genético (AG) e com resultados da literatura. O propósito do design de um trocador de calor depende de sua aplicação, a exemplo, mínimo custo. O foco deste artigo é a otimização de parâmetros geométricos tais como comprimento, espessura, espaçamento de transmissão dos fluidos e diâmetro externo da espiral utilizando como função objetivo o custo total anual do trocador de calor. Os resultados apresentaram uma redução do custo total anual em 19,14% e em 59,42% em comparação com o AG e com a literatura, respectivamente. Palavras-chave sistemas inteligentes, trocador de calor em espiral, otimização, metaheurística.
Comparative analysis of different phenotypic and molecular methods used for the taxonomic identification of Corynebacterium spp . isolated from clinical samples in Romania

The infections produced by non-diphtheriae Corynebacterium spp. in Romanian patients are poorly documented and probably neglected. The aim of our study is to characterize Corynebacterium strains collected from Romanian hospitalized individuals and outpatients in order to be identified by phenotypic and molecular methods.Twenty Corynebacterium spp. isolates were identified at the species level using phenotypic and molecular techniques. Phenotypic identification consisted in standard microbiological methods: Gram stain, catalase and oxidase tests and biochemical characterization using the commercial API Coryne kit according to the manufacturer's instructions and Maldi-toff method. The final identification of species was achieved by molecular technique, namely ribosomal DNA sequence analysis. The strains recovered from human clinical samples (six from blood culture, five isolates from wounds, two from peritoneal fluid, three from urine, one from a drainage catheter, one from perirectal abscess, one from osteomyelitis infection and one from conjunctival secretions) were identified as Corynebacterium striatum (n=7), C. amycolatum (n=7), C. urealyticum (n=3), C. afermentans (n=2) and one isolate was classified as C. pseudodiphthericum.
Efficacy of reciprocating and rotary NiTi instruments for retreatment of curved root canals assessed by micro-CT.

AIM To compare the efficacy of reciprocating and rotary NiTi-instruments in removing filling material from curved root canals using micro-computed tomography. METHODOLOGY Sixty curved root canals were prepared and filled with gutta-percha and sealer. After determination of root canal curvatures and radii in two directions as well as volumes of filling material, the teeth were assigned to three comparable groups (n = 20). Retreatment was performed using Reciproc, ProTaper Universal Retreatment or Hedström files. Percentages of residual filling material and dentine removal were assessed using micro-CT imaging. Working time and procedural errors were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed by variance procedures. RESULTS No significant differences amongst the three retreatment techniques concerning residual filling material were detected (P > 0.05). Hedström files removed significantly more dentine than ProTaper Universal Retreatment (P < 0.05), but the difference concerning dentine removal between both NiTi systems was not significant (P > 0.05). Reciproc and ProTaper Universal Retreatment were significantly faster than Hedström files (P = 0.0001). No procedural errors such as instrument fracture, blockage, ledging or perforation were detected for Hedström files. Three perforations were recorded for ProTaper Universal Retreatment, and in both NiTi groups, one instrument fracture occured. CONCLUSIONS Remnants of filling material were observed in all samples with no significant differences between the three techniques. Hedström files removed significantly more dentine than ProTaper Universal Retreatment, but no significant differences between both NiTi systems were detected. Procedural errors were observed with ProTaper Universal Retreatment and Reciproc.
Stimulus rise time, intensity, and bandwidth effects on acoustic startle amplitude and probability.

The amplitude and probability of periorbital EMG responses were assessed for a variety of stimuli. In Experiment 1, 50-ms duration broadband noise (20–20K Hz) and tones (1000 Hz), at 95 and 100 dB(A), with rise/fall times of 2.5, 10, and 25 ms, were presented. Noise stimuli were more effective than tones for both response amplitude and probability. Stimulus intensity affected both measures for tones, but only response amplitude for noise. Increasing stimulus rise/fall time had no significant effect for noise, but resulted in lower probability for tones. In Experiment 2, 50-ms duration 1000 Hz tones, at 98 and 102 dB(A), with rise/fall times of 1, 2.5, 5, and 10 ms were presented. Response amplitude was not affected by rise/fall time changes, but increasing rise/fall time from 5 to 10 ms resulted in lower probability. These data show that the startle response can reflect manipulations of stimulus bandwidth, intensity, and rise/fall time, and that startle amplitude and probability reflect these manipulations in different ways. The two response measures may indicate the activity of partially independent underlying mechanisms, with a startle “trigger’ determining response probability and a startle “amplifier’ determining response amplitude for suprathreshold stimuli.
USE OF WIDAL TEST IN DIAGNOSIS OF TYPHOID FEVER IN NORTH INDIAN POPULATION BY ESTIMATING BASELINE TITER IN CONTROL GROUP

Objective: This study was undertaken to establish a cutoff significant titer for Widal test using healthy volunteers as control group. Utilizing the baseline titer obtained from the control group, a diagnosis of typhoid fever was made in the test group comprising outpatients and inpatients. Methods: Blood samples were collected from healthy volunteers and patients attending G.S Medical College and Hospital, Pilkhuwa, over a period of 6 months from September 2016 to March 2017. Antibodies to Salmonella typhi (TO, TH) and Paratyphi A (AH) and Paratyphi B (BH) are determined by this tube agglutination test. A total of 124 healthy controls and 303 patients having clinical suspicion of typhoid fever were subjected to Widal test. Results: In healthy control group, titer TO ≥20 was observed in 43 (34.7%), TO ≥40 in 48 (38.7%), TO≥80 in 25 (20.2%), and titer TO ≥160, TO ≥320 was observed in none of the control group. Titer TH ≥40 in 58 (46.8%), AH ≥40 in 7 (5.6%), and BH ≥40 in 13 (10.5%) were observed in the control group. Among the test group, 96 (31.7%) sera were positive out of 303 clinically suspected enteric fever by the Widal test. Among different age group studied, 34 (46.6%) patients belonged to the age group of 11-20 years which formed the highest followed by the age group of 21-30 years (33.3%). Conclusion: Based on the study, a cutoff titer of ≥160 for anti-O and anti-H antibodies and titer of ≥80 for anti-AH and anti-BH antibodies be considered as significant titer in diagnosis of enteric fever in this region. The baseline titer helps in early recognition and treatment of this serious health problem.
Perceived Built Environment Density Diversity Design Destination accessibility Distance to transport Personal Characteristics Age Gender Income Education Employment Car ownership Satisfaction with life Social Inclusion / Exclusion Subjective Wellbeing Opportunities to access transport and activities

This study explores the effects of the built environment on transport disadvantage, social exclusion, personal health and SWB using survey data collected in four socio-disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Sydney, Australia. The data is analysed at both neighbourhood and individual levels using both descriptive analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM). Overall, our model supports the hypothesis that a walkable neighbourhood environment, measured by density, diversity, access, and infrastructure for walking and cycling, helps to reduce transport disadvantage and increase social inclusion. However, the impact of the physical environment does not carry forward to impact personal health and SWB. The exception to this finding is where the environment is perceived to be aesthetically pleasing – a variable which significantly positively affects SWB. In addition to the physical environment, crime is a significant factor that directly influences transport disadvantage and SWB.
Determination of Virus Abundance in Marine Sediments

ABSTRACT In this study, we optimized procedures to enumerate viruses from marine sediments by epifluorescence microscopy using SYBR Green I as a stain. The highest virus yields from the bulk of the sediments were obtained by utilizing pyrophosphate and 3 min of sonication. The efficiency of extraction benthic viruses by pyrophosphate-ultrasound treatment was about 60% of the extractable virus particles. Samples treated with nucleases had increased virus counts, suggesting a masking effect of extracellular DNA. No significant differences were observed between virus counts obtained by epifluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Both formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde gave significant reductions of virus counts after only 24 h of sediment storage, but no further loss occurred after 7 days.
Human and mouse homo-oligomeric meprin A metalloendopeptidase: substrate and inhibitor specificities

Abstract Meprin metalloproteinases have been implicated in the susceptibility to and progression of diabetic nephropathy and inflammatory bowel diseases. Our studies with experimental models of these diseases in mice are congruent with the conclusion that meprins modulate the inflammatory responses and tissue damage. To determine whether the mouse and human enzymes differ, recombinant forms of meprin A from the two species were compared with respect to structure, substrates and inhibitors. Human homo-oligomeric meprin A formed oligomers ranging from 950 000 to 1 500 000 Da vs. 900 000 Da for mouse meprin A. Human and mouse meprin A exhibited similar activity against azocasein, fibronectin, collagen IV, and peptides such as parathyroid hormone, ghrelin, and gastrin-releasing peptide. The human enzyme had lower activity against gelatin, bradykinin, α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and neurotensin, and higher activity against secretin and orcokinin. Human meprin A showed a preference for acidic residues in the P1′ position of the substrate, unlike mouse meprin A. Several metalloproteinase inhibitors had IC50 values in the nanomolar range, but potency ranged from similar values to a difference of several orders of magnitude for meprins from the two species. This work provides valuable data to improve predictability for human systems based on meprin functions in mouse models.
Diffusion modeling of recessional flow on central Amazonian floodplains

We present a continuity‐based approach for calculating flow delivered to a main channel from an adjacent floodplain and use the values in a linear diffusion model to generalize fluxes across a floodplain. Using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements of floodplain water level changes and the continuity equation, we demonstrate that flow rates are not the same throughout Amazonian floodplains. Also, rates of floodplain storage change are found to be least in areas of greatest distance from a main channel which suggests a long residence time. Linear diffusion modeling of floodplain drainage represents the composite behavior of flow through channels, swamps and lakes and provides a simple method of defining storage changes. The key parameter necessary for diffusion modeling is floodplain conductivity which can be constrained by a simple description of floodplain topography and measurements of temporal changes in floodplain water levels.