Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental Investigations of Air Entrainment in Transition and Skimming Flows down a Stepped Chute: Application to Embankment Overflow Stepped Spillways

Stepped spillways have been used for about 3,500 years. The last few decades have seen the development of new construction materials, design techniques and applications : e.g., embankment overtopping protection systems. Although it is commonly acknowledged that free-surface aeration is significant in stepped chutes, experimental data are scarce, often limited to very steep slopes. The paper presents an experimental study conducted in a large-size stepped chute. Observations demonstrate the existence of a transition flow pattern for intermediate flow rates between nappe and skimming flows. Detailed air-water flow measurements were conducted in both transition and skimming flows, immediately downstream of the inception point of free-surface aeration where uniform equilibrium flow conditions were not achieved. In skimming flows, a complete characterisation is developed for the distributions of void fraction, bubble count rate and velocity, and flow resistance is estimated including drag reduction effects. Transition flows exhibit significantly different air-water flow properties. They are highly aerated, requiring the design of comparatively high chute sidewalls. The design of embankment overflow stepped spillway is discussed in the light of the new results and design recommendations are provided. Major design issues include the step stability at the plunge point for high tailwater levels, the interactions between free-surface and seepage flows which could lead to further drag reduction, and secondary currents at the connection between steps and abutments.
PARTICIPATORY MODELLING TO SUPPORT DECISION MAKING IN WATER MANAGEMENT. A CASE STUDY IN THE MIDDLE GUADIANA BASIN, SPAIN

The objective of this research was the implementation of a participatory process for the development of a tool to support decision making in water management. The process carried out aims at attaining an improved understanding of the water system and an encouragement of the exchange of knowledge and views between stakeholders to build a shared vision of the system. In addition, the process intends to identify impacts of possible solutions to given problems, which will help to take decisions.
Resveratrol affects hepatic gluconeogenesis via histone deacetylase 4

Purpose The aim of this study was to determine whether resveratrol (Rev) affects the expression, phosphorylation, and nuclear and cytoplasmic distribution of histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4), which in turn affects gluconeogenesis in hepatocytes under an insulin-resistant state. Materials and methods HepG2 cells were treated with 0.25 mmol/L palmitic acid (PA) to establish an insulin resistance model. The cells were divided into five groups: control, PA, PA + Rev 100 µM, PA + Rev 50 µM, and PA + Rev 20 µM. After treatment for 24 hours, mRNA and protein expression levels of gluconeogenesis pathway-related molecules and HDAC4 were examined. Next, HepG2 cells were transfected with siRNA-HDAC4. The cells were divided into control, PA, PA + Rev 20 µM, PA + Rev 20 µM +siRNA-HDAC4 negative control, and PA + Rev 20 µM +siRNA-HDAC4 knockdown groups to determine the expression of gluconeogenesis pathway proteins. Results Compared with the control group, the gluconeogenesis pathway-related molecules, glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit (G6PC), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PCK1) and forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1), were increased, and the phosphorylation of FOXO1 decreased after PA treatment. The p-HDAC4 level decreased with the increase in HDAC4 in the nucleus and the decrease in HDAC4 in the cytoplasm in the PA group. Treatment with Rev 20 µM suppressed gluconeogenesis and promoted HDAC4 shuttling into the cytoplasm from the nucleus. However, 100 and Rev 50 µM exerted the opposite effects. Finally, after HDAC4 knockdown, the expression levels of the key gluconeogenesis molecules, G6PC, PCK1, and FOXO1, were increased, and p-FOXO1 was decreased, indicating that gluconeogenesis was enhanced. Conclusion A low concentration of Rev inhibited gluconeogenesis under insulin-resistance conditions via translocation of HDAC4 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm.
Process intensification in chemical engineering: general trends and Russian contribution

Abstract Minimization of the costs with simultaneous increase in the raw materials and energy use efficiency is a challenge for the modern world. One of the most effective tools to solve this task is the use of process intensification (PI), first proposed by Ramshaw C. The incentive for process intensification, Proceedings, 1st Intl. Conf. Proc. Intensif. for Chem. Ind. , 18, BHR Group, London, 1995, p. 1. and then extended by Stankiewicz AI, Moulijn JA. Process intensification: transforming chemical engineering. Chem Eng Prog 2000: 22–34. In the presented review, some principles of PI in chemical engineering and their application for wide variety of processes is discussed. The role of the Russian scientist with a research background is carried out in other countries.
Effects of individual, population and environmental factors on parameters of reproductive success of female roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.)

We studied the effects of various individual (age and body mass) and environmental factors (several factors, determining the habitat quality), and population density on selected parameters of reproductive potential of European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) females. By determining the presence and counting number of corpora lutea in ovaries we determined fertility, potential litter size and potential reproductive output of roe deer females. We analysed 1894 samples (1312 of them were suitable for further statistical analyses) of female roe deer reproductive organs collected in the period 2013–2015 in 85 hunting grounds, covering whole gradient of roe deer abundance in Slovenia. The research was upgraded by the study on effects of body mass, population density and mean July temperature on reproductive success of does at the continental scale. For this, we performed the meta-analysis of data (population means), collected from 29 studies on 61 roe deer populations from 15 different European countries. Furthermore, we also determined the sex ratio of offspring, firstly based on 39 samples of uterus with developed foetuses, and secondly based on the data on 180 does culled together with their fawns in the period 2013–2015. Our results revealed a high reproductive potential of roe deer females in Slovenia: 97.6 % of females (both yearlings and adults) were fertile, potential litter size (when considering only fertile individuals) was 1.85, and potential reproductive output (when considering also non-ovulating females) was 1.80. Body mass was the most important influential factor that had positive effect on reproductive performance. The (positive) effect of body mass was age-related and its effect was more pronounced in yearlings than in adults. We detected a direct effect (after excluding the effects of age and body mass) of the mean annual temperature: with higher temperatures the reproductive ability increased. Population density did not have any influence on reproductive potential of roe deer females in Slovenia; however, the negative effect was confirmed at the European level where the gradient of population density is much larger. We observed pronounced inter-annual differences in reproductive parameters of yearlings, and also the differences among different regions of Slovenia (both in yearlings and adults). Sex ratio of foetuses was 1:0.9 in favour of males and sex ratio of fawns 1:1.1 in favour of females, but we did not find any clear influence of maternal body mass on the sex ratio of their offspring.
[Isabelle].

Isabelle is the sister of Delbert and the daughter of Sharmaine. She is also the mother of 10 children of her own: six biological children fathered by four different men in addition to the four children of her deceased younger sister. Having survived a succession of abusive relationships with various men, this mother hen has been the sole provider for her large brood for most of the time that the author has known her. In many respects, Isabelle can be called the “white sheep” of the Benally family. While the rest of her siblings have battled alcoholism and chronic unemployment for most of their adult lives, she has never imbibed alcohol and has been gainfully employed for the past 40 years. She is not unlike a Native American version of Horatio Alger: a girl from the rez who, through diligence and determination, vowed to raise herself up from her bootstraps and overcome any obstacles placed in front of her. This chapter introduces Isabelle.
Understanding Architecture Through Drawing

Chapter One: Introduction. Part One: Guiding principles. Chapter Two: Why draw? Chapter Three: Choosing the subject. Part Two: Techniques. Chapter Four: Perspective. Chapter Five: Line and shade. Chapter Six: Composition. Chapter Seven: The importance of practice. Chapter Eight: From sketch to plan making and documentary investigation. Chapter Nine: Sequential sketches. Part Three: Case studies in drawing. Chapter Ten: Towns, townscape and squares. Chapter Eleven: Streets, lanes and footpaths. Chapter Twelve: Landmarks, skyline and city image. Chapter Thirteen: Gateways, entrances and doorways. Chapter Fourteen: The facades of buildings. Chapter Fifteen: Machinery and the functional tradition. Chapter Sixteen: Landscape. Chapter Seventeen: Interiors. Chapter Eighteen: Colour. Chapter Nineteen: Using drawing to analyse an urban neighbourhood. Case study one: The merchant city. Case study two: the Bastide towns. Part Four: The way forward. Chapter Twenty: Exploration through the sketchbook - some suitable subjects. Chapter Twenty-one: From sketch to design. Further reading.
Contact Stresses in Dovetail Attachments: Physical Modeling

Simple physical models for the stresses in dovetail attachments are developed. These models address: to slip or not to slip, nominal stresses during loading up, peak contact and shear stresses during loading up, hoop stresses during loading up, peak contact and shear stresses during unloading, and hoop stresses during unloading. Comparisons are made with a previous paper on companion finite element modeling. Generally there is good agreement between the simple physical models and the finite element analysis. Together the two identify a pinching mechanism as leading to large fluctuations in hoop stresses at the edges of contact. These fluctuating hoop stresses can be expected to be a major contributor to the fatigue of dovetail attachments.
UPPER BOUNDS OF OPTIMAL BURN-IN TIME UNDER VARIOUS CRITERIA FOR GENERAL REPAIRABLE PRODUCTS WITH EVENTUALLY INCREASING FAILURE RATE

ABSTRACT The burn-in process is a manufacturing technique for ensuring the quality of products after they have been produced. The optimum time for stopping the burn-in process for a given criterion is called the optimal burn-in time. In the literature, assuming the failure rate function of products has a bathtub shape, properties of the optimal burn-in time have been investigated. In this paper, several characteristics of the optimal burn-in problems are studied for the case of eventually increasing failure rate (IFR). Moreover, the failure/repair characterization of products considered in this study are also generalized. Under these assumptions, upper bounds for the optimal burn-in time are derived and discussed. In brief, this paper presents some results that follow from those of Mi (2003) by extending the failure rate function to an eventually IFR and by considering generalized product failure/repair characteristics.
Processes and Microorganisms Involved in the Marine Nitrogen Cycle: Knowledge and Gaps

Nitrogen (N) is a key element for life in the oceans. It controls primary productivity in many parts of the global ocean, consequently playing a crucial role in the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The marine N cycle is driven by multiple biogeochemical transformations mediated by microorganisms, including processes contributing to the marine fixed N pool (N2 fixation) and retained N pool (nitrification, assimilation, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia), as well as processes contributing to the fixed N loss (denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation and nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation). The N cycle maintains the functioning of marine ecosystems and will be a crucial component in how the ocean responds to global environmental change. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the marine microbial N cycle, the functional N genes involved, the ecology and distribution of the participating microorganisms, and the main impacts of anthropogenic activities on the marine N cycle.
Isolation, Characterization, and Inactivation of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia From Leafy Green Vegetables and Urban Agriculture Systems

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an emerging opportunistic pathogen that, on the one hand, causes severe nosocomial infection in immunocompromised populations with a high mortality rate and, on the other hand, is present ubiquitously in the environment. This study, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, isolated and characterized S. maltophilia from leafy green vegetables produced by hydroponic farms and from a hydroponic farming facility in Singapore. Eleven S. maltophilia isolates were obtained from three types of leafy green vegetables (sweet basil, kale, and parsley) and from the nutrient solution used by a hydroponic farm. The antimicrobial resistance (AMR), biofilm-forming ability, and resistance to UV and quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) treatments were investigated, as was the fate of S. maltophilia in a simulated leafy green vegetable environment during a storage period of 6 days at different temperatures. The results showed that high population levels of S. maltophilia could be reached on leafy green vegetables, especially after being stored at abused temperatures (>8-log CFU/ml in basil juice after 6 days storage at 20°C) and on hydroponic farming facilities, probably due to biofilm formation (8 to 9-log CFU/well in biofilms). At 4°C, S. maltophilia was able to survive, but no growth was observed during storage in either bacteria culture media or basil juice for a period of 6 days. UV treatment, which induced substantial reductions in S. maltophilia in both single-species and dual-species biofilms mixed with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium reference strain (ATCC 14028) or self-isolated Pseudomonas fluorescens (>4-log reductions by 250 mJ/cm2 UV), is recommended for employment by hydroponic farms to treat their nutrient solutions and farming facilities so as to enhance microbial safety.
Special elections in alternative vote electoral systems: Exploring turnout and the vote in Irish by-elections 1923–2019

Most literature on special elections has focused on first-past-the-post contests and on the performance of governments. Turnout, candidates, and how the electoral system impacts the result have received less attention. This contribution fills these voids by exploring special elections in Ireland, elections conducted under the alternative vote system. Taking a multifaceted approach, it investigates the correlates of turnout, the impact of candidates and the decisive effect of lower preferences, while also testing multiple explanations of government performance. I find Irish special elections live up to the by-election truisms of lower turnout and government loss. Government performance is associated with national economic conditions. By-election victory is more likely among candidates with familial lineage and former members of parliament. Where they come into play, one in five candidates owe their victory to lower preferences.
Types, Causes and Management of Indiscipline Acts among Secondary School Students in Shomolu Local Government Area of Lagos State

Acts of indiscipline among students especially at the secondary level of education is a universal challenge that is facing every school in all parts of the world. Based on this realization, the purpose of this paper is to explore the various acts of indiscipline, its causes and how it is being managed in different school settings. The population covers all administrative staff, teaching staff and the students who were regarded as stakeholders of the school system. The sample size of ninety (90) respondents was randomly selected across the groups of administrators, teachers and students. The data collected by structured questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test of independent samples were employed as statistical tools to test the four hypotheses. The findings of this study revealed that various acts of indiscipline were prevalent among secondary school students. It was also gathered that several factors like the schools, students and the society at large contributed greatly to the acts of indiscipline among the students. It was also found that reduction strategies employed by various schools are not effective and as a result, the study recommended among other things that a wholesome approach to manage students' discipline should be adopted by the administrators and other stakeholders of the schools.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REWARDS AND EMPLOYEE’S PERFORMANCE IN CEMENT INDUSTRY IN PAKISTAN

This study empirically examines the relationship between rewards and employee’s performance in cement industry in the Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa province of Pakistan . The study is based on primary data collected from one hundred and forty employees of various cement industry in Pakistan. A self designed questionnaire was used for data collection. The data was analyzed using the techniques of rank correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. All the findings were tested at 0.01 and 0.05 level of significance. The result concludes that there is a direct relationship between extrinsic rewards, intrinsic rewards and the employees’ performance. It is also find out that recognition techniques used in cement factories are good for the maximum performance of employees.
Human control of cooperating robots

Advances in robotic technologies and artificial intelligence are allowing robots to emerge from research laboratories into our lives. Experiences with field applications show that we have underestimated the importance of human-robot interaction (HRI) and that new problems arise in HRI as robotic technologies expand. This thesis classifies HRI along four dimensions—human, robot, task, and world and illustrates that previous HRI classifications can be successfully interpreted as either about one of these elements or about the relationship between two or more of these elements. Current HRI studies of single-operator single-robot (SOSR) control and single-operator multiple-robots (SOMR) control are reviewed using this approach. Human control of multiple robots has been suggested as a way to improve effectiveness in robot control. Unlike previous studies that investigated human interaction either in low-fidelity simulations or based on simple tasks, this thesis investigates human interaction with cooperating robot teams within a realistically complex environment. USARSim, a high-fidelity game-engine-based robot simulator, and MrCS, a distributed multirobot control system, were developed for this purpose. In the pilot experiment, we studied the impact of autonomy level. Mixed initiative control yielded performance superior to fully autonomous and manual control. To avoid limitation to particular application fields, the present thesis focuses on common HRI evaluations that enable us to analyze HRI effectiveness and guide HRI design independently of the robotic system or application domain. We introduce the interaction episode (IEP), which was inspired by our pilot human-multirobot control experiment, to extend the Neglect Tolerance model to support general multiple robots control for complex tasks. Cooperation Effort (CE), Cooperation Demand (CD), and Team Attention Demand (TAD) are defined to measure the cooperation in SOMR control. Two validation experiments were conducted to validate the CD measurement under tight and weak cooperation conditions in a high-fidelity virtual environment. The results show that CD, as a generic HRI metric, is able to account for the various factors that affect HRI and can be used in HRI evaluation and analysis.
Comparison of Clinical Parameters in Dental Implant Therapy between Implant Site Development Using Porcine- and Bovine-Derived Xenografts

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare the effects of two xenografts, i.e., porcine- and bovine-derived xenografts, on dental implant therapy after implant site development. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study involved adults who underwent dental implantation between January 2012 and December 2020. Various patient and implant-site characteristics were collected from the patient records. The implant-surgery clinical parameters of the porcine- and bovine-derived xenografts used for implant site development were analyzed and compared. Results: A total of 116 subjects with 168 dental implants were included in this study. There was less soft bone in the porcine bone group of the maxilla. However, there was less soft bone and a greater percentage of “primary stability ≥35 N” in the bovine bone group of the mandible. However, no significant differences in regrafting rate, post-operative infection rate, or implant survival rate were found between the bovine and porcine bone groups. Conclusion: The effects of implant site development using bovine- and porcine-origin xenografts are comparable in terms of the implant-therapy clinical parameters, including the regrafting rate and implant survival rate. Thus, the choice of xenografts could be made according to the patient’s religious requirements. However, the reported results should be used with caution, considering the limitations of this retrospective study.
Design of lean manufacturing systems using value stream mapping with simulation

Purpose – Generally, the implementation of lean manufacturing (LM) starts with the development of value stream maps. However, it has been found that value stream mapping (VSM) suffers from various shortcomings. Hence, researchers have suggested the use of simulation along with VSM. The purpose of this paper is to present an application of VSM with simulation during the design of lean manufacturing systems (LMS) using a case study of an organisation following a job shop production system to manufacture doors and windows.Design/methodology/approach – Simulation models were developed using QUeuing Event Simulation Tool for the case organisation to demonstrate how the case organisation will be changed after implementing various LM elements, apart from analysing the impact of implementing these LM elements on the organisation's performance.Findings – Simulation studies were carried out for different scenarios such as “before LM” (current state VSM) and “after LM” (future state VSM). It was found that the case .