Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Research on nonlinear dynamic model of spur gear pair

In this study, the meshing dynamic model of spur gear is established. Firstly, the relationship between center distance variation caused by geometric eccentricity, assembly error and shaft bending deformation and gear meshing parameters such as pressure angle, backlash and meshing stiffness is established. Secondly, under the dynamic condition, the dynamic model of the gear pair is established by calculating the backlash and meshing stiffness. Finally, a 6-DOF dynamic model including geometric eccentricity and pressure angle is generated. The numerical results show that the dynamic responses predicted by different models are significantly different. There is a significant coupling effect between gear meshing parameters and dynamic response. In a large range of torque and speed, there are differences between the meshing forces, especially in the main resonance speed and 1/3 of the speed.
The Cross-Dike Failure Probability by Wave Overtopping over Grass-Covered and Damaged Dikes

A probabilistic framework is developed to calculate the cross-dike failure probability by overtopping waves on grass-covered dikes. The cross-dike failure probability of dike profiles including transitions and damages can be computed to find the most likely location of failure and quantify the decrease in the failure probability when this location is strengthened. The erosion depth along the dike profile is calculated using probability distributions for the water level, wind speed and dike cover strength. Failure is defined as the exceedance of 20 cm erosion depth when the topsoil of the grass cover is eroded. The cross-dike failure probability shows that the landward toe is the most vulnerable location for wave overtopping. Herein, the quality of the grass cover significantly affects the failure probability up to a factor 1000. Next, the failure probability for different types of damages on the landward slope are calculated. In case of a damage where the grass cover is still intact and strong, the dike is most likely to fail at the landward toe due to high flow velocity and additional load due to the slope change. However, when the grass cover is also damaged, the probability of failure at the damage is between 4 and 125 times higher than for a regular dike profile.
EFFECT OF COMPOST AND SOME STIMULTORY SUBSTANCES ON GLADIOLUS PLANT B. CORMS AND CORMELS PRODUCTIVITY AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

Corresponding author: M.A.H. Abdou mahmoud.abdo@mu.edu. eg ABSTRACT: A field experiment was conducted during the two successive seasons of 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 in the Nursery and Laboratory of Ornamental Plants, Faculty of Agriculture, Minia University to study the effect of compost (7.5, 10.0 and 12.5 ton/fed) and seven treatments of stimulatory substances i.e. control, seaweeds extract (300 ppm), amino acids (200 ppm), ascorbic acid (100 ppm), salicylic acid (50 ppm), active yeast (5 g/l) and Minia azotein (50 ml/plant), as well as, their interaction on corms and cormels productivity of gladiolus and some chemical composition constituents. The obtained results indicated that the three levels of compost significantly increased corm diameter, number of cormels/plant, fresh weights/plant, as well as, chemical composition (photosynthetic pigments and N, P and K%) as compared to control. The maximum values were obtained by using compost at 12.5 ton/fed. Treated plants with any of six used stimulatory treatments considerably increased corm and cormels productivity and chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids content, as well as, the percentage of N, P and K in the leaves. Minia azotein was the most effective than the other treatments in this concern the interaction treatments were obtained due to fertilizing gladiolus with compost at 12.5 ton/fed and inoculation of the soil with either Minia azotein or with the sprayed plants with active yeast.
Has the Propensity to Pay Dividends Declined? Evidence from the US Banking Sector

This article examines the propensity to pay dividends in the U.S banking sector during 1973–2014. Although the propensity to pay dividends has been declining over the 52 years of our sample period, banks are consistently more likely to pay dividends than non-financial firms. Using the coefficients from logit models estimated early in the sample period to forecast the percentage of dividend payers in each subsequent year, we conclude that there has been a decline in the likelihood of paying dividends in the banking sector. However, the decline started from a very high level as compared to that of the non-banking sectors. In addition, the variables taken from the non-financial firm literature do not explain the difference between the actual and expected percentage of dividend payers in the banking sector. We also conduct exploratory analyses with bank-specific variables. Although newly included variables are significantly related to the likelihood of paying dividends, they do not explain the declining propensity to pay dividends in the banking sector.
Thermal stability of the stilbite-type framework; crystal structure of the dehydrated sodium/ammonium exchange form

Space group C2/m. The cations are located at the six-ring site and the flat eight-ring site, and residual water molecules at the boat-shaped eight-ring. The framework distortions are cation-induced and readily affect the cuboid polyhedron of the framework which is formed by joining adjacent structural units. --Modified journal abstract.
The impact of EAP skills on students’ academic study

This study investigated how the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) skills students learnt at an English language centre enhanced their further academic study at an English-medium institution (EMI) university in China and a university in the U.K. Participants included students and teachers from a variety of academic departments at the two universities. Research methods consisted of questionnaires and interviews. The results revealed respondents’ perceptions of students’ strengths and weaknesses in EAP skills in their academic study. The findings suggested that the majority of students perceived that EAP skills are transferable to other modules and helpful to their academic study. However, there are also some differences between the EMI context in China and the university in the U.K., including class pace, communication skills, and use of L1. Areas for further improvement include accent recognition and encouraging students’ western way of thinking in order for better transition to their further academic study.
Fascia Lata Donor Site Foreign Body Granuloma: An Unusual Presentation of a Rare Mimic of Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Background: Foreign body granuloma is a rare late complication of fascia lata graft donor site with few reported cases in the literature. It can mimic soft tissue sarcoma. Clinical and radiological findings may not be enough to solve the puzzle and histology remains the mainstay of diagnosis. Aim: Our aim is to highlight the unusual long interval between initial surgery and presentation of foreign body granuloma. Case Presentation: A 65-year-old man who presented 48 years after initial surgery with progressive painless fascia lata donor site soft tissue swelling. The management and histology findings were highlighted. Conclusion: The occurrence of foreign body granuloma remains an important differential following a history of past surgical procedure regardless of the time interval between the surgical procedure and the clinical presentation.
Effect of different levels of mushroom powder (Agaricus bisporus) and probiotics (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on carcass traits and hematological responses of broiler chickens

A 42-day study was conducted to investigate the effect of mushroom powder ( Agaricus bisporus ) and probiotics ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) supplementation on carcass characteristics and breast meat quality in broiler chickens. 360 day-old broiler chicks were divided randomly into 8 dietary treatments with 3 replicates of 45 birds each in a completely randomized design. The experimental diets were designed as, T 1 : control, T 2 : 0.4% mushroom powder, T 3 : 0.8% mushroom powder, T 4 : 1.2% mushroom powder, T 5 : 0.1% probiotics, T 6 : 0.2% probiotics, T 7 : 0.3% probiotics and T 8 : 0.8% mushroom powder + 0.2% probiotics levels. The results showed that carcass parameters and prime cuts weights increased ( p <0.01) in birds fed probiotic and mushroom diets compared to control diets. Dressed weight was significantly ( P< 0.01) higher for mushroom supplemented group T 4 compared to the control group. Eviscerated weight was significantly ( P< 0.01) higher in the mushroom supplemented group T8 compared to control group T1. The highest ready to cook yield percentage was observed in the combination of mushroom and probiotic supplemented group T8 compare to other groups. The highest abdominal fat was observed in the probiotics supplemented group (T 8 ) and the lowest noted in the control group. In conclusion, supplementation of mushroom powder and probiotics improved carcass traits, prime cut-parts and relative organ weights without any adverse effect on the blood parameters.
Early Cretaceous extension in South China: constraints from east–west-trending A-type granite belts and growth strata in terrigenous basins

ABSTRACT The late Mesozoic tectonic domain of Southeast China transitioned from compression to extension because of the Paleo-Pacific plate rollback. However, the precise timing of the initiation of extensional tectonics remains unclear. This work focuses on the E–W-trending granite belt and the growth strata of Early Cretaceous red beds in Southeast China to establish the extensional tectonic model in Southeast China. The petrogenesis of four granitic plutons from the E–W-trending granite belt in NE Jiangxi is traced on the basis of zircon U–Pb ages and whole-rock major and trace element abundances to elucidate lithosphere evolution in the study area. U–Pb zircon dating reveals the granite emplacement at 130–135 Ma. Geochemical results demonstrate that all granite intrusions can be identified as A-type granites derived from crustal and a few mantle sources respectively through lithospheric thinning and magma upwelling under the extension background. Field observation shows the enlargement of the sedimentary area of the early Cretaceous Huizhou Formation (Fm.) in the Huangshan Basin closely after (or simultaneously) 139 Ma Shiling volcanic activities. The dip angles of the lower part of Huizhou Fm. vary from 49° to 25° towards the basin centre, and the thickness exhibited a slightly increasing trend towards the lower part within the same bed. These phenomena are consistent with the shape of the growth strata. A model, in which the NE–SW-oriented structure lines transfer to the E–W-trending tectono-magmatic belts by meeting and inheriting the previous E–W-trending tectonic axis, is established in the present work. Lithospheric thinning, magma upwelling, and crustal remelting occur within an oblique extension stress field since ca. 140 Ma. Consequently, these phenomena are influenced by the Paleo-Pacific plate rollback and the inheritance of a structural framework from the regional basement series. Graphical Abstract
Speciation of phosphorus accumulated in fertilized cropland of Aichi prefecture in Japan with different soil properties by sequential chemical extraction and P K-edge XANES

ABSTRACT Fertilizer-derived P is accumulated in cropland soils and their phytoavailability is variable depending on the speciation of P, which is affected by soil properties. In this study, we aimed to clarify how soil properties affect the speciation of P accumulated in fertilized soils. Soil samples were collected from the cultivated soil layers of 137 vegetable fields in Aichi prefecture, Japan. The speciation of soil P was evaluated by Truog method, sequential extraction by acetic acid, NH4F, and NaOH (Sekiya method), P K-edge X-ray adsorption near-edge structure (XANES). Phosphorus accumulated in cropland consisted predominantly of the inorganic form. Phosphorus extracted by the Truog method and acetic acid was correlated with exchangeable Ca and total C. The XANES analysis indicated that the P species extracted by Truog and acetic acid were associated with Ca, while those extracted by acetic acid also included crystalized calcium phosphate with higher crystallinity than CaHPO4, for example, hydroxyapatite. Due to the high application of P fertilizer and manure with lime, P was accumulated as calcium phosphate except for soils with relatively high contents of oxalate extractable Al and Fe. The amounts of NH4F-extracted P were higher in soils with larger amounts of oxalate extractable Al and Fe. Based on the XANES analyses, the P species extracted by NH4F were associated with Al and Fe, which is inconsistent with the operational definition of NH4F-soluble species. The P in soils extracted by NaOH was correlated with various soil properties, especially with clay content. The P species extracted by NaOH could not be identified. Our results revealed that the important factors controlling available P associated with Ca were total C and exchangeable Ca, whereas those controlling the P extracted by NH4F were oxalate extractable Al and Fe, because this fraction of P was associated with Al and Fe.
LSVT LOUD® Applied to an Adult With Cerebral Palsy: Acoustic Findings

A 36-year-old female with severe spastic dysarthria participated in this study. She received 4 weeks of individual, intensive voice-focused treatment. Voice recordings were conducted at three baseline points, immediately posttreatment, and at a 4-month follow-up. The primary outcome variables were selected acoustic measures of vocal function: sound pressure level (SPL), mean fundamental frequency (F0), maximum phonation time (MPT), jitter, shimmer, noise-to-harmonics ratio (NHR), and maximum phonation frequency range (MPFR). Significant pre-to-posttreatment changes (p < .05) were found for most acoustic variables. All acoustic gains, except for MPFR, were maintained at the 4-month follow-up. The significant posttreatment changes in the majority of the acoustic measures analyzed suggest that intensive voice-focused treatment may have the potential to improve vocal function in adults with severe spastic dysarthria secondary to cerebral palsy (CP). Evidence-based treatment options for voice disorders in adults with CP are limited. Results emphasize the need for more studies with this population.
Molecular Exchange in Ordered Diblock Copolymer Micelles

Molecular exchange kinetics of diblock copolymers forming spherical micelles packed on a body-centered cubic (bcc) lattice were investigated using time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering (TR-SANS). Ordered arrays of polystyrene spheres were prepared by mixing 15 vol % poly(styrene-b-ethylene-alt-propylene) (PS−PEP) in squalane, a highly selective solvent for the PEP block. Two pairs of diblock copolymers were examined, characterized by two different PS core block molecular weights (⟨MPS⟩ = 26500 and 42800). Each pair contained two nearly identical diblock copolymers, one with a deuterated PS block (dPS−PEP) and the other with a protonated PS block (hPS−PEP). Protonated and deuterated squalane were blended to achieve a contrast-matched condition with uniformly mixed dPS and hPS (50/50 by volume) core chains. Beginning with a statistically random array of pure dPS and hPS cores distributed on the bcc lattice, molecular exchange was monitored at multiple temperatures by TR-SANS. Exchange of deuterated a.
Facial Emotion Recognition from an Unmanned Flying Social Robot for Home Care of Dependent People

This work is part of an ongoing research project to develop an unmanned flying social robot to monitor dependants at home in order to detect the person’s state and bring the necessary assistance. In this sense, this paper focuses on the description of a virtual reality (VR) simulation platform for the monitoring process of an avatar in a virtual home by a rotatory-wing autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This platform is based on a distributed architecture composed of three modules communicated through the message queue telemetry transport (MQTT) protocol: the UAV Simulator implemented in MATLAB/Simulink, the VR Visualiser developed in Unity, and the new emotion recognition (ER) system developed in Python. Using a face detection algorithm and a convolutional neural network (CNN), the ER System is able to detect the person’s face in the image captured by the UAV’s on-board camera and classify the emotion among seven possible ones (surprise; fear; happiness; sadness; disgust; anger; or neutral expression). The experimental results demonstrate the correct integration of this new computer vision module within the VR platform, as well as the good performance of the designed CNN, with around 85% in the F1-score, a mean of the precision and recall of the model. The developed emotion detection system can be used in the future implementation of the assistance UAV that monitors dependent people in a real environment, since the methodology used is valid for images of real people.
Discriminative Ability of Functional Measures in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients Classified Based on Radiographic Severity

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3B SUMMARY Background. Determining the discriminative ability of functional outcome measures among patients of knee osteoarthritis (OA) with different severity degrees of radiographic signs can be valuable for clinicians and researchers to classify the functional limitations in these patients before starting their rehabilitation. Objective. To determine the discriminative ability of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and performance-based ones in knee OA patients classified based on radiographic severity. Methods. Based-on the Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grading scale, 130 knee OA patients were classified into 65 patients with mild (a KL grade ≤ 2) and 65 patients with moderate-to-severe (a KL grade ≥ 3) radiographic sign. PROMs and performance-based outcome measures in knee OA patients were assessed by Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) questionnaire as well as Timed-up and go test (TUG), Functional Reach Test (FRT), and step test, respectively. The discriminative ability of these measures was determined by calculation of sensitivity, specificity, area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve, likelihood ratios, and predictive values. Results. Our results showed that all subscales of the KOOS except for the sport/recreation and all performance-based outcome measures have good ability to discriminate between the two groups of knee OA. Also, the ADL subscale of KOOS and step test have good ability in accurate identification of mild grade of knee OA patients. The symptoms subscale of KOOS and TUG test have the best ability in correctly identifying moderate-to-severe grade of knee OA. Conclusions. Our findings provide evidence for the good discriminative ability of functional measures in patients of knee OA classified based on radiographic severity.
Prognostic Potential of MAGEH1 and Its Correlation with Immune infiltrates in Gastric Cancer

Background: MAGEH1 is a critical gene for regulatory T cell function. However, correlations of MAGEH1 to prognosis and tumor-infiltrating cells in different cancers remain unclear. This study was to determine the prognostic impact of MAGEH1 as well as evaluate MAGEH1 expression and immune infiltrate relevance in gastric cancer.Methods: Oncomine, TIMER2.0, Kaplan-Meier Potter, PrognoScan, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), and the Human Protein Atlas database were utilized to analyze the differential MAGEH1 expression and its prognostic value. The relationship between MAGEH1 and gene markers of immune infiltration was confirmed by TIMER2.0 and GEPIA.Results: The prognostic effect of MAGEH1 varied across cancers. Particularly in gastric cancer, highly expressed MAGEH1 showed a significant association with poor prognosis in multiple databases whereas was linked to a better prognosis in patients with adjuvant 5-fluorouracil therapy. MAGEH1 expression positively correlated with infiltrating levels of B cells, CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells in stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD). Furthermore, MAGEH1 expression showed a strong link with markers for monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils and Tregs in STAD tissues.Conclusions: MAGEH1 can serve as a prognostic biomarker in gastric cancer and is related to immune infiltrates.
Preliminary investigation of the robustness of a fluorescent measuring system for in-line and real-time monitoring of blood-pH in extracorporeal circulation

The possibility to monitor blood-pH has long been acknowledged to provide significant information for the diagnosis, management and treatment of a variety of diseases and it would be of considerable support for the administration of several treatments such as, for example, extracorporeal (blood) circulation (ECC). During ECC, the patient’s blood flows outside the body in disposable bloodlines and devices for treatments such as blood purification or circulation/ventilation/oxygenation support. Although blood-pH can be measured since the early twentieth century by using ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) and, more recently, also by using point-of-care testing (POCT) instruments, nowadays no measurement method has fully succeeded in providing a cost-effective, reliable and accurate estimate of the blood-pH to be routinely used for its real-time monitoring. In a recent paper, we have proposed and demonstrated a measuring instrument for the in-line and real-time monitoring of blood-pH during ECC. Such a measuring system consists of a low-cost fluorescent disposable sensor that can be integrated into the bloodline and, of a non-disposable reading system that interrogates the sensor without contacting the patient’s blood. In this paper, we investigated the robustness of such a measuring system to variations of blood parameters such as blood flow and hematocrit. The obtained results demonstrate that, although during the tests the pH, flow, and hematocrit values were significantly varied — pH from ≈ 6.8 pH, to ≈ 7.4 pH; hematocrit from 32%, to 40%; flow from 250 ml/min, to 400 ml/min, — the measuring system continued to guarantee a measurement error inferior to ±0.04 pH, thus complying with the metrological requirements for in-line and real-time monitoring of blood-pH during ECC
Quality changes of pear during shelf-life

The aims of our research work were the investigation of postharvest changes of pear samples (Pyrus communis cv. Bosc kobak) during combined cold storage and shelf-life (storage at room temperature), the determination of quality changes by mainly non-destructive methods, the modeling of the changes of the non-destructive parameters (acoustic, impact stiffness coefficient, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters [Fv/Fm, Fm/F0]), and multivariate statistical analysis of the measured and predicted data based on the data of the non-destructive texture analysis (acoustic and impact methods), chlorophyll fluorescence analysis and laser scattering measurement. Storage Time Equivalent Value (STEV) was calculated and introduced based on mass-loss analysis. The changes of the non-destructive parameters were analyzed vs. this virtual storage time (STEV). The changes of acoustic, impact stiffness coefficient and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters can be predicted by exponential function. The predicted time constants of t.