Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patterning of the Vertebrate Head in Time and Space by BMP Signaling

How head patterning is regulated in vertebrates is yet to be understood. In this study, we show that frog embryos injected with Noggin at different blastula and gastrula stages had their head development sequentially arrested at different positions. When timed BMP inhibition was applied to BMP-overexpressing embryos, the expression of five genes: xcg-1 (a marker of the cement gland, which is the front-most structure in the frog embryo), six3 (a forebrain marker), otx2 (a forebrain and mid-brain marker), gbx2 (an anterior hindbrain marker) and hoxd1 (a posterior hindbrain marker) were sequentially fixed. These results suggest that timed interactions between BMP and anti-BMP are involved in patterning the vertebrate head progressively in time and space. Since the above genes are not expressed sequentially, there may be a BMP dependent gene sequence during head patterning that can be arrested by BMP inhibition and regulate the specification of positional values in the head.
Numerical Technique for Analyzing Rotating Rake Mode Measurements in a Duct with Passive Treatment and Shear Flow

A technique is presented for the analysis of measured data obtained from a rotating microphone rake system. The system is designed to measure the interaction modes of ducted fans. A Fourier analysis of the data from the rotating system results in a set of circumferential mode levels at each radial location of a microphone inside the duct. Radial basis functions are then least-squares fit to this data to obtain the radial mode amplitudes. For ducts with soft walls and mean flow, the radial basis functions must be numerically computed. The linear companion matrix method is used to obtain both the eigenvalues of interest, without an initial guess, and the radial basis functions. The governing equations allow for the mean flow to have a boundary layer at the wall. In addition, a nonlinear leastsquares method is used to adjust the wall impedance to best fit the data in an attempt to use the rotating system as an in-duct wall impedance measurement tool. Simulated and measured data are used to show the effects of wall impedance and mean flow on the computed results.
Investigating electro-mechanical signals from collocated piezoelectric wafers for the reference-free damage diagnosis of a plate

The electro-mechanical (EM) signals from piezoelectric (PZT) wafers are investigated for reference-free damage diagnosis so that a notch in a plate can be detected without requiring direct comparison with a baseline EM signal. Two identical PZT wafers collocated on both surfaces of a plate are utilized for extracting the mode-converted Lamb wave signals created by a notch. As harmonic input voltage signals are exerted on the collocated PZT wafers, the corresponding mode-converted Lamb wave signals become steady-state in the presence of damage. Applying fast Fourier transform to these mode-converted Lamb wave signals followed by a proper normalization, the EM signals associated with the mode conversion can be obtained. The theoretical finding of this paper is validated through spectral element simulations of a cantilever beam with a notch. The effects of the size and the location of the notch on the mode-converted EM signals are investigated as well. Finally, the applicability of the decomposed EM signals to reference-free damage diagnosis is discussed.
Small firms under MICROSCOPE: international differences in production/operations management practices and performance

Although the importance of operations in reaching world-class competitiveness has been highlighted in the operations management literature, small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) have been found to have a poor uptake of world-class practices. Reports on a study of 285 SMEs located in Italy, the UK, and other northern European countries. The data are taken from the MICROSCOPE facilitated self-assessment benchmarking database, which studied operations practices and performance in small firms. The level of world-class practices and performance was compared across companies by company size and by country of origin. Significant differences were found between “micro” companies (fewer than 20 employees) and larger companies (between 20 and 200 employees). Other significant differences were found by country, which may be attributed to differences in regional policies and infrastructures regarding small firms.
Syntactic Complexity of EFL Learners’ Casual Conversation, Monologue, and Writing

This paper aims to investigate how syntactic complexity differs depending on production modes. To this end, we examined a learner corpus obtained from undergraduate students, which comprises casual conversations, monologues, and writings. The syntactic complexity of each mode was measured by an automatic syntactic complexity analyser (TAASSC). The results are as follows: a) both the monologue and writing modes elicited greater syntactic complexity than conversation. However, syntactic complexity was not significantly different between monologues and writings except for Complex Nominals per Clause; b) among the three modes, syntactic complexity (i.e., Mean Length of Sentences and Complex Nominals per T-unit) in conversation was the best indicator of the L2 proficiency. Different cognitive or executive processes underlying the modes may have affected the complexity use. This paper suggests pedagogical implications that a monologue-like manner, such as presenting motivating topics, may enhance the use of complex structures in L2 conversations. (Incheon National University)
The Importance of Ongoing ERP Training and Support

This paper formulates and tests a model of the factors influencing organisational capacity to use an ERP system effectively in the years after go-live. Three large organisations’ post-implementation studies into end-user training were used as preliminary validation of this model; and to highlight the proposition that users’ ERP knowledge and skills will degrade in the absence of a systematic approach to ongoing training and support. The analysis also found that the negative effects of staff attrition and turnover offset the positive initiatives to enhance end-user competence in the most proactive organisation studied.
Latent Heat Storage Systems for Solar Thermal Power Plants and Process Heat Applications

Solar thermal systems using absorber evaporating steam directly require isothermal energy storage. The application of latent heat storage systems is an option to fulfill this demand. This concept has been demonstrated mainly for low temperature heating and refrigeration applications, the experience for the power level and temperature range characteristic of solar process heat and solar thermal power plants is limited. Cost effective implementation of the latent heat storage concept demands low cost phase change materials (PCMs). These PCMs usually show low thermal conductivity limiting the power density during the charging/discharging process. This paper describes various approaches, which have been investigated to overcome these limitations. Based on fundamental PCM-research and laboratory-scale experiments, the sandwich concept has been identified to show the highest potential. The sandwich concept has been demonstrated successfully for three different storage units ranging from 2 kW to 100 kW at melting temperatures of 145°C and 225°C.
Radiation Fields of a Tapered Film and a Novel Film-to-Fiber Coupler

Light in a tapered thin-film optical waveguide radiates into the substrate because the waveguide mode in the taper becomes cut off. Our measurement of the radiation pattern shows that the light emerges from the taper as a narrow beam with an angular width of only 2/spl deg/-4/spl deg/. We have studied the problem based on ray optics and based on a wave theory of radiation modes. We also have demonstrated a film-to-fiber coupler in which an optical fiber collects all the light emerging from the taper.
The human side of total quality management in Taiwan: leadership and human resource management

Total quality management (TQM) is widely recognized as an effective approach to enhance a firm’s competitive advantage. In addition to technical elements such as statistical process control, product design, etc. the successful implementation of TQM requires senior executive leadership and effective human resources management. Examines the leadership and human resources management of TQM in Taiwan. Data were collected from field interviews and questionnaire surveys conducted in US and Japanese subsidiaries, and local firms. Criteria stipulated in the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award of the USA were used to assess the quality of leadership and human resources management. Results of MANOVA (Multivariate analysis of variants) reveal that a company with larger sales revenue, a larger number of employees, or with greater production automation manifests better leadership and human resources management. The chi‐square test shows that foreign‐invested companies are superior to local firms in leadership. Canonical correlation analysis concludes that both leadership and human resources management are positively correlated with the management effectiveness of the quality department. Discusses the managerial implications of these research findings.
Haemato-biochemical Study: Induced Beta Cyfluthrin Repeated Toxicity with Reversal on Wistar Rats

Pesticides are the most effective means of pest eradication all over the world but their use has reached an alarming rate due to a number of adverse effects on non target organisms (Bhusan et al., 2013a). Pyrethroid pesticides are broadly divided in to type I and II, depending upon absence and presence of alpha cyno group, respectively and their produced behavioral changes (Sayim et al., 2005; Wolansky et al., 2006). Beta cyfluthrin, the refined form of synthetic pyrethroids are currently being used in many formulations around the world. It belongs to the type II class of synthetic pyrethroids and act as a contact and stomach poison. It is a nonsystemic chemical used to control ectoparasites in animals as topical application and also control of insects like cutworms, cockroaches, termites, mosquitoes, fleas, flies, tobacco budworm, etc. Beta cyfluthrin based insecticide formulations are available in the form of emulsifiable concentrates, wettable International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 03 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Effets de la combinaison d'acides gras oméga-3 à longue chaîne et de leucine sur la sensibilité du métabolisme protéique à l'insuline chez les bouvillons

Muscle sensitivity to insulin is associated with the efficiency in building proteins in steers and it decreases throughout life. It may be improved by the enrichment of muscle membranes in long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn-3PUFA) and the effect is dose-dependent to the dietary amount of oil. Leucine may also increase protein synthesis independently of insulin signaling. This study shows that a daily abomasal bolus administration of leucine raising the concentration of the free leucine pool by 22 % in muscle homogenates combined with a continuous seven-week moderate infusion of menhaden oil in the abomasum enriching glycerophospholipids of the semi-tendinosus muscle in LCn-3PUFA by 107 % did not differentially regulate the whole body glucose or amino acid disposals, as measured using the clamp technique. This study contributes to developing of the understanding of the regulation of protein anabolism in growing cattle by LCn-3PUFA.
Heat Transfer Enhancement due to Combination of Dimples, Protrusions, and Ribs in Narrow Internal Passage of Gas Turbine Blade

Internal convective cooling of gas-turbine airfoil is essential because turbine inlet temperature becomes higher for pursuing higher thermal efficiency. For higher cooling performance, heat transfer is often enhanced by installing ribs and/or pin-fins in the internal passage. In this study, in order to enhance heat transfer, the combination of spherical dimples, cylindrical protrusions, and transverse square ribs was applied to one wall of a narrow passage. As for the cylindrical protrusions, two different diameter cases were examined. The heat transfer enhancement was measured by a transient infrared thermography method for the Reynolds number of 2,000, 6,000, and 10,000. The pressure loss was also measured in the experiments, and RANS simulation was performed to give a rationale for the experimental results. The present results clearly showed the spatial variation of the local Nusselt number: the high Nusselt number was observed on the rib top-surface and also near the leading edge on the protrusion top-surface. In addition, the areas around the dimple’s trailing-edge on the oblique line connecting the neighbor dimples showed moderately enhanced heat transfer. When two different protrusion-diameter cases were compared, both the mean Nusselt number and the friction factor were similarly higher in the larger protrusion case than the smaller protrusion case, and therefore the larger protrusion case was more effective in cooling even when the pressure loss was taken into account.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Characterization of polycrystalline TlBr films for radiographic detectors

Vapor deposited films of thallium bromide are evaluated as potential photoconductive layers in new large-area radiographic detectors. The attractiveness of the material lies in its inherent high effective atomic number and high density. Polycrystalline films up to 200 /spl mu/m have been grown and show a columnar structure with grains reaching 100 /spl mu/m in diameter. Current-voltage (IV) tests indicate a bulk resistivity of 10/sup 9/-10/sup 10/ /spl Omega//spl middot/cm, limited by ionic conduction. The instability of current with time is also observed, but it can be minimized with cooling. The films demonstrate high gain at relatively low field strengths as compared to other photoconductive layers. Benefits and drawbacks of TIBr are compared to other materials, and possible solutions are discussed.
Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer MRI for Detection of Cell Death in Breast Cancer Xenografts

Detecting cell death after chemotherapy could help optimize treatment regimens and improve outcomes. Breast cancer xenografts (MDA-MB-231) were scanned before and after chemotherapy to investigate parameters of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI that can differentiate regions of cell death from viable tumour. The CEST effect at 0.5 μT saturation amplitude was measured using the magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) at 1.8 and -3.3 ppm frequency offsets. An MTR cutoff of 0.12 at 1.8 ppm was able differentiate between viable tumour and cell death regions (p<0.0001) and the detected patterns of cell death closely matched those detected with ISEL staining. Using this cutoff, the mean increase in cell death index (± standard error of the mean) after chemotherapy was 4±4%, 10%±7%, 10±8%, and 4±9% at 4, 8, 12, and 24 h, respectively. These results suggest that CEST MRI can detect cell death from chemotherapy in breast cancer.
40 Gbit/s long-haul transmission in dispersion-managed soliton system using Raman amplification

Experimental transmission results of a long-haul 40 Gbit/s dispersion-managed soliton system using Raman amplification are presented. The experimental results and theoretical analysis show that by replacing lumped amplifiers with distributed Raman amplification, the constraint on the position of the amplifier location within the dispersion map is relaxed.
Range gate straddling loss and joint probability with partial correlation

Straddling loss arises because a target is not always precisely centered in a gate. This loss cannot be estimated by simply averaging the signal voltage or power over target location. The probability of detection must be averaged. We show how to do this and present results for rectangular gates. We also present an equation for estimating joint probability of partially correlated events.
Finite element modeling of the sensing and energy harvesting performance in ionic polymer metal composites

Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC) is an Electro-Active Polymer (EAP) that is used as an electro-mechanical sensor and being investigated as an energy harvester. The IPMC transducer is proved to be inefficient as an energy harvester due to the small amount of voltage it generates when deformed. This study explores this problem by developing a fully-coupled 2D mechano-chemo-electrical finite element model that predicts the sensing behaviour in IPMC. The electrochemical element is modelled based on the Nernst-Planck and Poisson’s equations. The chemo-mechanical coupling is due to the change in the concentration of ions upon deforming the sensor. This paper is focused on developing methods to control the amount of voltage and current the IPMC sensor can generate. The developed FEM model is used to assess the effects of increasing the thickness of the transducer and of manipulating the architecture of the high surface area electrodes. The IPMC transducer is simulated and experimentally tested using two electrical boundary conditions: the open circuit voltage or the short circuit current. All numerical results are supported by experimental data. The results are shown to be in good agreement with model predictions.
Results of an urban water distribution network performance evaluation attempt in Greece

The need for efficient water resources management is currently more pressing than ever, considering population growth and increased reliability requirements, under climate change conditions. On average, one-third of the total water abstracted for urban uses is being lost due to leaks and breaks occurring in water distribution networks. This means that significant amounts of water and revenues are being lost, forcing water utilities to consider developing effective water loss and Non-Revenue Water reduction strategies. Additionally, all water utilities operating in EU countries should, by the end of 2010, develop and implement appropriate water pricing policies that will guarantee the recovery of the full cost of the water being used. This strict obligation makes the reduction of water losses an even more urgent goal that the water utilities have to achieve. The first step towards all the above-mentioned goals is to safely evaluate the performance level of the water network. Thus, the IWA Task Forces on Water Losses and Performance Indicators (PIs) developed specific tools (e.g., the standard international water balance and various PIs), to help water utilities use a common language that will assist know-how and experience exchange through an effective benchmarking process. The paper presents the results of using the above-mentioned IWA tools, in the case of the Larisa city water distribution network in Greece. This is the first time that such an attempt has taken place in Greece. During this process, the problems faced and the ways to tackle them are analyzed, focusing on the role of key factors that had to do with local conditions. Larisa's results are compared to data available from similar cases. Sensitivity analysis was used to check the impact of the variables' uncertainty to the results. Finally, water loss reduction measures are proposed towards an effective pressure management strategy and a proactive pipe maintenance policy based on safely estimating the pipes' optimum replacement time.
Abusive Supervision

In recent years scholars of abusive supervision have expanded the scope of outcomes examined and have advanced new psychological and social processes to account for these and other outcomes. Besides the commonly used relational theories such as justice theory and social exchange theory, recent studies have more frequently drawn from theories about emotion to describe how abusive supervision influences the behavior, attitudes, and well-being of both the victims and the perpetrators. In addition, an increasing number of studies have examined the antecedents of abusive supervision. The studied antecedents include personality, behavioral, and situational characteristics of the supervisors and/or the subordinates. Studies have reported how characteristics of the supervisor and that of the focal victim interact to determining abuse frequency. Formerly postulated outcomes of abusive supervision (e.g., subordinate performance) have also been identified as antecedents of abusive supervision. This points to a need to model dynamic and mutually reciprocal processes between leader abusive behavior and follower responses with longitudinal data. Moreover, extending prior research that has exclusively focused on the victim’s perspective, scholars have started to take the supervisor’s perspective and the lens of third-parties, such as victims’ coworkers, to understand the broad impact of abusive supervision. Finally, a small number of studies have started to model abusive supervision as a multilevel phenomenon. These studies have examined a group aggregated measure of abusive supervision, examining its influence as an antecedent of individual level outcomes and as a moderator of relationships between individuals’ experiences of abusive supervision and personal outcomes. More research could be devoted to establishing the causal effects of abusive supervision and to developing organizational interventions to reduce abusive supervision.
Short-channel vertical sidewall MOSFETs

Vertical MOSFETs have been proposed in the roadmap of semiconductors as a candidate for sub-100-nm CMOS technologies. In this paper, vertical n-channel MOSFETs with channel length down to 50 nm are presented, fabricated in a standard production line with i-line lithography. A process flow using side wall gates and implantations instead of multiple layer depositions reduces process complexity and offers better CMOS compatibility. With this particular vertical MOSFET structure, called the vertical sidewall MOSFET, high doping concentrations in the channel are needed for sub-100-nm devices. The uniform channel doping is more critical for vertical transistors than for a planar technology, where optimized profiles can be easier implemented. Therefore, we investigated vertical MOSFETs with high channel doping concentration up to 1/spl times/10/sup 19/ cm/sup -3/ and channel lengths down to 50 nm. The impact of the high doping levels on threshold voltage and on tunneling currents is discussed. Finally, by using slight process modifications first results on vertical double-gate MOSFETs will be presented, which in principle can operate with an undoped channel region.
Optimum tuning of Tuned Mass Dampers for frame structures under earthquake excitation

Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) devices are one of the oldest vibration control means and are widely used in different engineering contexts. Despite the bulk of literature on various TMD‐related issues, the effectiveness of TMDs in reducing the earthquake response of civil engineering structures is still debated. This paper deals with the optimum tuning of the free parameters of a passive TMD applied to sample frame structures subjected to selected seismic excitations. A tuning procedure consisting of a numerical Minimax optimization algorithm is implemented within MATLAB. The so‐conceived TMD turns out to be optimum with respect to the specific seismic event, hence allowing for optimum reduction in primary seismic response. Both optimization process and seismic analysis are carried out in the time domain, through direct integration of the equations of motion. The method is tested on benchmark single‐DOF and multi‐DOF shear‐type prototype structures from the literature by assuming first the Imperial Valley 1940 seismic input, as a sort of benchmark excitation, and then additional recent strong motion earthquakes. In essence, this paper shows that, in principle, with present reference to frame structures, the optimum tuning of TMD parameters at given seismic input is theoretically possible. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.