Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impacts of Bridge Piers on Scour at Downstream River Training Structures: Submerged Weir as an Example

River training structures are conventionally used to improve river stability and ecological conditions and to protect the upstream instream infrastructures from scour and erosion. A submerged weir is a typical river training structure usually built downstream of bridges for grade control. Flow over the weir can cause local scour, destabilizing both the structure and the trained river reach. It is therefore important for safe design to estimate the scour accurately and understand the effects of an upstream bridge pier on local scour at submerged weirs. This study describes experiments on the scour process at a submerged weir with an upstream bridge pier, varying the distance L between the two. In this study, 56 experiments were conducted using uniform coarse sand with a median grain size d50 = 0.85 mm in a sediment‐recirculating flume. For clear‐water scour, the experiments showed that the bedform induced by the pier scour process creates a scour‐and‐fill process upstream of the submerged weir; and the upstream pier can also affect the scour downstream of the submerged weir, through two mechanisms: (i) upstream sediment replenishment and (ii) flow section constriction. The mechanisms (i) and (ii) can reduce and increase the downstream clear‐water scour depth at the submerged weir, respectively. For live‐bed scour, a pier upstream can reduce and increase the scour depth upstream and downstream of the submerged weir, respectively. Based on the experimental data, the dependence of the scour depth at the submerged weir on L is evaluated.
The bumblebee Bombus hortorum is the main pollinating visitor to Digitalis purpurea (Common Foxglove) in a U.K. population

Specialization in plant-pollinator systems represents an important issue for both the ecological understanding and conservation of these systems. We investigated the extent to which the bumblebee Bombus hortorum (Linnaeus) is the main potential pollinator of Common Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea L. Twenty D. purpurea patches were selected in North Yorkshire, U.K., ten each in woodland and garden or park habitat. All insects visiting D. purpurea within the patches were recorded over seventy 30-min bouts. The relative frequency of insect visitors to other flowering plant species within 15 m of each patch was also determined. B. hortorum and B. pascuorum were the two most frequent visitors to D. purpurea , accounting for 82 - 92% and 3 -17%, respectively, of all insect visits ( n = 1682), depending on habitat. B. hortorum showed a significant preference for visiting D. purpurea relative to its frequency of visits to other available plant species. The relationship of D. purpurea with B. hortorum , which pollinates several plant species with long corollas, therefore represents a potential case of asymmetric specialization, albeit one that may vary spatially. Because D. purpurea reproduction appears dependent on insect pollination, B. hortorum and B. pascuorum may help underpin the viability of D. purpurea populations.
Anti-microbial susceptibility pattern of spores used in Bacillus clausii suspension: an in vitro study

Background: Bacillus species have been used as probiotics as they have high stability to gastrointestinal conditions and impart health benefit on the host. Primarily used in their spore form the diversity of Bacillus species being used and their applications are remarkable. Here, we present the results of the antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the B. clausii spore suspension (Benegut®). Methods: Bacillus clausii spore suspension (Benegut®), used in oral bacteriotherapy was tested for the susceptibility to therapeutically useful antibiotics. Twelve commercially prepared, paper antibiotic discs of different drugs having fixed concentrations were used. The antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed by the disc diffusion technique, using soybean casein digestive agar (SCDA) as media and the results were categorized as susceptible, intermediate, or resistant; using the criteria published by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute.Results: B. clausii was found to be resistant to broad-spectrum antibiotic chloramphenicol, antimycobacterial rifampicin, beta-lactamase inhibitor amoxiclav, first-generation antibiotic cefaloridine, penicillin ampicillin, and tetracycline. B. clausii was resistant to both the aminoglycoside antibiotics (streptomycin and kanamycin) studied. Off first-generation fluoroquinolones studied, B. clausii was resistant to ciprofloxacin but partially sensitive to norfloxacin, ofloxacin and to macrolide azithromycin. Conclusions: Antimicrobial resistance is an important feature of probiotics. The results of our study indicate that the antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activity B. clausii spore suspension (Benegut®) can profess beneficial effects and can be a useful source of improving the intestinal imbalance of microbial flora and is safe for human consumption.
Trust, Control, and Value Creation in Strategic Networks of SMEs

This paper investigates the role of trust and control in networks of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a focus on both their direct and interaction effects on value creation. To delve into the interplay between trust and control, we unpack control mechanisms into three different forms: output, process, and social control. Our hypotheses are tested on a sample of 58 Italian SME networks based on formal agreements. Results show that the competitiveness and sustainability of inter-firm networks require trust-based relationships among entrepreneurs. Additionally, the adoption of output control mechanisms reinforces the positive link between trust and value creation, whereas a substitution effect exists between trust and process control and, with limited significance, between trust and social control.
Are female reproductive status and male morphotypes of the giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii altered by selection for high growth?

Understanding genetic changes in the hierarchical population structure of the giant freshwater prawn (GFP) Macrobrachium rosenbergii is important to improve productivity and profitability of prawn farming. We examined correlated responses in male morphotype and female reproduction status resulting from a selection programme for high growth in a GFP population undergoing four generations of selection. Two contemporary lines (selection and control) were maintained and produced simultaneously; the selection line was selected for high breeding values for harvest body weight and the control for average breeding values of the population. A total of 21,459 individual prawns were measured for body traits and morphotypes. Individual morphotype was recorded as a binary trait (0 and 1) and were analysed using a generalised threshold mixed model with a logit link function. Correlated genetic changes in three important male morphotypes (small, orange and blue claw males) were significant (p < 0.05–0.001) only in generation 2010 but not in the last generation (2012). Selection for high growth did not have an adverse effect on reproduction status of females, except that the selection line had a greater proportion of spawned females than the control (p = 0.01). Our results pointed out that selection for high growth may have had both positive and negative impacts on the social population structure of male morphotypes in GFP. Undesired changes in important morphotypes should be taken account of in genetic improvement programmes for GFP in order to minimise social competition effects and increase total biomass and consequently economic returns of the sector.
Expansive and contractive communication scope: A construal level perspective on the relationship between interpersonal distance and communicative abstraction

People adopt an expansive relational scope when communicating with psychologically distant audiences and a contractive relational scope when communicating with psychologically near audiences. We review recent research that has adopted a Construal Level Theory perspective to examine the impact of psychological distance of an audience on interpersonal communication. People communicate more abstractly when communicating with a distant audience and more concretely when communicating with an audience that is more proximal; correspondingly, communicating abstractly orients people toward more distant others and communicating concretely toward more proximal others. Furthermore, evidence suggests that the relationship between distance and communicative abstraction is dynamic and is influenced by communication goals and situational contexts. Moreover, a communicator’s level of abstraction is consequential, influencing both how the communicator is perceived by observers and the potential effectiveness of the communication. We close by pointing to additional open questions and areas for future research.
The Effect of Corporate Governance on Performance Modified by the Company Size

This study aims to determine the effect of corporate governance on corporate financial performance which is moderated by company size. The population used is companies listed on the Indonesian stock exchange. The sample in this study amounted to 53 companies. The sampling technique uses MRA (moderated regression analysis). The results of this study indicate that (1) board of commissioner variables, audit committee variables, board of directors variables, company size variables affect company performance, (2) board of commissioners with company size as a moderating variable has no influence on company performance, (3) audit committee with company size as a moderating variable influences company performance, (4) variable of directors with company size as a moderating variable has no influence on company performance. For companies, the company should apply good corporate governance, so that company performance can be improved, and consider the size of the company assessed to see how much the company develops form of performance, the audit committee is assessed to see how much the company can be controlled and monitored its financial reporting so that no fraud and directors are assessed to see how much the company can run effectively. The board of commissioners is to function more optimally, not only as a fulfillment of regulations, because good corporate governance can be realized if the control function can run well. for future research it might be with the same theme, but by adding other variables that can strengthen the impact on company value.
Men's Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Breast Cancer: A Descriptive Study.

Objective Breast cancer (BC) is an important disease for women. BC influences both patient's and relatives' lives. Especially, husbands/boyfriends/ lovers are the ones that are affected mostly. In this study, it was aimed to introduce knowledge and attitudes of men toward BC and their sources of information about BC. Materials and Methods This descriptive study was conducted with men applied to a University Hospital in Istanbul (Turkey-2018). The ethics permission was obtained from The Clinical Research Ethics Committee. Data regarding socio-demographic characteristics with the knowledge and attitudes towards BC were collected with a questionnaire specific to the research. Statistical significance level was accepted as p<0.05. Results In the study, 240 men (mean age: 36.2±10.6 years,min: 18.0, max: 63.0) were interviewed. Fifty four percent of men declared that they would not marry someone with BC and/or someone who had mastectomy. Thirty four percent of participants thought that a woman with BC should conceal the disease. The mean BC knowledge score was 234.1±128.0 (median: 227.5, min: 0, max: 571.0) among the total which was 600. Conclusion A significant proportion of men did not have sufficient and accurate knowledge about BC. If the BC knowledge scores increase, there was an association with more positive attitudes. Negative attitudes of men related with BC of a woman may be an indicator of stigmatization. If it is aimed to increase support of men for women dealing with BC, it is recommended that BC awareness activities should be prepared to include men in order to increase their knowledge and to change their attitudes into a more positive way.
Occupational Lead Exposure among Petrol Station Workers in Sana’a City, Yemen: Awareness and Self-Reported Symptoms

Accept Date 2020-04-03 ABSTRACT Background: This study assessed the awareness of occupational lead exposure risks, self-reported lead poisoning symptoms and work practices and using personal protective equipment among petrol station workers in Sana'a city, Yemen. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 172 petrol station workers in nine districts of Sana'a between January and May 2017. Data about demographic characteristics, awareness of the lead exposure risks, selfreported lead poisoning symptoms and work practices and use of personal protective equipment were collected. Inclusion criteria were workers who gave informed consent to participate, were aged 18-60 years and had been working for ≥6 months. The data were then analyzed using appropriate statistical tests. Results: The majority of workers were aware of the adverse health effects of leaded petrol (61.0%) and that lead is an environmental pollutant (60.5%). However, personal protective equipment was poorly used. Workers with secondary education and above had better practices than those with primary education. Approximately 76.2% of workers had poor knowledge of lead risks, and 13.4% of them had good practices. The most common self-reported symptoms were neurological, including fatigue (68.0%), concentration difficulties (61.6%), joint pain (58.1%) and headache (55.2%). Conclusions: Petrol station workers in Sana’a realize the exposure to lead risks because leaded petrol is the fuel type used in the country. Although the majority of workers perceived such adverse health effects, use of personal protective equipment was poor among most of them. The level of workers’ education seems to influence their practices of using personal protective equipment.
Kepatuhan Terhadap Pengobatan Pasien Diabetes Melitus Tipe 2 di Puskesmas Jakarta Timur

Prevalensi diabetes melitus berdasarkan hasil Riset Kesehatan Dasar yang tertinggi di Indonesia terdapat di provinsi DKI Jakarta. Ketidakpatuhan berobat pasien diabetes melitus tipe 2 merupakan salah satu faktor yang mengakibatkan rendahnya kontrol glukosa darah dan meningkatnya resiko komplikasi. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui profil tingkat kepatuhan penggunaan obat di Puskesmas Kecamatan Makasar Jakarta Timur dan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi kepatuhan penggunaan obat pada pasien diabetes melitus tipe 2. Penelitian ini berdesain cross sectional yang dilaksanakan pada April 2019 sampai Juni 2019 dengan total 175 responden diabetes melitus tipe 2. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan teknik wawancara terstruktur menggunakan kuesioner kepatuhan MMAS-8. Data diolah dengan menggunakan software statistik dan dianalisa menggunakan analisa distribusi frekuensi dan uji chi square. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa 71 responden (40,6%) memiliki tingkat kepatuhan sedang dalam menggunakan obat antidiabetes. Alasan utama ketidakpatuhan responden adalah bosan (43,6%). Ada hubungan bermakna antara tingkat kepatuhan dan hasil tes gula darah. Untuk mengetahui lebih dalam hubungan antara tingkat kepatuhan dengan hasil tes gula darah maka perlu adanya penelitian lanjutan tentang hubungan studi prospektif hasil tes gula darah dengan tingkat kepatuhan.
Numerical Characterisation of the Aeroacoustic Signature of Propeller Arrays for Distributed Electric Propulsion

This paper presents an investigation of the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic interaction of propellers for distributed electric propulsion applications. The rationale underlying the research is related to the key role that aeroacoustics plays in the establishment of the future commercial aviation scenario. The sustainable development of airborne transportation system is currently constrained by community noise, which limits the operations of existing airports and prevents the building of new ones. In addition, the substantial saturation of the existing noise abatement technologies inhibits the further development of the existing fleet, and imposes the adoption of disruptive configurations in terms of airframe layout and propulsion technology. Simulation-based data may help in clarifying many aspects related to the acoustic impact of such innovative concepts. Blended-wing-body equipped with distributed electric propulsion is one of the most promising, due to the beneficial effect of the substantial shielding induced by its geometry. Nevertheless, the novelty of the layout requires a thorough investigation of specific aspect for which no previous experience is available. Herein, the interaction between propellers is analysed for a fixed propeller geometry, as a function of their mutual distance and compared to the acoustic pattern of the isolated one. The aerodynamic results have been obtained using a boundary integral formulation for unsteady, incompressible, potential flows which accounts for the interaction between free wakes and propellers. For the aeroacoustic analyses, the Farassat 1A boundary integral formulation for the solution of the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings equation has been used. These results provide an insight into the minimum distance between propellers to avoid aerodynamic/aeroacoustic interaction effects, which is an important starting point for the development of distributed propulsion systems.
Evaluation of resistance in sesame germplasm against shoot webber and capsule borer, Antigastra catalaunalis.

One hundred and forty sesame accessions were evaluated under glasshouse and field conditions for resistance against shoot webber and capsule borer Antigastra catalaunalis Duponchel (Pyraustidae:Lepidoptera) at the Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University during 2005. Under glasshouse conditions based on foliage damage to the seedlings, none of the accessions was rated highly resistant (HR) but 14 accessions were categorized as resistant (R), while 110 accessions were susceptible (S) and 16 accessions were highly susceptible (HS). In the field evaluation, leaf, flower and capsule damage caused by A. catalaunalis was recorded and the accessions were rated for resistance in comparison with a susceptible check. The reaction of the accessions differed during different seasons. Many accessions were rated highly resistant (HR), resistant (R) and moderately resistant (MR) during the first field evaluation but their resistance potential was found reduced in the second field evaluation.
Photovoltaic Geographical Information System module for the estimation of solar electricity generation: A comparative study in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

Renewable energy resources are safe and easy to access giving solution to the problems caused by non-renewable energy resources (fossil fuels etc.) and can balance the increasing demand of the electricity generation in Pakistan. The aim of this study was to utilize PVGIS module to estimate the solar electricity generation at six districts (such as Dir, Mansehra, Peshawar, Buner, Dera Ismail Khan (DIK) and Chitral) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. PVGIS is a web based interactive GIS system provided database (based on meteorological geostationary satellites e.g., Meteosat & GOES) which include monthly and yearly average values of the global solar irradiation on horizontal and inclined surfaces, as well as climatic parameters (i.e.; Linke atmospheric turbidity, the ratio of diffuse to global irradiation). Based on the PVGIS module, monthly averages of global irradiation were utilized to estimate the solar electricity generation at six locations of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The results showed that the daily as well as monthly electricity production (Ed and Em) and global irradiance (Hd and Hm) for all the districts are maximum in the months of March until October and minimum during January, February, November and December. The acquired results of the estimated electricity production (kWh) and the estimated irradiations (kwh/m2) per year from a PV system for the six districts exhibited that Dera Ismail Khan (DIK) district has highest estimated electricity production as well as estimated irradiations followed by Buner, Dir and Peshawar districts. It is concluded that PVGIS datasets can be used for the estimation of solar electricity generation and as a support system for the policy-making in the region.
Prognostic Impact of Lymph Node Localization in Node-Positive Esophageal Cancer

Background: Recurrent disease remains a major problem for esophageal cancer. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of localization of lymph node metastasis for tumor recurrence following curative esophageal resection. Methods: 273 patients undergoing esophagectomy for esophageal cancer between 2005 and 2014 at the Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital of Munster were included. Tumor characteristics, treatment details, postoperative course and patients' outcome, including time point and localization of recurrent disease, were analyzed retrospectively. The median follow-up was 46.3 months. Results: Median overall and disease-free survivals were 22.7 and 13 months, respectively. Tumor characteristics including presence and number of lymph node metastasis, and localization of lymph node metastases, paraesophageal, perigastric and intra-abdominal, had significant impact on both tumor recurrence (p<0.001, p=0.003, and p=0.001, respectively) and disease-free survival (p<0.001, p=0.001, and p<0.001, respectively). Univariate and multivariate analysis confirmed tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, G-, L- and V-category, and neoadjuvant treatment as independent predictors of tumor recurrence. Conclusion: The tumor stage and response to neoadjuvant treatment remain the most important prognostic factors. In addition, localization and the number of resected lymph node metastasis can provide important additional information.