Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular Survey of Viral Poultry Diseases with an Indirect Public Health Significance in Central Ethiopia

Simple Summary Poultry production is increasing, in Ethiopia as well, and poultry is an extremely valuable food resource. This survey investigated the presence of important viral pathogens in poultry (infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV)) using biomolecular assays and sequencing. The results suggested a low circulation of these pathogens, probably owing to vaccination strategies. A routine diagnostic activity should be planned to monitor pathogen circulation and support disease prevention and production levels. Abstract The importance of poultry production is globally increasing, in Ethiopia as well, where high-quality protein and contained costs make poultry a valuable food resource. However, this entails some problems linked to rural, backyard and intensively reared flock proximity and pathogen circulation. This study is aimed at monitoring the presence of important viral pathogens in poultry (infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV)) in Ethiopia. Respiratory and cloacal swabs and bursa of Fabricius and kidney imprints on FTA cards were collected in 2021 from 16 farms and tested for IBV, aMPV, NDV and IBDV. One farm was positive for IBDV, resulting in strains similar to those present in vaccines, belonging to genogroup A1a; two farms were positive for IBV but, due to sensitivity limits, only one sample was sequenced, resulting in a 4/91-like strain (GI-13); a layer farm tested positive for NDV with a Lasota-like vaccine strain. These findings suggest a low presence of these pathogens, probably due to the implementation of vaccination strategies, which is also testified by the detection of vaccine strains. A close diagnostic activity should be implemented on a routine basis in order to monitor pathogen circulation, ameliorate biosecurity measures and protect animal health and production levels.
Handbook of Noise Control

the effectiveness of the noise control method experimentally. Further (25) Cyril M Harris, Handbook of Noise control Materials, Sondown. Cooperation. Hardbound. The 6th edition of this invaluable handbook has been completely revised, updated and extended to keep pace with the rapid expansion in this. University, Auburn, Alabama 36849, USA. DOI: 10.1002/9780470209707.ch1 In book: Handbook of Noise and Vibration Control, pp.1 16. Download full-text.
U.S. Army Acquisition - The Program Executive Officer Perspective

Abstract : The U.S. Army Strategic Software Improvement Program (ASSIP) is a multi-year effort to improve the way the Army acquires software-intensive systems. As part of the ASSIP, the Carnegie Mellon (trademark) Software Engineering Institute interviewed the Army's Program Executive Officers (PEOs) to get their perspectives on the state of Army acquisition of software-intensive systems. The PEOs are senior acquisition professionals with a wealth of experience in Army acquisition and the attempts to improve it in the past. This report documents the results of the PEO interviews. The PEOs identified shortcomings and some interesting potential solutions in various aspects of the acquisition function, including skills and training, policy, the acquisition organization, metrics, process, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, and facilities and tools.
Nonlinear interactions in optical amplifiers for multifrequency lightwave systems

Nonlinear interactions that occur in an optical amplifier between the carrier density and multiple optical signals, are described using a small-signal analysis. In multifrequency lightwave systems with channel separations less than 1 GHz, the ratio of the signal power to the total intermodulation interference may be less than 25 dB, for total output intensities 10 dB below the amplifier saturation intensity.
Building a career in building: Carerr trajectories among women in the Australian construction industry

Across the globe women’s participation in the paid workforce has increased exponentially over the past 30 years. This is no less evident than in Australia where there has been a momentous rise women’s participation. In 1964 women comprised 28 percent of total employment in Australia; by January 2004, this had increased to 44 percent (Equity Statistics Australia, 2004). Despite this momentous rise, women still remain under-represented in managerial roles, tending to be clustered in administration and service roles (Palmero, 2004). Women are also increasingly highly educated, and are academically outperforming their male counterparts in university exams, even in subjects with a higher proportion of males enrolled (Palmero, 2004). Yet the starting salaries of female graduates are on average lower than the starting salaries of male graduates.
Immune‐related gene expression signatures: a step forward in the stratification of patients with ovarian clear cell carcinoma†

Clear cell carcinoma of the ovary (CCC) is one of the five major histological types of ovarian cancer and presents specific clinicopathological features, such as a higher prevalence in the Asian population and a poor response to conventional chemotherapy. In a recent publication in The Journal of Pathology, Heong, Tan, Miwa et al demonstrated the heterogeneity of the immune landscape of CCC. They reported the immune signatures observed in a large cohort of CCC, including tumours from both Asian and Caucasian women. The authors analysed three cohorts from Europe, Japan, and Singapore, with a total of 246 tumours, and evaluated 730 immune‐related genes using NanoString technology. The study revealed four main transcriptional subtypes characterised by the expression of specific sets of genes: PD1‐high (11%), CTLA4‐high (29%), antigen‐presentation (42%), and a pro‐angiogenic subtype (18%). The two main conclusions of the study were: (1) that CCCs in women of Asian and Caucasian descent share significant molecular similarities, since all four molecular signatures are present in all the cohorts analysed, without any evident differences in frequency; and (2) that the PD1‐high and CTLA4‐high subtypes were associated with worse clinical outcomes and may be useful when stratifying treatment in early‐stage tumours. The immune signature could represent a promising biomarker of immunotherapy response if future prospective studies confirm it. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
A new set of blast curves from vapor cloud explosion

Past accidents have demonstrated that vapor cloud explosions (VCEs) are the most severe threat to refining and petrochemical industries. In order to estimate the air blast parameters at any given distance from a possible explosion source, a variety of prediction methods have been developed. A brief description of these prediction methods is first presented. Then, the focus of this paper is on an engineering method based on blast curves, which is the most frequently used prediction method.
Does diversity make collaborative subsidies effective? ICT sector in Korea

ABSTRACT Research and development (R&D) collaboration becomes essential as technology becomes more complex, and technological change occurs at an unprecedented rate in high-tech sectors such as information and communication technologies (ICT). However, no concrete evidence exists on the benefits of collaboration diversity in terms of government support. Therefore, this study investigates whether a firm’s innovation increases not only as R&D collaboration partners’ diversity increases but also as firms engage in cross-sectoral R&D collaboration. Government subsidies for ICT firms that collaborate with other firms and research institutions at the same time have significantly positive effects on firm performance. Interestingly, cross-sectoral collaborations increase innovation activity. The results suggest that firm innovation can be efficiently achieved through R&D partner diversity, and the R&D subsidy scheme needs to focus on collaboration with diverse R&D partners with different knowledge to generate innovative outcomes.
Parametric optimization of a lattice aircraft fuselage barrel using metamodels built with genetic programming

In the EU FP7 collaborative research programme ALaSCA (Advanced Lattice Structures for Composite Airframes), the novel design of an anisogrid composite fuselage section has been optimized using topology optimization with respect to weight and structural performance. According to the concept of an extended uniform Latin hypercube design of numerical experiments (DOE), a 101-point DOE has been developed. Each data point represents a set of the geometric fuselage barrel parameters, which are simulated using finite element (FE) method. Using these training data sets, the global metamodels have been built as explicit expressions of the design parameters using genetic programming (GP). This was followed by the parametric optimization of the fuselage barrel by genetic algorithm (GA) to obtain the best design configuration in terms of weight savings subject to stability, strength and strain requirements. The optimal solution has been verified using the finite element simulation of the lattice fuselage barrel and the true structural responses have been compared to those provided by the metamodels. It is concluded that the use of the global metamodel-based approach has enabled the solution of this optimization problem with sufficient accuracy as well as provided the designers with a wealth of information on the structural behaviour of the novel anisogrid design of a composite fuselage.
Conservation Science and Discursive Violence: A Response to Two Rejoinders

Abstract We respond to two rejoinders to our review article “Science for Success,” which proposed fuller contextualization of epistemological approach, researcher position and interests in conservation research. This way readers—including reviewers and journal editors—can better understand and interpret findings. We suggest this contextualization is particularly important when conservation and development professionals undertake research about programs they are involved in, as this can potentially create a conflict of interest. Both rejoinders follow an extended process of complaint about our article that included academic and legal threats, and ad hominem attacks, with little engagement with the points made about researcher positionality. We consider this to be a form of “discursive violence” deployed to silence unfavorable perspectives, confirming our argument that positionality in conservation (research) begs self-reflection and transparent disclosure.
Optimising hydrodynamic conditions for inhibiting scale deposition on metal surfaces in the presence of aspartic acid

ABSTRACT Scale deposition on heating surfaces is a major problem in process industries. Conventional scale inhibitor poses a serious detrimental effect on the environment. Hence, there is a necessity to explore chemical species that are equally effective and biodegradable. Poly (Aspartic acid) with high biodegradability find wide applications as a corrosion and scale inhibitor as it does not pose any harm to the environment. However, the inhibitory effect of Aspartic acid monomer against scale deposition is reported nowhere. The present work focuses on evaluating the anti-scaling properties of Aspartic acid monomers at different operating conditions and additive concentrations. Results obtained are analysed by estimating power requirement and the average shear rate at different Reynolds numbers. Aspartic acid showed a significant reduction in the scale formation process even at a very low concentration of 3–12 ppm. The performance of the Aspartic acid was consistent at high temperatures and degrees of turbulence. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Contemporizing island biogeography theory with anthropogenic drivers of species richness

Classic ecological theory must explain effects of humans on biodiversity to be more applicable today. We contemporized island biogeographic theory providing native, introduced, and total species richness relationship expectations with natural and anthropogenic metrics of habitat diversity (geographic and economic area) and isolation from source pools (geographic and economic isolation). We assessed these expectations across Caribbean island herpetofauna clades. As expected by the contemporized theory, natural habitat diversity metrics exhibited positive relationships with native and introduced richness, strengthening positive total richness-area relationships. Geographic isolation exhibited negative relationships with native and positive relationships with introduced richness, weakening total richness-isolation relationships. Economic area and isolation exhibited negative and positive relationships, respectively, with native richness but positive and negative relationships, respectively, with introduced richness. Total richness relationships with economic area and isolation were strongest in clades with many introductions. As more species spread globally, these contemporary expectations will increasingly predict Anthropocene island biogeography.
Motor imagery and gait control in Parkinson’s disease: techniques and new perspectives in neurorehabilitation

ABSTRACT Introduction Motor imagery (MI), defined as the ability to mentally represent an action without actual movement, has been used to improve motor function in athletes and, more recently, in neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). Several studies have investigated the neural correlates of motor imagery, which change also depending on the action imagined. Areas covered This review focuses on locomotion, which is a crucial activity in everyday life and is often impaired by neurological conditions. After a general discussion on the neural correlates of motor imagery and locomotion, we review the evidence highlighting the abnormalities in gait control and gait imagery in PD patients. Next, new perspectives and techniques for PD patients’ rehabilitation are discussed, namely Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs), neurofeedback, and virtual reality (VR). Expert opinion Despite the few studies, the literature review supports the potential beneficial effects of motor imagery interventions in PD focused on locomotion. The development of new technologies could empower the administration of training based on motor imagery locomotor tasks, and their application could lead to new rehabilitation protocols aimed at improving walking ability in patients with PD.
The Prevalence of Dental Anxiety among Dental Patients in Qassim Region

Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of dental anxiety among patients visiting dental clinics in Al-Qassim region of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: The 377 participants were selected from three major cities of Al-Qassim region - Buridah, Onizah, and Alrass. A self-administered questionnaire based on Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) was used to gather the responses of the participants. The questionnaires were handed to respondents during their regular visits to the dental clinics. Results: The findings of the study revealed that 18% of the sample population suffer from severe dental anxiety. The analysis showed that feelings associated with anesthetic injection are the most-anxiety provoking factor while the next day visit is the least anxiety-provoking item. The findings show that female participants (M = 3.1, p = .001) significantly manifest more dental anxiety than their male counterparts (M = 2.8, p = .001). The younger participants demonstrate higher dental anxiety than other age groups. Conclusion: The dental anxiety exists in the sample population. Gender and age are associated with varying MDAS scores.
Prevention of Stress-Induced Depressive-like Behavior by Saffron Extract Is Associated with Modulation of Kynurenine Pathway and Monoamine Neurotransmission

Depressive disorders are a major public health concern. Despite currently available treatment options, their prevalence steadily increases, and a high rate of therapeutic failure is often reported, together with important antidepressant-related side effects. This highlights the need to improve existing therapeutic strategies, including by using nutritional interventions. In that context, saffron recently received particular attention for its beneficial effects on mood, although the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This study investigated in mice the impact of a saffron extract (Safr’Inside™; 6.25 mg/kg, per os) on acute restraint stress (ARS)-induced depressive-like behavior and related neurobiological alterations, by focusing on hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, inflammation-related metabolic pathways, and monoaminergic systems, all known to be altered by stress and involved in depressive disorder pathophysiology. When given before stress onset, Safr’Inside administration attenuated ARS-induced depressive-like behavior in the forced swim test. Importantly, it concomitantly reversed several stress-induced monoamine dysregulations and modulated the expression of key enzymes of the kynurenine pathway, likely reducing kynurenine-related neurotoxicity. These results show that saffron pretreatment prevents the development of stress-induced depressive symptoms and improves our understanding about the underlying mechanisms, which is a central issue to validate the therapeutic relevance of nutritional interventions with saffron in depressed patients.
Offshore LNG Unloading - new large-bore Composite Cryogenic Hoses and BOG analysis.

In this paper, a CFD study assesses the effects of heat transfer and friction losses in Large-bore Cryogenic Hoses towards reduction of boil-off gas (BOG) during Offshore LNG Unloading. This work predicts their financial impact by optimizing annual energy consumption and shipping costs of a typical LNG regasification terminal. The effect of variability of operating conditions is also included to forecast costs as probability distribution functions at 95% confidence level. Estimation of friction losses considers the fluid to be isothermal, incompressible and fully developed turbulent flow in helically corrugated hoses. The total BOG considers heat transfer through the insulation layers of the LNG vessels and unloading lines, energy input by the LNG pumps, flash vaporization due to differential pressure between tanks and temperature of the vapour return line. Evaluation of the regasification terminal at its minimum LNG send-out rate with different hose diameters showed the benefits of deployment of large-bore cryogenic hoses for Offshore LNG Unloading. Results showed that up to 70% of the total pressure drop in the unloading lines is accounted only by the hoses regardless of their diameter. At low peak periods, replacing two 16” hoses with a single 24” hose, energy consumption reduces by 15.4% and the unloading rate is increased from 9,000 m3/hr up to 11,000 m3/hr. Moreover, this reduces the transfer time and subsequently annual shipping costs by 1.4%.
Forecasting important disease spreaders from temporal contact data

Controlling epidemic outbreaks is, and has throughout history been, a major problem for society. Vaccination campaigns are important events that can be used to mitigate the spread of epidemics. Vaccination of an entire population is rarely feasible in real-world situations and therefore it is of interest to find methods that can predict important individuals which, when vaccinated, have a significant contribution to the immunization of a population. A majority of the previous research on network epidemiology has focused on static network topologies, where contacts are modeled as permanent events. Recently, scientists have started to use temporal networks, where contacts are not continuously active in time, for contagious disease studies. In this thesis, we propose a method to estimate the future importance of individuals with respect to disease spreading. The proposed method is based on practically obtainable local contact information of individuals and could thus be implemented in practice. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed method, it is implemented as a vaccination strategy. We study the performance of the vaccination strategy with the help of computer simulations of diseases which spread upon person to person contact in a number of real-world temporal networks. With the help of comparative studies, we find that the proposed method outperforms a benchmark vaccination strategy for a number of empirical networks. This indicates that the method is able to estimate important individuals with respect to disease spreading.
72% of online adults are social networking site users

This report finds that one of the more striking stories about the social networking population has been the growth among older internet users in recent years. Overview The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project has been studying online adults’ social networking site use since 2005, and has seen substantial growth since then. Today, 72% of online adults use social networking sites. Although younger adults continue to be the most likely social media users, one of the more striking stories about the social networking population has been the growth among older internet users in recent years. Those ages 65 and older have roughly tripled their presence on social networking sites in the last four years—from 13% in the spring of 2009 to 43% now. In this report we also studied online adults’ use of Twitter. The percentage of internet users who are on Twitter has more than doubled since November 2010, currently standing at 18%. Internet users ages 18-29 are the most likely to use Twitter—30% of them now do so. About the survey The results in this report are based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International from April 17 to May 19, 2013, among a sample of 2,252 adults, age 18 and older. Telephone interviews were conducted in English and Spanish by landline (1,125) and cell phone (1,127, including 571 without a landline phone). For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling is plus or minus 2.3 percentage points. For results based on Internet users (n=1,895), the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Input-output energy analysis of citrus production in Mazandaran province of Iran

In this study, the citrus (orange and mandarin) production in Mazandaran province of Iran and the energy equivalences of input used in this production are investigated. Data in this study was obtained from 110 citrus orchards by a face to face questionnaire method. The results revealed that mandarin production had more energy intensive compared to orange. The major energy inputs in orange and mandarin production were diesel fuel (27 and 24%), chemical fertilizers (22 and 23%) and irrigation water (21 and 23%), respectively. The results showed that 62375.18 MJ ha-1 energy were consumed by orange orchards and 77501.17 MJ ha-1 by mandarin orchards. Energy use efficiency, energy productivity, specific energy, and net energy gain were calculated. The energy use efficiency for orange and mandarin were 0.99 and 0.77, respectively. In average, the non-renewable form of energy input was 67.14% of the total energy input used in citrus production compared to 33.07% for the renewable form. Optimal consumptions of diesel fuel, chemical fertilizers and other major inputs would be useful techniques for decreasing energy consumption in citrus production. Key words: Orange, mandarin, energy use efficiency, Iran.