Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Discovering the regional innovation potential for Smart Specialization: the case of the two Baltic Sea Regions

ABSTRACT The EU Commission launched an innovation strategy called Smart Specialization in 2012. Smart Specialization is a framework for developing policies unleashing place-based economic potential. Evaluations, however, have shown that appropriate innovation policy decisions are difficult. There is an innovation policy potential that must first be unleashed. This article shows how the application of a method – connectivity analysis – developed through a Baltic Sea Region project ‘LARS – Learning Among Regions on Smart Specialization,’ can be used to support Smart Specialization. The method includes transnational comparisons and targeted policy recommendations for public sector institutions operating within various institutional frameworks and different clusters. It consists of instruments (gaps and factors) measuring collaboration through interviews of 141 quadruple-helix stakeholders across eight Baltic Sea regions.
Forces and fluctuations in planar, spherical and tubular membranes

Lipid membranes constitute very particular materials: on the one hand, they break very easily under microscopical stretching; on the other hand, they are extremely flexible, presenting deformations even at small scales. Consequently, a piece of membrane has an area excess relative to its optically resolvable area, also called projected area. From a mechanical point of view, we can thus identify three tensions associated to lipid membranes: the mechanical effective tension $\tau$, associated to an increase in the projected area and to the flattening of the fluctuations; the tension $\sigma$, associated to the microscopical area of the membrane and thus non measurable, but commonly used in theoretical predictions; and its macroscopical counterpart measured through the fluctuation spectrum, $r$. Up to now, the equality between these quantities was taken for granted when analyzing experimental data. In this dissertation, we have studied, using the projected stress tensor, whether and under which conditions it is justified to assume $\tau = \sigma$. We studied three geometries (planar, spherical and cylindrical) and obtained the relation $\tau \approx \sigma - \sigma_0$, where $\sigma_0$ is a constant depending only on the membrane's high frequency cutoff and on the temperature. Accordingly, we conclude that neglecting the difference between $\tau$ and $\sigma$ is justifiable only to membranes under large tensions: in the case of small tensions, corrections must be taken into account. We have studied the implications of this result to the interpretation of experiments involving membrane nanotubes. Regarding $r$, we have questioned a former demonstration concerning its equality with $\tau$. Finally, the force fluctuation for planar membranes and membrane nanotubes was quantified for the first time.
Sympathetic activation in heart failure

Abstract Sympathetic activation has been long appreciated exclusively as a fundamental compensatory mechanism of the failing heart and, thus, welcome and to be supported. In the initial clinical phases of heart failure (HF), the sympathetic nervous system overdrive plays a compensatory function aimed at maintaining an adequate cardiac output despite the inotropic dysfunction affecting the myocardium. However, when the sympathetic reflex response is exaggerated it triggers a sequence of unfavourable remodelling processes causing a further contractile deterioration that unleashes major adverse cardiovascular consequences, favouring the HF progression and the occurrence of fatal events. Eventually, the sympathetic nervous system in HF was demonstrated to be a ‘lethality factor’ and thus became a prominent therapeutic target. The existence of an effective highly specialized intracardiac neuronal network immediately rules out the old concept that sympathetic activation in HF is merely the consequence of a drop in cardiac output. When a cardiac damage occurs, such as myocardial ischaemia or a primary myocardial disorder, the adaptive capability of the system may be overcame, leading to excessive sympatho-excitation coupled with attenuation till to abolishment of central parasympathetic drive. Myocardial infarction causes, within a very short time, both a functional and anatomical remodelling with a diffuse up-regulation of nerve growth factor (NGF). The subsequent nerve sprouting signal, facilitated by a rise in the levels of NGF in the left stellate ganglion and in the serum, triggers an increase in cardiac nerve density in both peri-infarct and non-infarcted areas. Finally, NFG production decreases over time, supposedly as an adaptative response to the prolonged exposure to sympathetic overactivity, leading in the end to a reduction in sympathetic nerve density. Accordingly, NGF levels were markedly reduced in patients with severe congestive heart failure. The kidney is the other key player of the sympathetic response to HF as it indeed reacts to under-perfusion and to loop diuretics to preserve filtration at the cost of many pathological consequences on its physiology. This vicious loop ultimately participates to the chronic and disruptive sympathetic overdrive. In conclusion, sympathetic activation is the natural physiological consequence to life stressors but also to any condition that may harm our body. It is the first system of reaction to any potential life-threatening event. However, in any aspect of life over reaction is never effective but, in many instances, is, actually, life threatening. One for all is the case of ischaemia-related ventricular fibrillation which is, strongly facilitated by sympathetic hyperactivity. The take home message? When, in a condition of harm, everybody is yelling failure is just around the corner.
Clay Characterization and Bleaching of Crude Palm Oil Using Acid-Activated Nibo Clay

Acid-activated Nibo clay was applied as an adsorbent in the bleaching of crude palm oil. The collected clay sample was activated with hydrochloric acid solution after it was sun-dried and ground. The raw (NC) and activated clay (ANC) samples were characterized using XRF, SEM, and FTIR analyses. The efficiency of the bleaching process was examined by varying the adsorbent dosage, temperature and the contact time. The results of XRF, SEM, and FTIR analyses on NC and ANC showed that the clays were kaolinites with significant changes after activation. The bleaching experiment showed that increase in temperature improved the efficiency of the process. The highest bleaching efficiency of 86% was observed. The pseudo-second-order model best described the adsorption process at 100 °C when compared to correlation coefficient values of the pseudo-first-order, Intra-particle diffusion and Elovich kinetic models. The Temkin isotherm model best fitted the experimental data than the Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich models with R2 values of >0.9 at all temperatures. The enthalpy and entropy values were evaluated as 54,943.90 J/mol and 154.6321 J/mol respectively. The enthalpy and entropy values indicated that the adsorption process was endothermic and showed an increase in randomness at the solid/liquid interface. The negative values of the Gibb’s free energy at 363 and 373 K implied that beta carotene adsorption of crude palm oil at these temperatures was spontaneous and feasible. This experimental study showed that acid activated Nibo clay can be applied as an adsorbent for the bleaching of crude palm oil at higher temperatures.
Molecular Aspects of MicroRNAs and Phytohormonal Signaling in Response to Drought Stress: A Review

Phytohormones play an essential role in plant growth and development in response to environmental stresses. However, plant hormones require a complex signaling network combined with other signaling pathways to perform their proper functions. Thus, multiple phytohormonal signaling pathways are a prerequisite for understanding plant defense mechanism against stressful conditions. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are master regulators of eukaryotic gene expression and are also influenced by a wide range of plant development events by suppressing their target genes. In recent decades, the mechanisms of phytohormone biosynthesis, signaling, pathways of miRNA biosynthesis and regulation were profoundly characterized. Recent findings have shown that miRNAs and plant hormones are integrated with the regulation of environmental stress. miRNAs target several components of phytohormone pathways, and plant hormones also regulate the expression of miRNAs or their target genes inversely. In this article, recent developments related to molecular linkages between miRNAs and phytohormones were reviewed, focusing on drought stress.
Design of a Facility for Studying Shock-Cell Noise on Single and Coaxial Jets

Shock-cell noise occurs in aero-engines when the nozzle exhaust is supersonic and shock-cells are present in the jet. In commercial turbofan engines, at cruise, the secondary flow is often supersonic underexpanded, with the formation of annular shock-cells in the jet and consequent onset of shock-cell noise. This paper aims at describing the design process of the new facility FAST (Free jet AeroacouSTic laboratory) at the von Karman Institute, aimed at the investigation of the shock-cell noise phenomenon on a dual stream jet. The rig consists of a coaxial open jet, with supersonic capability for both the primary and secondary flow. A coaxial silencer was designed to suppress the spurious noise coming from the feeding lines. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the coaxial jet and acoustic simulations of the silencer have been carried out to support the design choices. Finally, the rig has been validated by performing experimental measurements on a supersonic single stream jet and comparing the results with the literature. Fine-scale PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) coupled with a microphone array in the far field have been used in this scope. Preliminary results of the dual stream jet are also shown.
Characterisation of Phytophthora capsici causing foot rot of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) in Julau, Sarawak

Abstract Phytophthora foot rot disease remains a deadly disease of black pepper in Sarawak, a major pepper producing state in Malaysia. This study characterised three Phytophthora isolates, recovered from diseased plant tissues of foot rot infected pepper vines from two farms in Julau district, Sarawak. The three isolates were confirmed to be Phytophthora capsici based on the distinct torulose hyphae characteristic and molecular analysis. The isolates exhibited various colony and sporangia morphologies and growth rates. Two mating types were detected among the isolates based on the formation of oogonia in pairing tests between the isolates - one type associated with isolate I4 and I5 recovered from one farm and the second type with isolate E3 from the other farm. Virulence test indicated that I5 isolate was relatively more virulent than E3 isolate. This study provides important information to assist in the development of effective management strategies for the disease.
Numerical and Experimental Analysis of the Rotational Stiffness of a Timber Semi-Rigid Dowel-Type Connection

The paper deals with the analysis of the rotational stiffness of a semirigid connection created from a system of two stands and a rung. The connection was made from glued laminated timber with metal mechanical dowel-type fasteners. Not only a common combination of bolts and dowels but also fully threaded screws were used for the connection. The aim of the research and its motivation was to replace commonly used fasteners with more modern ones, to shorten and simplify the assembly time, and to improve the load-carrying capacity of this type of connection. Each of these two types of connection was loaded to the level of 60%, 80%, and 100% of the ultimate limit state value. Subsequently, the rotational stiffness was determined for each load level after five loading and unloading cycles. This paper presents the results and comparison of the experimental testing and the numerical modeling. The obtained results were also compared with the assumption according to the currently valid standard.
Synthesis and Properties of Thermally Self-Healing PET Based Linear Polyurethane Containing Diels–Alder Bonds

A Diels–Alder (DA) bond containing poly(tetrahydrofuran)-co-(ethyleneoxide) (PET) based linear polyurethane (PET-DA-PU) was synthesized via a prepolymer process using PET as raw material, DA diol as chain extender agent, and toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) as coupling agent. The structure of PET-DA-PU was characterized by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry (1H NMR) and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry (13C NMR). The thermal performance and self-healing behavior of PET-DA-PU were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscope, universal testing machine, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and NMR, respectively. The glass transition temperature of PET-DA-PU was found to be −59 °C. Under the heat treatment at 100 °C, the crack on PET-DA-PU film completely disappeared in 9 min, and the self-healing efficiency that was determined by the recovery of the largest tensile strength after being damaged and healed at 100 °C for 20 min can reach 89.1%. SEM images revealed the micro-cracks along with the blocky aggregated hard segments which were the important reasons for fracture. NMR spectroscopy indicated that the efficiency of retro DA reaction of PET-DA-PU was 70% after 20 min heating treatment at 100 °C. Moreover, the PET-DA-PU/Al/Na2SO4 composite was also prepared to simulate propellant formulation and investigated by universal testing machine and SEM; its healing efficiency was up to 87.8% under the same heat treatment process and exhibits good self-healing ability. Therefore, PET-DA-PU may serve as a promising thermally self-healing polymeric binder for future propellant formulations.
Estimation of Possible Suppression of Melatonin Production Caused by Exterior Lighting in Commercial Business Districts in Metropolises

ABSTRACT Policymakers and standardization bodies have started to make recommendations about the use of lighting products at night, with the goal of reducing negative impacts on human health. We report a series of field measurements to quantify the responses of different human photoreceptors and the possible suppression of melatonin production caused by the exterior lighting in metropolises. In total, 888 spectral and 888 illuminance measurements were taken at 5.6 ft. above the ground in six commercial business districts, with three in Hong Kong and three in Shanghai. It was found that 47% and 86% of the measured light stimuli in Shanghai and Hong Kong may introduce suppression of melatonin production, as characterized using circadian stimulus (CS), because they had CS values beyond 0.05, a working threshold for acute melatonin suppression. In addition, both field measurements and computer simulations suggested that light stimuli with higher correlated color temperature (CCT) may not necessarily cause stronger melatonin suppression than those with lower CCT values.
Servant Leadership and Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment: Empirical Evidence from Surabaya Health Care Sector

Background: The concept of Servant Leadership has grown as a distinct management style with numerous applications in management research since its inception. It is likely one of the most successful styles for earnest management and for having a good attitude and concern for those around social organizations' well-being and quality of life. Quality human resources are essential to high commitment and satisfaction at work. Satisfy human resources who are committed will take care of the interests of the organization. Because of the practical nature of the problem among in the organization (Klinik Utama Usada Buana), Surabaya personnel, this research is expected to be conducted as an analytic study with a cross-sectional design. Methods: Therefore, data were collected using simple random sampling and then analyzed and interpreted to test the model. Result :The findings demonstrate that servant leadership styles can help people become more committed to their jobs and feel more satisfied. This model's practical and theoretical aspects have been discussed in the relevant sections of this article.
How to Increase Teacher Performance through Engagement and Work Efficacy

Work engagement, work efficacy and performance are key concepts in today’s human resources field, impacting both personal and organisational levels. However, not many studies investigate them in a core professional area: pre-university teachers. After measuring the work engagement, work efficacy and work performance variables of teachers, we identified the differences in teachers’ work engagement, work efficacy and work performance according to their seniority in education and the position of the high school in the top national rankings. Our paper’s focus is on exploring the relationship between work engagement and work performance among pre-university teachers from Romanian high schools. This relationship is analysed both directly and indirectly by including work efficacy as a mediating factor. A sample of 817 Romanian high school teachers participated in this study (questionnaire applied in April 2021). The results can lead to a better understanding of human resources behaviour, and, on this basis, to the formulating of human resource policies in the educational field.
Cor Pulmonale Secondary to Severe Pulmonary Hypertension As the First Manifestation of Graves' Disease

Pulmonary hypertension (PH), especially if severe, carries a significant morbidity and mortality. Herein we describe a case of an 88-year-old woman with severe heart failure and several hospitalizations that year for the same reason, rapid re-admission after discharge and loss of walking ability. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed severe pulmonary hypertension (PASP=69 mmHg) and right ventricular dysfunction without left structural or functional dysfunction. Pulmonary thromboembolism, relevant pulmonary pathology was excluded, and an extended autoimmune study was also negative. Thyroid disorders were investigated, a Graves' disease with thyrotoxicosis was diagnosed and promptly treated with thiamazole, also known as methimazole. There was a rapid improvement in the clinical and hemodynamic status of the patient, stabilization of the right heart failure (HF), resolution of the volume overload and a TTE showed improvement with moderate PH (PASP=55 mmHg). This case shows a reversible cause of PH and highlights how treatment of Graves' disease can reduce pulmonary artery pressure and contribute to symptomatic relief and better quality of life.
Direct Assimilation of Radar Reflectivity Data Using Ensemble Kalman Filter Based on a Two-Moment Microphysics Scheme for the Analysis and Forecast of Typhoon Lekima (2019)

We investigate the impact of directly assimilating radar reflectivity data using an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) based on a double-moment (DM) microphysics parameterization (MP) scheme in GSI-EnKF data assimilation (DA) framework and WRF model for a landfall typhoon Lekima (2019). Observations from a single operational coastal Doppler are quality-controlled and assimilated. Compared with the baseline experiment initialized by GFS analysis, the reflectivity data assimilation experiment (Z-DA) resulted in an obvious improvement in both structural analysis and typhoon forecast skills in terms of intensity, precipitation, and track. Sensitivity experiments were conducted to evaluate the ability of EnKF to update certain state variables considering that the degree of freedom of analytical variables increased with a DM MP scheme. When either the total number concentration or other large-scale state variables that are not directly linked to reflectivity observations via the observation operator are not updated, the tendency of RMSIs and PS to be imbalanced is significantly increased during DA cycles compared to those of Z-DA with updating a full set of state variables, resulting in increased intensity and track forecast errors. These results indicate that the reliable ensemble covariance could handle the underconstraint issue associated with the DM scheme, and helps in obtaining more physically balanced analytical fields.
Controversies of Arterial Hypertension in People Living with HIV on Antiretroviral Treatment

Introduction: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV carriers increased the life expectancy of this population, favoring the emergence of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and cancer as the main causes of death. Objective: to review the literature on the prevalence of arterial hypertension (AH) and associated factors in HIV carriers using ART. Methods: The literature of the last ten years was been reviewed, using the PubMed, SciELO, IBECS and LILACS databases and the descriptors: antiretroviral therapy highly active ; acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; hypertension and HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) . Review articles, case reports, letters to the editor, studies with HBV / HCV co-infected and experimental studies were been excluded. Results: Nineteen studies were been selected, totaling 47,753 patients. The prevalence of HA ranged from 8.0% to 45.0%. The studies identified high body mass index, advanced age, male sex, smoking, high cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, hypertriglyceridemia, diabetes mellitus, central obesity, family history of hypertension, previous cardiovascular event, time of HIV diagnosis, ART, time of ART use, ART with protease inhibitors (PIs) and CD4 ≥ 200 cells / ml as factors associated with HA. Multivariate analyzes reported associations with family history of HA, aging, various antiretroviral regimens, male gender, previous cardiovascular event, time of HIV diagnosis, central obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and time of ART. Conclusion: The prevalence of AH in HIV patients varies widely according to the population studied. In these individuals, in addition to the association with classic risk factors, AH is also related to viral infection and the use of ART.
Chronic browsing by an introduced mammalian herbivore in a tropical island alters species composition and functional traits of forest understory plant communities

Mammalian herbivores have large‐scale impacts on vegetation, altering structure, and species composition, especially in tropical grasslands and savannas. However, there is limited understanding of the potential impacts of mammalian herbivores in tropical wet forests, where they are typically less abundant. We investigated the effects of an introduced mammalian herbivore chital (Axis axis) on vegetation structure, composition and leaf functional traits of tropical evergreen forests of the Andaman Islands, India. Across seven islands, representing a gradient of herbivore densities, increasing chital presence was associated with decreased understory richness, understory density and adult tree richness, but was not related to adult tree density or size class distributions. We also found a significant decrease in community level leaf palatability traits (specific leaf area decreased and leaf thickness increased) with increasing chital habitat use. This community level shift in leaf trait values was better explained by intraspecific variation in leaf traits across islands rather than changes in species composition. In summary, we show persistent long‐term impacts of an introduced mammalian herbivore on understory tropical tree communities although there is little impact on adult tree communities. Our results also show that functional traits of species can be altered in response to novel herbivory, even at herbivore densities where there are no detectable impacts on adult forest structure or composition. Such altered functional traits may potentially alter ecosystem functioning in these forests even without changes in vegetation structure.