Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Substrate Flow Rate on Nutrient Uptake and Use Efficiency in Hydroponically Grown Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris L. ssp. cicla ‘Seiyou Shirokuki’)

Unlike in soil culture, a substrate (nutrient solution) in a hydroponics system can flow, and this can affect both nutrient uptake and plant growth. In this study, we hydroponically cultivated Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L. ssp. cicla) under different flow rates to analyze changes in the growth, nutrient uptake, and nutrient use efficiency. When the flow rate was intensified from 2 to 4 L/min, leaf area, the fresh weight, dry weight, and root length increased. However, when the flow rate was increased from 4 to 8 L/min, values of these growth parameters decreased. The nutrient uptake had a similar trend relative to the growth parameters and nutrient use efficiency of macronutrient elements, increased as the flow rate increased. This indicates that the flow rate affects plant growth by influencing the nutrient uptake, and an increase in the flow rate can aid in improving nutrient use efficiency. In hydroponics, regulating the flow rate at a reasonable volume is recommended to increase yield by enhancing nutrient use efficiency, but too intensive a flow rate may cause excessive physical stimulation to plants and inhibit their growth. Therefore, it is important to choose an appropriate substrate flow rate for optimal hydroponics production.
Development of the method and analysis for non-linear lateral stability of railway vehicles in a curved track

This article is the authors’ most recent publication on railway vehicle lateral stability in a curved track. Developed procedures constitute the original and mature method of stability analysis, which is presented here. The method is based on the analysis of bifurcation plots built as a result of numerical simulations for a wide range of curve radii and straight track, as well. Despite the development of the method, new areas of its application are presented. These are studies on the influence of various factors on the stability. These factors apply to the variation of vehicle suspension parameters, wheel–rail profiles, and wear of the wheel–rail profiles in terms of both the magnitude and the type. Also, new forms of result presentation have been employed.
Annoyance Due to Single and Combined Sound Exposure from Railway and Road Traffic

Environmental noise is a growing and well recognized health problem. However, in many cases people are exposed not to a single noise source—for example, road, railway, or aircraft noise—but to a combination of noise exposures and there is only limited knowledge of the effects on health of exposure to combined noise sources. A socio-acoustic survey among 1953 persons aged 18–75 years was conducted in residential areas exposed to railway and road traffic noise with sound levels ranging from LAeq,24h 45–72 dB in a municipality east of Gothenburg, Sweden. The objectives were to assess various adverse health effects, including annoyance, and to elucidate the impact of exposure to single and combined noise sources. In areas exposed to both railway and road traffic, the proportion annoyed by the total traffic sound environment (total annoyance) was significantly higher than in areas with one dominant noise source rail or road traffic with the same total sound exposure (LAeq,24h,tot). This interaction effect was significant from 59 dB and increased gradually with higher sound levels. Effects of the total sound exposure should be considered in risk assessments and in noise mitigation activities.
New Quasi-Static Models for the Computer-Aided Design of Suspended and Inverted Microstrip Lines (Short Paper)

New quasi-static models for the computer-aided design (CAD) and analysis of open suspended and inverted microstrip lines are reported. The models are obtained through generalizing those reported earlier and are applicable up to epsilon/sub r/= 20, thereby covering all the practically used substrate materials for these structures. The models also cover a larger range of dimension ratios and are accurate to within 0.6 percent for analysis and within 1 percent for synthesis.
Seismic performance of concrete frame structures reinforced with superelastic shape memory alloys

Superelastic Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are gaining acceptance for use as reinforcing bars in concrete structures. The seismic behaviour of concrete frames reinforced with SMAs is being assessed in this study. Two eight-storey concrete frames, one of which is reinforced with regular steel and the other with SMAs at the plastic hinge regions of beams and regular steel elsewhere, are designed and analyzed using 10 different ground motion records. Both frames are located in the highly seismic region of Western Canada and are designed and detailed according to current seismic design standards. The validation of a finite element (FE) program that was conducted previously at the element level is extended to the structure level in this paper using the results of a shake table test of a three-storey moment resisting steel RC frame. The ten accelerograms that are chosen for analyzing the designed RC frames are scaled based on the spectral ordinate at the fundamental periods of the frames. The behaviour of both frames under scaled seismic excitations is compared in terms of maximum inter- storey drift, top-storey drift, inter-storey residual drift, and residual top-storey drift. The results show that SMA- RC frames are able to recover most of its post-yield deformation, even after a strong earthquake.
Long-term clinicopathological prognosis on 609 cases after gastrectomy: A 10-year follow up single-institutional retrospective analysis

Objective: This retrospective study focused on relevant factors about gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy after 10 years, which showed great significance of prolonging survival time of gastric cancer patients. Methods: 609 gastric cancer patients after surgery were recruited from January, 2005 to December, 2007. They were perfectly followed and their clinicopathological data were collected. Univariate analysis was performed using Log-rank test in order to compare survival rates between or among groups. The outcomes with statistical significance (P<0.05) were screened out. Cox regression model was employed for survival multivariate analysis. Forward stepwise LR analysis was used to screen the factors influencing survival qualities of relevant patients after surgery. Results: Univariate analysis indicated that prognosis was correlated with age, pT stage, pN stage, pM stage, tumor size, location, type of gastrectomy, degree of differentiation, vascular invasion, nerve invasion, radical treatment, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, pTNM stage and BMI (P＜0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that pT stage, pN stage, pM stage, degree of differentiation, vascular invasion, nerve invasion, radical treatment, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, pTNM stage were independent prognostic factors of GC patients (P＜0.05). Conclusions: The 10-year survival rates of gastric cancer patients are primarily determined by tumor progression. Appropriate treatment can improve prognosis of patients. Early diagnosis of gastric cancer and prompt implementation of radical surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy are essential for increasing survival rates. This study provides a promising direction for future basic researches.
ROLE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN STEM EDUCATION: THOUGHTS ON IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND FUTURE RESEARCH

As a concluding essay, the authors examine the common threads of this special issue as they pertain to future research, practice, and policy decisions about the role of community colleges in STEM educa-tion. Specifically, the authors discuss the ways in which current practices were measured and ana-lyzed. As policy makers and stakeholders in education continue to raise expectations for community colleges to play a critical role in STEM education, the authors provide innovative research approaches and implications for all educational sectors to shape institutional and state policy issues.
Dados biologicos de Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) alimentado com a lagarta do maracujazeiro Dione juno juno (Cramer)

Survival and life cycle of Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) fed Dione juno juno (Cramer) (Lepidoptera: Heliconiidae) larvae were studied at 25 ± 2°C, 65 ± 10% RH and 12 h D:L. Duration of egg stage and of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th stadia was 4.0; 4.0; 4.9; 4.7; 4.8 and 5.8 days, respectively. Survival from 1st instar to adult stage was 67%. The predator took 28 days and the prey 33 days to complete the life cycle.
Adaptability and Flexibility are Key! Benefits of the “Playbook” Interface for Human Supervision of Multiple Unmanned Vehicles

There is increasing empirical evidence supporting the “Playbook” interface as an effective method for controlling multiple unmanned vehicles (UVs). To better understand the benefits provided by a flexible Playbook interface, participants controlled either four or eight robots in a simulated UV mission with different forms of restricted or flexible Playbook interfaces in the Roboflag environment. Level of abstraction (robot behavior) and level of aggregation (unit of robot selection) were manipulated to yield different restricted or flexible interfaces. The results confirmed the benefits provided by a flexible Playbook interface in which operators are empowered to delegate (or not) tasks to automated agents, compared to less flexible interfaces which are susceptible to negative effects due to suboptimal automation or unexpected events.
A comparative analysis of the COVERT job sequencing rule using various shop performance measures

The COVERT job shop dispatching rule was tested extensively twenty years ago with impressive results, however, since then it has been included in only one comparative analysis with other sequencing rules, and, reported instances of its application have been infrequent. In this paper, the COVERT rule is examined in detail relative to its applicability, its sensitivity to various operating parameters and performance measures, and its performance compared to several other sequencing rules including truncated SPT rules, dynamic slack rules and modified duedate rules. The performance of COVERT is examined for a variety of tardiness measures. The examination is conducted within the context of a simulation model of a machine-constrained job shop with serial jobs and random routings. The results indicate that COVERT performs well as a sequencing rule and in most instances was superior to the other sequencing rules tested both directly and across varying degrees of due-date tightness.
Determinants of Attitude towards Information and Communication Technology Usage among Rural Administrators in using Structural Equation Modeling

Problem statement: Village Development and Security Committee members play a vital role in enhancing the village development programs in Malaysia and ICT is deemed as an important mechanism to further boost rural development. But do the rural community in Malaysia especially their leaders have a positive attitude towards it? Hence, this study is designed to identify the constructs that significantly influence the attitude of Village Development and Security Committee members in using ICT. Approach: This is a quantitative study where a total of 240 respondents have been selected based on the stratified random sampling done. AMOS and SPSS were used to gain the required analyses. Results: The structural equation modelling showed that there were three constructs that significantly predict the attitude and these constructs were perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and job relevance. Conclusion/Recommendation: It is recommended that more technology investment in the form of providing ICT facilities and trainings should be made by the government to encourage the development of a positive attitude among VDSC members. The findings of this study would be useful for policy makers to further boost the usage of ICT in rural areas.
Geometric dynamics of nonlinear circuits and jump effects

Purpose – This paper seeks to give an outline about the geometric concept of electronic circuits, where the jump behavior of nonlinear circuits is emphasized.Design/methodology/approach – A sketch of circuit theory in a differential geometric setting is given.Findings – It is shown that the structure of circuit theory can be given in a much better way than by means of a description of circuits using concrete coordinates. Furthermore, the formulation of a concrete jump condition is given.Originality/value – In this paper, an outline is given about the state of the art of nonlinear circuits from a differential geometric point of view. Moreover, differential geometric methods were applied to two example circuits (flip flop and multivibrator) and numerical results were achieved.
Reasons That Drive Women into Polygynous Unions in Ugenya Sub-County, Kenya

Polygyny is a popular form of marriage practiced in the rural Nyanza region of Kenya despite changes in culture, traditions, availability of critical resources such as land, the cost of living, education, and level of women’s empowerment. The objective of this study was to establish the forces that drive women to join such unions. The study was guided by the Systems Theory. The descriptive research design was employed where a sample of 60 participants was drawn from polygynous women using the snowball sampling technique. Data was collected using interview schedules and analyzed using both descriptive statistics and the thematic content analysis technique. Findings reveal that most of women in polygynous unions in Ugenya Sub-County were married as first wives and were not aware that their husband had intention to marry other wives in the future. Others were compelled by cultural factors such as wife inheritance and societal pressure to get married to polygynous men. The study recommends a review of the Marriage Act to make it mandatory for men to involve current wives in decision to marry another wife. Interventions aimed at eliminating negative cultural practices such as wife inheritance are also necessary.
The Generalized Newtonian Fluid Model and Elastohydrodynamic Film Thickness

The nature of real shear-thinning in elastohydrodynamic contacts is well-known from both experimental measurement and nonequilibrium molecular dynamics to follow a power-law. Shear-thinning will affect the film thickness when the Newtonian limit is low enough to occur in the inlet zone (less than about I MPa shear stress). Then kinetic theory tells us that film thinning should occur for molecular weight greater than 2000 kg/kmol. We present a review of generalized Newtonian models, flow curves for real lubricants and comparison of calculated and measured film thickness. The calculations utilize measurable liquid behavior, in contrast to most previous work.
Specific absorption rate and path loss in specific body location in heterogeneous human model

A multi-implant scenario is considered using insulated dipole antennas for specific locations such as the liver, heart, spleen and the kidneys where implants communicate with a pacemaker acting as a central hub. Wireless communication within human body experiences loss in the form of attenuation and absorption, and to identify these losses, the path loss is studied in this paper for an adult and child heterogeneous human model. Link performance is calculated to investigate the applicability of in-body communication. The specific absorption rate for all these locations is also studied to verify compliance with international safety guidelines.
Strengthening academic leadership from above: the ‘Renewal’ of Russian university leaders

ABSTRACT In recent years, university sectors worldwide have undergone intense reforms under the influence of the global ideas of ‘new public management’ and ‘new managerialism’. National policies have widely adopted global scripts with advocacy for strengthening academic leadership as the essential ingredient of successful university transformation. However, how direct is the link between the policy reforms and the changes in the composition of academic leaders? To provide insight into this question, we examined national policy changes in the formal procedure of rector selection from the election to the appointment and the consequences of these changes. We tested the specific hypothesis that the policy reform on the selection procedure has catalysed significant changes in rector leadership towards increasing (1) rector replacement in universities with weak performance, (2) external recruitment, (3) recruitment from the natural and life sciences and diminishing (4) academic credentials. The hypotheses were tested using data on the 136 rector replacements that have occurred in Russian public universities. The data show that, in general, strong support does not emerge from the top-management level to claim that a ‘traditional’ academic career pathway has been reduced in favour of a new type of leader more suited to strong leadership. We concluded that the national policy tends to adopt those elements of global ideas that provide local benefits. The leadership change not only enables the state to symbolically exhibit proper behaviour but also to strengthen control over public universities.
Creativity from constraints in engineering design: lessons learned at Coloplast

This paper investigates the role of constraints in limiting and enhancing creativity in engineering design. Based on a review of literature relating constraints to creativity, the paper presents a longitudinal participatory study from Coloplast A/S, a major international producer of disposable medical equipment. At Coloplast, constraints played a fundamental role and the observations show the important, dual role of constraints in terms of being a limitation and a prerequisite for creativity. Too few or too many constraints had a negative impact on creativity, whereas the formulation, rationale and ownership of formal constraints played a crucial role in defining their influence on creativity – along with the tacit constraints held by the designers. The designers were found to be highly constraint focused, and four main creative strategies for constraint manipulation were observed: blackboxing, removal, introducing and revising. Constraints introduced late in a project contributed to the generation of new solutions to old problems, and existing solutions were creatively adopted to satisfy new constraints. This paper recommends creative constraint-handling strategies, as well as identifying potential directions for future research on the relationship between creativity and constraints.
Dome Strengthening By Encircling Ties: A Monitored Experiment

This study describes a new strategy of conservation of historical monuments based on the combined use of monitoring analysis and empiric reappraisal. Over time, the mechanical behavior of domes—their lack of stability due to the horizontal thrusts generated by their self-weight—has been analyzed by architects and engineers, starting from the observation of damage. This process, which was mathematically demonstrated for the first time by the famous Viviani’s analysis of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, has provided over the centuries a number of enhancements in dome structural conception, thus leading to the final solution, referred to as encircling tie rod intervention. Based on these premises, the experimental case of Santa Maria del Quartiere dome in Parma, Italy, is discussed herein. Indeed, it has been considered a good opportunity to present the method used in its strengthening-intervention assessment, further validated by the monitoring system installed. In this monitored in-scale experiment, the empiric classical solution to the primeval dome’s thrust finds its confirmation and offers further possibilities of recalibration during time, thus indicating structural monitoring that may be described as a possible and desirable “alternative to intervention”, in step with “minimum intervention” and “reversibility” principles.
Effects of Co-Administration of Folic Acid and/or Magnesium on Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress in Streptozotocin- Induced Diabetic Wistar Rat

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global public health problem with increasing prevalence. It is a chronic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia and the late development of vascular and neuropathic complications. This work was designed to study the Effects of Co-administration of Folic Acid and/or Magnesium on Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress in Streptozotocin- Induced Diabetic Wistar Rat. Healthy albino rats weighing between 150g and 200g were used. The rats were randomly allotted into six groups, each containing five albino rats respectively. Five of the groups (II, III IV V and VI) were induced with diabetes by single intraperitoneal (i.p) injection of freshly prepared in 0.1 mol/L citrate buffered solution (pH 4.5) of streptozotocin (Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) at a dose of 60 mg/kg body weight. Control (vehicle) rats were injected with equal volume of 0.1 mol/L citrate buffer. Four days after STZ injection, diabetes induction was confirmed by measuring fasting blood glucose level in a tail vein blood samples using ACCU-CHEK compact plus glucometer (Roche, France). Rats with glucose level of 200 mg/dl or higher were considered as diabetic. After the induction of diabetes the rats were treated using the FA and Mg separately and in combination respectively according to group daily, whereas, the other group (I) was not given any treatment and this served as the normal control, providing a baseline data. The results of the present study indicated significant aberrations in the lipid profile markers associated with carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolisms in STZ induced-Type I diabetic The diabetic groups showed increased levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), reduction in the level of antioxidant defense status, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) to counteract the diabetes associated oxidative damaged was also well evident. These anomalies were all ameliorated to about normal values after four weeks of treatment with FA+Mg. This suggests the synergistic beneficial effects of folic acid and Magnesium against STZ-induced diabetes in Wistar Rats.
Simulation and Performance Evaluation of Finned Tube Gas Cooler for Trans-Critical CO2 Refrigeration System

Carbon dioxide is one of the rediscovered sustainable options, as CFCs and HFCs are now in the list of regulated substances, to be phased out in time bound way. There are however various challenges to the successful use of CO2 as refrigerant. Cost effective and widely acceptable technology is demand of the time. Performance of trans-critical CO2 refrigeration systems is found to be sensitive to the gas cooler design. In the present work a detailed mathematical model is developed for a finned tube air cooled gas cooler and the same is validated using published literature. Subsequently, to achieve the lowest possible approach temperature, the performance of the gas cooler is analyzed for various air velocity and alternate pipe arrangements. The effect of increase in size of gas cooler to its performance is also studied.