Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Abnormal Circulating Maternal miRNA Expression Is Associated with a Low (<4%) Cell-Free DNA Fetal Fraction

The present pilot study investigates whether an abnormal miRNA profile in NIPT plasma samples can explain the finding of a low cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fetal fraction (cfDNAff) in euploid fetuses and non-obese women. Twelve women who underwent neoBona® NIPT with a normal fetal karyotype were studied. Six with a cfDNAff < 4% were matched with a control group with normal levels of cfDNAff > 4%. Samples were processed using the nanostring nCounter® platform with a panel of 800 miRNAs. Four of the maternal miRNAs, miR-579, miR-612, miR-3144 and miR-6721, had a significant abnormal expression in patients. A data filtering analysis showed that miR-579, miR-612, miR-3144 and miR-6721 targeted 169, 1, 48 and 136 placenta-specific genes, respectively. miR-579, miR-3144 and miR-6721 shared placenta-specific targeted genes involved in trophoblast invasion and migration pathways (IGF2R, PTCD2, SATB2, PLAC8). Moreover, the miRNA target genes encoded proteins localized in the placenta and involved in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia, including chorion-specific transcription factor GCMa, PRG2, Lin-28 Homolog B and IGFBP1. In conclusion, aberrant maternal miRNA expression in circulating plasma could be a source of dysregulating trophoblast invasion and migration and could represent a novel cause of a low cfDNAff in the sera of pregnant women at the time of NIPT analysis.
Preparation of Functional Yoghrt Drink Fortified with Moringa olifera Leaves

Fermented dairy products are considered functional foods, because they have many beneficial effects on human health. Yoghurt is a popular fermented product worldwide. Can yoghurt be innovated by adding ingredients that can improve the quality of the diet, Moringa oleifera (moringa). Leaves have high percentage of nutrient and bioactive compounds. These compounds are proteins, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, vitamins, beta carotene and other bioactive compounds which are essential for preventer anticancer, antiulcer, antimicrobial, antioxidant and some of therapeutic properties. Various studies have concluded that moringa can be used in food products as a functional ingredient. Different ratios of Moringa oleifera leaves powder extract with ethanol 80 % or water (1, 3 and 5%) were used in preparation of drinking yoghurt and coded respectively as MAE1, MAE2 and MAE3 for alcohol extract and MWE1, MWE2 and MWE3 for water extract. Result showed that MAE2, MAE3 and MWE1 They were the best choice for all sensory attributes and received the highest mean ranking and had the greatest performance for general acceptability in contrast with other treatments. Addition of moringa leaves extract can increase the nutritional and therapeutic properties of the prepared drinking yoghrt. Control has lower total lactic acid bacteria but can increase in addition 5% moringa leaves alcohol extract (MAE3).
Constructing Regional Advantage and Smart Specialisation: Comparison of Two European Policy Concepts

This paper discusses two influential policy concepts at the European level that aim to promote economic diversification of regions, that is the Constructing Regional Advantage concept (CRA) and the Smart Specialisation concept (SS). Both policy frameworks identify and prioritise ‘promising’ targets for policy intervention, but they do so differently. The SS concept organizes this identification process through entrepreneurial discovery in which entrepreneurs select the domains of future specialisation. The CRA concept focuses on identifying related variety and bottlenecks that prevent related industries in regions to connect and interact. The paper argues that the two policy concepts can provide useful inputs to develop a smart and comprehensive policy design that focuses on true economic renewal in regions.
CHAPTER 10 SECURITY RISK MANAGEMENT IN HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS: COMMUNITY-BASED AND SYSTEMS-BASED APPROACHES

In recent years, there has been a growing dialogue around community-based and systems-based approaches to security risk management through the introduction of top-down and bottom-up knowledge acquisition. In essence, this relates to knowledge elicited from academic experts, or security subject-matter experts, practitioner experts, or field workers themselves and how much these disparate sources of knowledge may converge or diverge. In many ways, this represents a classic tension between organisational and procedural perspectives of knowledge management (i.e. top-down) versus more pragmatic and experience focussed perspectives (i.e. bottom-up). This chapter considers these approaches and argues that a more consistent approach needs to address the conflict between procedures and experience, help convert field experience into knowledge, and ultimately provide effective training that is relevant to those heading out into demanding work situations. Ultimately, ethics and method are intricately bound together in whichever approach is taken and the security of both staff and at-risk populations depends upon correctly managing the balance between systems and communities.
Critical Purviews Where Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can Promote Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Information and communication technology (ICT) has become the buzz word in academia, government, business, economy and many other social purviews of human society, especially in the areas of sustainable development. From a mere acronym, ICT has over the last decade metamorphosed into the driving force behind many monumental changes and innovative development in the world. The author reviewed e-journal articles, chapters from e-books and other relevant literature that critically examined ICT and its wider applications in the realms of making life better for the majority of the people, particularly the indigent and information havenots. The paper critically discusses and analyses some of the key areas where a successful application of ICT can effectively engender the much needed sustainable development in society, focusing on Nigeria. Moreover, the paper outlines, inter-alia, agriculture, culture, economy, education, governance and tourism as paramount realms in which the proper application of ICT can help in the management of natural, human and capital resources for effective utilisation by the present generation without jeopardising the ability of future generations to benefit from them. The paper concludes that for ICT to serve as a catalyst for sustainable development, the following facts should be taken into consideration and adjustments made to accommodate them: ICT is a long-range investment (outcomes may be delayed); and, for natural resources to be sustainably harnessed, human resources ought to be adequately mobilised to appropriately manipulate the capital resources for better results.
Measuring the impact of daily workload upon plant operator production performance using Artificial Neural Networks

Previous research has identified that six factors (each of which comprises numerous variables) impact upon plant operator productivity. These factors are: daily workload, motivation, management, maintenance, education and training, and stress and fatigue. In order to explore and better understand the complex interrelationships that exist between these factors, an iterative empirical examination of each (in turn) was undertaken. This article reports on analysis of the first of these factors (daily workload), which comprises 51 variables identified from earlier pilot studies. A field study practical experiment and follow-on questionnaire were used as the data capture mechanisms. The experiment produced productivity time data, while the questionnaire yielded a mixture of interval (Likert scale) and Boolean data. The standard deviation technique was utilized to define and delineate the boundaries of the dependent variable (excavation time) into good, average and poor categories of plant operator production performance. A generalized feed-forward artificial neural network model was then created to simulate plant operators' productivity. Cumulatively, outputs derived from mean squared error, confusion matrix and correlation coefficients highlighted that the developed model is reasonably accurate, although further improvement to classification performance could be made. Finally, sensitivity analysis revealed the impact that each independent variable had upon predicting the dependent variable while also identifying which were non-significant in terms of being predictors. The latter exercise confirmed that 19 of the original 51 variables could satisfactorily categorize operator production performance.
Heat exchanger design targets for minimum area and cost

A methodology is proposed to determine the feasible region for shell and tube heat exchanger designs on a pressure drop diagram. By accounting for operating as well as geometrical constraints, the feasible region is de®ned so as to eliminate trial-and-error during the design activity. Every point on this plot of shellside versus tubeside pressure drop corresponds to a unique design in terms of tube length, shell diameter and baffle spacing. Furthermore, curves may be plotted for designs corresponding to a specified heat exchange area or a given total annual cost. Such curves permit screening of various design options prior to detailed rating of the exchangers, and allow heat exchanger design targets to be established for minimum area or cost. The area target ensures an exchanger of the smallest size with minimum capital cost, whereas the cost target yields the optimum pressure drops accounting for the tradeoff between power consumption and heat exchanger area. The methodology is equation-based and can be conveniently implemented on a computer.
Study on the Utilization of National and EU Funds in Financing Capital Investments of ICT Companies

The EU programmes and national funds, among others, are supporting regions and companies to reach their economic potential, create innovative products, services and increase employment, thus contributing to the economic and developmental goals of their country and the EU as a whole. Nevertheless, the authors found out that during the last five years the Croatian ICT companies insufficiently used these funds in the implementation of their capital investments. With the aim of identifying the reasons for the low utilization of national and EU funds, the authors conducted a survey among Croatian ICT professionals which showed that those respondents who think that ICT companies are reluctant to use grants from EU and national programmes also think that the application process takes too much valuable time. Therefore, the complexity and the time necessary for the application, development and evaluation could be a reason for low utilization. This finding is considered a valuable signal for policy-makers to conduct changes on administrative levels for the following funding period, with the aim of increasing the utilization of available grants in ICT sector investments.
Study on resonant fly-back converter for DC distribution system

This paper describes a resonant fly-back converter with thyristor switches, which can be used for the DC distribution with a PWM voltage-source inverter. The proposed converter operates to change high-voltage DC into low-voltage DC with isolation and large converting ratio. The converter has a main thyristor switch and an LC resonant circuit with an auxiliary thyristor switch for commutation in the primary side of the gap transformer. The operation of the proposed converter was verified through computer simulations with EMTP and experiments with a hardware scaled-model. The proposed converter could be implemented with commercially available components and proven technologies for supplying electricity to the rural or remote customer.
Risk Stratification, Measurable Residual Disease, and Outcomes of AML Patients with a Trisomy 8 Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Simple Summary Trisomy 8 is the most common numerical chromosome aberration in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Although this AML type is often consolidated applying allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (HSCT), detailed analyses of outcomes after HSCT are lacking. The purpose of this manuscript is to analyze biological and clinical features of patients with this cytogenetic aberration in the context of significant risk factors, including the ELN2017 risk stratification and measurable residual disease markers at HSCT. Our data provides evidence on the clinical disease courses and may aid in informed decisions on treatment and outcome prediction of trisomy 8 AML patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT. Abstract Background: For most patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) harboring a trisomy 8 an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a suitable and recommended consolidation therapy. However, comparative outcome analyses between patients with and without trisomy 8 undergoing allogeneic HSCT have not been performed so far. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical features, outcomes, and measurable residual disease (MRD) of 659 AML (12%, n = 81, with a trisomy 8) patients subjected to allogeneic HSCT as a consolidation therapy. Results: The presence of a trisomy 8 associated with a trend for higher age at diagnosis, AML of secondary origin, lower white blood cell counts at diagnosis, worse ELN2017 genetic risk, wild-type NPM1, and mutated IDH1/2 and JAK2. Outcomes after allogeneic HSCT in the entire cohort did not differ between patients with a sole trisomy 8, trisomy 8 with additional cytogenetic aberrations or without a trisomy 8. A trisomy 8 did not affect outcomes within the three ELN2017 risk groups. In accordance with findings in unselected patient cohorts, persistent MRD at allogeneic HSCT in patients with a trisomy 8 identified individuals with a higher risk of relapse following allogeneic HSCT. Conclusions: Outcomes of trisomy 8 patients after allogeneic HSCT did not compare unfavorably to that of other AML patients following allogeneic HSCT. Rather than the presence or absence of a trisomy 8, additional genetic aberrations and MRD at HSCT define outcome differences and aid in informed treatment decisions.
Disperse-and-Mix: Oil as an ‘Entrance Door’ of Carbon-Based Fillers to Rubber Composites

Oil was employed as an ‘entrance door’ for loading rubber with carbon-based fillers of different size and dimensionalities: 1D carbon nanotubes (CNTs), 2D graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), and 3D graphite. This approach was explored, as a proof of concept, in the preparation of tire tread, where oil is commonly used to reduce the viscosity of the composite mixture. Rubber was loaded with carbon black (CB, always used) and one or more of the above fillers to enhance the thermal and mechanical properties of the composite. The CNT-loaded system showed the best enhancement in mechanical properties, followed by the CNT-GNP one. Rubber loaded with both graphite and GNP showed the best enhancement in thermal conductivity (58%). The overall enhancements in both mechanical and thermal properties of the various systems were analyzed through an overall relative efficiency index in which the total filler concentration in the system is also included. According to this index, the CNT-loaded system is the most efficient one. The oil as an ‘entrance door’ is an easy and effective novel approach for loading fillers that are in the nanoscale and provide high enhancement of properties at low filler concentrations.
Bid mark‐up selection using artificial neural networks and an entropy metric

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to perform bid mark‐up optimisation through the use of artificial neural networks (ANN) and a metric of the selected bid mark‐up's derived entropy. The scope is to provide an alternative, entropy‐based method for bid mark‐up optimisation that improves on the analytical models of Friedman and Gates.Design/methodology/approach – The proposed method enables the incorporation of bid parameters through the use of ANN's pattern recognition capabilities and the integration of these parameters with a mark‐up selection process that relies on the entropy produced by possible mark‐up values. The entropy metric used is the product of the probability of winning over the bidder's competitors multiplied by the natural logarithm of the inverse of this probability.Findings – The case study results show that the proposed entropy‐based bidding model compares favourably with the prevailing competitive bidding models of Friedman and Gates, resulting in higher optimisation with regards to .
The Experimental Study on Consolidation of Acrylic Non-Aqueous Dispersion for Wet-Area Earthen Ruins in Southwest China

It is a worldwide difficulty to preserve earth monument in wet area. To solve this problem, professor Zhou Shuanglin, an expert of earth monument preserving with College of Archaeology and Museum, Peking University, developed a consolidation agent named acrylic non-aqueous dispersion. But the study on this consolidation agent is still in its initial stage at present for most of its experimental researches are limited to northwest china and no research reports aimed at wet area in southwest China were found so far. To check out the efficiency of this consolidation agent in wet area, southwest China, a consolidating experiment was conducted by applying this consolidation agent to soil samples from kiln Qionglai earthen monuments located in outskirt of Chengdu city, the capital of Sichuan province. In this experiment, the changes of weight, permeating speed and short-term water resistance of specimens after consolidating were investigated and compared with those for northwest area. The study shows that acrylic non-aqueous dispersion consolidation agent developed by professor Zhou Shuanglin is also effective to a certain degree for the earth monument in wet area, southwest China.
Quantifying Key Errors in Household Travel Surveys

Identifying and minimizing potential errors in household travel surveys can facilitate collecting more representative and accurate data. Through a comparison of two recent travel surveys with census data, this paper presents how sampling, noncoverage, nonresponse, and measurement errors work their way into surveys. The 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) Add-On in Virginia was implemented with a comprehensive survey instrument and random-digit-dial (RDD) sampling. The 2008 National Capital Region Household Travel Survey collected behavioral data with a concise instrument, while adopting address-based sampling (ADD). Focusing on a common area of Northern Virginia, this study examined differences in sociodemographics and travel behavior of the extracted samples (N = 597 and N = 3,581, respectively). Results show that the ADD survey collected data on more single-person households, younger individuals, and Hispanics and Mexicans, which are generally identified as hard-to-reach groups. A comparison of the two samples with the census data shows that the ADD sample was more representative of the population and area, partly because of the inclusion of mobile phone-only households (28%), which were not fully covered in RDD. To quantify a measurement error, this study estimated rigorous statistical models in regard to reported trip frequency. Results show that the NHTS captured 10% more trips, partly as a result of diary instructions and the presence of walking and biking questions in the instrument. Details of other errors and implications for reducing key survey errors are discussed.
Numerical flow simulation and efficiency prediction for axial turbines by advanced turbulence models

Numerical prediction of an efficiency of a 6-blade Kaplan turbine is presented. At first, the results of steady state analysis performed by different turbulence models for different operating regimes are compared to the measurements. For small and optimal angles of runner blades the efficiency was quite accurately predicted, but for maximal blade angle the discrepancy between calculated and measured values was quite large. By transient analysis, especially when the Scale Adaptive Simulation Shear Stress Transport (SAS SST) model with zonal Large Eddy Simulation (ZLES) in the draft tube was used, the efficiency was significantly improved. The improvement was at all operating points, but it was the largest for maximal discharge. The reason was better flow simulation in the draft tube. Details about turbulent structure in the draft tube obtained by SST, SAS SST and SAS SST with ZLES are illustrated in order to explain the reasons for differences in flow energy losses obtained by different turbulence models.
CLINICAL STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCY ON THE HEALTH STATUS OF THE SHEEP IN NEW VALLEY GOVERNORATE

Sheep production is being encouraged in Egypt as a mean of improving the daily dietary protein intake for humans. Nutritional disorders are considered one of the serious distresses that influence the animal production. The current study aimed to investigate mineral deficiency in sheep and its effect on health status at different New Valley governorate cities. Clinical examination of the sheep was performed. Blood, water and soil samples were collected from different localities. Hematological parameters, serum total protein, albumin, globulin concentrations, kidney function tests and the activity of liver enzymes were estimated. Moreover, the values of some elements in soil and water were determined. Clinical examination showed various symptoms as weight reduction, lameness and eye and skin lesions. The biochemical results exhibited significant reduction of hemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular Hb, red blood cell count, hematocrit, lymphocytes, neutrophils, median cells and mean corpuscular Hb concentration. On the same hand, serum calcium, phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) levels were reduced. Albumin concentration and albumin/globulin ratio were also diminished. There was also significant reduction of serum liver enzymes activity in Paris village. Analyzing of soil reveled decline in concentration of Mg in all studied areas and Cu and Zn in Paris only. However, high values of P and Fe in all localities. Water samples analysis showed low concentrations of Cu, Zn and manganese level. The present study confirmed that mineral deficiencies have great negative impacts on the healthy status of sheep in New Valley governorate.
OPTIMALISASI KEBUTUHAN MURID DAN HASIL BELAJAR DENGAN PEMBELAJARAN BERDIFERENSIASI

Abstrak: Pembelajaran berdiferensiasi merupakan usaha untuk menyesuaikan proses pembelajaran di kelas untuk memenuhi kebutuhan belajar individu setiap murid. Pembelajaran berdiferensiasi merupakan penyesuaian terhadap minat, profil belajar, kesiapan murid agar tercapai peningkatan hasil belajar.Melalui kegiatan pembelajaran berdiferensiasi, semua kebutuhan mereka terakomodir sesuai minat atau profil belajar yang mereka miliki.Pada kelas yang menerapkan pembelajaran diferensiasi, guru harus berpikir bahwa murid-murid memiliki kebutuhan belajar yang beragam dan berbeda satu dengan yang lainnya. Terdapat empat (4) komponen pembelajaran berdiferensiasi, yaitu: isi, proses, produk, dan lingkungan belajar. Pembelajaran berdiferensiasi mampu membantu murid mencapai hasil belajar optimal, karena produk yang akan mereka hasilkan sesuai minat mereka. Proses pembelajaran berdiferensiasi harus memberikan ruang yang luas kepada murid untuk mendemostrasikan apa-apa yang telah mereka pelajari. Produk yang dihasilkan oleh murid dapat disajikan dalam sebuah artikel, lagu, puisi, infografis, poster, video performance, video animasi atau bentuk lain sesuai keterampilan dan minat kelompok masing-masing.