Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Association between Blood Phenotypes A, B and AB and Feline Coronavirus Infection in Cats

Cats are susceptible to feline coronavirus (FCoV), a highly contagious virus with fecal–oral transmission. In people, susceptibility to coronavirus infection, such as SARS-CoV infection, has been associated with the ABO blood group, with individuals with blood group O having significantly lower risk of SARS-CoV infection. This study evaluated a possible association between feline blood group phenotypes A, B and AB and serostatus for antibodies against FCoV. We also investigated risk or protective factors associated with seropositivity for FCoV in the investigated population. Feline populations were surveyed for AB group system blood types and for presence of antibodies against FCoV. Blood phenotype, origin, breed, gender, reproductive status and age of cats were evaluated as protective or risk factors for coronavirus infection. No blood type was associated with FCoV seropositivity, for which being a colony stray cat (p = 0.0002, OR = 0.2, 95% CI: 0.14–0.54) or a domestic shorthair cat (p = 0.0075, OR = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.09–0.69) were protective factors. Based on results of this study, feline blood phenotypes A, B or AB do not seem to predispose cats to seropositivity for FCoV. Future studies on other feline blood types and other infections could clarify whether feline blood types could play a role in predisposing to, or protecting against, feline infections.
Olive Cake in Livestock Nutrition

Depending on species and the utilized production system, feed represents the biggest variable cost to livestock producers. For example, feed cost represents 40-50% of the production cost of intensively managed cows and up to 60-70% of the cost of extensively managed sheep and goats. In either case, its proportion is substantial to the profitability of any animal operation. Livestock producers in Jordan face great hardships and challenges related to the environmental impact, animal health, market variability, and, most importantly, feed prices due to the limited feed production stemming from low rainfall. Most of the main feed ingredients in Jordan’s livestock sector are imported making them quite expensive. This review discusses the use of alternative feed ingredients (namely olive cake (OC)) in animal nutrition as a means of reducing the cost of feeding and improving returns to producers. Olive oil is one of the healthiest oils available and represents an important part of the Mediterranean diet. The increased demand for olive oil and olive fruits accelerated the increase in planting olive trees to meet these needs. This, in turn, has led to a significant increase in olive residues, such as olive cake (OC). These residues (byproducts) can be a source of pollution if not disposed of properly. The main objective of this review is to focus on the importance of OC in animal nutrition and its impact on the economics of livestock production. Most of the studies we dealt with in this review have shown that incorporating OC (in small substitutions) into the rations of livestock has no adverse effects on animal health and productivity. Thus, utilizing low-cost, agro-industrial by-products, such as OC, can be beneficial from environmental and economic points of view.
Design study of Coanda devices for transonic circulation control

ABSTRACT Circulation control via blowing over Coanda surfaces at transonic freestream Mach numbers is investigated using numerical simulations. The performance and sensitivity of several circulation control devices applied to a supercritical aerofoil are assessed. Different Coanda devices were studied to assess the effect of Coanda radius-to-slot height ratio, nozzle shape and Coanda surfaces with a step. The range of operating conditions for which a supersonic Coanda jet remained attached at transonic freestream conditions were extended by increasing the radius of curvature at the slot exit for Coanda devices with a converging nozzle. Additional improvements were found by reducing the strength of shock boundary-layer interactions on the Coanda surface by expanding the jet flow using a converging-diverging nozzle and also by introducing a step between the Coanda surface and the nozzle exit. The performance when using a converging-diverging nozzle can be matched using a simple stepped Coanda device. It is shown that circulation control has the potential to match the performance of traditional control surfaces during regimes of attached flow at transonic speeds, up to an equivalent aileron deflection angle of 10°. In addition, lift augmentation ratios ΔC l /C μ of over 100 were achieved.
Flood Models: An Exploratory Analysis and Research Trends

Floods can be caused by heavy rainfall and the consequent overflow of rivers, causing low-lying areas to be affected. Populated regions close to riverbeds are the sectors most affected by these disasters, which requires modelling studies to generate different scenarios. The work focuses on the bibliometric analysis of the search for topics such as flood modelling focused on the research, risk, and assessment of these catastrophes, aiming to determine new trends and tools for their application in the prevention of these natural disasters. The methodology consists of: (i) search criteria and database selection, (ii) pre-processing of the selected data and software, and (iii) analysis and interpretation of the results. The results show a wide range of studies for dimensional analysis in different flood scenarios, which greatly benefit the development of flood prevention and risk strategies. In addition, this work provides insight into the different types of software and modelling for flood analysis and simulation and the various trends and applications for future modelling.
Rational Design of Well Screens

Design of well screens has been based on empirical considerations. Equations describing the hydraulics of flow of water into well screens from the aquifer are developed which take into account the characteristics of the screens and the aquifer. The validity of the theoretical equations has been verified experimentally. Velocity of water through the slots has been shown to vary from bottom to top of a screen in confined wells, the variation being more pronounced in the case of more pervious aquifers. Rational design criteria are put forward and easy-to-use curves for determination of well-screen losses are developed.
The Moderating Role of Innovation on Institutional Components and Life Insurance Penetration: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

A well-functioning insurance market benefits the economy by promoting efficient capital allocation, liquidity, savings, and risk reduction. However, in most Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, risk protection uptake is sketchy compared to other regions. For instance, data shows that insurance penetration in Africa stood at 2.78% in 2019, lower than the global average of 7.23%. Hence, this study aims to determine the moderating effect of innovation on institutional components and life insurance penetration in 35 SSA nations between 2009 and 2020. The study employs data from the Financial Development and Structure Database (FDSD), Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI), and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for life insurance penetration, the institutional components, and the global innovation index. The study uses the panel corrected standard errors (PCSEs) estimation technique. The study establishes that innovation promotes life insurance penetration by enhancing voice and accountability, the rule of law, and government efficacy mechanisms. The study concludes that innovation is an essential catalyst for performance efficiency through which weak institutional factors can be improved to stimulate insurance uptake. This study adds to the scant body of knowledge on insurance advancement in Africa by examining the previously underexplored function of innovation via the pathway of institutional components. The findings may assist policymakers, managers, and other stakeholders in coordinating innovation plans with institutional mechanisms to boost insurance coverage in the SSA region.
Vitamin D and the Kidney: Two Players, One Console

Vitamin D belongs to the group of liposoluble steroids mainly involved in bone metabolism by modulating calcium and phosphorus absorption or reabsorption at various levels, as well as parathyroid hormone production. Recent evidence has shown the extra-bone effects of vitamin D, including glucose homeostasis, cardiovascular protection, and anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative effects. This narrative review provides an overall view of vitamin D’s role in different settings, with a special focus on chronic kidney disease and kidney transplant.
Use of Chitosan as Copper Binder in the Continuous Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 to Ethylene in Alkaline Medium

This work explores the potential of novel renewable materials in electrode fabrication for the electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to ethylene in alkaline media. In this regard, the use of the renewable chitosan (CS) biopolymer as ion-exchange binder of the copper (Cu) electrocatalyst nanoparticles (NPs) is compared with commercial anion-exchange binders Sustainion and Fumion on the fabrication of gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2R) in an alkaline medium. They were tested in membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs), where selectivity to ethylene (C2H4) increased when using the Cu:CS GDE compared to the Cu:Sustainion and Cu:Fumion GDEs, respectively, with a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 93.7% at 10 mA cm−2 and a cell potential of −1.9 V, with a C2H4 production rate of 420 µmol m−2 s−1 for the Cu:CS GDE. Upon increasing current density to 90 mA cm−2, however, the production rate of the Cu:CS GDE rose to 509 µmol/m2s but the FE dropped to 69% due to increasing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) competition. The control of mass transport limitations by tuning up the membrane overlayer properties in membrane coated electrodes (MCE) prepared by coating a CS-based membrane over the Cu:CS GDE enhanced its selectivity to C2H4 to a FE of 98% at 10 mA cm−2 with negligible competing HER. The concentration of carbon monoxide was below the experimental detection limit irrespective of the current density, with no CO2 crossover to the anodic compartment. This study suggests there may be potential in sustainable alernatives to fossil-based or perfluorinated materials in ion-exchange membrane and electrode fabrication, which constitute a step forward towards decarbonization in the circular economy perspective.
SECRECY SUSTAINABLE TRANSMISSION DESIGN IN ENERGY HARVESTING ENABLE RELAY NETWORKS

In this paper, we investigate the secrecy design in a sustainable relay network, where the relay is energy harvesting enabled and utilizes time switching to harvest wireless power. Specifically, assuming half-duplex amplify-and-forward relaying, we investigate the worst-case secrecy rate maximization by jointly designing the relay beamforming matrix, artificial noise covariance, and the time switching ratio. However, the formulated problem is highly non-convex due to the secrecy rate function and the dynamic relay transmit power constraint. By decoupling the original problem, we propose a two-layer optimization algorithm, where the outer problem is solved by two-dimensional search while the inner problem is solved by semi-definite relaxation. Numerical results show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
A Review of Reactive and Non-reactive Agility Tests Concerning Neurologic Aspects

: Agility is an essential component of sport performance, especially in ball sports. It is also a significant indicator of sport skills under competitive conditions. Agility is one of the most critical factors in the sport performance of soccer players. Agility and coordination of the nervous-muscular system to produce maximum force, as an important factor of function and physical fitness, which is considered along with perception and decision making in unpredictable situations. Assessment tests for assessing agility are divided into two general areas called non-reactive agility as well as reactive agility test. Although non-reactive agility tests are superior to reactive agility tests in terms of reliability, reactive agility tests are more similar to the movement and skill pattern in soccer and can distinguish players from each other well. In reactive agility tests, the movement path of the experimenter is not predictable and not all changes in path are predetermined and exactly the movement pattern in the soccer game where the movement path of the player is not predictable and the movement path of the ball as well as the prevailing conditions in the game that determine and change of direction player at any moment. The results showed that non-reactive agility had a higher relative validity and reliability than reactive agility. This small difference was acknowledged by researchers related to the reactivity and complexity of reactive agility tests. finally a review of the above studies and findings confirms that the use of reactive agility tests is necessary to evaluate athletes
Mycotoxins in Cattle Feed and Feed Ingredients in Brazil: A Five-Year Survey

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by a variety of fungi, which when ingested can cause several deleterious effects to the health of humans and animals. In this work, the detection and quantification of six major mycotoxins (aflatoxins—AFLA, deoxynivalenol—DON, fumonisins—FUMO, ochratoxin A—OTA, T-2 toxin—T-2 and zearalenone—ZON) in 1749 samples of feed and feed ingredients for cattle, collected in Brazil between 2017 and 2021, was carried out using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In total, 97% of samples were contaminated with at least one mycotoxin, yet, very few samples exceeded the lowest European Union guidance values for cattle, and the estimated daily intake also showed a low risk for the animals. However, co-occurrences were widely observed, as 87% of samples contained two or more mycotoxins at the same time, and the presence of more than one mycotoxin at the same time in feed can lead to interactions. In conclusion, the contamination of feed and feed ingredients for cattle with mycotoxins in Brazil is very common. Hence, the monitoring of these mycotoxins is of significant importance for food safety.
Low Xanthophylls, Retinol, Lycopene, and Tocopherols in Grey and White Matter of Brains with Alzheimer’s Disease

Background: Oxidative stress contributes to pathogenesis and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Higher levels of the dietary antioxidants— carotenoids and tocopherols— are associated with better cognitive functions and lower risk for AD, and lower levels of multiple carotenoids are found in serum and plasma of patients with AD. Although brains donated by individuals with mild cognitive impairment had significantly lower levels of lutein and beta-carotene, previous investigators found no significant difference in carotenoid levels of brains with AD and cognitively normal brains. Objective: This study tested the hypothesis that micronutrients are significantly lower in donor brains with AD than in healthy elderly brains. Methods: Samples of donor brains with confirmed AD or verified health were dissected into grey and white matter, extracted with organic solvents and analyzed by HPLC. Results: AD brains had significantly lower levels of lutein, zeaxanthin, anhydrolutein, retinol, lycopene, and alpha-tocopherol, and significantly increased levels of XMiAD, an unidentified xanthophyll metabolite. No meso-zeaxanthin was detected. The overlapping protective roles of xanthophylls, carotenes, α- and γ-tocopherol are discussed. Conclusion: Brains with AD had substantially lower concentrations of some, but not all, xanthophylls, carotenes, and tocopherols, and several-fold higher concentrations of an unidentified xanthophyll metabolite increased in AD (XMiAD).
Analysis of Lower Limb Joint Kinetics With Increasing Running Speed

Purpose: Due to the paucity of information regarding the lower limb biomechanics in running at slow speed, as well as the concentration of most previous studies on a single movement plane, this study aimed to investigate lower limb joint kinetics with increasing running speed. Methods: Twenty-eight runners were asked to stay on the treadmill at a bent velocity which was incrementally increased to 2.5 m/s, 3.5 m/s, and 4.5 m/s speeds. The three-dimensional joint moment and sagittal mechanical muscle power of the lower limb were calculated during the stance phase of running. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni post hoc test was used to examine the variables during running at various speeds. Results: The results showed that at the hip joint in the frontal plane, an adduction moment developed in the middle of the stance phase, and the highest peak adduction moment was obvious at the highest speed condition (4.5 m/s). Also, the time elapsed to peak in the highest speed condition was less than the others. In the transverse plane, although the 3.5 m/s-speed condition experienced the maximum external rotation peak moment, the 4.5 m/s-condition speed reached the internal status earlier than the two other speeds. In the sagittal plane, the highest speed condition showed the highest extension and flexion moments. Conclusion: Increasing running speed in runners leads to more kinetic output and mechanical power gradient.
Online Service Quality of State Organizations: A Study of Online Services of Ghana Revenue Authority

Abstract The study examines the impact of e-government service quality (e-gov SQ) on user satisfaction (US) and perceived public value (PV). Structural equation modeling was employed to investigate the relationships between e-gov SQ, US, and PV. Five dimensions of e-gov SQ, namely efficiency, ease of completion, system availability, contact, and convenience were found to be significant and positive drivers of US. Again, the impact of five e-gov SQ dimensions namely efficiency, system availability, privacy and security, contact, and trust on PV were found to be significant. In addition, the study found that US mediates the relationship between all seven e-gov SQ dimensions and PV. For policy purposes, we recommend that state enterprises should invest more in improving e-gov SQ to drive US and PV and ultimately enhance the performance of state institutions. The findings reinforce the literature on the positive influence of e-gov SQ on US and PV.
In Vivo Degradation Studies of PGA-PLA Block Copolymer and Their Histochemical Analysis for Spinal-Fixing Application

Polylactic acid (PLA) and polyglycolic acid (PGA) are well-known medical-implant materials. Under the consideration of the limitations of degradable polymeric materials, such as weak mechanical strength and by-product release through the biodegradation process under in vivo environments, PLA–PGA block copolymer is one of the effective alternative implant materials in the clinical field. In our previous study, two types of extremely effective PGA–PLA copolymers (multi/tri-block PGA–PLA copolymers) were synthesized. These synthesized block copolymers could overcome aforementioned issues and also showed good biocompatibility. In this study, the PGA–PLA block copolymers with large molecular weight were synthesized under the same chemical scheme, and their bio durability was confirmed through the in vivo degradation behavior and histochemical analyses (by hematoxylin and eosin and immune staining) in comparison with commercial PLGA random copolymer (medical grade). Specimens for the degradation test were investigated by SEM and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). As a result, the synthesized PGA–PLA block copolymer showed good biocompatibility and had a controlled biodegrading rate, making it suitable for use in resorbable spinal-fixation materials.
The Atiyah-Jones conjecture for ruled surfaces.

is minimal precisely when the curvature FA is (anti-)self dual, i.e. FA = (— )*F A , in which case A is called an (anti-)instanton. The moduli space is then the space of gauge equivalence classes of such A*s. We will be interested in a slightly larger moduli space obtained by adding in an S (7(2) framing / at a fixed point of X. Our moduli space MO is then the set of gauge equivalence classes of pairs (A, t). This space is embedded naturally into the space RO of gauge equivalence classes (A, t)9 where A is now any connection.
Towards high fidelity entanglement with dressed state qubits

This thesis describes the development of an entanglement experiment for ytterbium ions making use of a new entanglement method utilizing microwaves and a static magnetic field gradient. This thesis will begin by modelling the populations of the main levels in ytterbium using rate equations to find the optimum parameters required for the preparation and detection of qubit states. Coherent manipulation of these qubit states will be shown and coherence times of the states measured. Additionally a highly stable double resonance frequency locking setup for the ytterbium cooling lasers is built. This thesis will go on to give an overview of the main entanglement schemes and will give a justification as to why microwaves combined with a magnetic field gradient is the most suitable method. The magnetic field gradient creates an effective Lamb-Dicke parameter which allows microwave fields to couple to the motional states of magnetic field sensitive qubit states. The use of magnetic field sensitive states can however make the qubit highly susceptible to decoherence from magnetic field fluctuations. A method to decrease this decoherence by two orders of magnitude using a microwave dressed state qubit will be demonstrated and optimised and a new coherent manipulation method of the dressed state qubit will be presented which allows for arbitrary Bloch sphere rotations. The production of the highest recorded magnetic field gradient of 24Tm
Color difference formula and uniform color space modeling and evaluation

Defining color tolerances numerically continues to be a topic of intense interest in colorimetry. A technique was developed to evaluate formula performance that incorporated visual uncertainty. In this technique, visual uncertainty was represented by randomized equal color-difference ellipsoids or randomized visual color differences. STRESS, a multivariate statistical tool, was employed to quantify these randomized equal colordifference ellipsoids or visual color differences. The STRESS clouds were composed of the STRESS values between the randomized equal color-difference ellipsoids and T50 equal color-difference ellipsoids, or between the randomized visual color differences and T50 visual color differences where T50 represented visually determined tolerances equivalent to an anchor-pair stimulus. These STRESS values clouds were taken as rulers to evaluate whether one color-difference formula over-, underor well-fitted a specified color-difference dataset, based on an F-test. This technique is a necessary addition to the current deviation evaluation metrics, e.g., PF/3. In follow-on research, a Euclidean color space was developed with the color-difference formula based on IPT color space for supra-threshold color differences. The color-difference formula has similar chromatic modeling to CIE94. A lightness transformation function was applied to model color difference along lightness. A rotation matrix on the chromatic plane was also applied to achieve better characteristics of the color space. A step-wise optimization was performed to achieve better consistency and remove conflicts between different color-difference datasets. The evaluations include STRESS, F-test, hue constancy and equal color-difference ellipsoid shape. It was shown by the evaluation results that the Euclidean color space could be a potential candidate of a future color model useful for defining industrial color tolerances.