Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Blue Whiting Protein Hydrolysates Exhibit Antioxidant and Immunomodulatory Activities in Stimulated Murine RAW264.7 Cells

This study investigated the antioxidant and immunomodulatory potential of six blue whiting soluble protein hydrolysates (BWSPHs, BW-SPH-A to -F) and their simulated gastrointestinal digests (SGID, BW-SPH-A-GI to -F-GI) in murine RAW264.7 macrophages. Hydrolysate BW-SPH-A, both pre- and post-SGID, increased endogenous antioxidant glutathione (GSH) in tert-butylhydroperoxide (tBOOH)-treated cells and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) in H2O2-challenged RAW264.7 cells compared with treated controls in the absence of BWSPHs (p < 0.05). BW-SPH-A-GI also exhibited higher ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) activities than the other BWSPHs tested (p < 0.05). All BWSPHs and SGID BWSPH samples induced immunostimulating effects in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7 macrophages through the upregulation of NO production. BW-SPH-F-GI increased IL-6 and TNF-α levels compared with the LPS controls indicating the liberation of immunomodulatory peptide/amino acids during the SGID process. Therefore, BW-SPH-A and BW-SPH-F may have potential use against oxidative stress and immunosuppression-related diseases, respectively.
On the trade-off between minimum fuel burn and maximum time between overhaul for an intercooled aeroengine

A large variety of promising power and propulsion system concepts are being proposed to reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions. However, the best candidate to pursue is difficult to select and it is imperative that major investments are correctly targeted to deliver environmentally friendly, economical and reliable solutions. To conceive and assess gas turbine engines with minimum environmental impact and lowest cost of ownership in a variety of emission legislation scenarios and emissions taxation policies, a tool based on a techno-economic and environmental risk assessment methodology is required. A tool based on this approach has been developed by the authors. The core of the tool is a detailed and rigorous thermodynamic representation of power plants, around which other modules can be coupled (that model different disciplines such as aircraft performance, economics, emissions, noise, weight and cost) resulting in a multidisciplinary framework. This approach can be used for efficient and cost-effective design space exploration in the civil aviation, power generation, marine, and oil and gas fields. In the present work, a conceptual intercooled core aeroengine design was assessed with component technologies consistent with 2020 entry into service via a multidisciplinary optimisation approach. Such an approach is necessary to assess the trade-off between asset life, operating costs and technical specification. This paper examines the influence of fuel consumption, engine weight and direct operating costs with respect to extending the engine life. The principal modes of failure such as creep, fatigue and oxidation, are considered in the engine life estimation. Multidisciplinary optimisation, comprising the main engine design parameters, was carried out with maximum time between overhaul as the objective function. The trade-off between minimum block fuel burn and maximum engine life was examined; the results were compared against the initial engine design and an assessment was made to identify the design changes required for obtaining an improved engine design in terms of direct operating costs. The results obtained from the study demonstrate that an engine optimised for maximum time between overhaul requires a lower overall pressure ratio and specific thrust but this comes at the cost of lower thermal efficiency and higher engine production costs.
Identity and Antibiogram of Bacterial Isolates from Owerri Modern Abattoir, Imo State, Nigeria

Aim: The identity and antibiogram of bacterial isolates from Owerri modern abattoir in Imo State, Nigeria, was investigated with the aim of determining the bacterial profile of the abattoir and their susceptibility pattern to commonly used antibiotics. Study Design: Cross sectional study Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in Owerri Modern Abattoir located within Owerri metropolis from June to November, 2020. Methodology: Questionnaires were used to obtain participants’ consent, demographic data and sanitary practices in the abattoir. Samples were taken and bacteriological analysis of the samples done using pour plate method. Disc diffusion antibiotic susceptibility testing and minimum inhibitory concentration were performed after colony counting, identification and characterization of the isolates using standard microbiological and biochemical techniques. Results: Mean viable bacterial counts were generally high with highest counts from contaminated soil (6.13x106CFU/ml) and least from workers hands (1.17x106CFU/ml). Escherichia coli had the highest prevalence (18.0%), with the highest counts from soil (3.10%). Vibrio cholerae recorded the least prevalence (0.62%), and was isolated only from washing water. High resistance to antibiotics was observed. Conclusion: Government authority and the general public are advised to ensure adequate environmental sanitation and proper cooking of meat before consumption in order to mitigate the incidence of infection and antibiotic resistance.
Effect of varying levels of acorn flour on antioxidant, staling and sensory properties of Iranian toast

Due to the high level of antioxidant activity of acorn fruits, they can be used as an ingredient the production of functional foods. The goal of the this research was to partially substitute wheat flour with varying levels (10% - 50% w/w) of debittered acorn flour and to investigate its effects on the rheological characteristics of the dough, total phenolic content (TPC), staling, colour indices and sensory properties of toast bread. The farinograph degree of softening and water absorption of the dough decreased with increasing the acorn flour content, while the stability and time of development of the dough increased. Resistance and extensibility to deformation of the samples respectively increased and decreased compared to those of the control. Toast bread with 30% acorn flour replacement was observed to have lower staling than the control. The highest TPC (9.44 mg GAE/g) and the lowest peroxide value (0.36 m eq O2/kg) were obtained for the bread having 30% acorn flour substitution. Moreover, the breads showed darker crumbs with significantly lower specific loaf volumes. Overall, the bread with 30% of acorn flour substitution showed good rheological, staling properties and reasonable anti-oxidant content compared to the control bread as well as the highest sensorial acceptability.
Smoother versus sharper Gulf Stream and Kuroshio sea surface temperature fronts: effects on cyclones and climatology

Abstract. The Gulf Stream and Kuroshio regions feature strong sea surface temperature (SST) gradients that influence cyclone development and the storm track. Previous studies showed that smoothing the SSTs in either the North Atlantic or North Pacific yields a reduction in cyclone activity, surface heat fluxes, and precipitation, as well as a southward shift of the storm track and the upper-level jet. To what extent these changes are attributable to changes in individual cyclone behaviour, however, remains unclear. Comparing simulations with realistic and smoothed SSTs in the atmospheric general circulation model AFES, we find that the intensification of individual cyclones in the Gulf Stream or Kuroshio region is only marginally affected by reducing the SST gradient. In contrast, we observe considerable changes in the climatological mean state as well as a reduced cyclone activity in the North Atlantic and North Pacific storm tracks that are shifted equatorward in both basins. The upper-level jet in the Atlantic also shifts equatorward, while the jet in the Pacific strengthens in its climatological position and extends further east. Surface heat fluxes, specific humidity, and precipitation also respond strongly to the smoothing of the SST, with a considerable decrease in their mean values on the warm side of the SST front. This decrease is more pronounced in the Gulf Stream than in the Kuroshio region, due to the larger decrease in SST along the Gulf Stream SST front. Considering the differences of the different variables occurring within/outside of a 750 km radius of any cyclone over their entire lifetime, we find that cyclones play only a secondary role in explaining the differences in the mean state between the smoothed and realistic SST experiments.
Gauging the impact of literacy and educational background on receptive vocabulary test scores

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) is a widely used test of receptive vocabulary, but no researchers to date have examined the performance of low-educated, low-literate L2 adults, or compared these individuals’ performances to their more highly educated peers. In this study, we used many-facet Rasch analysis and mixed-effects linear regression to determine the impact of educational background and other demographic variables on PPVT test performance. The analyses rely on the performance data of 1,014 adult learners of Dutch as a second language on the Dutch version of the PPVT (PPVT-III-NL). The results show that a substantial proportion of score variance can be attributed to educational background variables and to the educational tracks the participants followed. These tracks, which cater to the needs of different L2 learner profiles, appear to exacerbate rather than mediate any performance differences. Although this study provides evidence of performance differences and differential item functioning resulting from linguistic, demographic, and educational variables, it offers no data to invalidate the use of the PPVT on low-educated L2 adults.
Mutual fund performance: Some recent evidence from European equity funds

This paper studies the performance of mutual funds that specialise in equity investment. We use a sample of the top sixteen actively managed European equity funds operating in the United States between July 1990 and November 2020. Using standard factor models, we show that none of our sample funds generated a positive and significant alpha. The observed funds could not outperform a simple passive strategy that involves tradeable European benchmark portfolios in the longer run. As a rule, the funds in our sample did not exploit the known asset pricing anomalies.
Does political regime matter for abnormal hoarding of international exchange reserves?

It is shown that political business-cycle approach to a political and institutional analysis of large exchange reserves hoarding is not full story. It is stressed, the choice of the central bank to accumulate reserves or not is not defined per se. Such choice is a consequence of political and economic consensus on the design of the mechanism of macrofinancial stability and the channels of macroeconomic adjustment. It is shown that political regimes are important proxies to understand why countries differ in incentives to hoard as well as accumulate in the long-run. At the same time, while autocracies outperforme democracies in reserves hoarding, the situation is not so simple. Institutional factors matter. This means that heterogeneity across political regimes may also play a role. The analysis of reserves distribution shows that autocracies are less homogenous. These results are substantiated by general multi-factor regression. While large hoarding is more typical of the countries with large GDP per capita, less democratic political regime and less independent central banks do not choose flexible exchange rates; i.e. only autocracy with some threshold level of development ( including political and macroeconomic stability) can hoard reserves sustainably. Autocracies have better preconditions for reserves hoarding only when they are able to push a prudent macroeconomic policy. At the same time, democracies have better preconditions for alternative institutional paths, under which some alternative channels of macroeconomic adjustment could potentially arise. This finding has strong practical implication. The independence of the central banks as well as the structural reforms addressed to financial development support macroeconomic adjustment with lower level of exchange reserves.
Tapered single-mode fibres and devices. I. Adiabaticity criteria

Two complementary delineation criteria are presented which provide guidelines to the design of relatively short, low-loss tapered fibres and devices. They are used to explain anomalous loss effects in depressed-cladding and W-fibres, as well as the difficulty in fabricating low-loss devices by tapering such fibres. Practical application of the criteria to couplers, beam expanders and abrupt taper filters is summarised. The accompanying paper provides both experimental and theoretical justification for the delineation criteria.
A Methodological Approach for Developing and Validating a Parsimonious and Robust Measurement Tool: The Academic E-Service Quality (ACEQUAL) Model

Nowadays, in the higher education sector, the quality measurement process of education-related services is assuming a crucial role to support focused and targeted improvement activities deeply centered on students’ needs/necessities. These are considered crucial factors for dealing with the current academic competitive context. Therefore, the quality measurement process has to be precise and accurate, namely the measurement model on which it is based has to be parsimonious and robust. The present work proposes an effective and easy-to-use methodological approach suitable for supporting the structuring of a measurement tool. Its effectiveness is shown with reference to the academic e-service provided at the University of Palermo. In particular, taking into account the students’ viewpoints and perspectives, a measurement model of the academic e-service quality is developed and validated, thus overcoming the lack of literature on the subject. Finally, a survey is conducted, and highlighted academic e-service quality shortcomings and criticalities are stressed and discussed. The outcomes of this study may be of interest to practitioners and researchers in the field, offering important suggestions on how to support the structuring of a measurement model, as well the data-driven service quality improvement process.
Toxicity Detection in Online Comments with Limited Data: A Comparative Analysis

We present a comparative study on toxicity detection, focusing on the problem of identifying toxicity types of low prevalence and possibly even unobserved at training time. For this purpose, we train our models on a dataset that contains only a weak type of toxicity, and test whether they are able to generalize to more severe toxicity types. We ﬁnd that representation learning and ensembling exceed the classiﬁcation performance of simple classiﬁers on toxicity detection, while also providing signiﬁcantly better generalization and robustness. All models beneﬁt from a larger training set size, which even extends to the toxicity types unseen during training.
Ship Berthing At a Floating Pier

This paper presents results of a berthing analysis and their significance to the design of berthing facilities in unique conditions where traditional methods may not apply. The analysis was conducted with a RANS based simulation model coupled with a six-degree-offreedom motion code. This hybrid model treats the pier, ships, and harbor basin as a coupled system. The simulation used real design parameters of a conceptual floating pier in an extremely shallow basin to emphasize fluid effects. Results indicate that the flow induced by a large ship berthing in shallow water has crucial impacts on all aspects of a ship berth. This flow essentially dictates the berthing energy and hence the fender forces. Ship induced hydrodynamic forces could be multiple times of ship inertia. The flow further complicates couplings among floating pier and ships at berth. Fluid influences should hence be accentuated in the design of coupling structures for floating piers. Traditional methods for berthing energy assessment should be used with extra care when one or more of these situations exist: shallow water, large ship, and floating pier.
Eccentric domination number of some cycle related graphs

In a graph G, a vertex u is said to be an eccentric vertex of a vertex v if the distance between u and v is equals to the eccentricity of vertex v. A dominating set D of a graph G=(V,E) is said to be an eccentric dominating set if for every v∈V−D, there exists at least one eccentric vertex of v in D. The minimum cardinality of the minimal eccentric dominating sets of graph G is said to be eccentric domination number, denoted by γ ed (G). The eccentric domination numbers of some cycle related graphs have been investigated.
The influence of ground-plane width on the ohmic losses of coplanar waveguides with finite lateral ground planes

In this paper, analytical computer-aided design (CAD)-oriented conformal-mapping approximations are presented for the high-frequency attenuation of symmetric and asymmetric coplanar waveguides (ACPWs) with finite-extent lateral ground planes. A discussion is presented on the effect of ground-plane width on the losses, and design criteria are derived.
Investigation of PWM controlled, resonant transition converters with asymmetrical duty cycle

Investigations on a specific group, asymmetrical duty cycle controlled power converters, which belong to the class of resonant transition topologies are presented. A detailed analysis following a state-graph strategy is given, revealing three modes of operation, Various design equations are derived representing the equipment for a consolidated design of a 300 V-5 V/60 A DC/DC power converter, switched at 500 kHz. The high measured efficiency of 86% at rated power and up to 89% at half load, resulting from the high turns ratio and low reactive power, proves this switching technique favorable as compared with other soft switching techniques of the last decade by eliminating switching losses without a rise in conduction losses.
THE IMPACT OF ORTHOGRAPHY ON LEXICAL ACCESS

Abstract Previous research has shown that orthographic marking may have a function beyond identifying orthographic word forms. In two visual priming experiments with native speakers and advanced learners of German (Czech natives) we tested the hypothesis that orthography can convey word-class cues comparable to morphological marking. We examined the effect of initial letter capitalization of nouns (a specific property of German orthography) on the processing of five homonymous and grammatically ambiguous forms. Both populations showed the same pattern of results: deverbal nouns (conversions) patterned together with countable nouns while in a previous study (with eliminated orthographic word-class cues) they patterned together with infinitives. Together, findings suggest that orthographic cues can trigger word-class-specific lexical retrieval/access. They also suggest a lexical entry structure in which conversion nouns, infinitives, and inflected verbal forms share a category-neutral parent node and that specified subnodes are accessed only when specifying cues are available and/or necessary for processing.
Rescaling Egocentric Vision: Collection, Pipeline and Challenges for EPIC-KITCHENS-100

This paper introduces the pipeline to extend the largest dataset in egocentric vision, EPIC-KITCHENS. The effort culminates in EPIC-KITCHENS-100, a collection of 100 hours, 20M frames, 90K actions in 700 variable-length videos, capturing long-term unscripted activities in 45 environments, using head-mounted cameras. Compared to its previous version (Damen in Scaling egocentric vision: ECCV, 2018), EPIC-KITCHENS-100 has been annotated using a novel pipeline that allows denser (54% more actions per minute) and more complete annotations of fine-grained actions (+128% more action segments). This collection enables new challenges such as action detection and evaluating the “test of time”—i.e. whether models trained on data collected in 2018 can generalise to new footage collected two years later. The dataset is aligned with 6 challenges: action recognition (full and weak supervision), action detection, action anticipation, cross-modal retrieval (from captions), as well as unsupervised domain adaptation for action recognition. For each challenge, we define the task, provide baselines and evaluation metrics.
State-Burst Feedback Control for Fault Recovery of Input/State Asynchronous Sequential Machines

Static corrective controllers are more efficient than dynamic ones since they consist of only logic elements, whereas their existence conditions are more restrictive. In this paper, we present a static corrective control scheme for fault diagnosis and fault tolerant control of input/state asynchronous sequential machines (ASMs) vulnerable to transient faults. The design flexibility of static controllers is enlarged by virtue of using a diagnoser and state bursts. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a diagnoser and static fault tolerant controller are presented, and the process of controller synthesis is addressed based on the derived condition. Illustrative examples on practical ASMs are provided to show the applicability of the proposed scheme.
FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI PENYALAHGUNAAN ASET

This research aims to examine the influence of pressure, opportunity, rationalization, capability and integrity toward asset misappropriation through fraud star approach in governmental institution. This research used random sampling method and quantitative research design. Primary data is gathered from government employees through questionnaire, whether ministry or non-ministry with 100 respondents. Descriptive statistics, multiple regression model and classical assumption are used to analyze the data. The result of this research showed that rationalization and capability have positive and significant influence on asset misappropriation. Meanwhile, pressure, opportunity and integrity have no influence on asset misappropriation.
Development of a mid range automotive radar sensor for future driver assistance systems

Radar sensors are key components of modern driver assistance systems. The application of such systems in urban environments for safety applications is the primary goal of the project “Radar on Chip for Cars” (RoCC). Major outcomes of this project will be presented and discussed in this contribution. These outcomes include the specification of radar sensors for future driver assistance systems, radar concepts, and integration technologies for silicon-germanium (SiGe) MMICs, as well as the development and evaluation of a system demonstrator. A radar architecture utilizing planar antennas and highly integrated components will be proposed and discussed with respect to system specifications. The developed system demonstrator will be evaluated in terms of key parameters such as field of view, distance, and angular separability. Finally, as an outlook a new mid range radar (MRR) will be introduced incorporating several concepts and technologies developed in this project.