Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Shielding Gases on the Microstructure and Thoughness of Stainless Steels Weldments by FCAW

In this study AISI 316 types of austenitic stainless steels were welded by FCAW (flux cored arc welding) using ER 316L flux cored filler metal under various shielding gas compositions such as Ar + 12% CO2, Ar + 20% CO2, Ar + 50% CO2 and 100% CO2 gases. The aim of the current study is that effects of shielding gas compositions on the microstructure and toughness of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steels weldments were investigated. Charpy V notch impact tests were carried out at 0 o C temperature. The results were indicated that the shielding gas compositions have an influence on toughness values. The study showed that variation of those values depended on δ-ferrite content in the weld metal. δ-ferrite content decrease with increasing CO2 percentages in the shielding gas. Decreasing δ-ferrite rate in the weld metal have negative effects on the toughness values of the weldments.
Combining Temporal and Spatial Partial Topology for MANET routing-Merging OLSR and FSR

In this paper, we propose an extension to the Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) protocol, a proactive link-state routing protocol optimized for mobile ad-hoc networks, introducing temporal partial topology as a mechanism for reducing control traffic overhead. The extension is inspired from Fisheye State Routing (FSR), and complements the spatial partial topology of OLSR in extending scalability of manet routing protocols to large, dense networks. Through simulations, the paper justifies that through introducing temporal partial topology information in OLSR, the control traffic overhead in some manet configurations can be reduced.
GENOME ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT OF DNA MARKER FOR THE DETECTION OF RESTORER LINES OF WILD ABORTIVE CYTOPLASMIC MALE STERILE SOURCE IN RICE ( Oryza sativa L . )

The aim of the present study was to develop candidate gene specific polymorphic DNA marker(s) to detect the restorer lines of wild abortive cytoplasmic male sterility source in rice. To suppress the male sterility inducing components of mitochondria, nuclear genome encoded proteins need to be targeted to mitochondria with the help of signal peptide. Fertility restoration in crop species is governed by the pentatricopeptide proteins and proteins involved in the cellular oxidoreductase processes. Therefore, the present study was focused on (i) identifying the genomic regions code for these genes using rice genome database, (ii) listing the number of genes possess mitochondrial targeting signal peptide sequence, (iii) develop primer pairs to amplify the region of signal peptide sequence regions, (iv) assess the polymorphism if any, and (v) validate the polymorphic markers among germplasm lines known for their fertility restoration ability. Earlier reports on molecular mapping of fertility restorer genes (Rfs) in rice indicated Rf genes are located on chromosome 1 and 10 and therefore these two chromosomes were chosen for the genome analysis. A set of 132 loci out of 393 clones from chromosome 1 and 84 loci out of 202 clones from chromosome 10 were found to possess the select genes of interest. Using Mitoprot software, genes containing the mitochondrial signal sequences were identified and their sequences were retrieved. A set of 59 sequence tagged site (STS) markers to amplify at and around the region of mitochondrial signal sequence were developed. Amplification check of these primers was performed initially with two cytoplasmic male sterile lines namely IR58025A and Pusa6A and two restorer lines KMR3 and PRR78. Out of 59 markers analyzed, two markers namely CGS2 and CGS36 were polymorphic among CMS and restorer lines. Therefore, these markers were analyzed further among a set of 30 CMS lines, 34 maintainer lines, 54 restorer lines and two F2 segregating populations for the validation. The efficiency of the marker to detect the restore lines was found to be 87.5%. Marker-trait association analysis revealed STS marker CGS36 was associated with the restoration trait at the significance level of p <0.001 and its phenotypic variance was 71.74%. This result indicated the STS marker CGS36 as informative to detect the restorer lines.
A study on fractality properties of nano particles scanning electron microscopy images

Measuring fractal dimensions has become a common practice for describing structural properties of porous media. The present paper studies computing method of fractal dimension by using the image storing principles on computer. As an example of its application on nano particles surface structure, by applying Matlab, the binary image and matrix about the surface pore were investigated by processing and analyzing the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images of nanoparticles. In accordance with the nanoparticles characteristics of binary digital images, have been minutely discussed based on the fractal theory that the principle and method of calculating Fractal dimensions (D) by use of box-counting dimension.
Capacity Lower Bound of MIMO Channels with Output Quantization and Correlated Noise

—We investigate the effect of quantization on the performance of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels in terms of achievable communication rates. To this end, we derive a lower bound on the channel capacity of quantized MIMO channels based on the Bussgang decomposition. The work is of interest in the case when low resolution A/D-converters (ADCs) have to be used to enable higher sampling rate and to simplify the hardware. An essential aspect of our derivation is that we take into account possible noise correlation. The low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) analysis of the special case of 1-bit quantization reveals that noise correlation might reduce the capacity loss due to quantization when compared to the uncorrelated noise case, where it is well known that the capacity decreases by the factor 2 /π after the 1-bit quantization at low SNR.
POPULATION GENETIC DIVERSITY AND STRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF WILD APRICOT ( PRUNUS ARMENIACA L . ) REVEALED BY SSR MARKERS IN THE TIEN-SHAN MOUNTAINS OF CHINA

The simple sequence repeat markers were used to investigate the population genetic diversity and structure of 212 germplasm samples from 14 apricot (Prunus armeniaca) populations in the western of Tien-Shan Mountains, Sinkiang, China. The relatively high expected heterozygosity and Shannon's diversity index indicated the apricot populations maintained a high level of genetic diversity (He = 0.6109, I = 1.2208), with the population in Tuergen ditch of Xinyuan County having the highest genetic diversity index. A high level of intra-population genetic differentiation (91.51%) and a lower level of inter-population genetic differentiation were occurred, as well as a moderate but steady inter-population gene flow (Nm = 2.3735). The self-incompatible pattern, wide distribution, and long-distance pollen transmission via insects and gale are the main factors underlying the genetic variation structure. The UPGMA cluster analysis and genetic structure analysis showed that apricot germplasm could be divided into two or four groups, which was basically consistent with the geographic distribution pattern. The inter-population genetic distance and geographic distance showed a significant correlation (r = 0.2658, p<0.05).
Rapid Detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae by Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) in Clinical Respiratory Specimens

Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) worldwide, especially among children and debilitated populations. The present study aimed to investigate a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique for rapid detection of M. pneumoniae in clinical specimens collected from patients with pneumonia. Methods: Throat swabs were collected from 110 outpatients who suffered from pneumonia. Throat swab samples were obtained from patients referred to the hospital outpatient clinics of Tehran University hospitals, Iran in 2017. The presence of M. pneumoniae in the clinical specimens was evaluated by LAMP, PCR and culture methods. Sensitivity and specificity of the LAMP and PCR assays were also determined. Results: Out of 110 specimens, LAMP assay detected M. pneumoniae in 35 specimens. Detection limit of the LAMP assay was determined to be 33fg /μL or ∼ 40 genome copies/reaction. Moreover, no cross-reaction with genomic DNA from other bacteria was observed. Only 25 specimens were positive by the culture method. The congruence between LAMP assay and culture method was ‘substantial’ (ϰ=0.77). Specificity and sensitivity of LAMP assay were 88.2%, 100% in compare with culture. However, the congruence between LAMP assay and PCR assay was ‘almost perfect’ (ϰ=0.86). Specificity and sensitivity of LAMP assay were 92.5%, 100% in compare with PCR. Conclusion: Overall, the LAMP assay is a rapid and cost-efficient laboratory test in comparison to other methods including PCR and culture. Therefore, the LAMP method can be applied in identification of M. pneumoniae isolates in respiratory specimens.
Lenalidomide in the treatment of plasma cell dyscrasia: state of the art and perspectives

Lenalidomide is a 2nd generation immunomodulatory drug (IMiD) that has shown remarkable activity in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM). In comparison with its parent drug thalidomide, lenalidomide has the advantage of having no neurological toxicity. Two phase III randomized studies validated
The Occurrence and Distribution of Four Viruses on Garlic ( Allium sativum L . ) in Ethiopia

Garlic (Allium sativum L.), an important bulb vegetable grown worldwide including Ethiopia, is infected by numerous viruses causing significant yield losses. Since there is no information available on garlic virus diseases in Ethiopia, a field survey and serological tests were conducted in the year 2009 to identify viruses infecting garlic in the major growing regions. The Survey indicated that leaf yellowing; yellow mosaic, stripes and stunting were the most common disease symptoms observed. The highest visually observed disease incidence in a field was 93%, recorded in the Arsi zone of Oromia region. When 520 symptomatic and asymptomatic samples collected from 56 fields from major garlic growing areas were tested by the double antibody sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for four common garlic viruses namely Onion yellow dwarf virus (OYDV) and Leek yellow stripe virus (LYSV) (Genus Potyvirus family Potyviridae) and Garlic virus B (GarV-B) and Garlic virus C (GarV-C) (genus Allexivirus, family, Flexiviridae), 119 samples (23%) were found to be infected with at least one virus. GV-B was the most frequent (17.7%), followed by OYDV (5.6%) and GarV-C (4.8%). LYSV was detected only in seven samples. Mixed infections were also very common. In this paper, information on the occurrence, identity and distribution of garlic viruses in Ethiopia is reported for the first time.
Region‐specific expression and sex‐steroidal regulation on aromatase and its mRNA in the male rat brain: Immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization analyses

The brain has an estrogen‐biosynthetic potential resulting from the presence of neuronal aromatase, which controls the intraneural sex‐steroidal milieu and is involved in brain sexual differentiation, psychobehavioral regulation, and neuroprotection. In the rat brain, three distinct aromatase‐P450‐immunoreactive (AromP450‐I) neural groups have been categorized in terms of their peak expression time (fetal, fetoneonatal, and young‐to‐adult groups), suggesting the presence of region‐specific regulation on brain AromP450. In the present study, we compared the expressions between AromP450 protein and mRNA by using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization with an ovary‐derived cRNA probe in serial sections of fetal, fetoneonatal, and adult male rat brains and then performed steroidal manipulations to evaluate the sex‐steroidal effects on AromP450 in adult orchiectomized and adrenalectomized (OCX + ADX) male rats. As a result, prominent mRNA signals were detected in the fetal (i.e., the anterior medial preoptic nucleus) and fetoneonatal (i.e., the medial preopticoamygdaloid neuronal arc) groups, although no detectable signal was found in the “young‐to‐adult” group (i.e., the central amygdaloid nucleus). In addition, the “fetoneonatal” AromP450‐I neurons were prominently reduced in number and intensity after OCX + ADX and then were reinstated by the administration of dihydrotestosterone, testosterone, or 17β‐estradiol. In contrast, none of the sex steroids had any significant effects on the young‐to‐adult group. Several possible explanations were explored for why the young‐to‐adult group may differ in aromatase expression and regulation, including the possibility that distinct splicing variants or isozymes for aromatase exist in the rat brain. J. Comp. Neurol. 500:557–573, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Immersive vs Desktop Virtual Reality in Game Based Learning

Virtual environments are recognized as more effective than other digital approaches for the acquisition of several abilities. This is because the brain recognizes the virtual world as real and this facilitates the transfer of the newly acquired skills to the real world. In this paper, we present a game that has been designed and developed with the aim of teaching spatial orientation abilities to teenagers with mild intellectual impairments. In particular, the game focuses on the training of two basic skills: perspective taking and mental rotation. Perspective taking refers to the ability of imagining how the world looks like from another person’s point of view, while mental rotation is the ability to mentally represent and manipulate physical objects in one’s mind. The game, which takes place in a virtual environment, shows the player a scene with some objects on the table. The player has to choose among four provided alternatives, the one that shows how the scene would look like from a different side of the table. The game was first developed to be used with either a desktop pc monitor or an interactive touch table. In this case, a virtual world is represented, but the player is not completely immersed in it, he just looks at the scene from outside. A second version of the same game has then been developed using a Head Mounted Display (HMD), which makes the player feel immersed in the virtual environment, where he can freely move around just as if it was real. In this paper, we discuss both advantages and disadvantages of the immersive Virtual Reality (VR) compared to the desktop VR. In fact, on the one hand, having the possibility to “dive” into the virtual world allows the player to:  Better build a mental model of the scene and the involved objects by freely moving around the table and examining the objects from all the possible perspectives;  Manage by himself the amount of help needed: it is always possible, at any time of the game, to move to the other side of the table and see what the scene looks like.  Increase his involvement in the game by exploring the virtual world as he pleases.  Have a better learning transfer thanks to the similarities between the virtual and the real worlds. On the other hand, using a HMD can be tiring and cause sickness to some players. Furthermore, the presence of a complete environment in which to move and explore, can draw the attention away from the main task of the game and therefore influence learning negatively. Experiments are planned to verify the foreseen advantages and disadvantages involving young adults with mild intellective disabilities.
Gaps and opportunities for the World Heritage Convention to contribute to global wilderness conservation

Wilderness areas are ecologically intact landscapes predominantly free of human uses, especially industrial‐scale activities that result in substantial biophysical disturbance. This definition does not exclude land and resource use by local communities who depend on such areas for subsistence and bio‐cultural connections. Wilderness areas are important for biodiversity conservation and sustain key ecological processes and ecosystem services that underpin planetary life‐support systems. Despite these widely recognized benefits and values of wilderness, they are insufficiently protected and are consequently being rapidly eroded. There are increasing calls for multilateral environmental agreements to make a greater and more systematic contribution to wilderness conservation before it is too late. We created a global map of remaining terrestrial wilderness following the established last‐of‐the‐wild method, which identifies the 10% of areas with the lowest human pressure within each of Earth's 62 biogeographic realms and identifies the 10 largest contiguous areas and all contiguous areas >10,000 km2. We used our map to assess wilderness coverage by the World Heritage Convention and to identify gaps in coverage. We then identified large nationally designated protected areas with good wilderness coverage within these gaps. One‐quarter of natural and mixed (i.e., sites of both natural and cultural value) World Heritage Sites (WHS) contained wilderness (total of 545,307 km2), which is approximately 1.8% of the world's wilderness extent. Many WHS had excellent wilderness coverage, for example, the Okavango Delta in Botswana (11,914 km2) and the Central Suriname Nature Reserve (16,029 km2). However, 22 (35%) of the world's terrestrial biorealms had no wilderness representation within WHS. We identified 840 protected areas of >500 km2 that were predominantly wilderness (>50% of their area) and represented 18 of the 22 missing biorealms. These areas offer a starting point for assessing the potential for the designation of new WHSs that could help increase wilderness representation on the World Heritage list. We urge the World Heritage Convention to ensure that the ecological integrity and outstanding universal value of existing WHS with wilderness values are preserved.
Legged Robot Using Hydro-Muscles A Major Qualifying Project Report

4 Acknowledgements . 5 Chapter 1: Introduction . 6 Chapter 2: Background . 7 2.1 Previous MQP . 7 2.2 Hydro-Muscles as an Actuator for Legged Robots . 8 2.3 Biomimicry and Inspiration from Nature . 8 2.4 Existing Bipedal Robots . 10 2.4.1 Festo BionicKangaroo . 10 2.5 Advantages of Bipedal System for Hydro-Muscles . 11 Chapter 3: Project Objectives . 12 3.1 Determination of Design Specifications . 12 3.1. 1 Size and Weight . 13 3.1. 2 Cost . 13 3.1. 3 Actuation . 13 3.1. 4 Locomotion . 14 3.1. 5 Reconfigurability . 14 3.1. 6 Future Platform for Hydro-Muscles . 15 3.2 Project Scope and Limitations . 16 Chapter 4: Design and Construction . 17 4.1 Reconfigurable Construction System . 17 4.1. 1 80/20TM . 17 4.2 Skeleton Design . 19 4.3 Modelling and Simulation . 20 4.4 Hydro-Muscles as Actuators . 23 4.4.1 Power Augmentation . 23 4.4.2 Compliance of Hydro-Muscles to External Forces . 26 4.5 Fabrication of Hydro-Muscles . 27 4.5. 1 Elastomeric Tube . 27 4.5. 2 Sheathing . 27 4.5. 3 Barbed Fittings and Hose Clamps . 28
Rock Physics Inversion: A Montney Case Study*

In this case study, we applied a novel workflow for generating petrophysical property volumes in a Montney tight gas play. In the past, this method has been applied in high porosity, offshore oil exploration environments with great success (Westang et al, 2009). The workflow used involves the following steps: a) Seismic data re-processing and conditioning b) Log calibration and wavelet estimation c) Low frequency model generation d) Simultaneous pre-stack AVO inversion for elastic rock properties e) Rock physics inversion for petrophysical properties The AVO inversion algorithm is based on the Aki and Richards linear approximation to the Zoeprittz equations (Aki and Richards, 1980). The inversion is carried out simultaneously on multiple angle stacks in order to accurately derive elastic rock property volumes such as acoustic impedance, Vp/Vs ratio, and density. The rock physics inversion is a new technique in characterizing tight gas plays. Initially, a rock physics model was developed relating the elastic rock properties to porosity, water saturation, volume of clay, volume of sand, and volume of carbonates using well logs and other available information. The model is consistent with the Reuss and Voigt bounds (Reuss, 1929), as well as Gassmann fluid substitution (Gassmann, 1951). The rock physics model is then used to define an inversion framework which is used to derive volumes of the above mentioned rock properties. The outputs of the rock physics inversion provide an intuitive laterally extensive characterization of reservoir quality, which may be of use in planning well placement and completions. The quality of the results was evaluated by comparing the inversion results to the well log interpretations used to define the rock physics models, and also to other wells present in the study area that were not included in the analysis. The good match between the inversion and the well logs suggests the inversion results are reliable. Based on these results, the target zone of a Montney horizontal was altered. Once obtained the well logs confirmed this change in strategy.
Upgrading ilmenite by an oxidation-magnetic separation-pressure leaching process

Upgrading ilmenite by an oxidation-magnetic separation-pressure leaching process S. Liu, K. Zhu, J. Xiang, P. Huang Resources and Environmental Engineering College of Panzhihua University, Panzhihua of SiChuan Province, 617000, China. Kunming Metallurgy Research Institute, Kunming of Yunnan Province, 650031, China. Materials Science and Engineering College of Xihua University, Chengdu of SiChuan Province, 610039, China.
Stochastic home health care scheduling and routing in dense communities : A hybrid algorithm

The Home Health Care Scheduling and Routing Problem (HHCSRP) addresses to assign a group of nurses to a group of elders who require health care at home. This research is motivated by the scenario in areas with high population density where the elders used to live in dense communities. In such scenario, the impacts of travelling factors are weak while other factors play important roles in system performance. This paper specifically analyze the stochastic service time. High-level nurses generally cost shorter service time when serving low-level demands, while the service time would be further shortened as a nurse becomes more familiar with elders, but both of the situations are stochastic. To properly represent the stochastic characteristics, the problem is formulated as a hybrid model combined by Markov Decision Processes and Chance Constrained Programming. To solve the problem, a hybrid heuristic algorithm based on Q-learning and Ant Colony Optimization is developed. Sensitivity analysis of algorithm and model parameter settings are provided. It turns out that the hybrid algorithm is efficient to generate acceptable solutions with medium and large scale instances. Meanwhile, results indicate that, in the stochastic scenarios, 1) with greater waiting limitation, nurses can fulfill more demands but produce more waiting time; 2) solutions get better when it begins with high level nurses. This paper provides a helpful tool to choose better sequences under different waiting limitations.