Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Misled by Data? Review of Data Sources in National Intellectual Capital Research

This paper is a review of National Intellectual Capital (NIC) literature that focuses on the documented use of data and the data sources used in the NIC literature. The topic is important as the NIC research is largely based on data analysis and thus the use of data and the data sources used ultimately shape the reality around what is the big picture of national intellectual capital, as it is understood today. While this is the case, questions about use of data and the data sources used have not been in the core of the research tradition. The review focuses on 57 systematically collected NIC articles with a documented data source, published between the years 1991 and 2018. The results show that the majority of data-based NIC research is concentrated around a set of often-used data sources, while the rest of the data-based NIC literature uses a fragmented set of data sources. New data sources are rarely utilized. The documentation of data and data source use in the literature leaves room for criticism. Researchers and the users of NIC analyses benefit, if they are able to evaluate the quality, the coverage, and the relevance of the data sources used as a basis of NIC analyses. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that data sources used in the NIC literature are the main focus of a literature review.
Identification of SNPs and Candidate Genes for Milk Production Ability in Yorkshire Pigs

Sow milk production ability is an important limiting factor impacting suboptimal growth and the survival of piglets. Through pig genetic improvement, litter sizes have been increased. Larger litters need more suckling mammary glands, which results in increased milk from the lactating sow. Hence, there is much significance to exploring sow lactation performance. For milk production ability, it is not practical to directly measure the milk yield, we used litter weight gain (LWG) throughout sow lactation as an indicator. In this study, we estimated the heritability of LWG, namely, 0.18 ± 0.07. We then performed a GWAS, and detected seven significant SNPs, namely, Sus scrofa Chromosome (SSC) 2: ASGA0010040 (p = 7.73E-11); SSC2:MARC0029355 (p = 1.30E-08), SSC6: WU_10. 2_6_65751151 (p = 1.32E-10), SSC7: MARC0058875 (p = 4.99E-09), SSC10: WU_10. 2_10_49571394 (p = 6.79E-08), SSC11: M1GA0014659 (p = 1.19E-07), and SSC15: MARC0042106 (p = 1.16E-07). We performed the distribution of phenotypes corresponding to the genotypes of seven significant SNPs and showed that ASGA0010040, MARC0029355, MARC0058875, WU_10. 2_10_49571394, M1GA0014659, and MARC0042106 had extreme phenotypic values that corresponded to the homozygous genotypes, while the intermediate values corresponded to the heterozygous genotypes. We screened for flanking regions ± 200 kb nearby the seven significant SNPs, and identified 38 genes in total. Among them, 28 of the candidates were involved in lactose metabolism, colostrum immunity, milk protein, and milk fat by functional enrichment analysis. Through the combined analysis between 28 candidate genes and transcriptome data of the sow mammary gland, we found nine commons (ANO3, MUC15, DISP3, FBXO6, CLCN6, HLA-DRA, SLA-DRB1, SLA-DQB1, and SLA-DQA1). Furthermore, by comparing the chromosome positions of the candidate genes with the quantitative trait locus (QTLs) as previously reported, a total of 17 genes were found to be within 0.86–94.02 Mb of the reported QTLs for sow milk production ability, in which, NAV2 was found to be located with 0.86 Mb of the QTL region ssc2: 40936355. In conclusion, we identified seven significant SNPs located on SSC2, 6, 7, 10, 11, and 15, and propose 28 candidate genes for the ability to produce milk in Yorkshire pigs, 10 of which were key candidates.
An input controlled leakage restrainer transistor‐based technique for leakage and short‐circuit power reduction of 1‐bit hybrid full adders

The sharp increase in the leakage part of the total power of the very large scale integration (VLSI) circuits is a significant concern in the deep submicron CMOS process. The NOT gates, Gate Diffusion Input (GDI) cells, restorer NMOS–PMOS transistors for full‐swing operation, and any path from the power voltage to the ground are the main sources of leakage power dissipation as well as short‐circuit in the VLSI CMOS circuits/chips. The input controlled leakage restrainer transistor (ICLRT) is a new circuit‐level method that is proposed in this paper. The ICLRTs can be deliberately added to any VLSI CMOS circuit to largely diminish the total power dissipation especially by the reduction of its leakage and short‐circuit parts. The full adders are vital parts in various VLSI circuits/systems, especially in circuits used for fulfilling arithmetic operations. Those are often placed in the critical paths for multiplication and division, so influence the throughout the efficiency of the system. To test the proposed technique, ICLRTs added to five best 1‐bit hybrid full adders in the deep submicron process to fit the needs of the day. The efficiency of the proposed method is evaluated using SPICE simulations in 22‐nm CMOS BSIM4 process. Evaluation outcomes with 1‐V power supply verified that the power dissipation and power‐delay product (PDP) of the hybrid full adders based on ICLRT technique relative to corresponding original designs are reduced 65.67–95.7% and 35.85–87.37%, respectively. Mismatch analysis and Monte Carlo simulations prove the robustness and stability of the presented circuits in the presence of the process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations.
Effects of virgin olive oil phenolic compounds on health: solid evidence or just another fiasco?

Current research suggests that virgin olive oil (VOO) phenolics are potent preventive and therapeutic agents against metabolic diseases associated with inflammation and oxidative stress. Evidence-based medicine requires these effects be proved in randomized controlled trials (RCT), which are then assessed in meta-analyses, to ensure that the alleged health benefits really proceed in humans. The available evidence is limited to the ability of VOO phenolic compounds to protect lipoproteins from oxidation and to reduce systolic pressure in hypertensive individuals. No RCT assessing the effects of VOO phenolics on diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases have been performed, and those focused on osteoarthritis and cancer provided very scarce information. Therefore, RCT in extensive and diverse population groups, with different disorders and phenolic doses adjusted to usual VOO consumptions are necessary to achieve high quality scientific evidence before nutritional recommendations can be given to the general public.
Characterization, Whole-Genome Sequencing and Phylogenetic Analysis of Three H3N2 Avian Influenza Viruses Isolated From Domestic Ducks at Live Poultry Markets of Iran, 2017: First Report

Avian influenza type A viruses (AIV) can infect a broad range of hosts including human and birds, making them an important viral pathogen with zoonotic potential. Among birds, ducks are a known reservoir for many avian viruses including the AIV. During migration seasons in Iran, this bird species is generally at a high risk of being infected by free-living aquatic birds. In this study, 962 cloacal swabs were collected from domestic ducks at several live poultry markets (LPMs) of Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan provinces of Iran in the year 2017. Preliminary assays such as HI, NI, MDT, ICPI and RT-qPCR suggested that 0.5% of the birds were infected by H3 low pathogenic influenza viruses (LPAI). Three isolates were selected for whole genome sequencing. The cleavage site of the HA genes showed a PEKQTR/GLF motif, an indicator of LPAI. Furthermore, BLAST and phylogenetic analyses of the HA gene showed high homology to the Eurasian lineage of H3N8 AIV (95.5–97.1% to several European and East Asian isolates). However, the NA genes showed high homology (at most 96.5–96.9%) to those belonging to AIV N2 subtype. Furthermore, internal genes showed high homology (96–98%) to a variety of duck-origin subtypes and glycoprotein combinations, which were different for each segment. This showed a complex reassortment between different subtypes. Our report is the first whole genome sequencing and complete characterization of H3N2 AIV from Iran. Such surveillance should continue to study the evolution and possible emergence of viruses with pandemic potential.
Joint Subchannel Allocation and Power Control in Licensed and Unlicensed Spectrum for Multi-Cell UAV-Cellular Network

In this paper, we investigate the resource and interference management problem in a novel scenario where multiple unmanned aerial vehicle base stations (UAV-BSs) provide cellular services to UAV users (UAV-UEs) by reusing both licensed and unlicensed spectrum. Considering the co-existence of terrestrial cellular, WiFi and UAV-BSs, a joint optimization problem is formulated for both subchannel allocation and power control of UAV-UEs over the licensed/unlicensed spectrum in order to maximize the uplink sum-rate of the multi-cell UAV-cellular network. Since the formulated problem is NP-hard, we decompose it into three sub-problems. Specifically, we first use the convex optimization and the Hungarian algorithm to obtain the global optimal of power and subchannel allocations in the licensed spectrum, respectively. Then, we propose a matching game with externalities and coalition game algorithms to obtain the Nash stable of the subchannel allocation in the unlicensed band. Local optimal power assignment in the unlicensed spectrum is obtained using the successive convex approximation (SCA) method. An iterative algorithm is thereby developed to solve the three sub-problems sequentially till reaching convergence. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can improve the network capacity by nearly two times than the Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A).
Human ecological analysis of farmers’ pro‐environmental behaviour in the face of drought: Application of Norm Activation Theory

This study aims to investigate farmers’ pro‐environmental behaviour (FPB) under drought conditions. The epistemological perspective of the study was centred on human ecology and Norm Activation Theory (NAT). The study was designed as descriptive‐correlational research of causal relationships and was conducted using the survey method. The statistical population includes farmers who live around Lake Hamoun on the Iran‐Afghan border in the Sistan region. With NAT serving as the basis, the causal chain model of the impact of awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, subjective norms and personal norms on FPB was presented and tested. The proposed causal model is able to explain 34% of changes in FPB. The results of this study highlight the need for special attention to the fundamental changes that must be made in the environmental views of farmers as the most important stakeholders of water resources under drought conditions.
Possible Effects of the Fractal Distribution of Relic Wormholes

We discuss the possibility that the distribution of relic wormholes may possess fractal properties. Relic wormholes and their fractal distributions are predicted in a natural way by lattice quantum gravity models. This provides a new approach to some long standing problems. That is the nature of dark matter phenomena, the origin of Faber-Jackson and Tully-Fisher relations and the observed deficit of baryons. We derive corrections to the Newton’s potential caused by the presence of relic wormholes and show that the analysis of dark matter distribution in galaxies allows us to fix the parameters of the fractal distribution of wormholes.
Comparison of Physical and Mechanical Properties of Beech and Walnut Wood from Iran and Georgian Beech

Beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) forests in Iran are one of the most important sources of the hardwood species used for lumber, furniture, and interior object design due to its hardness, wear resistance, strength, and excellent bending capabilities. Furthermore, Iran is third most important country for walnut wood production after China and United States. Therefore, in this study, we compared specific mechanical properties between beech wood obtained from Sangdeh (Iran) and Georgia and four different kinds of walnut woods in Iran. Physical and mechanical tests were performed according to ISO 3129 (2012) and ASTM (D143-14) standards. The moisture content of all samples was 12% during mechanical tests. The mean dry density of Sangdeh and Georgian beech obtained was 0.61 and 0.65 g/cm3, respectively, while the mean dry density of Noor, Shahrekord, Mashhad, and Mako walnut woods measured 0.62, 0.59, 0.62, and 0.57 g/cm3, respectively. The results showed significant differences among the properties of the Sangdeh and Georgian species and the four different walnut tree woods. Overall, the obtained strengths of Georgian timber were higher than that of the Iranian beech, which was attributed to the higher density of Georgian timber. Furthermore, due to the higher density of the walnut species in the Noor and Mashhad regions, the measured mechanical strengths of these trees were higher than those of other walnut species. The obtained results provide relevant information to determinate the future applications of each wood source.
Inhomogeneous Broadening of Photoluminescence Spectra and Kinetics of Nanometer-Thick (Phenethylammonium)2PbI4 Perovskite Thin Films: Implications for Optoelectronics

An outstanding potentiality of layered two-dimensional (2D) organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites (2DHPs) is in the development of solar cells, photodetectors, and light-emitting diodes. In 2DHPs, an exciton is localized in an atomically thin lead(II) halide inorganic layer of sub-nanometer thickness as in a quantum well sandwiched between organic layers as energetic and dielectric barriers. In previous years, versatile optical characterization of 2DHPs has been carried out mainly for thin flakes of single crystals and ultrathin (of the order of 20 nm) polycrystalline films, whereas there is a lack of optical characterization of thick (hundreds of nanometers) polycrystalline films, fundamentals for fabrication of devices. Here, with the use of photoluminescence (PL) and absorption spectroscopies, we studied the exciton behavior in ∼200 nm polycrystalline thin films of 2D perovskite (PEA)2PbI4, where PEA is phenethylammonium. Contrary to the case of ultrathin films, we have found that peak energies and line width of the excitonic bands in our films demonstrate unusual extremely weak sensitivity to temperature in 20–300 K diapason. The excitonic PL band is characterized by a significant (∼30 meV) Stokes shift with respect to the corresponding absorption band as well as by a full absence of the exciton fine structure at cryogenic temperatures. We suggest that the observed effects are due to the large inhomogeneous broadening of the excitonic PL and absorption bands resulting from the (PEA)2PbI4 band gap energy dependence on the number of lead(II) halide layers of individual crystallites. The characteristic time of the exciton energy funneling from higher- to lower-energy crystallites within (PEA)2PbI4 polycrystalline thin films is about 100 ps.
Mini-max incentive strategy for leader–follower games under uncertain dynamics

This paper studies the problem of designing an incentive strategy for a leader–follower dynamic game affected by some sort of uncertainties. As is traditionally understood in the standard theory of incentives, the leader has complete knowledge of the game parameters, including the follower's performance index. So then he can compute the strategy that will lead the game to the global optimum that is favourable for him. Most of the current work is devoted to this situation. Nevertheless, such an assumption is unrealistic. This paper proposes an incentive scheme in which the game's dynamic depends on an unknown value that belongs to a finite set. The solution of the incentive strategy is computed in terms of the worst-case scenario, of the team's optimal solution. Based on the Robust Maximum Principle, the new incentive is presented in the form of a mini-max feedback control. Two numerical examples illustrate the effectiveness of the approach.
Surface-Modified Lithiated H2V3O8: A Stable High Energy Density Cathode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries with LiPF6 Electrolytes

A new one-pot multistep process was developed to coat and stabilize LixH2V3O8 as cathode material for Li-ion batteries with LiPF6-based electrolyte. The crystal structure of LixH2V3O8 was preserved after depositing an amorphous AlOx(OH)y coating. The sample containing higher aluminum content (3 wt % nominal) revealed a homogeneous surface coverage with 3 to 10 nm thickness, whereas for lower aluminum content no clear coverage could be detected by imaging. Spectroscopic techniques were used to confirm the presence of aluminum in all coatings. The electrochemical characterization of LixH2V3O8 cathodes coated with AlOx(OH)y containing 1.5 wt % nominal aluminum showed higher stability for lithium-ion intercalation compared to that of bare LixH2V3O8. For instance, after 200 cycles this material revealed 89% capacity retention compared to 67% for uncoated LixH2V3O8. These results enabled the preparation of cathodes working below 4.2 V with a specific energy higher that 0.5 W h kg–1 for more than 200 cycles.
Parallel proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses reveal cellobiose‐dependent regulation of lignocellulase secretion in the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa

High cost of lignocellulases restricts the commercialization of biofuel and bio‐product production from lignocellulosic biomass. Constitutively expressed lignocellulases are considered to degrade cellulose to release small amount of soluble cellodextrins such as cellobiose for further large‐scale production of lignocellulases; however, the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. Here, a triple β‐glucosidase mutant of the model fungus Neurospora crassa, which prevents rapid turnover of cellobiose and thus allows the disaccharide to induce lignocellulases, was applied to perform parallel analyses of proteome and phosphoproteome changes in response to cellobiose and Avicel cellulose. The results revealed shared proteome and phosphoproteome responses to cellobiose and Avicel, corroborating the idea that cellobiose mediates the regulation of lignocellulase expression and secretion. The results further suggest that this regulation is achieved at multiple levels, including epigenetic, transcription, post‐transcription, translation, and post‐translation. Proteome profiling revealed that the proteins upregulated by cellobiose and Avicel were over‐represented in cellulose degradation and degradation product transport pathways. Phosphoproteome profiling revealed that the proteins differentially phosphorylated by cellobiose and Avicel were over‐represented by the pathways such as transcriptional control, protein processing and export, cell wall biogenesis, and cellular signaling. Deletion mutation analysis further suggests that the ER chaperon protein Hsp70‐6, the translocation complex subunit Sec66/Sec71, and the signal peptidase subunit Spc2 are involved in lignocellulase secretion, particularly translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum. Altogether, the results offer a new insight into how cellobiose mediates the regulation of lignocellulase expression and secretion, providing a potential strategy for the strain engineering to improve lignocellulase production.
The Conflicting Conventions of Care: Transformative Service as Justice and Agape

In this study, we examine the conflicts and unintended consequences that arise from the diverse social conventions constituting a transformative service. We draw on convention theory and an ethnographic study to interpret a community-based palliative care initiative in Kerala (India) as a transformative service system. We contribute to transformative service research by developing a dialectical transformative service system framework that is a synthesis of the calculative conflict-ridden regime of justice and the noncalculative regime of agape based on love. In this framework, the calculative regime of justice has civic conventions at its core and industrial, inspired, market, domestic, and fame conventions as ancillaries. While the regime of justice is associated with the undesired, unintended consequence of conflicts, the regime of agape constitutes a desirable unintended consequence. Our framework provides a microlevel understanding of disputes and their reconciliation, advances a diffused understanding of worth that ruptures the binary of legitimate or illegitimate actions, and delineates the significance of morality. Our study also contributes by explaining agape’s role in transformative service, particularly in health and caregiving.
Exploring variables associated with medication non-adherence in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objective This study aims to assess medication adherence and explore its predictors in outpatients with type 2 diabetes. Method This cross-sectional study collected socio-demographics, disease-related information, and different biomedical variables for type 2 diabetes patients attending a Jordanian Diabetes center. The four-item medication adherence scale (4-IMAS) and the beliefs about medications questionnaire (BMQ) which includes necessity and concerns were used. Stepwise backward quartile regression models were conducted to evaluate variables associated with the Necessity and Concerns scores. Stepwise ordinal regression was conducted to evaluate variables associated with adherence. Results 287 diabetic patients participated in the study. Almost half of the participants (46.5%) reported moderate adherence and 12.2% reported low adherence. Significant predictors of the adherence were necessity score (OR = 14.86, p <0.01), concern score (OR = 0.36, p <0.05), and frequency of medication administration (OR = 0.88, p- <0.01). Education was a significant predictor of Necessity and Concerns scores (β = 0.48, -0.2, respectively). Conclusion Simplifying the medication regimen, emphasizing medication necessity and overcoming medication concerns should be targeted in future diabetes intervention programs to improve medication adherence and hence glycemic control among diabetic patients.
Lattice-based nominative signature using pseudorandom function

A nominative signature (NS) is a cryptographic primitive where two parties collude to produce a signature. It is a user certification system and has applications in a variety of sectors where nominee cannot trust heavily on the nominator to validate the nominee's certificate and only targeted entities are allowed to verify the signature on sensitive data. A new construction for NS from standard assumptions on lattice is provided. The authors’ construction relies on collision ‐ resistant preimage sampleable function and symmetric key primitives like collision ‐ resistant pseudorandom function and zero knowledge proof system ZKB ++ for Boolean circuits. The authors provide detailed security analysis and show that their construction achieves security under unforgeability , invisibility , imper-sonation , and non-repudiation in the existing model. Furthermore, our construction exhibits non-transferability . The security under non ‐ repudiation is achieved in the quantum random oracle model using Unruh transform to ZKB ++ .