Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nanocomposite Zn2SnO4/SnO2 Thick Films as a Humidity Sensing Material

Nanocomposite Zn2SnO4/SnO2 powder was obtained by solid state synthesis from homogenized starting nanopowders of ZnO and SnO2, mixed in the 1:1 molar ratio, structurally and morphologically characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Thick film paste was made by adding organic vehicles to the obtained powder. Three to five layers (layer thickness approx. <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$12~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) were screen printed on alumina substrate with small test PdAg electrodes and fired at 600 °C for 30 minutes. SEM analysis confirmed formation of a porous structure suitable for humidity sensing. Impedance response was studied at the working temperatures of 25 and 50 °C in a humidity chamber where the relative humidity (RH) was 30-90% and measured frequency 42 Hz – 1 MHz. With increase in film thickness the overall sensor impedance increased. It reduced at 100 Hz from 36 to 0.25 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{M}\Omega $ </tex-math></inline-formula> (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$60~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>), from 23.4 to 0.25 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{M}\Omega $ </tex-math></inline-formula> (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$48~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) and from 6.8 to 0.02 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{M}\Omega $ </tex-math></inline-formula> (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$36~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) at 25 °C, while at 50 °C and also 100 Hz it reduced from 14 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{M}\Omega $ </tex-math></inline-formula> to 0.72 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{M}\Omega $ </tex-math></inline-formula> (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$48~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) for RH 30 and 90%, respectively. The response (8 s) and recovery (10 s) was fast, showing that this nanocomposite has potential for application in humidity sensing.
Arab Families’ Stories of Migration from War Zones: Gender Roles and Family Relations in Flux

Abstract This paper presents qualitative research investigating changes of gender roles and family relations across war-initiated migration journeys for Syrian and Iraqi refugees now settled in Canada. The impact of gendered cultural narratives and social norms is evident in gender role changes in spousal and parental relationships. Refugees story their family and relational lives against the social, cultural, and political backdrop of war, migration journey, different social norms related to family roles and gender, and across time. These findings extend understanding of how persons migrating from Arab countries across the globe are reshaping cultural narratives about family, parenting, and marital relationships.
Statistical analysis of gene expression data

Microarray technology has become one of the most important tools for genome-wide mRNA measurements. The technique has been successfully applied to many areas in modern biology including cancer research, identification of drug targets, and categorization of genes involved in the cell cycle. Nevertheless, the analysis of microarray data is difficult due to the vast dimensionality and the high levels of noise. The need for solid statistical methods is therefore strong. The main results are presented in six papers. The first three develop a statistical model for quality assessment and improved gene ranking called Weighted Analysis of Microarray Experiments (WAME). Here, the customary assumption of independent samples is shown to be invalid and individual variances for each array and correlations between pairs of arrays are introduced. Comparisons to other common methods suggest that the proposed model produces more accurate results. The first paper describes the model for simple experimental setups for two-channel arrays. This model is then generalized to more complex designs in paper two and to one-channel microarrays in paper three. Transcription factors govern gene expression in the cell by binding to short sequences called cis-regulatory elements. These sequences are located in the promoters, which are regions of DNA upstream of the genes. In paper four, we show that the lengths of these promoters are related to gene function. In particular, the promoters for stress responsive genes are in general longer than those of other genes. This is used in a novel method for identifying relevant cis-regulatory elements from a list of differentially expressed genes. Papers five and six present microarray based studies from molecular biology and environmental toxicology respectively. In paper five, microarrays are used to identify Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes with changed mRNA levels under arsenic stress. In paper six, biomarkers for estrogen exposure in fish are found using both an in-house microarray experiment and a meta-analysis of several public gene expression datasets.
Dynamic Effect of Public Expenditure on Oil Producing Economy: An Empirical Evidence from Nigeria

The paper examines the economic growth effect of government expenditure in Nigeria employing annual data from 1970 to 2017. Specifically, the study examines the short- and long-term effect of Federal Government total, recurrent, and capital expenditure on the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Different from the existing literature, the paper also shows the extent of oil sector integration, at the sectoral level, by investigating the effect of government expenditure on the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. The analysis was carried out using the Autoregressive Distribute Lag (ARDL) technique. Empirical results show that the aggregate government spending has a positive effect on the real GDP on the short and long-run. Mixed outcomes were realized when the effect of government expenditure on agricultural and manufacturing sector outputs were considered. In the short-run, total government expenditure cause agriculture sector output to decline. The long-run accumulated government spending leads to an increase in the agricultural sector output. The total government expenditure exerts a negative effect on the manufacturing sector output in the short-run. The effect was positive in the long-run. Outcomes from analyzing the differential effect of expenditure types on the real GDP show that capital expenditure had no impact on the real GDP, while government recurrent expenditure had a positive significant impact. Thus, efforts should be geared towards increasing capital spending for commensurate integration of oil benefits in the Nigerian economy.
41-Tbps C-Band WDM Transmission With 10-bps/Hz Spectral Efficiency Using 1-Tbps/λ Signals

High throughput signals with high spectral efficiency (SE) are attracting interest for their application to data center interconnection application. For such application, a high baud rate and high-order modulation are desirable. This article describes each of the three steps in designing a high SE signal with a net rate of 1-Tbps/λ in detail. First, the baud rate dependency of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is obtained by applying methods such as precise digital calibration technique. Test signals of PDM -16 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), PDM-64QAM, and PDM-256QAM were compared to illustrate the modulation format dependence on signal SNR. Clipping ratio optimization and joint digital equalization and optical equalization were performed to maximize the SNR. Second, the achievable capacity is calculated from the obtained baud rate dependency of the SNR. Symbol rate is selected to maximize the achievable capacity. WDM-grid and the Nyquist pulse shaping roll-off factor is selected to achieve a high SE. Third, the rate parameter of probabilistically shaped (PS) signal are determined to generate 1-Tbps/λ net rate signal. A high fiber capacity of 41-Tbps is successfully demonstrated with C-band WDM transmission over 100 km with 41-WDM 96-Gbaud PDM-PS-256QAM signals in a 100-GHz grid.
Deep Speech Extraction with Time-Varying Spatial Filtering Guided By Desired Direction Attractor

In this investigation, a deep neural network (DNN) based speech extraction method is proposed to enhance a speech signal propagating from the desired direction. The proposed method integrates knowledge based on a sound propagation model and the time-varying characteristics of a speech source, into a DNN-based separation framework. This approach outputs a separated speech source using time-varying spatial filtering, which achieves superior speech extraction performance compared with time-invariant spatial filtering. Given that the gradient of all modules can be calculated, back-propagation can be performed to maximize the speech quality of the output signal in an end-to-end manner. Guided information is also modeled based on the sound propagation model, which facilitates disentangled representations of the target speech source and noise signals. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can extract the target speech source more accurately than conventional DNN-based speech source separation and conventional speech extraction using time-invariant spatial filtering.
Biologically Active Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of“Zeibel 5455” Grape-Seed Superfluid Extracts

Zeibel 5455” is one of the hybrid varieties of colored grapes that does not contain diglycosidic forms of anthocyanins. It also provides raw material of ecologically clean grape, as chemical fertilizers and toxicants are not used during its cultivation. The grape-seed dried up to 7 9% humidity by vacuum-sublimation method, was fragmented to MM-10 in a micromill on average of 50 100 mcm. Fraction and biologically active compounds were extracted from the grape-seed by two different methods. In the first stage, vegetable fat was extracted by Waters Corporation's Supercritical Fluid Extractor SFE 100-2-C10. In the second stage, fluid extraction of microdispersed micropowder of the grape-seed with ethyl alcohol was performed, namely optimal parameters of extraction were experimentally determined: pressure 100 bar, CO2 delivery rate 7.5 kg/h. The quality of extraction was also affected by 75% ethyl alcohol in the form of solvent, the ratio of which to CO2 was 21 22%. A coupage of both extracts of Zeibel 5455 with 1:1 relationship and the concentration were made in the first stage with vacuumrotary evaporator until the consistence of 61 63% dry substances and in the second stage by vacuum sublimation or lyophilized method till the consistence of 74 75% dry substances. Biologically active compounds of the received liquid concentrate and the antioxidant activity were estimated. More than 81% of the fatty acids existed in the composition of the received liquid bioflavanoid concentrate is unsaturated, rich in polyphenolic complex and characterized by high antioxidant activity 58.62% (F = 100).
Injury, physiological stress and mortality of recreationally discarded crustaceans in New South Wales, Australia

Straightforward and inexpensive analysis of blood constituents can provide quantifiable information on sublethal stress in an animal and a measure of their overall physical fitness. Such methods have been widely used on a range of marine and terrestrial species, primarily those of commercial or recreational importance. Freshwater crayfish in many regions of the world face a common suite of threats and threatening processes that include: exotic species (including other freshwater crayfish, associated diseases and parasites), habitat fragmentation and destruction, anthropogenic pollution, overexploitation and increased environmental temperature. Although some studies have investigated the effects of these on freshwater crayfish in-part (i.e. measured by gross symptoms), the subtle, often asymptomatic physiological effects are poorly understood. The analysis of haemolymph provides a simple, inexpensive, high resolution, portable (i.e. suitable for field analysis and assessment in remote areas) and non-lethal method for the evaluation of sub-lethal stress and immunocompetence status in freshwater crayfish. There is considerable scope for application of these existing techniques in conservation initiatives for rare and endangered freshwater crayfish in Australasia, in particular by providing: i) non-lethal stress assessments, ii) quantification of compromised health and iii) increased understanding of the physiological impacts from key threats and threatening processes.
Tourism as a Factor of Demand in Public Road Passenger Transportation in the Republic of Croatia

The paper presents the results of research in tourism as one of the most important factors in the public passenger transport demand. The research has been carried out for the requirements of creating a Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) for the Republic of Croatia for 2016. Traffic and tourism, as strategic economic activities of the Republic of Croatia, have the characteristics of complex and dynamic systems, mutually conditioned by the guidelines of the demand and supply chain of tourist product values. Therefore, the paper is oriented towards the analysis of the significance of tourism for public road passenger transport in the Republic of Croatia. During 2016, road intercity passenger transport carried 50.4 million passengers, out of which 98 percent in domestic and 2 percent in international transport. Passenger road transportation is marked by mild seasonal oscillations, with the summer period marked by the lowest level of demand, and the period from January to March by the largest number of passengers. The provision of public road transportation services in 2016 realised a revenue of 1.8 billion kuna for 433 business subjects registered in this activity. The trends indicate an increase in the number of travelled kilometres by buses with passengers.
Role of phosophoinositide-based signaling in virulence in Entamoeba histolytica

Entamoeba histolytica is an intestinal protozoan parasite and is the causative agent of amoebiasis. During invasive infection, highly motile amoebae destroy the colonic epithelium, enter the blood circulation, and disseminate to other organs such as liver, causing liver abscess. Motility is a key factor in E. histolytica pathogenesis, and this process relies on a dynamic actomyosin cytoskeleton. In other systems, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2] is known to regulate a wide variety of cellular functions, including signal transduction, actin remodeling, and cell motility. Little is known about the role of PI(4,5)P2 in E. histolytica pathogenicity. In this study, we demonstrate that PI(4,5)P2 is localized to cholesterol-rich microdomains, lipid rafts, and the actin-rich fractions of the E. histolytica membrane. Microscopy revealed that the trailing edge of polarized trophozoites, uroids, are highly enriched in lipid rafts and their constituent lipid, PI(4,5)P2. Polarization and enrichment of uroids and rafts with PI(4,5)P2
Mars's Red (575–625 nm) Seasonal Approximate Reflectivity Averaged Over Mars Years 24–28 From Mars Orbiter Camera

The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft successfully orbited Mars for over nine Earth years, its instruments returning a plethora of data that still today form important, key data sets in Mars research. A relatively underutilized data set was returned from the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC), specifically the wide‐angle component (MOC‐WA), despite returning over 150,000 images in “blue” and “red” wavelengths. The median imaging time of day was 14:00, resulting in few shadows, making it difficult to use for geology, while better cameras arrived within a few years. However, the limb‐to‐limb coverage of the MOC‐WA survey images provides an important resource, where the imaging time that was poor for geology is good for measuring reflectivity. To‐date, the only published albedo maps of Mars are from a companion MGS instrument, TES, with wide wavelength coverage and low spatial resolution, and the OMEGA instrument on Mars Express. Modern processing of the MOC‐WA images, presented here, allow for the creation of new reflectivity maps in a narrow wavelength range that can be used for photometric control of other data sets and understanding broad‐scale surface changes on Mars. Four reflectivity maps were made, at cardinal Ls points, averaging images taken within just a week of each Ls but across multiple Mars years. From these maps, several trends are revealed though most have been previously described, including significant differences in seasonal frost cover surrounding each residual polar ice cap, and significant changes across Syrtis Major, Solis Lacus, and the Tharsis volcanoes.
CONTROLLER TUNING APPROACH WITH TLBO ALGORITHM FOR THE AUTOMATIC VOLTAGE REGULATOR SYSTEM

In this paper, an optimal parameter set tuning method for proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller and fractional order PID controller is proposed using teaching-learning based optimization (TLBO) algorithm. During the optimization of the PID and FOPID controller parameters, an objective function consisting of overshoot, rise time, settling time and steady state error is formulated to achieve a satisfactory trade-off between the dynamic response characteristics. TLBO algorithm is used as the optimizer to find the best parameters of the proposed controllers. The designed PID and FOPID controllers are applied to an automatic voltage regulator (AVR) system. The performances of the proposed controllers are confirmed by comparing their results with those obtained from different optimized PID and FOPID controllers previously published in the literature for the same AVR system. The numerical simulations and comparisons show that the proposed controllers provide the better dynamic response characteristics as well as more robust to model uncertainties than the other different optimized controllers. The results obtained with the proposed controllers show a better trade-off between the set point tracking performance, robustness and stability.
THE EFFECT OF HONEY VARIETY ON THE QUALITY OF HONEY POWDER

The conversion of raw honey into powder can increase its usage in food industry but the health properties of obtained powder in relation to chemical composition of honey have been not studied since now. The aim of the study was to check the influence of botanical origin of honey on the quality of honey powder produced by spray drying method. Nine honey samples: honeydew (3), multifloral (3) and acacia (3) were transformed into honey powder using DC1500 dryer (Unimach, China). Analysis of honey powders and comparatively raw honeys covered: physicochemical parameters (moisture content, titratable acidity, pH, electrical conductivity, sugar profile (HPLC) and calorific value), bioactive compounds determination (antioxidant activity (DPPH and FRAP tests), phenolic compounds, mineral composition (ICP-OES) as well as microbiological purity and antibacterial activity. The experiments have shown that honeydew honey powder was characterized by the strongest antioxidant activity and the richest mineral composition, whereas the weakest properties for acacia honey were observed. Moreover, sugar profile of obtained powders was similar to raw honey. It was found that the quality of honey powder was directly dependent on the quality of raw honey.
Quantitative analysis of the flavonoid content of commercial tomatoes

Method of and apparatus for steering a vehicle having two separately steerable wheels and respective separate steering means characterized by imparting a steer signal to both steerable wheels, comparing the relative degrees of steer of the respective wheels by way of an ellipsoidal programmer and modifying the steer signal to the steerable wheel that departs from its correct relative degrees of steer with respect to the other steerable wheel. The relative degrees of steer are defined by the ellipsoidal programmer. The ellipsoidal programmer employs the equivalent of two identical ellipses that are placed tangential such that their focal points on their major axes form the apices of a rectangle at the position equivalent to zero degrees of steer, are mounted on pivotal shafts located at opposite first focal points and have their other respective and opposite focal points free to move in a plane as the driving ellipse drivingly rotates the driven ellipse through a connection that is equivalent to being retained tangential. The driving ellipse is rotated twice the number of degrees a first steerable wheel is being steered, and the output from the driven ellipse can be compared directly with twice the degrees of steer of the other steerable wheel. A preferred embodiment in which the modifying of the steer signal comprises interrupting the steering signal to the steerable wheel that is being steered more than its correct relative degrees of steer with respect to the other steerable wheel, and specific apparatus are also disclosed.
Evolutionary Recovery and the Thermodynamic Aftermath of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Microviruses

Experimental evolution has been used to investigate both general and specific evolutionary processes. More recently, it has also been used to resolve protein-protein interactions. Viruses assemble through a series of protein-protein interactions which must remain more favorable than any competing off-pathway reaction. By constructing chimeric viruses with genes or segments of genes from another species, foreign elements are introduced into this system of assembly. Characterization of the resulting chimeras provides information about which proteins interact, the protein-protein interacting interface, the role of particular domains, and the importance of specific residues. Chimeric viruses often exhibit a reduction in fitness, as the foreign element is unable to interact as efficiently in the system as the native element. Through experimental evolution, mutations accumulate that affect interacting partners in the system, leading to a more optimal assembly pathway. The microviruses are well-characterized single-stranded (ss) DNA bacteriophages. They are divided into three clades, represented by φX174, G4, and α3. Incidences of horizontal gene transfer between microvirus clades are unusually rare and may be due to a complex assembly pathway with multiple stages: a foreign element has the potential to disrupt a multitude of morphogenetic steps. In this study, we exchanged major spike genes between the two microvirus species φX174 and G4, then monitored the evolutionary recovery. Results can be interpreted within this thermodynamic paradigm.
Measuring the Financial Cycle in South Africa

We measure the financial cycle of South Africa using three different methodologies. The financial cycle is identified using credit, house prices and equity prices as indicators, and estimated using traditional turning‐point analysis, frequency‐based filters and an unobserved components model‐based approach. We then consider the financial cycle’s main characteristics and examine its relationships with the business cycle. We confirm the presence of a financial cycle in South Africa that has a longer duration and a larger amplitude than the traditional business cycle. Developments in measures of credit and house prices are important indicators of the financial cycle, although the case for including equity prices in the measures is less certain. Periods where financial conditions are stressed are associated with peaks in the financial cycle, suggesting that the estimated financial cycle may have similar leading indicator properties to financial conditions or stress indices.