Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Opportunistic Waveform Scheduling for Wireless Power Transfer With Multiple Devices

In this paper, we study a waveform scheduling problem for a multi-receiver wireless power transfer (WPT) system considering time-varying channel conditions and minimum average output direct-current (DC) voltage requirement of each receiver. To this end, we formulate a stochastic optimization problem that aims at maximizing the average of the sum of output DC voltages of receivers while satisfying the minimum average output DC voltage requirements of all receivers, and by solving it, we develop a waveform scheduling algorithm. In the waveform scheduling algorithm, we need to solve a problem for maximizing the weighted-sum of output DC voltages of receivers, which is a non-convex optimization problem. To cope with this difficulty, we develop a low-complexity approximated algorithm with which the waveform for the multi-receiver WPT system is optimized to maximize the weighted sum of output DC voltages of receivers. Numerical results show that our waveform design algorithm provides the higher performance of the weighted-sum of the output DC voltages than the existing algorithms, and our opportunistic waveform scheduling provides good performance while well satisfying the minimum average output DC voltage requirement of each receiver.
Effects of organic enrichment and burrowing activity of the polychaete Neries diversicolor on the fate of tetrachlorobiphenyl in marine sediments

The effects of organic enrichment and burrowing activity of the infaunal polychaete Nereis (Hediste) diversicolor on the distribution of 14C‐3,3′,4,4′‐tetrachlorobiphenyl (TCB) were studied in an experimental benthic system. Organic enrichment of the sediment was provided by a mixture of the diatom Skeletonema costatum and the sea lettuce Ulva lactuca. Organic matter and TCB were both initially added to a surface sediment layer of the microcosms. A factorial design with organic enrichment (control vs enriched) and bioturbation (presence or absence of N. diversicolor) as fixed factors and concentration of TCB in sediment, water, and biota as dependent variables allowed us to test the four combinations. Release of TCB from the sediment to the water column was measured in the outflowing water of the aquaria. After 28 d of exposure, TCB concentrations were measured in animals, feces, sediment cores, burrows, sediment surface, and in sulfur bacteria mats. Both bioturbation and organic enrichment enhanced the release of TCB from the sediment to the water column. The greatest effect was caused by the combination of the two factors, which increased release rates by 280% compared with controls. No general downward transport and vertical redistribution of TCB in the sediment were observed. However, TCB concentrations were significantly higher in the burrow linings of the worms than in the bulk sediment. Increased TCB accumulation by the animals was observed following organic enrichment, which was considered to be the result of selective feeding on TOC‐rich contaminated food particles. The organic enrichment also stimulated the production of sulfur bacteria mats, which were found to accumulate high TCB concentrations. Our results contradict those of several other studies that have reported a reduced bioavailability of organic contaminants with increasing sedimentary organic carbon content. Our study suggests that the quality of the organic matter should be considered in the evaluation of exposure in benthic organisms.
Learning from foreign operation modes: The virtuous path for innovation

In this article, we analyze the impact of learning from internationalization on small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) performance along different development paths. Drawing on the exploitation versus exploration logic, we use an alternative view of foreign operation modes (the learning perspective) to provide insights into the impact of such learning on technological and organizational innovation as well as overall performance. Our results, which are derived from a sample of 132 SMEs active in traditional manufacturing industries, point to a path to superior performance that entails resource-augmenting operation modes and organizational innovation. JEL CLASSIFICATION: O31; F23; L25; M10; M16
Diversity of Rhizobia and Importance of Their Interactions with Legume Trees for Feasibility and Sustainability of the Tropical Agrosystems

Symbiotic biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is a complex process that involves rhizobia, a diverse group of α and β-proteobacteria bacteria, and legume species. Benefits provided by BNF associated with legume trees in tropical environments include improvements to efficiency of nitrogen (N) use, increase of soil carbon sequestration, stabilization of soil organic matter, decrease of soil penetration resistance, and improvement of soil fertility. All these benefits make BNF a crucial ecosystem service to the sustainability of tropical agriculture. Due to the importance of this ecological process and the high diversity of rhizobia, these bacteria have been extensively characterized worldwide. Currently, over 400 species of rhizobia are known, distributed into seven families. In the humid tropics, Leucaena leucocephala, Acacia mangium, Gliricidia sepium, and Clitoria fairchildiana are four of the most common species used by family farmers to create sustainable agricultural systems. These four legumes perform symbiosis with different groups of rhizobia. Exploring BNF could help to enable sustainable intensification of agriculture in the humid tropics, mainly because it can increase N use efficiency in an environment where N is a limiting factor to plant growth.
Development and Characterization of 47 Genic Microsatellite Markers of the Loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus

The loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Teleostei: Cobitidae), is a common freshwater fish that inhabits shallow ponds and paddy fields in Asian regions (Arai 2003). It is cultured commercially in China, Japan, and Korea. Characteristics of this fish that make it a desirable cultivar include high market value, omnivorous food habit, rapid growth, tolerance of high stocking density, and utilization of atmosphere oxygen for respiration in oxygen-depleted water (Xu and Pan 2005). Nowadays, some countries have initiated artificial reproduction and cross-breeding programs to protect the broodstock resources and increase the production (Park et al. 2006; Wang et al. 2008), and some reports are available on chromosome manipulation (Arai 2003; Liu et al. 2004) and population structure in this species using different genetic marker technique (Khan and Arai 2000; Chang et al. 2001; Khan et al. 2005). By virtue of their codominant nature, microsatellites have a wide range of applications including genetic mapping, quantitative trait loci (QTL) association, kinship analysis, population genetics, and evolutionary studies. Microsatellite markers have been developed for M. anguillicaudatus in recent years (Morishima et al. 2004, 2008; Arias-Rodriguez et al. 2007). However, orthodox approaches to their development require a great amount of effort (Squirrell et al. 2003). Traditionally, microsatellite isolation has relied on the screening of genomic libraries using repetitive probes and sequencing of positive clones in order to develop locus-specific primers.
Rapid method for analysis of sphingomyelin by microwave derivatisation for gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Esterification and transesterification of lipids using boron trifluoride in methanol is widely used in lipid chemistry to study fatty acid (FA) profiles of various lipids by GC–MS. Transesterification of the FAs in sphingolipids is a difficult and time-consuming task. A rapid and convenient method for preparation of FAMEs from sphingomyelin (SM) using microwaves (MWs) was developed for GC–MS analysis. Experiments with three levels of power were performed and the yields were compared at regular time intervals. The maximum yields for all power levels were the same, but the time to reach these yields varied with the power. It was found that at a power of 70 W the maximum yield was reached after 27 min having a stable time window of 8 min for this yield. Practical applications: The technique presented here enables a rapid and easy method for preparing FAMEs from SM by the use of a MW reactor. The reaction time has been reduced from several hours down to only 27 min, with excellent yields.
A theoretical model for analysis of ionic polymer metal composite sensors in fluid environments

By the past two decades IPMCs have been intensively studied because of their special capabilities for actuation and sensing.This paper presents a theoretical physics based model for analyzing the behavior of IPMC sensors in fluid environments. The mechanical vibration of the IPMC strip is described by the classical Euler–Bernoulli beam theory. The model also takes in to account the physical properties of the surrounding fluid. The resulting model is an infinite-dimensional transfer function that relates the input tip displacement to the output sensing current. Further the original model is reduced to a finite-dimensional one, for pure sensing applications of IPMC sensors such as structural health monitoring. The proposed model is verified using existing experimental data. Then the effect of various parameters is investigated. The acoustics physics interface in COMSOL Multiphysics software is used for coupled modal analysis of the IPMC strip. It is shown that the effect of surrounding fluid cannot be neglected.
Delay-Oriented Caching Strategies in D2D Mobile Networks

Caching-enabled device-to-device (D2D) networks have the potential to make mobile users directly fetch requested files from nearby users, resulting in low network delay. In addition, user mobility can increase the communication chances among different users, and therefore, the network delay can be further effectively reduced by proper designing the caching strategy. In this paper, mobility-aware caching strategies in D2D networks are studied to minimize the network delay. Specifically, based on the inter-contact user mobility model, the expression of the average file delivery delay is analytically obtained. Considering the limited cache capacity, a delay minimization cache placement problem considering the user mobility is investigated. To optimally solve this nonlinear integer programming problem, we reformulate it as a multistage decision problem. According to the recursive relationship between adjacent stages, dynamic programming is adopted to obtain the optimal mobility-aware caching strategy stage-by-stage. Furthermore, to lower the complexity, we also demonstrate that the original problem can be recasted as a monotone submodular function maximization problem over a matroid constraint. Then, a low-complexity greedy mobility-aware caching strategy with $(1-1/e)$-optimality performance guarantee is put forward. Numerical results show that, in the scenario with high user mobility, the file delivery delay can be reduced by 47% with our proposed mobility-aware caching strategy, as compared with the most popular caching. Furthermore, the superiority of the proposed caching strategy is verified by real-world data set.
Carbon isotope discrimination during photosynthesis and dark respiration in intact leaves of Nicotiana sylvestris : comparisons between wild type and mitochondrial mutant plants

Leaf gas-exchange, carbon isotope discrimination (D) during photosynthesis, carbon isotope composition (d13 C) of leaf dry matter, leaf carbohydrates and ‰ d13 C of dark respiratory CO 2 were measured both in wild type (WT) and in a respiratory mutant of Nicotiana sylvestris Spegazz. plants. The mutation caused a dysfunction of complex I of the respiratory chain which has been described in detail by Gutierres et al. 1997, PNAS, 94, 3436. The aim of this work was to verify if this mutation has an influence on carbon isotope discrimination during photosynthesis and dark respiration. Another objective was to study the possible effect of respiratory fractionation on the isotopic composition of dry matter and on the discrimination measured on-line, in comparison with the expected D based on the model developed by Farquhar et al. 1982, AJPP, 9, 121. On-line D measured on leaves during photosynthesis was lower in the mutants (16.5‰ 0.9) than in the WT (20.1‰ 0.6), mainly due to lower conductance to CO 2 diffusion (both across stomatal pores and in the gaseous and liquid phases across the mesophyll) in the mutants. No statistically significant difference in the fractionation during dark respiration was observed between WT and mutant plants. However, respiratory CO 2 was enriched in 13 C compared to sucrose and glucose by about 2–3 and 2.5–4‰, respectively. The enrichment in 13 C (about 2‰) observed in leaf metabolites and leaf organic matter in the mutants compared to the WT can be explained by differences in . during photosynthesis. However, the fractionation in the whole-leaf organic matter of both WT and mutant plants was higher (more depleted in 13C) than expected based on the . values obtained with on-line measurements during photosynthesis. The observed discrimination during dark respiration, releasing 13 C-enriched CO 2 , may partly explain the higher fractionation in the remaining leaf organic matter compared to the overall discrimination during photosynthesis, as measured on-line.
Characterization of an α‐Tubulin Gene of Cryptosporidium parvum

A gene encoding an α‐tubulin of Cryptosporidium parvum was isolated and characterized. It had no introns, and encoded a 441‐amino acid protein whose predicted ORF represented a typical α‐tubulin protein with a MW of 50.5 kDa. This tubulin had an amino acid sequence similarity with Apicomplexa Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii higher than 88% and shared a number of conserved motifs.
Technology catch‐up in agriculture among advanced economies

The article tests the hypothesis of convergence in relative levels of total factor productivityacross seventeen member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and tries to identify factors that affect the speed of convergence. Using a paneldata model, we investigate the role of relative factor intensities (i.e. embodiment) and assess the impact of fluctuations in aggregate economic activity (i.e., the business cycle). We also consider the role of human capital spillovers and agricultural policy differences such as the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union. We use a two-step difference Generalised Method of Moments estimator to quantify the contributions of each of these factors. We find evidence of convergence in productivity levels across the different phases of the business cycle.However, the speed of convergence was higher during contractions (negative output gap) than along expansions. Results show that the speed of convergence among the European countries during the economic slowdown is slower than in Australia, Canada and the United States. Finally, we found significant spillovers from investment in human capital and the productivity of the national economy leading to more rapid productivity growth.
Function of miR-200a in proliferation and apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer cells

Lung cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer worldwide and is the leading cause of cancer-associated cases of mortality in the USA and China. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80–85% of lung cancer cases. microRNAs (miRs) serve multiple roles in the pathogenesis of lung cancer. The current study investigated the lower level of miR-200a in tumor tissues compared with healthy tissue. Overexpression of miR-200a inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis. miR-200a was identified to target Rhophilin Rho GTPase binding protein 2 (RHPN2) and higher levels of RHPN2 were observed in tumor tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. The current study proposes that miR-200a exhibits a tumor suppressive role in NSCLC and suggests that miR-200a could target RHPN2.
Perceived Role of Rural Roads in Supporting and Enhancing Rural and Agricultural Development in Mwanza Region, Tanzania

The aim of this study was to reassess the important role of rural roads in supporting and enhancing agricultural and rural development. The study covered seven districts (units) of 35,187 sq km, with a total population of 2,772,509 (2013 est) in the region. The analysis is descriptive and it is based on secondary data using tables and graphs. The emphasis was to characterise important role rural roads can play in facilitating the movements of goods and services in rural areas. The findings revealed that rural roads in the region are in poor conditions, which influenced the cost of transporting farm produce from rural to urban areas. The study concluded that improved rural roads will benefit more small farmers and individuals residing in rural areas. The regional government should be equipped with finance, personnel and equipment to manage and maintain existing rural roads to ensure effective movement of goods and services in the region. The study suggested that existing rural road conditions need improvement to enhance development in the region. Both national and regional governments should embark on various policies of upgrading and maintaining rural roads to support and accelerate rural development in Mwanza region.
Evaluation of Xylazine HCl as a Potential Anesthetic for Laprogastrotomy Operation in Dogs

The present study aimed to evaluate intramuscular xylazine HCl 2% as an anesthetic for laparogastrotomy in dogs at different doses. Twenty-seven dogs were divided randomly and equally into three groups; group A received 4 mg/kg, group B, received 8 mg/kg, and group C received 14 mg/kg. Anesthetic indices, effect on physiological parameters, blood gases, and biochemical parameters were recorded. The onset was 4.00 ± 0.00, 3.50 ± 0.33, and 5.00 ± 0.33 min, and the duration was 18.00 ± 2.50, 21.00 ± 7.20, and 28.00 ± 4.30 min in the groups A, B, and C, respectively. Pedal reflex was absent in groups A and B from 5 - 30 min post-injection. Palpebral reflex was absent in all groups from 20 - 30 min post-injection. All dogs recorded a non-significant decrease in the rectal temperature, but a significant decrease in respiratory and heart rates. There was a significant increase in the PvCO2 level and significant hyperglycemia in all dogs. Dogs in groups B and C exhibited a significant decrease in PvO2. There was a significant decrease in the serum cortisol level in the group B. Creatinine level recorded non-significant decrease in the group A, while there was a non-significant increase in the group B. There was non-significant decrease in GGT levels in the groups A and C. Xylazine at dose of 14 mg/kg established a satisfactory stable anesthesia that was enough to conduct laparogastrotomy in dogs.
Partial purification and characterization of sucrose phosphate synthase from preclimacteric and climacteric bananas.

Sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) (EC 2.4.1.14) was purified from bananas (Musa acuminata cv. Nanicao) at different developmental and ripening stages (70, 110, and 130 days after anthesis), corresponding to tissue with different structure and composition. Banana SPS exists in three polymeric forms as observed by electrophoresis and immunoblotting, similar in all stages studied, with Mw respectively of 180, 254, and 686 kDa. The three forms have the same 116 kDa subunit, and their activity increased during ripening associated with increased protein synthesis as shown by Western blotting. Keywords: Musa acuminata; banana; sucrose phosphate synthase; ripening; sucrose
Fostering student engagement with motivating teaching: an observation study of teacher and student behaviours

ABSTRACT Given the importance of student engagement for students’ current and future success, it is essential to explore how teachers can foster student engagement within lessons. This study relied on classroom observations to describe how teachers applied Self-Determination Theory (SDT) related (de)motivating teaching behaviours to foster students’ engagement. Results from 120 observed lessons of 43 teachers indicated there were distinct relations between motivating teaching behaviours and student engagement. Most striking regarding the use of motivating teaching behaviours were the higher levels of relatedness support and guidance during activities in lessons in which students showed the highest levels of engagement. Conversely, in lessons where students were least engaged, teachers showed higher levels of chaotic teaching behaviours. Analyses of behaviours within lowly and highly engaging lessons showed that teachers in highly engaging lessons were observed to start with high levels of enthusiasm and after about ten to fifteen minutes focused on activating their students by offering room for experimenting and support while students worked on assignments. In contrast, teachers in lowly engaging lessons seemed to have a tendency to employ demotivating teaching behaviour at the start of the lesson. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Minimally invasive pancreaticojejunostomy techniques: a literature review

Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is a procedure utilized to surgically remove pancreatic, duodenal, and distal bile duct cancers. Recent technological advancements have allowed surgeons to extend minimally invasive techniques to this complex operation. Due to the advanced technical skill required to perform minimally invasive anastomoses, there are multiple various techniques currently being employed to successfully complete the pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ), the highest risk anastomosis. It is unknown whether any specific PJ anastomotic technique is associated with improved outcomes. A literature search was conducted using keywords: “laparoscopic pancreaticojejunostomy”, “robotic pancreaticojejunostomy”, and “minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy (MPD)”. Articles were excluded from this review if they did not meet two essential criteria: (I) adequate description of the minimally invasive PJ technique and (II) patient outcome data. Articles that did not describe anastomotic technique, had small numbers of patients, did not report outcomes, or included comparison between open and minimally invasive procedures were excluded. Eight articles meeting our search criteria were reviewed. Each of them described a different minimally invasive PJ technique. The information was organized by one-layer versus two-layer, end-to-end versus end-to-side, suture type, and special suture techniques. There was no difference in outcomes based on minimally invasive PJ technique. Though a number of centers now perform MPD, the PJ anastomotic method with the fewest complications and best outcomes remains undetermined. An international registry could be used to gather a sufficient volume of data to answer this important question.