Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Propionibacterium acnes and its phages

Microorganisms are everywhere! They can tolerate many diverse extreme environments, such as the human body. Even though many of us might associate the word microorganism with infections and disease, most are actually either harmless or even beneficial for us. Those commensals often fight off more dangerous bacteria and might also directly benefit their host. The human skin harbors several different microorganisms, with Propionibacterium acnes being one of the most common bacteria. This Gram-positive anaerobe has long been attributed as the cause of acne vulgaris, and is known to cause severe inflammations on orthopedic implants. However, like most bacteria, P. acnes can be infected by specific bacterial viruses, eg. bacteriophages. If those can contribute to the progress of the diseases mentioned is unknown. In this thesis we have investigated the role of P. acnes as both a pathogen and a commensal, and characterized the phages infecting P. acnes. To undertake those studies, we first had to develop a genetic toolbox to better be able to characterize the bacteria and their phages, since there is a huge lack of molecular tools for the study of P. acnes (Paper I). Furthermore, we found that P. acnes that caused inflammations on orthopedic implants had a higher capacity to form biofilms, than did strains isolated from the skin. Thus, the ability to form biofilm seems to be a characteristic of invasive isolates (Paper II). Even though unwanted on orthopedic implants, we found that colonization by P. acnes on the human skin is beneficial for its host. This is due to that P. acnes secretes a heme-oxygenase that protects our cells against free radicals, and increase the viability of the skin cells (Paper III). Furthermore, we characterized several bacteriophages that could infect P. acnes. Those phages had a high capacity to infect and lyse P. acnes (Paper IV). Finally, the sequencing of two of the phages revealed that the phages were not able to integrate their DNA into its host chromosome, but instead, most likely had a pseudolysogenic relation with their host (Paper V). In summary, this thesis can conclude that P. acnes is commonly infected by phages, living in a pseudolysogenic relation. Furthermore, colonization by P. acnes might prove both beneficial and harmful for the host, all depending on the site of colonization.
Non-Candida albicans Candida species: virulence factors and species identification in India

Background and Purpose: The predominant cause of candidiasis was Candida albicans which has recently changed to non-Candida albicans Candida (NCAC) (i.e., Candida spp. other than the C. albicans). The NCAC spp. , earlier considered non-pathogenic or minimally virulent, are now considered a primary cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals. Given the NCAC spp.has become more common in clinical cases, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of NCAC spp. in different clinical specimens and assess a few of their virulence factors. Materials and Methods: Routine samples for bacterial culture and sensitivity that showed colony characteristics, like Candida on Blood Agar and microscopic features resembling Candida spp. , were processed further. Candida isolates underwent tests for chlamydospore formation and biochemical tests, including sugar fermentation and sugar assimilation tests. These were grown at 42oC, and their colony color was identified using HiCromeTM Candida Differential Agar (HiMedia Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, India), HiCandidaTM Identification Kit (HiMedia Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, India), and VITEK-2® Compact (Biomérieux, France). Virulence factors, such as adherence to buccal epithelial cells (ABEC), biofilm formation, hemolytic activity, and production of coagulase enzyme were also tested. Results: Mean age of the patients was 38.46 years with a male-female ratio of 1.36:1. In total, 137 Candida isolates were recovered; 45.3%, 19.7%, and 13.9% of the isolates were isolated from urine, vaginal swabs, and oropharyngeal swabs, respectively. Moreover, 55 (40.1%) isolates were those of C. albicans and 82 (59.9%) isolates belonged to NCAC spp. , with C. tropicalis (23.4%) contributing highest among NCAC species. Furthermore, C. albicans (3; 50%) was the most common spp. in cases of candidemia. Haemolysin production (85.5%) and ABEC (78.2%) were the major virulence factors in C. albicans. C. tropicalis (59.4%) and C. dubliniensis (50%) showed maximum ABEC. Biofilm forming capacity was higher in C. tropicalis (78.1%) than C. albicans (67%). Conclusion: Results of this study suggest varied prevalence and virulence based on geographical locations, even within a subcontinent. It clearly indicates the emergence of the NCAC spp. and their predominance in different body fluids. Identification of Candida to the spp. level should become a routine in all laboratories.
A New Topology for UPQC Based on Reduced-Switch-Count Converter

Recently, reduced switch count converter switch numerous advantages such as low cost and weight, small size and high reliability have been introduced to be used in unified power quality conditioner (UPQC). In this paper a novel topologyfor UPQC based on back-to-backB4 converter and its control system are proposed. The conventional UPQC consists of twelve switches while the proposed topology for UPQC has 8 switches. By reducing the number of switches, the price of the whole system and losses are decreased. In addition, the proposed control system can be used in conventional UPQC when one of converter legs has a faulty condition. This increases reliability of the system. Special control and modulation schemes have been offered to compensate oscillations in load and utility currents and voltages and also input power factor of UPQC. The experimental and simulation results verify the efficiency of proposed control and modulation schemes of proposed topology.
Single-Loop Full R Joints of Multi-Mode Omnidirectional Ground Mobile Robot

: In order to solve the problem of loss of locomotion ability due to overturning and instability during the movement of a mobile robot, a multi-mode omnidirectional ground mobile robot with a deformable structure is proposed. Single-loop is used as the unit, and the three-direction geometric deformation can be realized by controlling its R joints in time sharing. The 4-RRRRRR parallel mobile robot formed by two closed-loops orthogonally has four different rolling modes, and each mode can be switched between each other. Once the robot is overturned and unstable during the movement, it can be deformed into other modes and continue to move. After the description of the robot, the DOF (degree-of-freedom) is calculated based on the screw theory. Gait planning and locomotion feasibility analysis indicate that the robot can realize four locomotion modes and their mutual switching. Finally, the simulations and prototype experiments are presented to verify the feasibility of the different locomotion modes and the ability of the obstacle crossing.
Unified power flow controller based on matrix converter

Recently, L. Gyugyi introduced the concept of the unified power flow controller (UPFC) in flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS). This paper shows that the voltage-source type matrix power converter cannot only fulfil the specifications of the UPFC but also surpass it on the following points: (1) the ability to link power systems at different frequency standards (60 Hz and 50 Hz); (2) 360/spl deg/ phase-shift range; and (3) high synchronizing power associated with series reactance compensation. This paper shows the modifications required to adapt the matrix power converter for UPFC application and presents experimental results which substantiate its capabilities.
High‐Resolution Soil Moisture Evolution in Hyper‐Arid Regions: A Comparison of InSAR, SAR, Microwave, Optical, and Data Assimilation Systems in the Southern Arabian Peninsula

We present an analysis of a 3‐year time series of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery covering the southern Arabian Peninsula, spanning two devastating typhoons that impacted the region in 2018. The limited vegetation and precipitation in the area allows for clear separation of soil moisture changes from other factors that typically also affect microwave imagery. We generate soil moisture proxies from Interferometric SAR (InSAR) coherence and compare them with a range of other soil moisture products. We estimate the decay timescale over which the surface returns to its pre‐storm state for each event and data type, and find that the radar coherence‐based timescales tend to be longer than those for the other products. We also find that the coherence‐based timescales of the two events differ from each other in a manner that is consistent with seasonal temperature fluctuations and the total rainfall that occurred each time. The higher spatial resolution of the InSAR coherence results and differing sensitivity to the vertical distribution of soil moisture complements the other more temporally dense products, particularly in regions of high heterogeneity along the edge of the storm and within regions where the surface properties change dramatically over small spatial scales. As the frequency and strength of tropical cyclones increase, and as already scarce water resources are utilized further in arid regions, InSAR coherence data constitutes another tool that researchers can use to expand our understanding of these challenges.
Revitalising energy capital project development and execution strategies: lessons from the energy sector

Abstract This study sought to examine project delivery challenges currently being faced by energy clients and to determine how they could achieve value creation through better alignment of project delivery processes. There are important lessons to be learned from the energy sector on how to deal with the unique operational and project challenges. Four exploratory focus groups were held with twenty senior project management practitioners, to better understand the greatest needs and project management processes in the energy sector. A formal deductive approach was used to examine and evaluate existing and future energy project delivery processes. From the qualitative data, participants recognised the need to introduce science-based project techniques such as system dynamics and project predictive analytics in project management processes. Participants further noted that comprehensive innovative project delivery processes and analytical approaches are required to cope with the increasing scale and complexity of energy capital projects.
Prediction of sound radiation from different practical jet engine inlets

Computer codes which were based upon a special integral representation of the external solutions of the Helmholtz equation were upgraded so that they would yield accurate results for the acoustic radiation patterns in the field surrounding an axisymmetric body for nondimensional wave numbers, based on duct radius, of up to twenty. The accuracy of these computer programs was checked by the use of the point source method for the generation of exact solutions and then by comparison with the results of other experimental and theoretical studies. These computer codes were used in a parametric study of the dependence of the radiated sound field on input modal distribution, wave number, and inlet lip shape. The results of this study show that: (1) as the wave number (i.e., cut off ratio) is increased for a given input modal distribution that the acoustic radiation peak moves towards the inlet centerline and becomes more compact (i.e., narrows); (2) as the input mode number is increased for a given cut off ratio the acoustic radiation peak moves away from the inlet centerline and becomes more compact.
HOW DO SELECTED DETERMINANTS AFFECT FINANCIAL STRUCTURE IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY IN SELECTED COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

The topic of financial or capital structure is one of the very important components of corporate finance, as a wrong adjustment of the ratio of own and external sources of financing can lead a company to bankruptcy. This research expands knowledge in the field of manufacturing industry for eight selected economies of Central and Eastern Europe during the years 2009–2018. A total of 92,504 companies are examined. In addition, companies are divided according to size into medium and large. The aim of the research is to find out whether profitability, liquidity, asset structure, non-debt tax shield, GDP, interest rate has an effect on the amount of total, long-term and short-term debt. The dependencies are investigated by panel regression using the Generalized Method of Moments. Unfortunately, due to the large set of data and variables examined, it is impossible to summarize the results for each economy, but it is concluded that external factors have the greatest impact on the indebtedness level of manufacturing companies. Specifically, the development of the economy and the interest rate.
User's manual for the NASA Lewis ice accretion/heat transfer prediction code with electrothermal deicer input

A version of LEWICE has been developed that incorporates a recently developed electrothermal deicer code, developed at the University of Toledo by William B. Wright. This was accomplished, in essence, by replacing a subroutine in LEWICE, called EBAL, which balanced the energies at the ice surface, with a subroutine called UTICE. UTICE performs this same energy balance, as well as handles all the time-timperature transients below the ice surface, for all of the layers of a composite blade as well as the ice layer itself. This new addition is set up in such a fashion that a user may specify any number of heaters, any heater chordwise length, and any heater gap desired. The heaters may be fired in unison, or they may be cycled with periods independent of each other. The heater intensity may also be varied. In addition, the user may specify any number of layers and thicknesses depthwise into the blade. Thus, the new addition has maximum flexibility in modeling virtually any electrothermal deicer installed into any airfoil. It should be noted that the model simulates both shedding and runback. With the runback capability, it can simulate the anti-icing mode of heater performance, as well as detect icing downstream of the heaters due to runback in unprotected portions of the airfoil. This version of LEWICE can be run in three modes. In mode 1, no conduction heat transfer is modeled (which would be equivalent to the original version of LEWICE). In mode 2, all heat transfer is considered due to conduction but no heaters are firing. In mode 3, conduction heat transfer where the heaters are engaged is modeled, with subsequent ice shedding. When run in the first mode, there is virtually identical agreement with the original version of LEWICE in the prediction of accreted ice shapes. The code may be run in the second mode to determine the effects of conduction on the ice accretion process.
SUPPLEMENTATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF GROUNDNUT SHELL IN THE DIET OF CONFINED UNSEXED MIXED CATTLE BREED DURING THE WINTER SEASON IN NORTH WEST PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA

This study was conducted determine the effect of groundnut shell (GNS) on growth rate, body condition score (BCS) and blood mineral status of confined unsexed mixed cattle breed during the winter season in North West province, South Africa. Thirty-five cattle were divided into five groups (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5) and each group assigned to GNS at 0, 500, 700, 1000 and 1200 gkg feed in a completely randomized design. Cattle were fed basal diet (blue buffalo grass; BBG) and results showed that BBG and GNS were moderate in nutrients. Cattle on diet T3 had improved (p<0.05) live weight, average daily gain and BCS. Animals on diets T3 and T4 had increased (p<0.05) plasma magnesium and cobalt value than those on diets T1 and T2. Cattle offered diet T3 had increased (p<0.05) plasma manganese, iron, carbon, copper and chromium concentrations when compared to those on other four diets. GNS supplementation had no effect (p>0.05) on plasma zinc and selenium. GNS supplementation had quadratic effect (p<0.05) on plasma minerals. It is concluded that GNS contains moderate amount of essential minerals and therefore suitable for use in cattle production during the winter season in North West Province of South Africa.
Highly Efficient Tri-Mode Control of Buck Converters with Load Sensing Technique

A highly efficient tri-mode buck converter with a novel load sensor circuit is proposed in this paper. The combination of pulse-width modulation (PWM), pulse-frequency modulation (PFM) and pulse-skipping circuit makes it efficient to operate in wide loading region. By using the novel load sensor, the buck converter can achieve high efficiency for the load range from 3mA to 400mA. This load sensor can automatically switch the modes according to the different load conditions. It changes the modulation methods from PWM mode to pulse-skipping modulation mode or to PFM mode. This tri-mode buck converter is fabricated by TSMC 0.35um. The efficiency above 90% is achieved for the load range about 90–400mA in PWM operation, and above 78% attained for the load range about 3–50mA in PFM mode. The insertion of the pulse skipping mode operation extends the high efficiency 90% of PWM operation for the load range from 90mA down to 50mA.
1.2.4 How do we win this game when the rules keep changing?

We all know the goal of the game: “Develop increasingly complex systems with smaller performance margins that meet the user's requirements in the shortest time, with high reliability, open and adaptable, and at the lowest cost”. The environment we are working in continues to push Systems Engineering challenges to the next level. As Systems Engineers, we all want to win the game i.e. beat our competitors, satisfy our customers, develop unprecedented systems to address political and economic challenges. We have a proven process and a common set of tools, which we use and refine. Yet as we begin to participate in the game, we find that not only do we have huge challenges, but the rules keep changing. The customer/user requirements change, the conceptual design needs modification, the analysis reveals design challenges, budgets are reallocated. So how do we win this game? This paper presents a case for the increased application of a suite of enablers, processes, and practices referred to as Design for Six Sigma at appropriate integration points during the Systems Engineering process lifecycle.
‘She thought I was her gardener’: the life history of one Latino/Hispanic American college basketball coach

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to construct the life history of Mateo, an American Latino/Hispanic college basketball coach. The study was guided by elements from Latino/a/x critical race (LatCrit) theory. Data were collected through formal semi-structured interviews, informal interviews, and documents and artifacts. They were analyzed by employing analytic induction and constant comparison. Key findings were that Mateo faced considerable marginalization and was frequently subjected to microaggressions. He was able to overcome this racism due to his determination and support from his family and mentors. Mateo’s experiences of racism and the political and cultural context led him to develop an activist element in his coaching pedagogy. His life history may inspire other Latinos/as/x and Hispanics to consider coaching as a career or help those who are struggling to realize this goal. It may also play a part in improving the coaching culture for Latinos/as/x and Hispanics.
COMPARISON BETWEEN DIFFERENT SURVIVABILITY MEASURES ON A GENERIC FRIGATE

The authors are to be thanked for publishing results from their Swedish Navy funded work into frigate Survivability. Given the sensitivity of the subject, while there have been a lot of recently published articles on the topic of warship survivability, it is worthwhile to get a view from a navy still considering relatively small warships to be frigates. It is also very helpful to have a set of four “Survivability levels” (at end of Section 2.1) to gauge a design’s performance in this regard.
Requirements to Testing of Power System Services Provided by DER Units

The present report forms the Project Deliverable ‘D 2.2’ of the DERlab NoE project, supported by the EC under Contract No. SES6-CT-518299 NoE DERlab. The present document discuss the power system services that may be provided from DER units and the related methods to test the services actually provided, both at component level and at system level.
Comparison of different machine learning models for mass appraisal of real estate

The present study aimed to compare five machine learning techniques, namely, artificial neural network (ANN), support vector machine (SVM), chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID), classification and regression tree (CART), and random forest (RF) for mass appraisal of real estate. Firstly, 1982 precedent data was collected throughout the entire study area for train and test models. Secondly, a total of 68 variables were considered for the mass appraisal. Subsequently, the five machine learning techniques were applied. Finally, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and various statistical methods were applied to compare five machine learning techniques.
Level up the life!! Leisure Involvement, Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Life Satisfaction among University Students

Leisure participation, life satisfaction, and psychological needs stand out as concepts that are closely related to each other especially in exercise participation. The purpose of this study is to determine and analyze leisure involvement, basic psychological need satisfaction, and life satisfaction level concerning some variables among university students who are regular exercise participants. Study participants comprised a total of 428 university students who were regular exercise participants. The participants, who were chosen using a convenience sampling method, completed the “Modified Involvement Scale” (MIS), “Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale” (BPNES) and Life Satisfaction Scale” (LSS). T-test, MANOVA, and correlation analysis were used to analyze the data. Results indicated that the main effect of gender was significant on “MIS” “BPNES” and “LSS” in favor of male participants. There were significant effects of type of exercise in favor of individual exercise participants. Further, there were statistically significant correlations between all scales. Participation in leisure activities positively affects the person’s perspectives on all areas of life and determines the individual's feelings like autonomy, competency, and feeling more related to their lives. The findings of this study also give useful insights into exercise psychology research and provide suggestions for future research.
Reconceptualizing the value of peer and instructor feedback using a sequential structure

Abstract In this study, a micro-level approach was used to investigate how college students in an academic writing course interact with peer and instructor feedback at different stages of the writing process. Participants were 146 first-year students at a Singaporean university. A survey and focus group interviews concerning students’ feedback-adopting strategies were conducted. Results show that, for these students, revision was a reiterative self-regulated process sustained by the different functions of both types of feedback, which were found to serve different roles at different stages. Overall, peer feedback identifies initial issues with clarity and prompts divergent thinking while, at a later stage, instructor feedback challenges ideas and encourages evaluative thinking. It is concluded that the two feedback types are complementary and should be reconceptualized to be equally valuable and indispensable. The value of feedback should be seen as a sequential structure, where both sources of feedback play essential roles at different stages, rather than a hierarchical structure, in which instructor feedback is overwhelmingly prioritized.