Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Usability Assessment of a Wearable Video-Communication System

In this paper we present the results of a user study focused on evaluating the overall usability of a wearable video-communication system aimed at facilitating hands-free communication between a field technician and a remote expert. An asymmetrical cooperative electronics-based bomb defusal game was used to examine the subject's ability to perform a manual technical task with the aid of a head-mounted-display (compared to only verbal communication) in terms of both subjective (perceived usefulness for the given task) and objective (time to complete task, number of errors) metrics. We analyze different dimensions of usability (overall system usefulness, information quality, interface quality, and device comfort) as we discuss the impact of human factors (i.e., gender, wearing Rx eye-glasses) on user experience. While system use has been shown to improve both subjective and objective metrics in some cases, results appear to be highly dependant on the task itself. Furthermore, our findings highlight the importance of exploring different ways in which ergonomic issues present in commercial smart glasses may decrease perceived usability in certain demographics.
Using MPAs to address regional-scale ecological objectives in the North Sea: modelling the effects of fishing effort displacement

The use of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to address regional-scale objectives as part of an ecosystem approach to management in the North Sea is examined. Ensuring that displacement of fishing activity does not negate the ecological benefits gained from MPAs is a major concern. Two scenarios are considered: using MPAs to safeguard important areas for groundfish species diversity and using them to reduce fishing impacts on benthic invertebrates. Appropriate MPAs were identified using benthic invertebrate and fish abundance data. Fishing effort redistribution was modelled using international landings and fishing effort data. Closing 7.7% of the North Sea to protect groundfish species diversity increased the fishing impact on benthic invertebrates. Closing 7.3% of the North Sea specifically to protect benthic invertebrates reduced fishing mortality by just 1.7? 3.8%, but when combined with appropriate reductions in total allowable catch (TAC), 16.2? 17.4% reductions in fishing mortality were achieved. MPAs on their own are unlikely to achieve significant regional-scale ecosystem benefits, because local gains are largely negated by fishing effort displacement into the remainder of the North Sea. However, in combination with appropriate TAC reductions, the effectiveness of MPAs may be enhanced.
Using Non-Orthogonal Multiplexing in 5G-MBMS to Achieve Broadband-Broadcast Convergence With High Spectral Efficiency

The development of 5G system provides a unique opportunity to implement a unified wireless transmission platform that can simultaneous deliver unicast, multicast and broadcast services using the same spectrum and the same infrastructure. This can be achieved by developing a more capable point-to-multipoint transmission (PTM) system component, also called 5G Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (5G-MBMS). A properly designed 5G-MBMS could achieve the convergence of terrestrial mobile broadband and TV broadcasting systems.By inherently allowing dynamic spectrum allocation among different types of services, this converged system could offer significant higher spectrum utilization. In this paper, the power-based non-orthogonal multiplexing (P-NOM) technology is proposed in addition to the existing orthogonal time-division-multiplexing (TDM) scheme. Significant capacity gains could be achieved by using P-NOM in a 5G-MBMS system for delivering different types of broadcast services, and for delivering mixed unicast and broadcast services. The capacity benefits of a 5G-MBMS with P-NOM is demonstrated by both theoretical analysis and computer simulations. A key finding is that using a two-layer P-NOM can essentially deliver a broadcast service on top of a unicast network, each achieving nearly full capacity. Next, a complexity analysis will reveal that implementing P-NOM in a 5G-MBMS system does not require significant additional complexity at consumer devices. Finally, it will be shown that, different from the non-orthogonal-multiple-access (NOMA) technologies, using P-NOM in 5G-MBMS system requires little or no change to the existing radio resource allocation mechanisms in LTE and 5G, when one power layer is used for broadcast services delivery.
Involvement of the plasmid pPGH1 in the phenol degradation of Pseudomonas putida strain H

Pseudomonas putida strain H (wildtype) was shown to harbour two plasmids with a molecular mass of about 50 kb and 200–220 kb, respectively. Evidence is presented that the larger one, pPGH1, is involved in the phenol degradation via the meta-cleavage pathway.
Distribution, stand characteristics and habitat of a critically endangered plant Euryodendron excelsum H. T. Chang (Theaceae): implications for conservation

In the present study, the distribution, population size and structure, habitat and stand disturbance of a critically endangered plant Euryodendron excelsum H. T. Chang were examined using field investigations. A total of 179 individual plants, including 23 adult trees, were found. The population was distributed in 10 highly isolated and fragmented patches. Half of the 10 patches had less than 10 individual plants and two patches had only one remnant adult; there were no adult plants in two of the patches. Although the overall population structure trends to a reversed ‘J’ shape, two fragile stages of E. excelsum limit its natural recruitment and regeneration: seed germination and seedling growth toward adulthood. The major threats for the survival of this species are its specific small population size and the high frequency of anthropogenic destruction. Based on the results, some strategies were put forward for the conservation of E. excelsum populations.
Host plants and reproductive behaviour in the African maize stemborer, Busseola fusca (Fuller 1901) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Summary Busseola fusca Fuller (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is the major pest on maize and sorghum crops in sub-Saharan Africa. As a specialised phytophagous insect, survival of B. fusca larvae depends on the presence of the cultivated host plants. Taking into account recent evidence of host-plant presence acting on pheromone perception and production in Lepidoptera, we investigated the effect of different host and non-host plants on reproductive behaviour in B. fusca: female calling behaviour and male attraction by female. Results showed that both behaviours did not change in presence of plants, whether they are larvae host plant or oviposition repellent plant. Native host associated mating remains unknown for this species, but results are likely to favour the hypothesis that mating behaviour is not related to the presence of cultivated or putative native host plants.
Job quality through upskilling? The case of the cleaning industry in the collective system of Norway

ABSTRACT International political discourse has implied that upskilling leads to higher productivity and growth. Combining aspects from skills theory and institutional theory, this article asks what role upskilling can play in making bad jobs better, drawing on previous research about the process of professionalising the cleaning occupation in Norway. In line with institutional theory on educational transfer, it interprets a change in educational skills – the introduction of the trade certificate for cleaners – as a way of legitimising an occupation with a dubious reputation, ‘borrowing’ legitimacy from the educational system. The trade certificate functioned as a component in the ‘reverse signalling’ of skills towards procurers of cleaning services and potential employees, which was intended to improve skill use and by that, job quality. I suggest this strategy was founded on a reliance on knowledge society narratives: that education and skills yield complexity, productivity and job quality. However, this change in ‘formal structure’ did little to change industry job quality, which was subjected to a strict tender-based regime where price generally outweighed skills. A general application of a collective wage agreement was necessary to improve job quality, demonstrating the limits of upskilling for changing work design, even in a collective bargaining system.
Volcano‐Tectonic Interactions at Sabancaya Volcano, Peru: Eruptions, Magmatic Inflation, Moderate Earthquakes, and Fault Creep

We present evidence of volcano‐tectonic interactions at Sabancaya volcano that we relate to episodic magma injection and high regional fluid pore pressures. We present a surface deformation time series at Sabancaya including observations from ERS‐1/2, Envisat, Sentinel‐1, COSMO‐SkyMed, and TerraSAR‐X that spans June 1992 to February 2019. These data show deep‐seated inflation northwest of Sabancaya from 1992–1997 and 2013–2019, as well as creep and rupture on multiple faults. Afterslip on the Mojopampa fault following a 2013 MW 5.9 earthquake is anomalously long lived, continuing for at least 6 years. The best fit fault plane for the afterslip is right‐lateral motion on an EW striking fault at 1 km depth. We also model surface deformation from two 2017 earthquakes (MW 4.4 and MW 5.2) on unnamed faults, for which the best fit models are NW striking normal faults at 1–2 km depth. Our best fit model for a magmatic inflation source (13 km depth, volume change of 0.04 to 0.05 km3 yr−1) induces positive Coulomb static stress changes on these modeled fault planes. Comparing these deformation results with evidence from satellite thermal and degassing data, field observations, and seismic records, we interpret strong pre‐eruptive seismicity at Sabancaya as a consequence of magmatic intrusions destabilizing tectonic faults critically stressed by regionally high fluid pressures. High fluid pressure likely also promotes fault creep driven by static stress transfer from the inflation source. We speculate that combining high pore fluid pressures with sufficiently large, offset magmatic inflation can promote strong earthquakes during volcanic unrest.
Effect of storage and processing of Brazilian flaxseed on lipid and lignan contents

Flaxseed has been widely studied around the world; its incorporation into products habitually consumed by human populations has been stimulated due to its unique nutritional value. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition of Brazilian flaxseed, to analyze the stability of lipids present in whole flaxseed flour (WFF) or partially defatted flaxseed flour (DFF) stored under several temperatures, and to investigate the effect of bread making on a product containing flaxseed. Whole flaxseed flour presented (g.100 g-1) 25.7 of insoluble fiber, 10.7 of soluble fiber, 38.9 of lipids, and 2.65 of lignan. Defatted flaxseed flour presented 65% less lipids, 36% more fiber and 56% more lignan than whole flaxseed flour. The fatty acid profile was maintained in the defatted flaxseed flour, and it presented a stable composition during storage under ambient temperature, refrigeration, and freezing. The fatty acid profile was similar in the bread containing defatted flaxseed flour after dough development, baking, and storage at room temperature or refrigerated. After baking, 89% of the lignan content was kept in bread. Results show that Brazilian flaxseed has an interesting chemical composition, and that defatted flaxseed, by-product of lipid extraction, presents a good stability to grind and storage under several temperatures. Thus, defatted flaxseed flour can be incorporated in bread, increasing its nutritional and functional value.
Altered Cisplatin Pharmacokinetics during Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Contributes to Reduced Nephrotoxicity

Cisplatin is an alkylating antineoplastic agent that is indicated for the treatment of solid malignancies. Cisplatin is preferentially eliminated from systemic circulation via tubular secretion, whereby it exhibits dose‐limiting nephrotoxicity. Interindividual variability in xenobiotic transporter expression is a known contributor to differential cisplatin toxicity and efficacy, and may be the result of genetic, environmental, and pathological contributions. In this study, we aimed to determine if nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) alters cisplatin pharmacokinetics and if this change elicits differential nephrotoxicity. Sprague Dawley rats fed a control or methionine and choline deficient (MCD) diet to model NASH were given a single bolus dose of cisplatin and sacrificed after 72 h. The MCD diet resulted in a NASH hepatic phenotype that remained unchanged following cisplatin exposure. Drug‐naïve NASH rats also displayed no evidence of differential renal pathology relative to control rats. However, renal necrosis and inflammation were reduced in NASH by 40 and 63% following cisplatin treatment, respectively, relative to healthy controls. Furthermore, kidney weights of cisplatin‐treated control rats were increased by 31%, compared to an 18% increase in NASH. Plasma cisplatin clearance was reduced from 6.78 (control) to 4.04 mL/min in NASH, and cisplatin plasma AUC was significantly increased by 44% in NASH, relative to control. Cumulative urinary elimination of cisplatin was decreased from 73 to 34% of total dose and renal clearance was reduced from 4.64 to 1.49 mL/min in NASH, compared to control. Subsequently, renal intracellular accumulation of cisplatin after 6 h was reduced by 34% in NASH, relative to control. Supporting these findings, expression of proximal tubule cisplatin uptake transporters, Ctr1 and Ctr2, were reduced by 24 and 64%, respectively compared to healthy control rats, whereas expression of Oct1, Oct2, and Oct3 were unchanged. Interestingly, expression of cisplatin efflux transporters Mate1 and Atp7a were reduced by 52 and 31%, respectively, in NASH compared to control. Taken together, these data suggest that NASH alters renal uptake and efflux transporter expression, thereby attenuating cisplatin uptake and clearance in the kidney with a corresponding reduction in renal cell exposure and nephrotoxicity during NASH. As such, this study demonstrates that NASH can influence pharmacokinetics of drugs cleared by renal elimination, which may contribute to adverse drug reactions.
Synergistic antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of saponins-rich extracts from Paronychia argentea and Spergularia marginata.

Aims: The crude saponins extracted from the aerial parts of Paronychia argentea and the roots of Spergularia marginata were tested for their antioxidant, antimicrobial and synergistic effects with antibiotics. Methodology: Antioxidant activity was evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical, β-carotene-linoleic acid and reducing power assays. However, the antibacterial activity was assessed by the agar disc diffusion method, whereas the MIC determination and the Original Research Article Malika Ait Sidi Brahim et al.; EJMP, 7(4): 193-204, 2015; Article no.EJMP. 2015.082 194 synergistic interaction with antibiotics were evaluated using microdilution method. Results: Saponins-rich extract from Paronychia argentea showed a higher antioxidant activity than that from Spergularia marginata. Using DPPH assay, the IC50 values for saponins-rich extracts from P. argentea and S. marginata were 19.08 and 29.65 μg/ml, respectively. For β-carotene-linoleic acid assay, IC50 values were 98.24 and 614 μg/ml respectively for P. argentea and S. marginata. However, for reducing power assays, the IC50 values for saponins-rich extracts from P. argentea and S. marginata were respectively 27.22 and 61.44 μg/ml. The result of MIC assay showed that both saponins-rich extracts was found to be active against the majority of Candida strains and Gram-positive bacteria. However, crude saponins extracted from S. marginata was more active on microorganisms than that from P. argentea. In fact, the in vitro association of saponin extracts and some commercial antibiotics showed a synergistic effect. For bacteria strains, 30 combinations were studied, 17 (56.66%) combinations had total synergism, 7 (23.33%) had partial synergism, 4 (13.33%) had no effect and 2 (6.66%) had antagonism effect. For Candida strains, 8 combinations of saponins extracts and fluconazol are tested. All of these combinations (100%) exhibited a total synergism with FICi ranging from 0,31 to 0,50. Conclusion: The results founded suggested that further work should be performed on the isolation and identification of the antioxidative and antimicrobial components of these saponins-rich extracts.
Finite Mixtures of ERGMs for Modeling Ensembles of Networks

Ensembles of networks arise in many scientific fields, but there are few statistical tools for inferring their generative processes, particularly in the presence of both dyadic dependence and cross-graph heterogeneity. To fill in this gap, we propose characterizing network ensembles via finite mixtures of exponential family random graph models, a framework for parametric statistical modeling of graphs that has been successful in explicitly modeling the complex stochastic processes that govern the structure of edges in a network. Our proposed modeling framework can also be used for applications such as model-based clustering of ensembles of networks and density estimation for complex graph distributions. We develop a Metropolis-within-Gibbs algorithm to conduct fully Bayesian inference and adapt a version of deviance information criterion for missing data models to choose the number of latent heterogeneous generative mechanisms. Simulation studies show that the proposed procedure can recover the true number of latent heterogeneous generative processes and corresponding parameters. We demonstrate the utility of the proposed approach using an ensemble of political co-voting networks among U.S. Senators.
Guide to yeast genetics and molecular biology

This volume and its companion, Volume 350, are specifically designed to meet the needs of graduate students and postdoctoral students as well as researchers, by providing all the up-to-date methods necessary to study genes in yeast. Procedures are included that enable newcomers to set up a yeast laboratory and to master basic manipulations. Relevant background and reference information given for procedures can be used as a guide to developing protocols in a number of disciplines. Specific topics addressed in this book include cytology, biochemistry, cell fractionation, and cell biology.
Genetic patterns reveal northward range expansion and cryptic diversity in Nalbant’s spined loach, Cobitis nalbanti sensu lato (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Cobitidae)

The morphologically similar populations of the Korean freshwater spined loach recently described as a new species Cobitis nalbanti (Actinopterygii: Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) inhabit the rivers and streams on the Korean Peninsula that flow into the Yellow Sea and the Korea Strait. These shallow sea areas have experienced recurrent sea-level rises and falls. In this study, we investigate the impact of repeated disconnection and reconnection of rivers on the population genetics and morphological variation of C. nalbanti. A total of 264 individuals of C. nalbanti were collected from 17 localities covering the entire distribution range of this species in South Korea. We examined multi-locus genetic data including a mitochondrial gene, seven nuclear genes and eight microsatellite loci, and scrutinized 31 morphological variables based on 26 morphometric and 3 meristic characters. We uncovered a population genetic structure and noticeable morphological variation among populations approximately corresponding to the geography of river basins along the Yellow Sea. Overall genetic diversity was significantly reduced in the more northern populations, suggesting range expansion from ancestral southern populations into northern rivers via the paleo-Yellow River system in the Yellow Sea during glacial periods of lowered sea levels. A northward range expansion hypothesis was strongly supported by the reconstruction of geographic ranges of ancestral species and/or populations based on phylogenetic analyses. Both mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenetic trees revealed a relatively highly divergent lineage of C. nalbanti in the southernmost populations (Tamjin lineage). Noticeable differences in morphological variables between the Tamjin lineage and other lineages of C. nalbanti also suggest potential separate specific status of the former. The close phylogenetic relationships between the Tamjin lineage and the Japanese species of Cobitis signify interaction or exchange between the Korean and Japanese cobitids and imply that there was historically at least one freshwater passage on the terrestrial bridge between the Korean Peninsula and the southwestern part of the Japanese archipelago.
Synchronization of Delayed Inertial Cohen-Grossberg Neural Networks Under Adaptive Feedback Controller

This paper investigates the issue on adaptive synchronization of delayed inertial Cohen–Grossberg neural networks (ICGNNs). By adopting the method of variable transformation, the addressed model, which includes the so-called inertial term, is transformed into first-order differential equations. On the basis of the well-known invariant principle of functional differential equations, a novel and analytic scheme which ensures the adaptive synchronization between the drive-response system is proposed in component form. It is worth mentioning that we only need to impose one controller to the spilt systems to realize the adaptive synchronization, which is of less conservatism. At the end of this paper, a numerical example is provided to verify the feasibility of the derived theoretical results. The established figures validate that the numerical simulations coincide well with the developed theoretical results.
Plant proteases from Carica papaya and Vasconcellea quercifolia with potential application for a cleaner processing in tanneries

Abstract In the leather industry, proteases can be used as tools to achieve cleaner technology. In the present study, proteolytic preparations obtained from the latex of Carica papaya (Cp) and Vasconcellea quercifolia (Vq) were assayed as dehairing agents for leather processing. Both Cp and Vq showed activity against substrates representative of collagen, keratin, elastin, and epidermis in a range of moderate temperatures (25 to 55 °C). When comparing with a commercial dehairing enzyme, the activity of Cp and Vq on the substrates representative of epidermis and collagen was of around 70% and 100% of the commercial one, respectively, with that of Cp being more keratinolytic. Both Cp and Vq were able to dehair cowhides at 25 °C for 24 h without adding Ca(OH)2 or Na2S, two harmful pollutants used in conventional dehairing, Cp being more effective than Vq. Scanning electron microscopy microphotographs showed epidermis and hair-free hides with clean pores and without significant damage on the grain surface. Further, no damage was detected in collagen fibres and both Cp and Vq showed a slight opening of collagen fibres. We concluded that both Cp and Vq could be used as tools for a cleaner technology in tanneries, either for lime- and sulphide-free dehairing or for the treatment and valorisation of protein waste.