Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Skin microbiome in healthy dogs: from the surface to the inner layers

Background. Studies using highly sensitive molecular techniques have detected bacterial communities below the human epidermis. Depending on their abundance and composition, this finding could be clinically relevant. This possibility, however, has not been investigated in the dog so far. The aim of this study was to determine if bacteria can be detected in the dermis and subcutaneous tissue of healthy dogs using two different approaches: traditional cultures and massive DNA sequencing of the V4 region of bacterial 16S rRNA gene using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Results. Seven healthy dogs were included in the study, and two sets of samples were collected from each subject. Sample sets were composed of a 6-mm abdominal skin biopsy, including epidermis, dermis, and subcutis, a skin surface swab, and an environmental blank sample for contamination control. One set of samples from each dog was submitted for bacterial culture and the other one for bacterial DNA amplification and sequencing. Five different bacterial genera (Staphylococcus, Bacillus, Corynebacterium, Streptococcus, and Enterococcus) were isolated in five out of the seven skin surface swab samples with traditional culture methods, while no growth was obtained from the other two samples. Although some DNA could be amplified from epidermal, dermal, and subcutaneous tissue samples, the results of the NGS were similar to those of the blanks.Conclusion. When investigated with traditional culture methods, the dermis and subcutaneous tissue of healthy dogs are sterile. NGS techniques lead to the detection of some bacterial DNA which, although similar to the signal detected in blanks, does not support the presence of a microbiome in dermis or subcutaneous tissue.
Secure Cloud Storing and Sharing of Big Data Using SSGK Technique

- A cloud-based big data sharing system utilizes a storage facility from a cloud service provider to share data with legitimate users. In contrast to traditional solutions, cloud provider stores the shared data in the large data centers outside the trust domain of the data owner, which may trigger the problem of data confidentiality. This paper proposes a secret sharing group key management protocol (SSGK) to protect the communication process and shared data from unauthorized access. Different from the prior works, a group key is used to encrypt the shared data and a secret sharing scheme is used to distribute the group key in SSGK. The extensive security and performance analyses indicate that our protocol highly minimizes the security and privacy risks of sharing data in cloud storage and saves storage space.
THE ANALYSIS OF INTERLOCKING DIRECTORS VIA HYPERGRAPHS

Since the dawn of the modern era, the associations that link companies together in the gathering and control networks have been interconnected. At the level of corporate governance, companies are linked by common stock directors, joint shareholders and joint directors (interlocking directors). Although often depicted as atomic, individual, unconnected market actors are actually embedded in such networks. In this study, we examine the network characteristics of interlocking directors of Turkish firms listed in ISO 500 and Borsa Istanbul Stock Exchange. To capture the higher order relations, we use hypergraphs to model interlocking directors and their relations. By introducing a simple graph representation based on the connectedness of agents in a hyper-network, we also give the community structure that is a cluster of densely connected nodes. The results we obtain in this study indicate that companies of Turkish market operating in global scale have central positions in their interlocking director network.
Baseline Model for Electricity Generation Expansion Planning for The Philippines: A Leap Model Application

Philippines is one of the fastest-growing economies and most populated countries globally, greatly affecting its energy demand. The increase in demand leads to an increase in the electricity generation sector's capacity to maintain the supply-demand balance. Thus, this may lead to power shortage, high generation costs, and increased greenhouse gas emissions without proper energy planning. This study aims to create a Long-Range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP)-based Baseline Model for the Philippines' generation expansion planning. The model will serve as a tool for the government and energy planners to develop a long-term generation expansion planning model. The model simulates the technological, economic and environmental aspect of the existing Philippine power generation system that can be used as a baseline for developing a Business-As-Usual Scenario and Alternative Scenario models to assess different energy policy pathways. The developed LEAP model following an independent multi-regional and national scale structure that is based on the Philippine grid and off-grid based regions showed an accurate result with the actual data. The model was able to replicate the actual power generation through the set-up of basic parameters. Development of Philippine LEAP structure; and the establishment of the demand, transformation, and resources module’s structure are based on the set of data input parameters. The baseline model developed can be used for continuing studies such as impact evaluation of energy policy for long term power generation expansion planning.
AN ATTENTION MECHANISM FOR DEEP Q-NETWORKS WITH APPLICATIONS IN ROBOTIC PUSHING

—Humans effortlessly solve push tasks in every-day life but unlocking these capabilities remains a research challenge in robotics. Physical models are often inaccurate or unattainable. State-of-the-art data-driven approaches learn to compensate for these inaccuracies or get rid of the approximated physical models altogether. Nevertheless, data-driven approaches such as Deep Q-Networks (DQNs) get frequently stuck in local optima in large state-action spaces. We propose an attention mechanism for DQNs to improve their sampling efﬁciency and demonstrate in simulation experiments with a UR5 robot arm that such a mechanism helps the DQN learn faster and achieve higher performance in a push task involving objects with unknown dynamics.
How Tall is that Bar Chart? Virtual Reality, Distance Compression and Visualizations

As VR technology becomes more available, VR applications will be increasingly used to present information visualizations. While data visualization in VR is an interesting topic, there remain questions about how effective or accurate such visualization can be. One known phenomenon with VR environments is that people tend to unconsciously compress or underestimate distances. However, it is unknown if or how this effect will alter the perception of data visualizations in VR. To this end, we replicate portions of Cleveland and McGill’s foundational perceptual visualization studies, in VR. Through a series of three studies we find that distance compression does negatively affect estimations of actual lengths (heights of bars), but does not appear to impact relative comparisons. Additionally, by replicating the position-angle experiments, we find that (as with traditional 2D visualizations) people are better at relative length evaluations than relative angles. Finally, by looking at these open questions, we develop a series of best practices for performing data visualization in a VR environment.
A Classification Method for Judging the Depth of Chest Compression Based on CNN

The displacement can be calculated based on the integrated value of the acceleration signal waveform obtained by the acceleration sensor or gyroscope. However, this method is not effective in accurate measurement. Although some studies have improved the method of calculating accurate distance values by overcoming the effects of sensor noise or integration delay, the evaluation is still affected by sensor accuracy and environment. However, there are some special displacements, such as the chest compression. The displacement is a reciprocating motion and will return to the starting point again. Therefore, the acceleration waveform changes have obvious characteristics in the two stages from moving to the equilibrium position and returning to the starting point. Therefore, we propose an embedded classification method based on one-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), which directly learns from the data of chest compressions and performs the signal formed by the Classification, distinguish the signal waveform under the standard pressing distance, so as to replace the calculation of distance measurement, and is not affected by factors such as pressure occlusion and electromagnetic wave interference, and has certain practical value on site. We tagged 937 presses and collected data from the simulator. The experiment evaluates the proposed network structure, and compares the classification results of the sample data with several CNN networks and Support Vector Machines with different structures in the literature. The results show that with sufficient training, the proposed one dimension CNN method can achieve an accuracy rate of more than 95%, and balances the accuracy rate and the hardware requirements.
The Use of Poison Pills by American Firms over the Period 1997–2015: What has been their Impact on Shareholder Value?

Poison pills are controversial devices for which no common conclusion as to how the market reacts to their adoption exists. This research collates 4,479 poison pill adoption events by American companies over the period 1997-2015. Statistically significant insights and positive abnormal returns were found on the day the poison pill was adopted. It is for this reason that we argue in favour of the shareholder wealthmaximization hypothesis, stating that poison pills protect shareholders by providing management a superior bargaining position. Shareholders react positively to poison pill adoption, particularly if a hostile takeover attempt is anticipated. Furthermore, shareholders seem to value the protective effect of the device, which both provides management a superior bargaining position and allows the maximal possible bid premium to be negotiated.
Torwards Unpaired Human-to-Robot Demonstration Translation Learning Novel Tasks

—Advancements in autonomy can enhance space ﬂight and exploration by enabling robots as cost-efﬁcient agents when humans are unavailable [1]. However, long-term mission success may require continuous maintenance and the ability to adapt on the ﬂy. When encountering a novel scenario that is outside expected robot capabilities, it becomes valuable for a non-robotics expert to be able to visually demonstrate the intended task execution to the robot. Relying on visual demonstration introduces ambiguity in mapping from human to robot execution. One mapping approach is to learn unpaired image translations from human demonstrations and unrelated robot motions. In this paper, we target extensions to image translation to enable robust conveyance of desired task execution. We propose methods to ground generated images with truth in kinematic feasibility, without imposing additional data collection or computational requirements on the demonstrator.
Design of a Dynamic Simulator for a Biped Robot

Simulation is a virtual representation of a dynamic system. For the case of mechanical systems, the simulator is used to calculate the reaction forces between its base and the ground and other constraints. The intermittent nature of these forces and the mathematical inequalities that they must satisfy lead to models described by hybrid algebraic differential equations. In this paper, a simulator was developed for a seven degrees of freedom planar biped robot, which was modeled using the Euler-Lagrange formulation. This model allowed the design and implementation of a control strategy for balance management, and the monitoring of articular reference paths are tested in the simulator before proceeding to implementation on the actual prototype.
Atomically thin semiconducting layers and nanomembranes: a review Mircea Dragoman, Daniela Dragoman and Ion Tiginyanu Two-dimensional hexagonal semiconductors beyond grapheme Bich Ha Nguyen and Van Hieu Nguyen Isolation and characterization of few-layer black phosphorus

A new two dimensional (2D) material—germanane—has been synthesised recently with promising electrical and optical properties. In this paper we report the first realisation of germanane fieldeffect transistors fabricated from multilayer single crystal flakes. Our germanane devices show transport in both electron and hole doped regimes with on/off current ratio of up to 105(104) and carrier mobilities of 150 cm2 (V · s)−1(70 cm2 (V · s)−1) at 77 K (room temperature). A significant enhancement of the device conductivity under illumination with 650 nm red laser is observed. Our results reveal ambipolar transport properties of germanane with great potential for (opto)electronics applications. LETTER 2017
Recycling Potential for Non-Valorized Plastic Fractions from Electrical and Electronic Waste

This paper describes a study for waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) to characterise the plastic composition of different mixed plastic fractions. Most of the samples studied are currently excluded from material recycling and arise as side streams in state-of-the-art plastics recycling plants. These samples contain brominated flame retardants (BFR) or other substances of concern listed as persistent organic pollutants or in the RoHS directive. Seventeen samples, including cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors, CRT televisions, flat screens such as liquid crystal displays, small domestic appliances, and information and communication technology, were investigated using density- and dissolution-based separation processes. The total bromine and chlorine contents of the samples were determined by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, indicating a substantial concentration of both elements in density fractions above 1.1 g/cm3, most significantly in specific solubility classes referring to ABS and PS. This was further supported by specific flame retardant analysis. It was shown that BFR levels of both polymers can be reduced to levels below 1000 ppm by dissolution and precipitation processes enabling material recycling in compliance with current legislation. As additional target polymers PC and PC-ABS were also recycled by dissolution but did not require an elimination of BFR. Finally, physicochemical investigations of recycled materials as gel permeation chromatography, melt flow rate, and differential scanning calorimetry suggest a high purity and indicate no degradation of the technical properties of the recycled polymers.
Counting Cards: Exploiting Variance and Data Distributions for Robust Compute In-Memory

—Compute in-memory (CIM) is a promising technique that minimizes data transport, maximizes memory throughput, and performs computation on the bitline of memory sub-arrays. Utilizing embedded non-volatile memories (eNVM) such as re-sistive random access memory (RRAM), various forms of neural networks can be implemented. Unfortunately, CIM faces new challenges traditional CMOS architectures have avoided. In this work, we explore the impact of device variation and propose a new algorithm based on device variance to increase both performance and accuracy for CIM designs. We demonstrate a 36% power improvement and 31% performance improvement, while satisfying a programmable error threshold.
Effort expectancy and social influence factors as main determinants of performance expectancy using electronic banking

ARTICLE INFO Igor Fedorko, Radovan Bačik and Beata Gavurova (2021). Effort expectancy and social influence factors as main determinants of performance expectancy using electronic banking. Banks and Bank Systems, 16(2), 27-37. doi:10.21511/bbs.16(2). 2021.03 DOI http://dx.doi. org/10.21511/bbs.16(2). 2021.03 RELEASED ON Wednesday, 28 April 2021 RECEIVED ON Wednesday, 13 May 2020 ACCEPTED ON Monday, 26 April 2021
STUDIES ON DEPOLYMERASE ENZYMES FOR BIOFILM CONTROL A Thesis submitted in the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MICROBIOLOGY Under the guidance of: Submitted by: Dr. MOUSHUMI GHOSH

i This study was undertaken to examine the effect of surface on biofilm formation and mainly to study the efficiency of depolymerase enzyme in biofilm control. Total 7 samples were collected from 3 different industrial sites in Patiala. A total of 200 bacterial isolates were screened for high biofilm formation and out of these, 4 were selected with maximum biofilm forming ability. The growth profile and biofilm formation were established under optimal conditions. Characterization of the biofilm revealed that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) was comprised primarily of carbohydrates followed by proteins and a minor fraction of lipids. Biofilm formation could be established on several (PVC, glass, stainless steel) surfaces commonly used in industries. The efficiency of 3 depolymerase enzymes (proteases, lipases, α-amylases) individually and in combination was evaluated against biofilm formed by bacterial isolates. Results demonstrated that lipases exhibited a maximum reduction of 74%, followed by proteases (69.1%) and α-amylases (66.6%). Further cocktail effect of the enzymes exhibited 80% reduction in the biofilm formation. Results of this study suggest the possibility of enzymatic application for reducing biofilms produced by environmental bacterial isolates.
Resonance response analysis of nonlinear vibration energy harvesting system under bounded noise excitation

In this paper, the resonance response of piezoelectric vibration energy harvester (VEH) driven by bounded noise is discussed through the quasi-conservative stochastic averaging method. A nonlinear transformation based on the total energy is firstly established to transform piezoelectric VEH system from an electromechanical coupled nonlinear system into a single-degree-offreedom (SDOF) system. Then the SDOF system is rewritten as Itô stochastic system about the energy and residual phase under the case of p:q resonance through the quasi-conservative stochastic averaging method. And the joint probability density function (JPDF) of the stationary response is obtained by solving the corresponding two-dimensional Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov (FPK) equation using the finite difference method. Meanwhile, the mean-square electric voltage and the mean output power are further analytically given through the JPDF. Finally, the resonance response of piezoelectric VEH system is analyzed in detail in case of the primary resonance, and the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation technique is adopted to validate the effectiveness of the finite difference method.
Dietary Effect of Sesame Seeds and Soy Protein on Bone Density in Ovariectomized Rats

Osteoporosis is one of the most common disorders in postmenopausal women, affecting the quality of life and increasing the risk for fractures. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of diets fortified with sesame seeds (SS) and Soy Protein (SP) on osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats (OVX). Twenty four rats were randomized into 4 equal groups. Group (1) was Control Negative and fed on basal diet, while the other 3 groups OVX-operated. Three weeks after ovariectomy, group (2) was fed on basal diet as a Control Positive, while groups (3) and (4) were fed on experimental diets fortified with the following: (10% SS+50% SP instead of casein, and 10% SS+100% SP instead of casein) respectively for 8weeks. During feeding period, initial and final body weights were recorded. At the end of the experiment, the last 24 hr. urine samples were collected for estimating Ca and P level. Blood samples were collected for estimating serum calcium (Ca), phosphorous (P), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OC) levels and estrogen. The uterus were dissected out and weighed. Femur bones also were dissected for Histological examination and DEXA scan. OVX cased a significant increase in the level of serum Ca, P, ALP, OC and decrease Estrogen level . treated OVX rats with fortified diets show an improvement in all previous parameters. Beside that decreased urinary excretion of Ca and P. There were also significant increases in femur bone density in histopathological examination and DEXA scan.
SKIN MICRONEEDLING PLUS SPOT TRICHLOROACETIC ACID PEEL IN THE TREATMENT OF ATROPHIC POST ACNE SCARS: COMPARATIVE SPLIT FACE STUDY

Background: Post Acne scarring is an unfortunate and frequent complication of acne vulgaris that results in many psychological and emotional problems for patients and the families. Acne scarring may be either atrophic or hypertrophic. Atrophic acne scars are further subdivided morphologically into boxcar, icepick, or rolling scars. Objective: To compare between the effect of microneedling using dermapen and microneedling plus medium depth chemical peeling using T.C. A 30% in post acne atrophic scars. Patients and methods: This study was carried out on 30 patients with different clinical variants of atrophic post acne scars diagnosed clinically on the basis of typical appearance of skin lesions. Patients were recruited from Dermatology Department outpatient clinic in Al-Azhar University hospitals from April 2019 to December 2019. Their ages ranged from 18: 30 years. Assessment of scars in both sides of face was done for their type, number, depth (severity) before and after each session and when the follow up period became completed (2 weeks after the last session). Digital Facial photographs for right and left sides of the face were obtained before treatment, during each session, and when the follow up period became completed (2 weeks after the last session). Results: Most of the patients (60%) achieved marked improvement, 30% achieved good improvement and 10% achieved excellent improvement on the left side of the face, while on the right side of the face most of patients (73.3%) achieved good response and 26.7 % achieved poor response. The mean percentage of improvement of the left side was 55.5 %, while the percentage of improvement of the right side was 33%. Conclusion: Automated microneedling (Dermapen) and T.C. A 30% chemical peel were minimally invasive simple, cheap and effective techniques in the treatment of post acne atrophic scars and improved skin homogeneity and texture. Microneedling plus spot T.C. A 30% have the advantage of rapid healing, short down time, eliminating most of risks and negative side-effects of laser resurfacing or cross technique. The treatment can be performed in an office setting and did not need any extensive special training or expensive instruments and can be used for rejuvenation of the skin, remodeling of the scar. Combination of automated microneedling with other modalities as spot T.C. A 30% for the treatment of post acne atrophic scars gave better results than the use of single modality of treatment as microneedling alone.
Protocols for assessing the distribution of pathogens in individual Hymenopteran pollinators

Joachim R de Miranda (  joachim.de.miranda@slu.se ) Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0335-0386 Ivan Meeus University of Gent Orlando Yañez University of Bern Niels Piot University of Gent Laura Jara Universidad de Murcia Piero Onorati Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Pilar De la Rúa Universidad de Murcia Anders Nielsen 5. Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research Ivana Tlak-Gajger University of Zagreb Erkay Özgör Cyprus International University Anne Dalmon Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'alimentation et l'Environnement Anna Gajda Warsaw University of Life Sciences Peter Neumann University of Bern Guy Smagghe University of Gent Robert J Paxton Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg