Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nutrient recovery from treated wastewater by a hybrid electrochemical sequence integrating bipolar membrane electrodialysis and membrane capacitive deionization

The growing needs for sustainable nutrient management and pollution control have motivated the development of novel technologies for nutrient recovery from wastewater. However, most of the existing technologies require extensive use of chemicals and intensive consumption of energy to achieve substantial recovery of nutrients. Herein, we present a hybrid electrochemical sequence integrating two relatively novel electrochemical processes, bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) and membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI), for simultaneous removal of phosphorus and nitrogen. Specifically, the BMED process is employed to alkalify the wastewater to facilitate struvite precipitation and the MCDI process is used to further reduce the ammonia concentration in the effluent and concentrate the excess ammonia to a small stream. The electrochemical sequence is demonstrated to remove ∼89% of phosphorus and ∼77% of ammonia, recovering ∼81% of wastewater as a high-quality effluent that can be discharged or reused. This electrochemical treatment train minimizes chemical use and has competitive energy consumption as compared to electrochemical processes for nutrient recovery from wastewater.
An Inhospitable World: Exploring a Model of Objectification Theory With Trans Women

In this study, we investigated key tenets of objectification theory, a prominent model of body image disturbance, as it relates to trans women’s disordered eating and intention to obtain silicone injections—a specific health risk for this population. We also incorporated appearance congruence, or the degree to which an individual personally feels that their gender expression matches their gender identity, into the objectification theory model. Results of a structural equation model using data from a sample of 173 trans women from the United States indicated that the basic objectification theory model held among this sample and that appearance congruence was associated negatively with body surveillance. However, appearance congruence did not have significant direct or indirect links (via body surveillance and body shame) with disordered eating or intention to obtain silicone injections. Thus, disordered eating and intention to obtain silicone injections are potential negative outcomes of the process of objectification among trans women, and appearance congruence does not appear to be uniquely linked to health risks associated with internalization of cultural standards of attractiveness, body surveillance, and body shame. Our findings support the application of the tenets of objectification theory with trans women as they apply to disordered eating and intention to obtain silicone injections and also indicate the need to identify other positive influences on trans women’s body image to counteract internalization of cultural standards of attractiveness.
Interaction of a Myrothecium verrucaria Mycelial Preparation and a Glyphosate Product for Controlling Redvine (Brunnichia ovata) and Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans)

A mycelial formulation of the bioherbicidal fungus Myrothecium verrucaria (Alb. & Schwein.) Ditmar: Fr. (MV) was tested alone and in combination with a commercially available glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine] (GLY) product for controlling the invasive vines, redvine [Brunnichia ovata (Walt.) Shinners], and trumpet creeper [Campsis radicans (L.) Seem. ex Bureau] in field experiments conducted near Stoneville, MS. Several application timing regimens were evaluated (Fall, Spring, Fall + Spring, and Spring + Fall). We found that a Fall + Spring application of MV + GLY controlled redvine and trumpet creeper by 95%, 12 days after the second treatment, through a synergistic interaction of the fungus and glyphosate. Disease symptomatology was characterized by rapid necrosis of leaf and stem tissues, with mortality occurring within 72 h. Neither glyphosate alone, nor MV alone, effectively controlled either weed species under any application timing regimen. No visual disease or herbicide damage occurred on glyphosate-resistant soybean plants in the treated test plots. These results suggest that some formulations of glyphosate, mixed with the bioherbicide MV, can effectively control redvine and trumpet creeper, two of the most troublesome weeds in the row crops of the Mississippi Delta region in the mid-southern U.S.
Homocysteine levels in patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic nephropathy and its clinical implications

Introduction: Diabetic nephropathy is one of the most common and serious complications of long standing type 2 diabetes mellitus. Microalbuminuria is a strong predictor of diabetic nephropathy. Homocysteine level plays an important role in pathogenesis of diabetic microvascular complications, particularly diabetic nephropathy. Vitamin B12, Folic acid and Vitamin B6 facilitate homocysteine metabolism. Methods: This case- control study was carried out at a tertiary care centre. Total 150 subjects were enrolled, which included 60 cases of type 2 diabetes with microalbuminuria, 60 cases of type 2 diabetes without microalbuminuria and 30 healthy controls. Besides routine investigations, fasting blood glucose, glycated haemoglobin, and homocysteine levels in serum were measured. All subjects were screened for microalbuminuria. Statistical analysis was done. Results: Homocysteine levels, fasting blood glucose and glycated haemoglobin were significantly higher in patients of type 2 diabetes with microalbuminuria as compared to those without microalbuminuria (p = 0.00, p = 0.01, p = 0.01). Strong positive correlation was observed between the homocysteine levels and degree of microalbuminuria(r = +0.758, p = 0.00), and also between the fasting blood glucose levels and degree of microalbuminuria (r = +0.259, p = 0.02). Conclusions: It would be useful to perform an early screening for raised homocysteine levels and for low vitamin levels in the patients of uncontrolled diabetics. This would help to evaluate the need of folic acid, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin B6 supplements since these supplements can be beneficial for delaying the progress of diabetic nephropathy in these patients.
Wind-Induced Currents in the Gulf of California from Extreme Events and Their Impact on Tidal Energy Devices

Tidal renewable energy is a promising alternative energy resource, and marginal seas are known as excellent sites for tidal energy exploitation. In-stream and tidal energy devices are less exposed to extreme weather events than wind energy. Nevertheless, during tropical storms, the currents may intensify to levels that threaten the integrity of the devices. This paper presents Hurricane Odile and its impact on the currents in the Gulf of California (GC) as a worst case scenario. A methodology to analyze the impact and its potential effects on tidal energy converters installed within the region are presented. The analysis is based on predictions obtained with a 3D shallow water model forced by tides and the meteorological conditions generated by Odile. A tidal model with no wind forcing was used for validation of the tidal model predictions. After validation, the two models were used to analyze the maximum anomaly in surface currents and sea surface height caused by the passage of Odile, and to analyze at which depth the devices could be deemed safe from any impact of the hurricane. Some anomalies extended throughout the water column, even in the deep regions of the GC. This paper highlights the importance of including the meteorological forcing in evaluations of tidal range or in-stream renewable energy resources and introduces new measures of device exposure to the current anomalies.
Exploring cultural variables affecting sport and physical activity behaviours of Karen refugees in Australia : applying a culturally specific approach to active lifestyles

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities; refugees in particular, have complex health concerns and may be at increased risks of developing lifestyle diseases such as type II diabetes. Yet, in Australia, these groups are not participating in the recommended amount of regular sport and physical activity (PA) to obtain important health benefits. Researchers have suggested that this may be due to various factors, some of which are synonymous with the general population (e.g., cost, time). However, the influence of cultural variables and the process of resettlement on refugees’ participation in sport and PA in Australia is relatively unexplored. This project aims to investigate such variables amongst recently arrived Karen refugees, whose cultural and ethnic background is distant from traditional Australian’s backgrounds. The Karen have been arriving to Australia in significant numbers over the last few years, and thus local service providers commonly work with the group. In-depth interviews, PA diaries and a family PA intervention were undertaken as part of this PhD project. The thesis argues that cultural background and the process of acculturation in a culturally distant country significantly impact on PA participation for the Karen. Concepts of identity, values, and differences in lifestyles between ‘back home’ and Australia are important considerations for service providers working with the Karen. The culturally specific PA pilot program was implemented effectively, suggesting that participation may be encouraged in this group through similar programs, if they are appropriate and meaningful for the participants. This PhD project suggests that obtaining an in-depth understanding of a target group’s culture and social context is important in developing and implementing effective culturally specific PA programs for CALD communities.
Social Recommendation With Learning Personal and Social Latent Factors

Due to leveraging social relationships between users as well as their past social behavior, social recommendation becomes a core component in recommendation systems. Most existing social recommendation methods only consider direct social relationships among users (e.g., explicit and observed social relations). Recently, researchers proved that indirect social relationships can be effective to improve the recommendation quality when users only have few social connections, because it can identify the user interesting group even though the users have no observed social connection. In the literature, separate two-stage methods are studied, but they cannot explicitly capture the natural relationship between indirect social relations and latent user/item factors. In this paper, the main contribution is to propose a new joint recommendation model taking advantage of the <bold>In</bold>direct <bold>S</bold>ocial <bold>R</bold>elations detection and <bold>M</bold>atrix <bold>F</bold>actorization collaborative filtering on social network and rating behavior information, which is called as <italic>InSRMF</italic>. In our work, the user latent factors can simultaneously and seamlessly capture user’s personal preferences and social group characteristics. To optimize the <italic>InSRMF</italic> model, we develop a parallel graph vertex programming algorithm for efficiently handling large scale social recommendation data. Experiments based on four real-world datasets (<italic>Ciao</italic>, <italic>Epinions</italic>, <italic>Douban</italic> and <italic>Yelp</italic>) are conducted to demonstrate the performance of the proposed model. The experimental results have shown that <italic>InSRMF</italic> has ability to mine the proper indirect social relations and improve the recommendation performance compared with the testing methods in the literature, especially on the users with few social neighbors, <italic>Near-cold-start Users</italic>, <italic>Pure-cold-start Users</italic> and <italic>Long-tail Items</italic>.
Modelling the Methodology to Assess the Effectiveness of Distributed Information Systems

This research aims to develop the methodology to assess effectiveness of distributed information systems (hereinafter IS). The effectiveness of information systems is reviewed along with their reliability. The article underlines the importance of reliability assessment for large geographically distributed systems. We suggest the approach based on the hierarchical presentation of reliability scheme that constitutes the core of the mathematical model for reliability of a distributed system. The key advantage of the suggested approach is its applicability on geographically distributed systems of different architecture. Successful testing during effectiveness and reliability assessment on 3 geographically distributed IS allows to suggest that the developed methodology is ready to be used in IS reliability assessment projects.
Image Registration Algorithm Based on Convolutional Neural Network and Local Homography Transformation

In order to overcome the poor robustness of traditional image registration algorithms in illuminating and solving the problem of low accuracy of a learning-based image homography matrix estimation algorithm, an image registration algorithm based on convolutional neural network (CNN) and local homography transformation is proposed. Firstly, to ensure the diversity of samples, a sample and label generation method based on moving direct linear transformation (MDLT) is designed. The generated samples and labels can effectively reflect the local characteristics of images and are suitable for training the CNN model with which multiple pairs of local matching points between two images to be registered can be calculated. Then, the local homography matrices between the two images are estimated by using the MDLT and finally the image registration can be realized. The experimental results show that the proposed image registration algorithm achieves higher accuracy than other commonly used algorithms such as the SIFT, ORB, ECC, and APAP algorithms, as well as another two learning-based algorithms, and it has good robustness for different types of illumination imaging.
VALUATION AND UNDERPRICING OF TURKISH IPOS

This study utilizes prospectuses and supplementary valuation reports to investigate the relationship between underwriters’ valuation and underpricing in 113 firms going public on Borsa Istanbul. It argues that underwriter discretion in the valuation is crucial to underpricing in the Turkish market, where fixed price is the dominant method of offering and retail investor allocation is large. Building on the overpricing theories, the study hypothesizes and finds that optimistic valuation bias is a significant determinant of underwriter discounts, and underwriter discounts are negatively associated with initial returns. One standard deviation increase in deliberate discounts is associated with a 30.4% reduction in underpricing. The median underwriter discount in the sample is 21%, while the median market-adjusted initial return is a small 1.45%, indicating that discounts might not be designed to induce underpricing and reward investors. Book-built offerings are overvalued and overdiscounted; however, not underpriced, contrasting the information extraction view.
SUmiT Trial Outcomes: Clinical Insights Into Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation

Hypothesis / aims of study Overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) affects the lives of millions of people. Neuromodulation therapy uses electrical stimulation to target specific nerves in the sacral plexus controlling bladder function. Urgent ® PC percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) targets the sacral plexus from an accessible, minimally invasive entry point into the nervous system via the posterior tibial nerve. The objective of this review is to present information about clinical outcomes of PTNS in the 23-center SUmiT Trial for 6 vs. 12 interventions, and for subjects stratified by age.
Accelerometric Analysis of Head Impacts in Amateur Wrestling: An Exploratory Analysis

ABSTRACT NCAA men’s wrestlers are at risk for concussion. Current research measures linear and rotational accelerations of the head through impact sensors. The frequency, magnitude, and distribution of head impacts >10 g on three Division I NCAA male wrestlers were recorded. Measures consisted of impact duration, linear, rotational head acceleration, and risk-weighted cumulative exposure. Participants averaged 41 ± 4 impacts with a resultant median peak linear and rotation acceleration of 15 g and 1,880 rad/s2, resulting in a median HITSP and the RWECP of 15 and 0.0004. Results indicate lower levels compared to football and rugby.
Extraction and Detection of Fetal Electrocardiograms from Abdominal Recordings

The non-invasive fetal ECG (NIFECG), derived from abdominal surface electrodes, offers novel diagnostic possibilities for prenatal medicine. Despite its straightforward applicability, NIFECG signals are usually corrupted by many interfering sources. Most significantly, by the maternal ECG (MECG), whose amplitude usually exceeds that of the fetal ECG (FECG) by multiple times. The presence of additional noise sources (e.g. muscular/uterine noise, electrode motion, etc.) further affects the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the FECG. These interfering sources, which typically show a strong non-stationary behavior, render the FECG extraction and fetal QRS (FQRS) detection demanding signal processing tasks. In this thesis, several of the challenges regarding NIFECG signal analysis were addressed. In order to improve NIFECG extraction, the dynamic model of a Kalman filter approach was extended, thus, providing a more adequate representation of the mixture of FECG, MECG, and noise. In addition, aiming at the FECG signal quality assessment, novel metrics were proposed and evaluated. Further, these quality metrics were applied in improving FQRS detection and fetal heart rate estimation based on an innovative evolutionary algorithm and Kalman filtering signal fusion, respectively. The elaborated methods were characterized in depth using both simulated and clinical data, produced throughout this thesis. To stress-test extraction algorithms under ideal circumstances, a comprehensive benchmark protocol was created and contributed to an extensively improved NIFECG simulation toolbox. The developed toolbox and a large simulated dataset were released under an open-source license, allowing researchers to compare results in a reproducible manner. Furthermore, to validate the developed approaches under more realistic and challenging situations, a clinical trial was performed in collaboration with the University Hospital of Leipzig. Aside from serving as a test set for the developed algorithms, the clinical trial enabled an exploratory research. This enables a better understanding about the pathophysiological variables and measurement setup configurations that lead to changes in the abdominal signal’s SNR. With such broad scope, this dissertation addresses many of the current aspects of NIFECG analysis and provides future suggestions to establish NIFECG in clinical settings.
A genomic view of coral-associated Prosthecochloris and a companion sulfate-reducing bacterium

Endolithic microbial symbionts in the coral skeleton may play a pivotal role in maintaining coral health. However, compared to aerobic microorganisms, research on the roles of endolithic anaerobic microorganisms and microbe-microbe interactions in the coral skeleton are still in their infancy. In our previous study, we showed that a group of coral-associated Prosthecochloris (CAP), a genus of anaerobic green sulfur bacteria, was dominant in the skeleton of the coral Isopora palifera. Though CAP is diverse, the 16S rRNA phylogeny presents it as a distinct clade separate from other free-living Prosthecochloris. In this study, we build on previous research and further characterize the genomic and metabolic traits of CAP by recovering two new near-complete CAP genomes—Candidatus Prosthecochloris isoporaea and Candidatus Prosthecochloris sp. N1—from coral Isopora palifera endolithic cultures. Genomic analysis revealed that these two CAP genomes have high genomic similarities compared with other Prosthecochloris and harbor several CAP-unique genes. Interestingly, different CAP species harbor various pigment synthesis and sulfur metabolism genes, indicating that individual CAPs can adapt to a diversity of coral microenvironments. A novel near-complete SRB genome—Candidatus Halodesulfovibrio lyudaonia—was also recovered from the same culture. The fact that CAP and various sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) co-exist in coral endolithic cultures and coral skeleton highlights the importance of SRB in the coral endolithic community. Based on functional genomic analysis of Ca. P. sp. N1 and Ca. H. lyudaonia, we also propose a syntrophic relationship between the SRB and CAP in the coral skeleton. Importance Little is known about the ecological roles of endolithic microbes in the coral skeleton; one potential role is as a nutrient source for their coral hosts. Here, we identified a close ecological relationship between CAP and SRB. Recovering novel near-complete CAP and SRB genomes from endolithic cultures in this study enabled us to understand the genomic and metabolic features of anaerobic endolithic bacteria in coral skeletons. These results demonstrate that CAP members with similar functions in carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen metabolisms harbor different light-harvesting components, suggesting that CAP in the skeleton adapts to niches with different light intensities. Our study highlights the potential ecological roles of CAP and SRB in coral skeletons and paves the way for future investigations into how coral endolithic communities will respond to environmental changes.
Enhanced Dual-Active-Bridge DC–DC Converter for Balancing Bipolar Voltage Level of DC Distribution System

Conventional dual-active-bridge (DAB) dc–dc converters have a limited structure to balance the bipolar voltage level of the bipolar dc distribution system. Therefore, to regulate the bipolar voltage level, additional voltage balancers are needed for the DAB converters, which eventually requires more devices resulting in low power conversion efficiency and low power density. This article proposes an enhanced DAB dc–dc converter that can balance the bipolar voltage level without the additional voltage balancers. The bipolar voltage level can be tightly regulated under entire unbalanced load condition and even when there is no-load at one side of the dc poles. Besides, its zero-voltage-switching capability can be extended to cover the entire load range, including the no-load condition. Furthermore, the proposed converter can be operated by using a simple single phase-shift modulation. Therefore, its control algorithm can be easily implemented in digital controllers. Finally, the theoretical analysis and the effectiveness of the proposed DAB converter are validated by a 3-kW prototype converter.