Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrated Low Cost Optical Biosensor for High Resolution Sensing of Myeloperoxidase (MPO) Activity Through Carbon Nanotube Degradation

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an important biomarker for diseases associated with inflammation, and has been recognized as an early warning biomarker for cardiovascular diseases, with at-risk individuals typically exhibiting MPO concentration >350 ng/ml in blood. We present a high resolution and low cost optical biosensor capable of detecting MPO activity directly through degradation of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), without requiring additional probe chemicals or reagents. The optical biosensor is assembled using commercially available semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) components. The change in optical contrast due to degradation of the SWCNTs is measured by a phase sensitive detection circuit as a voltage signal. The sensor system can be operated with merely 2 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{l}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of the test sample, and has sensitivity of 1.39 mV/<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{g}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/ml with resolution of 26.8 ng/ml change in SWCNT concentration. The sensor is able to produce appreciable change in sensor output (>100 mV) and detect MPO activity for lyophilized MPO concentration in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) as low as 327ng/ml.
THE EFFECTS OF COPPER-ZINC INTERACTIONS ON YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS IN SOILLESS GROWN BEANS (PHASEOLUS VULGARIS L.)

This research was conducted under the ecological conditions of Van-Gevaş, Turkey in 2015 and 2016 in three replications according to the Random Parcel Trial Pattern. This study is a flowerpotting trial investigating the effects of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) doses applied in increasing amounts to the bean plant grown in the hydroponic system. Four different copper doses (0-200-400-800 mg Cu kg) and four different zinc doses (0-2.5-5.0-10.0 mg Zn kg) were applied. This study was conducted in drybean varieties on different doses and interactions of Cu and Zn; characteristics such as plant height, number of pods in the plant, number of branches, grain yield in the plant, harvest index and protein ratio were examined. According to the results of the research, while the of 400 mg kg Cu and 5.0 mg kg Zn dose applied to Yakutiye-98 variety in the first year increased the seed yield (36.32 g plant) in the plant; in the second year, 200 mg kg Cu applied to Yakutiye-98 variety and 5.0 mg kg Zn increased the yield (28.45 g plant). In general copper-zinc interaction; Co-administration of Cu and Zn doses led to increases in yield and yield parameters of bean varieties compared to the separate administration of these doses and was found statistically significant at 1% level.
Macrofauna associated with a recently described bryozoan species in the Eastern Harbour of Alexandria, Egypt

The bryozoan Calyptotheca alexandriensis was recorded for the first time two years ago as a new species from the Eastern Harbour of Alexandria, Egypt. Knowledge about the ecology of this bryozoan and the associated fauna is completely lacking. The present study is the attempt to identify the fauna associated with this bryozoan species, through approximately bimonthly sampling from October 2017 to August 2018. A total of 43 animal species were associated with the colonies of C. alexandriensis, belonging to nine taxonomic groups, including polychaetes (21 species), crustaceans (13 species), molluscs (3 species), ascidians, bryozoans, cnidarians, echinoderms, sipunculids, and sponges (one species each). Juvenile shrimps, fish larvae and eggs of different animals were also found. The numerical abundance of the associated fauna fluctuated between 1279.3 individuals/kg in winter to 3041 individuals/kg in autumn. Crustaceans were the most abundant group, constituting 90.5% of the total associated fauna, mainly due to the amphipod Elasmopus pectenicrus (75.4%), beside other crustaceans like Jassa marmorata (6.2) and Apohyale perieri (3.7%). In contrast, polychaetes were markedly less abundant, forming 7.9% of the associated fauna, with the dominance of Pseudonereis anomala (3.5%). Spring and summer communities were more diverse (30-32 species) than the autumn and winter communities (16 and 25 species, respectively). The Shannon diversity index presented low diversity of the associated fauna, varying seasonally between 0.56 in summer and 1.6 in winter, with evenness fluctuating from 0.16 in summer to 0.50 in winter.
Application of exogenous xyloglucan oligosaccharides affects molecular responses to salt stress in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings.

Soil salinity is one of the most devastating problems which reduces crop production and increases desertification. New approaches to overcome the negative effect of salinity on plants include the use of plant biostimulants, such as Xyloglucan oligosaccharides (XGOs) derived from the breakdown of xyloglucans from plant cell walls. The present study aimed at verifying the influence of exogenous XGOs derived from Tamarindus indica L. cell walls, on Arabidopsis thaliana’s tolerance to salt stress by understanding the gene expression, enzymatic and metabolic changes resulting from its application. A. thaliana plants were grown in liquid media and after 15 days they were treated by a salt shock with 100 mM of sodium chloride, with or without XGOs at 0.1 mg L-1. Gene expression of four oxidative stress markers as well as catalase and peroxidase activities and content of glutathione, total carbonyl, polyphenolics and chlorophyll were quantified. Bioinformatic models were used to obtain the co-expression network of the four oxidative stress response gene markers from microarray data of Arabidopsis under salt stress. Results showed that in saline conditions, XGOs dramatically increased catalase gene expression and enzymatic activity, peroxidase activity, and chlorophyll a/b ratio, while reducing protein oxidation and total polyphenols. Thus, XGOs may act to counteract negative effects of oxidative stress under saline conditions.
Effect of spinning factors on stress-strain curves in egyptian cotton

This investigation aimed to determine the effect of spinning system, yarn count and twist multiplier and their interactions on single yarn mechanical properties. Also, the Stress-Strain curves were plotted with the yield points and breaking points and their corresponding yarn properties (toughness, stiffness and Initial Young Modulus) were derived and calculated. As well as, the relative importance % of three spinning factors toward the single yarn mechanical properties was measured.Resultsrevealed that the main effects of spinning factors i.e. spinning system, yarn count and twist multiplier were generally significant or highly significant on all single yarn mechanical properties except stiffness and initial Young's modulus. Regarded the first and second order interaction effects, they were no significant for all single yarn mechanical properties indicating that each one of the three spinning factors reflected similar behavior under the other two factors. It is obtained that the compact and ring spinning systems produced yarns are markedly stronger, good elasticity and more durable than the yarns spun by open-end system. Result indicates that finer yarns are weaker and have lower extension at break than coarser yarns. It is obvious that yield strain, breaking extension, breaking tenacity and toughness significantly increased as a result of increasing the twist multiplier from 3.5 up to 4.5. Results exhibited that the spinning factors explained the most single yarn mechanical properties variation expressed as coefficient of determination (R2). The maximum relative importance % was obtained by yarn count followed by twist multiplier for yield strain, yield stress and breaking extension while the spinning system was the second important factor for breaking tenacity and toughness. On the other hand, it is appeared that the studied spinning variables accounted for least and ineffective part of the variation of stiffness and Initial Young's Modulus.
Shared and dissociable features of apathy and reward system dysfunction in bipolar I disorder and schizophrenia

Background Bipolar disorder I (BD-I) is defined by episodes of mania, depression, and euthymic states. These episodes are among other symptoms characterized by altered reward processing and negative symptoms (NS), in particular apathy. However, the neural correlates of these deficits are not well understood. Methods We first assessed the severity of negative symptoms in 25 euthymic BD-I patients compared to 25 healthy controls (HC) and 27 patients with schizophrenia (SZ). Then, we investigated ventral and dorsal striatal activation during reward anticipation in a Monetary Incentive Delayed Task and its association with NS. Results In BD-I patients NS were clearly present and the severity of apathy was comparable to SZ patients. Apathy scores in the BD-I group but not in the SZ group correlated with sub-syndromal depression scores. At the neural level, we found significant ventral and dorsal striatal activation in BD-I patients and no group differences with HC or SZ patients. In contrast to patients with SZ, apathy did not correlate with striatal activation during reward anticipation. Explorative whole brain analyses revealed reduced extra-striatal activation in BD-I patients compared to HC and an association between reduced activation of the inferior frontal gyrus and apathy. Conclusion This study found that in BD-I patients apathy is present to an extent comparable to schizophrenia, but is more strongly related to sub-syndromal depressive symptoms. The findings support the view of different pathophysiological mechanisms underlying apathy in the two disorders and suggest that extra-striatal dysfunction may contribute to impaired reward processing and apathy in BD-I.
Molecular phylogeny of a thycoplanktonic naviculoid diatom, Haslea howeana, from the Black Sea: a new record for the Turkish Algal Flora

The aim of this study was to identify diatoms from the Southern Black Sea. Water samples were collected using a plankton net with 22 μm pores. Diatom cells were investigated under a light microscope and were then isolated for the single-cell PCR procedure. Phylogenetic inference showed that the isolates collected from the study area were affiliated with a naviculoid diatom Haslea howeana. We have reported the first molecular data concerning these species from the Black Sea and have contributed a new species record for the Turkish Algal Flora.
A proposed CAD model based on amplified spontaneous emission spectroscopy

Calculation of the optical quantities generally requires a large amount of computational time by using different theories, approximations and assumptions. In this study, a single, simple, new and an accurate computer aided design (CAD) model is successfully developed in strained quantum-well (QW) laser diodes in order to obtain the critical quantities and their dependences on wavelength and injection currents. These critical quantities are the modal gain difference, the induced refractive index difference, and the linewidth enhancement factor (Alpha parameter). The model is based on multilayer perceptron network (MLP) which is among the most important artificial neural network (ANN) architectures. Both the training and the test results are in very good agreement with previously designed InGaAsP strained QW laser diode results for long wavelength communication systems. The method is very useful for time saving purposes after finding the most suitable network configuration and can be easily used in the CAD design of optical communication systems.
Stability Analysis and Optimal Design for Virtual Impedance of 48 V Server Power System for Data Center Applications

In the past literature on virtual impedance to series systems, most of the discussion focused on stability without in-depth research on the system design of the series converter and the overall output impedance. Accordingly, this study takes an open-loop resonant LLC converter series-connected closed-loop Buck converter as an example. First, the conditions required for the direct connection of the small-signal model in the series, the effect of feedback compensation on the input impedance of the load stage, the operating frequency, and passive components of the two-stage converter are discussed in detail―the relationship between the matching and the output impedance. Afterwards, a mathematical model is used to discuss the effect of adding parallel virtual impedance on the output impedance of the overall series converter and then derive an optimized virtual impedance design. Finally, an experimental platform of 48 V to 12 V and maximum wattage of 96 W are implemented. The output impedance of the series converter is measured with an impedance analyzer to verify the theoretical analysis proposed in this paper.
Laser Fitzpatrick Skin Type Recommendations

First developed by Thomas B. Fitzpatrick in 1972, the Fitzpatrick skin phototypes (types) were constructed based on an individual's skin color and their tendency to burn or tan when exposed to sunlight. Initially created as skin types I through IV to classify patients with white skin, the Fitzpatrick skin types were later modified to include types V and VI for persons of darker skin. Generally, a lower Fitzpatrick skin type classification indicates skin that burns more easily than it tans, while a higher Fitzpatrick skin type indicates the opposite (Table 1). The most common skin type in the United States is type III (48%), with types I and II comprising the second largest group (35% in total).
Information Versus Control: The Electoral Consequences of Polling Place Creation

We examine the incentives incumbents face when creating new polling places. First, doing so improves incumbents’ ability to monitor brokers and voters by reducing the number of registered voters per polling station. Second, it reduces the distance traveled by citizens to vote, which undercuts incumbents’ ability to control the electorate via turnout buying. We evaluate this trade-off in the context of Uganda, where the incumbent significantly influences electoral administration. Drawing on rich administrative data, we leverage discontinuities in the creation of polling places to causally identify the independent effects of (1) the number of voters per polling station and (2) distance to vote on electoral outcomes. We find that decreasing (1) improves incumbent electoral outcomes, while reducing (2) worsens them. The benefits for incumbents outweigh the costs, which rationalizes recent developments to expand polling infrastructure in Uganda and elsewhere.
University Students Intention to Use Mobile Technology for Grocery Shopping: An Application of Technology Acceptance Model

The use of mobile technology for commerce is relatively small in South Africa compared to developed countries. Many consumers including university students still physically visit retailers to purchase groceries, however, on-demand delivery service apps that bring groceries to the doors of customers have started to grow. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the study investigated the intention of university students to use mobile technology (smartphones) for grocery shopping. The study adopted the descriptive research design and the cross-sectional survey method was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) were used for data analysis. The results showed significant positive relationships between TAM constructs and behavioural intention. In addition, the study found that attitude mediates the relationship between perceived usefulness and behavioural intention. Research implications are discussed.
FMAC: A Self-Adaptive MAC Protocol for Flocking of Flying Ad Hoc Network

Considering the high-density and high-dynamic feature of cooperative unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) swarm, also referred to as flocking of flying ad hoc networks (FANETs), reliable medium access control (MAC) protocol design for network connectivity maintaining and network information sharing is a challenging issue. In this article, we propose a self-adaptive carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA)-based MAC protocol for flocking of FANET, namely, FMAC, to provide reliable broadcast information service under density-varying flocking scenarios. To represent the varying trend of UAV density during flocking, we define the collective neighboring potential (CNP) in the FMAC protocol. Specifically, at the beginning of each period, each UAV computes the current CNP based on available neighbors’ motion states. Then, the value of CNP at the start of the next period regarding the same neighbors is predicted using UAV’s kinetic equation. After that, each UAV can update the contention window (CW) size by comparing the current CNP and the predicted CNP, and CW will be decreased (increased) if the current CNP is larger (smaller) than the predicted one for enough period. The simulation results show that the proposed FMAC protocol can ensure high successful transmission probability under density-varying flocking scenarios and outperforms the typical MAC solutions.
High Sensitivity and Wide Range Soft Magnetic Tactile Sensor Based on Electromagnetic Induction

Tactile sensors play a significant role in robotic systems to interact with the external world. In this article, a novel soft magnetic tactile sensor (SMTS) based on the law of electromagnetic induction is proposed. This new sensor uses the configuration of a transformer with planar coils and a Polydimethylsiloxane silicone elastomer with an inverted cone structure embedded in a copper sheet. The SMTS measures the induced voltage amplitude variation of the secondary coil that is caused by the changes in alternating current magnetic field between the coil and the conductive or ferromagnetic sheets. The principle of the new sensor is explained first and then the design methods are outlined. Prototypes are manufactured and a three-dimensional finite element model is built to analyze the mechanical property of the elastomer. Besides, a performance analysis platform and an electronic interface system with the excitation source, the signal processing and the data acquisition, are developed, in order to calibrate the sensor using the polynomial fitting method. The calibrated prototype shows competitive performances in comparison with other existing counterparts, which has a high sensitivity of 56.3 mV/N, a wide measurement range up to 15 N, and a low hysteresis of 2.02%. The new sensor is also of low cost, durable, and has potential applications in dexterous robotic manipulation.
Differences in fixed-radius plot sample size estimates when using the inherent variability among diameter classes in stand tables rather than average values

As part of many forest inventories, sample sizes needed to meet some desired level of precision are estimated. In many timber inventories, based on estimates of the inherent variability (e.g., coefficient of variation, CV), sample sizes are estimated for average total merchantable volume or for the most valuable product class such as average sawlog volume. However, often foresters are equally interested in producing accurate and precise stand tables. Stand tables contain number of trees by diameter and/or height classes while stock tables contain amount of volume by diameter and/or height classes. The most important component of most timber prospectuses in the Southeastern United States is actually stand and/or stock tables, not average values. This study attempted to quantify differences in sample size estimates of fixed-radius plots when using variability among diameter classes in stand tables as opposed to the variability in average values in the sample size equation. Several methods were proposed to quantify the CV among diameter classes within stand tables. Fixedradius plots of varying sizes from many inventories conducted across the Southeastern United States and a few from other parts of the country were examined. In most cases, sample sizes needed for stand tables were at least twice as large when compared to estimating average trees per acre. However, when using Method Four at an 80 percent probability, sample size estimates (n = 27) were similar to sample sizes for average volume per acre at 95 percent probability (n = 29).
Configurable Independently Tunable Linearizer for Doherty Power Amplifiers

In this letter, a linearization solution for Doherty power amplifiers (DPAs) based on independently tunable linearizer (ITL) is proposed. The ITL for DPA (DITL) is obtained by vector synthesis of two parallel ITLs; the back-off and gain characteristic is configurable to match the DPAs. To verify the method, a prototype is designed at 3.5 GHz. A DPA with 8.5 dB back-off and 20-MHz wideband signal stimulated is measured, the results show that the adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) is improved from −32.3 to −44.9 dBc, and the power consumption and cost with performance improvement is comparable to conventional linearizers. The DITL can achieve good performance without codesign with DPA, which is suitable in 5G communication system.
Graded and ramp protocols present similar results in apparently healthy subjects

Abstract The aim of the study was to compare maximum oxygen uptake, maximum heart rate, speed corresponding to VO2max, time to exhaustion, and ventilatory thresholds between two maximal test protocols (scaled vs ramp) with equalized metabolic demand in apparently healthy young adults. Twenty-seven subjects of both sexes were analyzed and submitted to two maximum tests: 1) scaled test with 1.2 km∙h-1 every 2 min; 2) ramp test with 0.1 km∙h-1 every 0.18 min; both with 1% slope and maximum total duration of twenty minutes. Respiratory gas exchanges were directly analyzed, and ventilatory thresholds determined through visual inspection. Central tendency and dispersion measures were adopted, as well as paired t-test and effect size. Bland-Altman analysis verified the agreement among variables. Maximum speed showed significance difference (p < 0.01) for the scaled test (14.0 ± 1.9 km∙h-1) and ramp test (14.6 ± 2.3 km∙h-1). Even with small BIAS values, negative trend and high limits of agreement could be observed. Despite the non-difference presented for variables, except for maximum speed, it could be concluded that the scaled test is able to determine the analyzed variables similar to the ramp test, considering the same conditions of the present study.
Influence of larval traits on dispersal and connectivity patterns of two exploited marine invertebrates in central Chile

For F. latimarginata, the time to complete Planktonic Larval Duration (PLD) was reduced with increasing temperature, it was modeled according to the universal relationship proposed by O’Connor et al. (2007), but using their complete 72 species database published as supplemental information. O'Connor et al. (2007) seem to have used a database of only 69 species. Additionally, we include PLD observations for F. latimarginata under laboratory conditions (Chavez 2004) and our laboratory PLD observations for Loxechinus albus (see below) under three different experimental temperatures. In consequence, the resulting database that we used included 73 species in total.
The Efficient Finite Element Methods for Time-Fractional
Oldroyd-B Fluid Model Involving Two Caputo Derivatives

: In this paper, we consider the numerical schemes for a time-fractional Oldroyd-B fluid model involving the Caputo derivative. We propose two efficient finite element methods by applying the convolution quadrature in time generated by the backward Euler and the second-order backward difference methods. Error estimates in terms of data regularity are established for both the semidiscrete and fully discrete schemes. Numerical examples for two-dimensional problems further confirm the robustness of the schemes with first- and second-order accurate in time.