Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design optimization of a multi-stage axial compressor using throughflow and a database of optimal airfoils

The basic tool set to design multi-stage axial compressors consists of fast codes for throughflow and blade-to-blade analysis. Detailed blade row design is conducted with 3D CFD, mainly to control the end wall flow. This work focuses on the interaction between throughflow and blade-to-blade design and the transition to 3D CFD. A design strategy is presented that is based on a versatile airfoil family. The new class of airfoils is generated by optimizing a large number of airfoil shapes for varying design requirements. Each airfoil geometry satisfies the need for a wide working range as well as low losses. Based on this data, machine learning is applied to estimate optimal airfoil shape and performance. The performance prediction is incorporated into the throughflow code. Based on a throughflow design, the airfoils can be stacked automatically to generate 3D blades. On this basis, a 3D CFD setup can be derived. This strategy is applied to study upgrade options for a 15-stage stationary gas turbine compressor test rig. At first, the behavior of the new airfoils is studied in detail. Afterwards, the design is optimized for mass flow rate as well as efficiency. Selected configurations from the Pareto-front are evaluated with 3D CFD.
Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern against E. coli and Salmonella spp. in Environmental Effluents

Hospitals (medical & veterinary) and slaughterhouse effluents were the most contaminating effluents and need to be paid more attention due to pathogenic bacteria related to animal and public health concern. Two bacterial isolates such as E. coli and Salmonella from six medical hospitals, five veterinary hospitals and five slaughter houses were isolated to find out the antibiotic resistance pattern by using disc diffusion method. The antibiotic resistance patterns of identified isolates showed that Ampicillin, Ciprofloxacin, Enrofloxacin, Pefloxacin, Colistin, Erythromycin, Oxytetracycline were 100%, Doxycycline was 83%, Gentamycin was 50% and Neomycin was 33% resistance to medical isolates and Ampicillin, Enrofloxacin, Pefloxacin and Erythromycin were 100%, Ciprofloxacin was 40%, Colistin was 60%, Doxycycline was 80%, Gentamycin was 20%; Neomycin and Oxytetracycline 80% resistance to veterinary hospital isolates and Ampicillin, Enrofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Pefloxacin, Colistin, Oxytetracycline, Gentamycin, Doxycycline and Erythromycin were 100% and Neomycin was 40% resistance to slaughter houses isolates of E. coli . The level of resistance of Salmonella positive isolates was found Ampicillin, Enrofloxacin, Pefloxacin, Gentamycin and Erythromycin to 100%, Ciprofloxacin was 67%, Oxytetracycline was 33% but Colistin and Neomycin was found sensitive to the isolates from both medical and veterinary hospital. Results indicated that hospitals and slaughter houses waste effluent has multiple-antibiotic resistance against E. coli and Salmonella. International Journal of Natural Sciences (2015), 5(2) 52-58
Comparison of Psychological Skills, Athlete’s Identity, and Habits of Physical Exercise of Students of Faculties of Sport in Four Balkan Countries

Th e goals of the research were to determine the construct validity and reliability of two psychological instruments (AIMS) and (PSICA) applied on samples of college sport students ; the correlations between the students’ competition rank, years of engaging in sport, and level of physical exercise ; the differences among the universities in different countries, as well as among students from different years of study. Th e stratified sample included students from six universities, in total 1498 female and male college sport students, with an average age of 20.35±1.76 years (males) and 20.14±1.55 years (females). Both psychological measuring instruments showed very satisfactory psychometric properties. Reliability is particularly high for males for AIMS, while the reliabilities for PSICA are mainly moderate to high and lower than for AIMS. Th e results could be explained in terms of cultural and organizational differences, and provide the information about directions in designing efficient programs for physical exercise.
Eradicating the Practice of Female Circumcision/ Female Genital Mutilation in Nigeria within the Context of Human Rights

This article is divided into seven segments. It examines the questions whether the practice of FC/FGM violate some of the rights of women and female children in Nigeria; or on the contrary, the prevention of the practice is a violation of the cultural right of this category of persons. In tackling these questions the article gratifyingly clears some fogs and definitional issues which might hitherto becloud the understanding of the topic; it delves into considering the human rights instruments on FC/FGM applicable in Nigeria; and the categories of and specific rights in controversy both from the arguments of the proponents and the exponents of the eradication of FC/FGM. The article points out that despite the medical implications of FC/FGM, the practice persists as it is deeply rooted by culture; and advocates for awareness-raising and education in addition to other non-penal measures to eradicate the practice in Nigeria. Key w ords: Female Circumcision/ Female Genital Mutilation, Human Rights, Women, Female Children , Non-penal Measures.
Purification and characterization of a linoleate isomerase from Lactobacillus plantarum ZS2058

Linoleate isomerase (EC 5.2.1.5) catalyzes the isomerization of linoleic acid to generate conjugated linoleic acid. Previously, we isolated a strain of Lactobacillus plantarum ZS2058 with great capacity for producing conjugated linoleic acid from fermented vegetables. This work aimed to purify the linoleate isomerase from L. plantarum ZS2058 and investigate its characteristics. Electrophoresis of the purified enzyme by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) showed a single band of protein with a molecular mass of 66 kDa. The purified linoleate isomerase was active, with a specific activity of 3.71 nmol/ [min· (mg·protein)] and a Km of 21.5 iM for linoleic acid. The optimal pH and temperature for enzyme activity were determined to be pH 6.5 and 35°C respectively. No external cofactors or energy sources were required for this activity. Metal chelators, ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) and ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid and (EGTA), and metal ions had no effect on enzyme activity. Key words : Conjugated linoleic acid, Lactobacillus plantarum ZS2058, linoleate isomerase, purification, characterization.
Low-latency analysis pipeline for compact binary coalescences in the advanced gravitational wave detector era

The multi-band template analysis (MBTA) pipeline is a low-latency coincident analysis pipeline for the detection of gravitational waves (GWs) from compact binary coalescences. MBTA runs with a low computational cost, and can identify candidate GW events online with a sub-minute latency. The low computational running cost of MBTA also makes it useful for data quality studies. Events detected by MBTA online can be used to alert astronomical partners for electromagnetic follow-up. We outline the current status of MBTA and give details of recent pipeline upgrades and validation tests that were performed in preparation for the first advanced detector observing period. The MBTA pipeline is ready for the outset of the advanced detector era and the exciting prospects it will bring.
Evolution of gravitational waves in Randall–Sundrum cosmology

We investigate the evolution of gravitational wave perturbations about a brane cosmology embedded in a five-dimensional anti-de Sitter bulk. During slow-roll inflation in a Randall–Sundrum brane-world, the zero mode of the five-dimensional graviton is generated, while the massive modes remain in their vacuum state. When the zero mode re-enters the Hubble radius during radiation domination, massive modes are generated. We show that modes decouple in the low-energy/near-brane limit and develop perturbative techniques to calculate the mode-mixing at finite energy.
Using Industrial Design Education to Survive in the 'Corporate' World of Higher Learning and Research

This paper discusses a strategy on how Industrial Design can gain more leverage within the university system through an educational concept of hierarchical and collaborative learning. This educational concept opposes the traditional method of classroom teaching, but promotes an interactive way of customised learning and knowledge transfer. To support this educational concept, the issue of how to integrate Industrial Design into the playing field of a globalised University research and education system have to be revisited by redefining its three cornerstones, ‘Teaching’, ‘Research’ and ‘Administration’ into respectively ‘Mentorship’, ‘Scholarship’ and ‘Service’.
The clustering of galaxies in the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: mock galaxy catalogues for the low-redshift sample

Citation: Manera, M. , Samushia, L. , Tojeiro, R. , Howlett, C. , Ross, A. J., Percival, W. J., . Montesano, F. (2015). The clustering of galaxies in the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: mock galaxy catalogues for the low-redshift sample. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 447(1), 437-445. doi:10.1093/mnras/stu2465
The teleconnections between the extreme phases of the southern oscillation and precipitation patterns over Turkey

Climatic links between monthly precipitation in Turkey and the El Niño and La Niña events using the empirical methodology of Ropelewski and Halpert are investigated. Coherent and significant precipitation responses to both the extreme phases of the southern oscillation (SO) are found in two core regions, namely western Anatolia (WA) and eastern Anatolia (EA). The geographical extent of the two regions, together with a defined signal season for each tropical event, are identified. For WA, the April–July wet period during El Niño events is the season when the teleconnection is strong and consistent. For EA, the February–June wet period during El Niño events is found to be the signal season having high rates of coherence and consistency. The occurrence of the signal season (the dry period of April–October) during La Niña events appears to be less significant in EA according to the hypergeometric model. Moreover, the annual cycle analysis implies somewhat of a modulation of regional precipitation in the WA and EA regions during the relevant signal season. From other perspectives, correlation results of seasonal precipitation and seasonal SO index values confirm the implied teleconnections, and the powers of line spectra corresponding to the El Niño occurrences supply some indications. The final aim of this work is to show some guidance for quantification of the SO‐related precipitation teleconnections for the core regions by examining shifts in precipitation amounts at various percentiles as a function of the SO extremes. Overall, the results of this investigation are in good agreement with previous relevant studies (especially global‐scale type) that try to understand complex global circulation dynamics. In conclusion, mid‐latitude precipitation responses to the extreme phases of the SO are detectable in the climate of Turkey. Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society
Impact of Oil Price Fluctuations on Financial Markets Since 2014

This paper investigates the causal impact of oil price fluctuations on financial markets since January 2014. Following a heteroscedasticity-based event study approach, the paper instruments changes in oil prices by exogenous shocks in oil supply. It finds that oil price declines raise uncertainty and hurt risky assets (U.S. stocks and high-yield corporate bonds) while lifting safe assets (U.S. investment-grade bonds and long-term Treasury bonds). In addition, lower oil prices boost the U.S. dollar and reduce the prices of emerging market equities. Remarkably, the declines in oil prices hurt several sectors that supposedly benefit from lower oil prices, such as basic materials, industrials, and transportation.
Intercomparison of integrated water vapor retrievals from SSM/I and COSMIC

Integrated water vapor (IWV) estimates derived from four different Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) algorithms are collocated and compared with IWV retrievals using Global Positioning System radio occultation (GPSRO) soundings from the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) mission. The values exhibit strong overall agreement lending support for the accuracy of both the COSMIC data and the traditional passive microwave IWV products. Differences among the products varying with latitude, cloud liquid water content, rain rate, and wind speed highlight key differences between the SSM/I algorithms. Additional differences related to the coarser COSMIC spatial resolution are also observed but are independent from the other dependencies. The differences appear independent of the bottom altitude of the GPSRO soundings. The results suggest a new method of quantifying the uncertainty in individual IWV retrievals as functions of coincident environmental parameters for application to data assimilation and numerical weather prediction.
Change in scores of Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions in Iraq by using Individual Level of Measures, a case study of Iraqi Kurds

The mean purpose of this paper was to highlight some of the key features of Kurds cultural values in Iraq. This paper has been divided into too many parts. The first part culture and some of culture definitions were examined. In the field of cross cultural study Hofstede’s work on cultural dimensions has been regarded as a paradigm. Therefore, in the second part of this paper, Hofstede’s study, arguments in support and against his work has been discussed broadly. In the third part the author have looked at Iraq’s culture in Hofstede’s cultural dimensions study and what each index means. It was argued by many scholars that Hofsted’s typology can only work best when measurements are on national level which it looks at the whole nation as homogenous society. Therefore, it was regarded as not applicable at individual level. In the light of this criticism a new framework was introduced by Dorfman & Howell (1988) later it was extended to five dimensions by Yoo, et al. (2011). In the fourth part CVSCALE framework as a self-administered quantitative survey questionnaire was discussed and explained why it can be a better alternative to Hofstede’s scale which measures culture at individual levels. Based on the CVSCALE cultural orientation of Kurds in Iraq have been discovered and discussed. Even though, still many scholars still refer to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, the validity of measurements holds no guarantee after almost three decades. This paper suggests cultural values can change over time, thus culture is not static. The sample of this study was based on 743 individuals from one of the biggest public university in Erbil the capital city of Kurdistan region but only 441 were valid to be used. The result of this sample seemed to be not in line with Hofsteded’s finding. Although there were some limitations with size and scope of sample, the finding demonstrates that Iraqi Kurds culture have some major differences compared with the original study done on Iraq by Hofstede, for example this research has indicated a decrease in PDI, MAS and moved from being short term to long term oriented culture compared to the original study. Therefore, the author concludes that there is a shift in the result of these cultural dimensions and it needs to be re-investigated every so often. It is hoped that the new finding will benefits the literature in general and culture of nations in particular, also it would help international managers understand cultural values of people in this part of the world. key words: Culture, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, Kurds, comparison, CVSCAL
The Influence of Creep on the Mechanical Properties of Calcium Carbonate Nanofiller Reinforced Polypropylene

The study focused on experimental and classical data to establish some mechanical properties for optimum design of new polypropylene components to serve under creep environment. The creep studies recorded stress limits that never exceeded 24.19MPa and maximum creep modulus that never exceeded 1.49GPa as against the predictions of classical equations that gave 2.0GPa for PPC0 and 2.46GPa for PPC2 at ambient conditions. The shear modulus and shear strength of the PPC0 and the PPC2 are predicted as 0.75GPa and 120MPa respectively and 0.92GPa and 150MPa respectively while the yield strengths found to be about 13.19MPa and 13.20MPa respectively for PPC0 and PPC2 at elastic strains 0.008 and 0.009 respectively. Further found are that as the material deforms the stiffness or modulus decrease, at low strains there is an elastic region, as temperature and applied stress increase the material becomes more flexible characterized with reduction in moduli. Plastic deformation at strains above 0.01 resulted to strain- hardening or strain-strengthening that manifested as the increasing area ratios and associated creep cold work. Also established by this study is a computational model for evaluating the elastic modulus of polypropylene matrix based material as expressed in equation (6). Both the Halphin-Tsai and the Birintrup equations for elastic modulus of unidirectional fibre composites were confirmed to be appropriate for prediction of elastic modulus of nanofiller composites with polymer matrix.
Aerodynamically Efficient Rotor Design for Hovering Agricultural Unmanned Helicopter

Unmanned aerial vehicles, especially agricultural unmanned helicopters (AUH), are nowadays extensively used in precision agriculture. AUHs have recently become responsible for spraying fertilizers and pesticides for crop yields. The strong downward rotating flow produced by the main rotor helps very uniform crop spraying which determines that how important is the aerodynamics of rotor blade in AUH. In this work, the aerodynamic performance of AUH rotor blades is evaluated and an efficient blade is obtained by numerically investigating the influence of design variables on the aerodynamics of rotor blades. The design variables consist of airfoil shape, pitch settings, and twist angle. The limited power available in hover and aerodynamic requirements (lift and drag) are the aerodynamic constraints. This analysis only considers the hovering flight condition at a constant rotational speed. The aerodynamically efficient rotor blade which is based on gradually varying and linearly twisted airfoil shapes, show a significant improvement in hover performance with relatively uniform blade loading. After testing, the optimum blade can be used as the main rotor in the AUH to perform precision farming.
Characterization of a microwave frequency resonator via a nearby quantum dot

We present measurements of a hybrid system consisting of a microwave transmission-line resonator and a lateral quantum dot defined on a GaAs heterostructure. The two subsystems are separately characterized and their interaction is studied by monitoring the electrical conductance through the quantum dot. The presence of a strong microwave field in the resonator is found to reduce the resonant conductance through the quantum dot and is attributed to electron heating and modulation of the dot potential. We use this interaction to demonstrate a measurement of the resonator transmission spectrum using the quantum dot.
PhD thesis proposal: Active learning for semantic annotation of large media archives, in the presence of structured background knowledge

This document proposes a novel approach to topic classification within archives of textual and audiovisual material. By applying an active learning approach to training a relational model, it leverages both the structure of the topic space and the knowledge of users of the archive in order to better model the allocation of documents to topics and the relationships between documents.
Restricted Boltzmann Machine and its Potential to Better Predict Cancer Survival

Traditional methods to predict cancer survival include Competing-Risk Regression and Cox Proportional Hazards Regression; both require the hazard of input variables to be proportionate, limiting the use of non-proportionate measurements on miRNA inhibitors and inflammatory cytokines. They also require imputation at missing data before prediction, adding fallible workloads to the clinical practitioners. To get around the two requirements, we applied Restricted Boltzmann Machine (RBM) to two patient datasets including the NCCTG lung cancer dataset (228 patients, 7 clinicopathological variables) and the TCGA Glioblastoma (GBM) miRNA sequencing dataset (211 patients, 533 mRNA measurements) to predict the 5-year survival. RBM has achieved a c-statistic of 0.989 and 0.826 on the two datasets, outperforming Cox Proportional Hazards Regression that achieved 0.900 and 0.613, respectively. Abbreviations
Age, Growth, and Reproduction of Opsariichthys bidens (Cyprinidae) from the Qingyi River at Huangshan Mountain, China

Xiao-Yun Sul, Yun-Zhi Yan, and Yi-Feng Chen (2012) Age, growth, and reproduction of Opsariichthys bidens (Cyprinidae) from the Qingyi River at Huangshan Mountain, China. Zoological Studies 51(4): 476-483. The age, growth, and reproduction of Opsariichthys bidens were studied in a sample of 281 specimens from monthly collections made from May 2009 to Apr. 2010 in Qingyi Stream, Anhui Province, China. The sex ratio of this study population was 1: 1.18 (female: male), which did not significantly differ from 1: 1. The oldest females and males were 5 and 4 yr old, respectively. The dominant age groups were 2 and 3 yr old in both sexes. Annuli on scales were formed in Feb. and Mar. No obvious sexual dimorphism was observed in the length-weight or length-scale radius relationships or in the total lengths back-calculated at each age for either sex. An inflection point occurred in the growth curves given by the von Bertalanffy growth functions for total weight. At this inflection point, females and males were 4.7 and 4.3 yr old, respectively. Both sexes reached sexual maturity at age 2 yr. At this age, total lengths of females and males were 118.1 and 126.5 mm, respectively. The temporal pattern of the gonadosomatic index corresponded to a spawning period that occurred from Apr. to July. Absolute fecundity significantly increased with total length and weight and significantly varied among age groups, whereas no significant variation was observed in relative fecundity in relation to body size. These life-history traits (e.g., the timing of annulus formation, young age structure, temporal pattern of gonad development, and early age at maturity) of O. bidens in the studied river are hypothesized to be tightly associated with features of the surrounding environment, such as local hydrological rhythms, unstable habitat conditions, and severe human disturbance. http://zoolstud.sinica. edu.tw/Journals/51.4/476.pdf
The diet of the Saimaa ringed seal Phoca hispida saimensis

The diet of the Saimaa ringed seal Phoca hispida saimensis Nordquist, 1899 was studied by the analysis of stomach contents and by feeding trials with a captive seal. Nine prey species were found in the stomachs, the most important being small schooling fish species: perch Perca fluviatilis, roach Rutilus rutilus, vendace Coregonus albula, smelt Osmerus eperlanus and ruff Acerina cernua. The importance of crustaceans in the diet of the ringed seal in Lake Saimaa is insignificant. Length of the intestinal tract of the Saimaa ringed seal is relatively shorter than those of marine ringed seals. In cafeteria tests on one captive seal the preferred fish species were vendace and smelt. The captive seal displayed clear seasonal variation in feeding activity. The consumption of fish was lowest in springtime and highest in autumn and winter.