Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A function-oriented quality control method for shipbuilding

ABSTRACT Shipbuilding is a complex systematic project involving various processes. In this study, a function-oriented quality control method is proposed to control shipbuilding quality effectively. The method decomposes the ship construction process from the functional perspective to study the relationship between the intermediate products and the functions, afterwards analyse the impact mechanism of the construction process on the function. The improved failure mode and effects analysis with fuzzy evaluation method is conducted to determine the weak link of processes and develop process optimisation measures. As a practical application, the quality control of the propulsion shafting installation is conducted using the method, which proves its feasibility and effectiveness.
Streptococcal Serum Opacity Factor Increases Hepatocyte Uptake of Human Plasma High Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol 1

Serum opacity factor (SOF), a virulence determinant of Streptococcus pyogenes , converts plasma high density lipoproteins (HDL) to three distinct species: lipid-free apolipoprotein (apo) A-I, neo HDL, a small discoidal HDL-like particle, and a large cholesteryl ester-rich microemulsion (CERM), that contains the cholesterol esters (CE) of up to ~400,000 HDL particles and apo E as its major protein. Similar SOF reaction products are obtained with HDL, total plasma lipoproteins and whole plasma. We hypothesized that hepatic uptake of CERM-CE via multiple apo E dependent receptors would be faster than that of HDL-CE. We tested our hypothesis using human hepatoma cells and lipoprotein receptor-specific Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. [ 3 H]CE uptake by HepG2 and Huh7 cells from HDL after SOF treatment, which transfers >90% of HDL-CE to CERM, was respectively 2.4 and 4.5 times faster than from control HDL. CERM-[ 3 H]CE uptake was inhibited by LDL and HDL, suggestive of uptake by both the LDL receptor (LDL-R) and scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI). Studies in CHO cells specifically expressing LDL-R and SR-BI confirmed CERM-[ 3 H]CE uptake by both receptors. RAP and heparin inhibit CERM-[ 3 H]CE but not HDL-[ 3 H]CE uptake thereby implicating LRP-1 and cell surface proteoglycans in this process. These data demonstrate that SOF treatment of HDL increases CE uptake via multiple hepatic apo E receptors. In so doing, SOF might increase hepatic disposal of plasma cholesterol in a way that is therapeutically useful. of uptake of CE occurs via the selective pathway mediated by SR-BI, the mouse ortholog of human CLA-1 (8;9). Here we show that rSOF converts human HDL to CERM in whole plasma and that uptake of CERM-CE by human hepatoma cells occurs via multiple apoE-dependent lipoprotein receptors and is faster than that of the HDL-CE from which the CERM were formed.
A single-switched high-switching-frequency quasi-resonant flyback converter with zero-current-switching and valley-switching

In The demand of miniaturization of power systems has accelerated the research on high-switching-frequency power converters. In this paper, a high-switching-frequency single-switched quasi-resonant flyback converter that features low switching loss and low switching noise is proposed. A resonant inductor of primary side and a resonant capacitor of secondary side are utilized to recycle the transformer leakage energy and realize zero-current-switching (ZCS) at turn-off and valley-switching (VS) at turn-on of the primary switch, and ZCS turn-off of diode. The VS is realized based on the resonance between the resonant inductor and the equivalent switch drain capacitor which helps to realize near fully soft switching. Compared to traditional quasi-resonant converters, the switching loss is greatly reduced. And low cost, low losses and low switching noise are all acquired. The proposed concept has been validated on a 1MHz 12V/3A prototype with 80V dc input. The peak efficiency is 90.4% using GaN device without synchronous rectification in the open loop test.
Enrichment Medium for Selection of Salmonella from Fish Homogenate'

Enrichment medium for selection of Salmonella from fish homogenate. Appl. Microbiol. 14:12-20. 1966. -A new liquid medium, called "dulcitol selenite enrichment," has been developed for the detection and enumeration of Salmonella in foods. The medium is not only highly selective in enriching Salmonella and inhibiting completely or appreciably other extraneous organisms commonly found in seafoods, but is also highly sensitive in recovering as low as 2 to 7 cells of Salmonella, even in the presence of large numbers (104 to 106 cells) of mixed flora common to these foods. The addition of seafood material does not seem to interfere with the sensitivity, selectivity, or productivity of the medium. Even physiologically debilitated cells of Salmonella were enriched well enough in this medium to be detected easily.
Longitudinal Trajectories of PTSD Symptoms and Binge Drinking Among Adolescent Girls: The Role of Sexual Victimization

Purpose— Many studies have documented associations among sexual victimization (SV), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and alcohol use; however, few have examined these associations longitudinally among adolescents. The present study evaluated the impact of SV on the longitudinal trajectory of PTSD symptoms and binge drinking (BD) among adolescent girls, a population known to have high rates of SV and alcohol use. Methods— Participants (N = 1,808 at wave 1) completed interviews regarding PTSD symptoms, BD, and SV experiences over approximately three years. Results— Multilevel modeling revealed decreases in PTSD symptoms over the course of the study; however, compared to non-victims, SV adolescents reported greater PTSD symptoms at wave 1 and maintained higher levels of PTSD symptoms over the course of the study after controlling for age. SV reported during the study also predicted an acute increase in PTSD symptoms at that occasion. BD increased significantly over the course of the study; however, SV did not predict initial BD or increases over time. SV reported during the study was associated with acute increases in BD at that occasion, although this effect diminished when participants reporting substance-involved rape were excluded. Conclusions— SV was associated with immediate and long-lasting elevations in PTSD symptoms, but not with initial or lasting elevations in BD over time, suggesting that adolescent victims have yet to develop problematic patterns of alcohol use to cope with SV. However, SV was associated with acute increases in PTSD symptoms and BD, suggesting a need for BD interventions to reduce alcohol-related SV.
Neural oscillator network–based biped control for self-adapting gait

Walking on floors with a varying slope needs more adaptive walking controller against the slope change, since that kind of walking becomes unstable easily without visual information. It may be difficult even for human beings to keep the walking stability without seeing the slope. This work presents a neural oscillator network to generate the patterns for periodic bipedal locomotion, which enable a humanoid robot to adapt to slope change of terrain. Motion trajectories of each limb (each hand and foot) are first defined in terms of periodic functions, the coefficients of which are the output parameters of neural oscillators. Those parameters are determined with the neural oscillator network in cooperation with sensory signals that detect the states of feet in contact with the terrain such that the motion trajectories are scaled for the walking stability. In addition, for the same reason, the neural oscillator controls the trajectories of the center of mass and the zero moment point of humanoid. Using the proposed method, the walking of the humanoid was performed on uneven and uncertain terrain. This application for the humanoid robot may draw some helpful hints on understanding human beings’ walking mechanism against the terrain with a varying slope.
STUDY OF CUSTOMER CHURN IN THE TELECOM INDUSTRY USING STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING

This study examined the relationships between switching cost (SC), customer satisfaction (CS), trust, communication, value added services (VASs), customer expectations (CEs), customer complaint management systems, brand image, and price perception (PP) with their effects on customer churn (CC) in the Jordanian telecom industry. A structural model was first proposed for mapping the relationships between the model factors. A total of 700 questionnaires were distributed in person and online. The model was then tested regarding all of the survey data from respondents who lived in the Amman area and those who were customers of the Orange mobile service provider (MSP). The results showed that SC and VASs contributed insignificantly to CC. Moreover, CS was the key factor in reducing the churn rate. Finally, satisfying CEs significantly affected CS. In conclusion, to decrease CC,MSPs must enhance their overall service quality, establish a good and trustworthy reputation, create an efficient billing system, offer new VASs at competitive prices, address customer complaints promptly, and conduct professional training courses for frontline employees. The results of this study provide valuable feedback for MSP decision makers regarding approaches to improving their performance and reducing CC.
From a literature review to a conceptual framework for affordable quality healthcare service using internet of things (IOT) network

There has been significant interest in integration of internet of things (IOT) and healthcare both in academic and the corporate world. This can be seen from the fact by the number of conferences held and number of special issues in journals that have been published. To establish further in this domain, the purpose of this research is two-fold. First it does literature review in healthcare and IOT from 151 papers published from 1998 to 2016. Second, it summarises findings from literature review in two parts. In the first part, it identifies the antecedents that impact both affordable quality healthcare and developing an enterprise network for IOT. In the second part, it integrates factors that affect both affordable healthcares with IOT. The results of this research will be useful for both practitioners and academicians as the paper discusses how to design a IOT based healthcare network that will reduce cost of healthcare while preventing chronic diseases. The paper also shows the limitations of the present research while describing stimuli for further research.
Factor analysis-validated comprehensive employee job performance scale

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an employee job performance (EJP) scale questionnaire that encompasses the job time, job quality and job quantity dimensions of employee performance. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the questionnaire questions were first validated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and then confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) along the three performance dimensions. The research samples were auto-parts assembly line workers. The factor analysis results confirmed the validity of the questionnaire as a reliable employee performance evaluation tool, as evidenced by the composite reliability (CR) and the average variance extracted (AVE). Findings The questionnaire questions identified three factors of EJP, namely, job time, job quality and job quantity, with 13 items. The factor analysis results confirmed the validity of the questionnaire as a reliable employee performance evaluation tool, as evidenced by a CR of 0.894 and AVE of 0.739, in addition to χ2=63.340, df=54, p=0.180, goodness of fit index=0.976, adjusted goodness of fit index=0.960, RMSEA=0.021 and root mean square residue=0.014. Research limitations/implications The EJP scale questionnaire was examined using only EFA and CFA. These scales are expected to help academics, researchers and practitioners test theories. Because of the features of the sample, the final results should be considered carefully. Practical implications Importantly, the factor analysis results suggest that the proposed EJP scale questionnaire can be applied to various industries and settings either as is or with minimal modifications. Originality/value The EJP questionnaire is novel and can serve as an excellent EJP tool to measure employees’ behavioral output. The questionnaire can provide empirical data on employee performance output based on the employee’s perspective.
Role of NF- κ B in oxidative stress-induced defective dopamine D1 receptor signaling in the renal proximal tubules of Sprague Dawley rats

Dopamine promotes sodium excretion, in part, via activation of D1 receptors in renal proximal tubules (PT) and subsequent inhibition of Na, K-ATPase. Recently, we have reported that oxidative stress causes D1 receptors-G-protein uncoupling via mechanisms involving Protein Kinase C (PKC) and G-protein Coupled Receptor Kinase 2 (GRK2) in the primary culture of renal PT of Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. There are reports suggesting that redox-sensitive nuclear transcription factor, NF-κ B, is activated in conditions associated with oxidative stress. This study was designed to identify the role of NF- κ B in oxidative stress–induced defective renal D1 receptor –G-protein coupling and function. Treatment of the PT with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, 50 μ M/20 min) induced the nuclear translocation of NF- κ B, increased PKC activity, and triggered the translocation of GRK2 to the proximal tubular membranes. This was accompanied by hyperphosphorylation of D1 receptors and defective D1 receptor-G-protein coupling. The functional consequence of these changes was decreased D1 receptor activation-mediated inhibition of Na, K-ATPase activity. Interestingly, pretreatment with pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC, 25 μ M/10min), an NF- κ B inhibitor, blocked the H2O2-induced nuclear translocation of NF- κ B, increase in PKC activity, as well as GRK2 translocation and hyperphosphorylation of D1 receptors in the proximal tubular membranes. Furthermore, PDTC restored D1 receptor G-protein coupling and D1 receptor agonist-mediated inhibition of the Na, KATPase activity. Therefore, we suggest that oxidative stress causes nuclear translocation of NF- κ B in the renal proximal tubules, which contributes to defective D1-receptor-G-protein coupling and function via mechanism involving PKC, membranous translocation of GRK 2, and subsequent phosphorylation of dopamine D1 receptors. κ B in H2O2-induced activation of PKC and subsequent translocation of GRK 2 to the proximal tubular membranes. Finally, we investigated the involvement of NF- κ B in oxidative stress-induced defective D1 receptor signaling by measuring D1 receptor phosphorylation, D1-receptor-Gprotein coupling, and SKF-38393, a D1 receptor agonist-mediated inhibition of Na-KATPase activity, in the presence and absence of PDTC.
Illuminated Furniture as the Atmospheric Factor of Café Interior Design

Behavioral research of lighting is so far limited to that which is set above eye-level. This research project studies the atmospheric effects of illuminated furniture on mood. Using quasi-experimental method, two sets of illuminated furniture were laid out in a cafe and three different modes of atmospheric qualities resulted were investigated. Seventy student volunteers were asked to join this experiment and report their feelings toward each of those conditions. We used ANOVA statistic to analyze the data. The result shows that the atmospheric quality resulted from a constant setting of illuminated furniture were the most favorable in influencing customer's mood.Keywords: Illuminated furniture; cafe atmosphere; interior lighting; moodeISSN 2398-4279 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.
100G Data Center Interconnections with Silicon Dual-Drive Mach-Zehnder Modulator and Direct Detection

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate that a silicon dual-drive Mach-Zehnder modulator (DD-MZM) has great potential for next-generation data center interconnections (DCIs). For intra-data center interconnections, 120 Gb/s Nyquist 4-ary pulse amplitude modulation (PAM-4) signal is successfully generated with a silicon DD-MZM operating at C-band and transmitted over 2 km standard single-mode fiber (SSMF) with a bit error rate (BER) of 5.55x10-4. For inter-data center interconnections, single sideband (SSB) modulation is chosen to avoid power fading caused by fiber chromatic dispersion and square-law detection. We report the generation and transmission of 112 Gb/s Nyquist SSB PAM-4 signal by using the same silicon DD-MZM and Kramers-Kronig (KK) direct detection. A two-tap digital post filter and maximum likelihood sequence detection (MLSD) are applied to compensate for the limited system bandwidth. After 80 km SSMF transmission, the BER is 2.46x10-3 that is below the 7% HD-FEC threshold of 3.8x10-3. To the best of our knowledge, our work reports the highest single-lane bitrate of 80 km SSB transmission based on a silicon DD-MZM. Our study also shows the feasibility of silicon photonic modulator for DCI applications in the future.
Cortical gamma responses: searching high and low

In this paper, a brief, preliminary attempt is made to frame a scientific debate about how functional responses at gamma frequencies in electrophysiological recordings (EEG, MEG, ECoG, and LFP) should be classified and interpreted. In general, are all gamma responses the same, or should they be divided into different classes according to criteria such as their spectral characteristics (frequency range and/or shape), their spatial-temporal patterns of occurrence, and/ or their responsiveness under different task conditions? In particular, are the responses observed in intracranial EEG at a broad range of “high gamma” frequencies (~60–200 Hz) different from gamma responses observed at lower frequencies (~30–80 Hz), typically in narrower bands? And if they are different, how should they be interpreted? Does the broad spectral shape of high gamma responses arise from the summation of many different narrow-band oscillations, or does it reflect something completely different? If we are not sure, should we refer to high gamma activity as oscillations? A variety of theories have posited a mechanistic role for gamma activity in cortical function, often assuming narrow-band oscillations. These theories continue to influence the design of experiments and the interpretation of their results. Do these theories apply to all electrophysiological responses at gamma frequencies? Although no definitive answers to these questions are immediately anticipated, this paper will attempt to review the rationale for why they are worth asking and to point to some of the possible answers that have been proposed.
Combined root‐MUSIC algorithms for multi‐carrier MIMO radar with sparse uniform linear arrays

In this study, sparse uniform linear arrays are used to improve the direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation accuracy for the multiple-input multiple-output radar. With a suitable choice of multi-carrier frequencies, the DOA estimation ambiguity problem caused by spatial under-sampling can be resolved. Two kinds of search-free DOA estimation algorithms based on root-multiple signal classification (MUSIC) are proposed. The first algorithm directly applies the root-MUSIC to each carrier frequency separately for the true DOAs as well as their spurious DOAs, then, a novel DOA replicas matching algorithm is proposed to obtain the true DOAs from the ambiguous ones. The second algorithm utilises the manifold separation technique (MST) to align the noise subspaces of all multi-carrier frequencies. Using the MST, the separable representation of the array manifold vector of each carrier frequency is obtained, then the root-MUSIC polynomials of all multi-carrier frequencies are combined to construct a new polynomial, the true DOAs can be obtained directly by applying polynomial rooting without any matching processing. The two proposed algorithms are both practical, computationally efficient and robust. Numerical simulations verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms in terms of root-mean-squared error.
Betaxolol, a b 1 -adrenoceptor antagonist, reduces Na + inﬂux into cortical synaptosomes by direct interaction with Na + channels: comparison with other b -adrenoceptor antagonists

1 Betaxolol, a b 1 -adrenoceptor antagonist used for the treatment of glaucoma, is known to be neuroprotective in paradigms of ischaemia/excitotoxicity. In this study, we examined whether betaxolol and other b -adrenoceptor antagonists interact directly with neurotoxin binding to sites 1 and 2 of the voltage-sensitive sodium channel (Na + channel) in rat cerebrocortical synaptosomes. 2 Betaxolol inhibited speciﬁc [ 3 H]-batrachotoxinin-A 20- a -benzoate ([ 3 H]-BTX-B) binding to neurotoxin site 2 in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC 50 value of 9.8 m M . Comparison of all the b -adrenoceptor antagonists tested revealed a potency order of propranolol 4 betaxolol & levobetaxolol 4 levobunolol & carteolol 5 timolol 4 atenolol. 3 None of the drugs caused a signiﬁcant inhibition of [ 3 H]-saxitoxin binding to neurotoxin receptor site 1, even at concentrations as high as 250 m M . 4 Saturation experiments showed that betaxolol increased the K D of [ 3 H]-BTX-B binding but had no e(cid:128)ect on the B max . The association kinetics of [ 3 H]-BTX-B were una(cid:128)ected by betaxolol, but the drug signiﬁcantly accelerated the dissociation rate of the radioligand. These ﬁndings argue for a competitive, indirect, allosteric mode of inhibition of [ 3 H]-BTX-B binding by betaxolol. 5 Betaxolol inhibited veratridine-stimulated Na + inﬂux in rat cortical synaptosomes with an IC 50 value of 28.3 m M . Carteolol, levobunolol, timolol and atenolol were signiﬁcantly less e(cid:128)ective than betaxolol at reducing veratridine-evoked Na + inﬂux. 6 The ability of betaxolol to interact with neurotoxin site 2 of the Na + channel and inhibit Na + inﬂux may have a role in its neuroprotective action in paradigms of excitotoxicity/ischaemia and in its therapeutic e(cid:128)ect in glaucoma. British Journal of Pharmacology (2000) 130, 759