Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MULTITHREADED RENDERING FOR CROSS-PLATFORM 3D VISUALIZATION BASED ON VULKAN API

Abstract. The visualization of large-sized 3D geospatial models is a graphics intensive task. With ever increasing size and complexity, more computing resources are needed to attain speed and visual quality. Exploiting the parallelism and the multi-core performance of the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a cross-platform 3D viewer is developed based on the Vulkan API and modern C++. The proposed prototype aims at the visualization of a textured 3D mesh of the Cultural Heritage by enabling a multi-threaded rendering pipeline. The rendering workload is distributed across many CPU threads by recording multiple command buffers in parallel and coordinating the host and the GPU rendering phases. To ensure efficient multi-threading behavior and a minimum overhead, synchronization primitives are exploiting for ordering the execution of queues and command buffers. Furthermore, push-constants are used to send uniform data to the GPU and render passes to adapt to the tile-based rendering of the mobile devices. The proposed methodology and technical solution are designed, implemented and tested for Windows, MacOS and Android on Vulkan-compatible GPU hardware by compiling the same codebase. The benchmarking on multiple hardware, architectures and platforms explores the performance improvement for the different approaches compared to one-thread and showcase the potential of the 3D viewer to handle large datasets at no expense of visual quality and geometric fidelity in the absence of high-end technological resources.
Latitudinal structured populations of the Mexican wild squash Cucurbita argyrosperma subsp. sororia revealed by microsatellite markers

Abstract. Crop wild relatives represent an important agronomic resource for crop improvement and biodiversity conservation. The wild squash Cucurbita argyrosperma subsp. sororia. (Cucurbitaceae) has been considered the wild ancestor of cultivated forms of C. argyrosperma. In order to characterise the geographic patterns of genetic variation in this wild cucurbit and to identify priority areas for conservation, we analysed the genetic diversity and structure of natural populations along the Mexican Pacific coast. By using 14 polymorphic microsatellites, we genotyped 378 individuals sampled from 61 locations. Standard population genetics analyses and group testing were conducted on the genotypes with the aid of principal coordinate analysis and Bayesian analysis. Overall, we found an average of 12.3 alleles per locus and an expected heterozygosity of 0.756. We found greater genetic diversity in southern populations. The fixation index was 0.113, suggesting a mixed mating system. The Mantel test revealed a minor distance effect on genetic differentiation between individuals (r = 0.321). Finally, we found three main groups of populations arranged in a mostly latitudinal pattern, from Sinaloa (north-west) to Oaxaca–Guerrero (south-east). The greater genetic diversity and heterogeneity among southern populations (Guerrero–Oaxaca), suggests that this region is an important centre of diversity of this wild squash with important implications for conservation.
Watch Me Go Big: CEO Narcissism and Corporate Acquisitions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of CEO narcissism in corporate acquisitions with a focus on frequency and size and furthermore to examine the subsequent stock market reaction. <br><br>Design/methodology/design – The authors investigate 751 acquisitions made by 158 UK nonfinancial firms and 202 CEOs in the 10-year period 2007-2016. The authors use the ratio of first-person singular pronouns to total first-person pronouns in CEO speech as the main proxy for CEO narcissism but the results are robust to the use of signature size and picture as alternative measures. <br><br>Findings – The authors find that increased CEO narcissism is associated with an increase in M&amp;A expenditures, an increase in deal size, and a decrease in deal frequency. Thus, the authors find that narcissistic CEOs favor size over frequency (“go big”). Furthermore, the authors find that the stock market reacts less favorably to acquisitions announced by firms run by narcissistic CEOs. <br><br>Originality – The paper contributes to upper echelon research by investigating the association between CEO narcissism and corporate decisions in a UK setting. More specifically, the paper contributes to the existing literature by investigating how CEO narcissism is associated with corporate acquisitions in terms of the size and frequency of deals and how such irrational behavior is penalized by the stock market. Previous literature has focused on the more broad association between CEO narcissism and M&amp;A expenditures. <br>
Preliminary Insights into Electro-Sensitive Ecolubricants: A Comparative Analysis Based on Nanocelluloses and Nanosilicates in Castor Oil

The newest generation of lubricants needs to adapt to stricter environmental policies. Simple and sustainable formulations with tunable rheological properties under the action of electric potentials may be the key. The present research explored the feasibility of producing electro-sensitive ecolubricants based on nanocellulose (crystalline and fibrillar) or nanoclay (Cloisite 15A montmorillonite and halloysite nanotubes) dispersions in castor oil, at concentrations that ranged from 2 to 6 wt. %. Broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) measurements allowed for a first estimate on the electro-responsive potential of the nanofluids. The nanocelluloses and the montmorillonite suspensions presented a relaxation event in the dielectric loss, e″, centered at ca. 2–4 kHz, which is related to interfacial polarization. Moreover, their actual electro-rheological (ER) effect under high electric potentials up to 4 kV/mm was assessed by determining the magnitude of the yield stress from steady flow curves at 25 °C. It was found that the nanocelluloses and the montmorillonite showed an enhancement of three orders of magnitude in their yield stress values at 4 kV/m. This enhancement was much greater than in the halloysite nanoclay, which did not exhibit any polarization). This is the starting point for the development of environmentally friendly ER lubricating fluids, based on nanocellulose and montmorillonites (layered nanosilicates), which might assist in reducing the friction and wear through the application of controlled electric fields.
Genetic characterization and molecular mapping of novel chlorophyll deficiency gene in air-cured tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.).

Shahadati-Moghaddam Z. , D. Kahrizi, E. Kazemi (2017): Genetic characterization and molecular mapping of novel chlorophyll deficiency gene in air-cured tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.). Genetika, Vol 49, No.1, 77 -86. This study was performed to genetical and morphological investigation of a novel chlorophyll deficiency gene in tobacco leaf. One low chlorophyll content (LCC) variety (Urumieh 2) and high chlorophyll content (HCC) variety (Burley Ree 103) from the Burley type was crossed and the F2 generation was grown on the field. One hundred plants were selected, contained low and high chlorophyll content. These plants were sampled and DNA was extracted. Sixty RAPD primers were tested on parents, LCC and HCC Bulks based on Bulk Segregant Analysis (BSA). Chi-square test confirmed the monogenic segregation. Regresion analysis showed that there was strong relationship between greenness degree and chlorophyll contents. Four primers (OPE17, OPC09, OPB08 and OPR02) showed polymorphism and after the test on 97 samples from the F2 generation two markers were selected (OPB08-1050 and OPC09-1900). That showed 15.9 and 10.8 CM distance from chlorophyll locus respectively.
Percepciones del material didáctico para los cursos de formación profesional en línea

Los materiales didacticos se utilizan para promover el desarrollo de habilidades en los estudiantes, asi como la mejora de actitudes relacionadas con el conocimiento, la calidad tecnica y pedagogica de un recurso educativo no puede garantizar su efectividad didactica, aunque si puede promoverla. El material didactico es una herramienta o tecnica que los profesores deben utilizar y desarrollar para facilitar el aprendizaje. Las herramientas y contenidos digitales en el proceso docente son una gran oportunidad para captar la atencion de los estudiantes. Este articulo tiene como objetivo mostrar la eficacia de los materiales didacticos digitales en cinco cursos de formacion profesional virtual. Para el desarrollo de esta investigacion se selecciono una metodologia cuantitativa y descriptiva, ninguna de las variables que forman parte de este estudio fue influenciada. La muestra del estudio estuvo conformada por 106 participantes en cinco cursos de formacion profesional en linea, en una de las universidades mas prestigiosas de la region amazonica en Ecuador, los participantes fueron 51% (54) hombres y 49% mujeres (52). El rango de edad fue de 23 a 65 anos, con una edad media de 35 anos. Los resultados mostraron que a pesar de los aspectos negativos, el 18% (19) de los participantes respondio que el contenido de los materiales didacticos no era comprensible, el 15% respondio que el contenido fue plagiado de la web, por otro lado en aspectos positivos se destaco que los medios impresos como libros de texto, enciclopedias, libros de lectura, fichas de actividades, comics, diccionarios o cuentos son los recursos mas utilizados en el sistema educativo, sin embargo el 21% de los participantes senalan que una de las principales ventajas del material didactico en linea es que es gratuito en la mayoria de los casos.
Automated in silico modelling and docking of ligands on benzodiazepine binding site of GABA A receptors

Many antianxiety, sedative and antiepileptic ligands such as benzodiazepines (BZDs) act by allosteric modulation of the GABA(A) receptor via the benzodiazepine binding site. This increases the affinity of GABA for the receptors. The exact mode of docking of these ligands in the 1,4-benzodiazepine (BZD) recognition site has been a subject of recent in-silico docking studies. These studies have utilized previous attempts which have been made to superimpose the structures of allosteric modulators to construct a pharmacophore model for the BZD recognition site or manual editing of homology sequences. However, such models are difficult to relate to receptor structure and tedious to produce. The reproducibility of manual editing is also questionable. In the present study, the X-ray structure of an acetylcholine binding protein from the snail Lymnaea stagnalis and the results from site-directed affinity-labeling studies were used as the basis for modeling of the BZD binding pocket at the α 1 / γ 2 subunit interface. With fully automated homology modeling pipeline SWISS-MODEL and binding pocket for the homology model was predicted with fuzzy oil drop Gaussian server. Ligands known to interact with BZD binding site were energy minimized, introduced into the binding pocket and molecular simulations were carried out to yield a set of binding poses of the BZD ligands in the binding pocket. A fast, easy and reproducible model providing a basis for the design and selection of GABA A receptor benzodiazepine binding site modulators has been reported in this study. The best docking poses of ligands were found to be in good confirmation with their reported affinities towards receptor binding site. 55GLN and 114 TYR residues were common in all the best ligand docking poses in the binding packet.
Support for Liberal Democracy and Populist Attitudes: A Pilot Survey for Young Educated Citizens

At the theoretical level, even if populism and democracy are not necessarily antithetical, the former challenges the liberal component of democracy, advocating for the majority rule and putting under stress the principles of the rule of law. To test the relationship between liberal democracy and populism, we created four new questions that measure the support for liberal democracy conceived as a trade-off with different policies. We tested our battery of questions in a pilot survey with educated young voters. The results show that those individuals who exhibit lower levels of support for liberal democracy are the ones with higher populist attitudes. This might be due to the fact that the original battery of questions grasps the level of support for liberal democracy better than the standard ‘Churchillian’ question.
Summary of charm results from ALICE

An overview of the most recent charm measurements from the ALICE Collaboration is presented in this document. The study of heavy-flavour production is important to understand the properties of the hot and dense medium formed in ultra-relativistic heavyion collisions. In this document the journey of charm in the medium, from the production to the hadronisation into hadrons, is described. Both open charm and quarkonium measurements are presented, starting from D-meson and J/ψ production cross sections in pp collisions and their comparison with theoretical calculations. Recent measurements of relative abundances of different particle species are discussed, in particular the Ds/D0 and J/ψ ratios, that are sensitive to the hadronisation mechanisms and to the strangeness and to the baryon-to-meson enhancement. The energy loss mechanisms and the collective motion in the medium are investigated through the D-meson and J/ψ nuclear modification factor and the elliptic flow measurements. Further investigations on possible medium-like effects observed in high-multiplicity pp and p-Pb collisions are also addressed.
Optimization of hot-water ice-coring drills

Abstract Hot-water ice-coring drills are often used to recover ice core samples from desirable depths in conjunction with full-scale hot-water drilling systems. However, the recovered cores exhibit varying qualities. The coring performance of a hot-water ice-coring drill depends significantly on the structure of the coring drill head (nozzle angle, diameter and number). To discover the most significant factor affecting ice-coring performance, nine types of drill heads were designed and tested in this study according to the orthogonal test design. Results indicated that the nozzle angle is the most significant factor that affects the coring quality and the optimal angle is ~15°. The number of nozzles is the second most important factor; a large number assists in obtaining ice cores of high quality. The optimal nozzle configuration to recover good quality cores are the following: the nozzle diameter, number of nozzles and nozzle angle are 1 mm, 60 nozzles and 15°, respectively, with the maximum diameter and 2 mm, 60 nozzles and 15°, respectively, with the maximum length.
Comparative study of knowledge and use of Bloom's digital taxonomy by teachers and students in virtual and conventional universities

PurposeThis paper intended to explore the knowledge and use of the digital verbs and tools by the students and teachers for conceptual understanding in the virtual and conventional learning environment. The study also explored the use of such digital tools for lower- and higher-order thinking.Design/methodology/approachA survey research method was used for the study. All the students and teachers of the faculty of education from one virtual and one conventional university were the population of this study. Teachers were selected through census sampling. Student enrollment in the faculty of education of the virtual university during Spring 2019 was 1,139 while the conventional university had 1,809 students. In total, 20% of the students from each of the two universities were sampled by using a convenient proportionate sampling technique. A questionnaire was developed by the researchers and validated by three experts before administration. The reliability of the instrument was a = 0.934. Mean, SD, parametric and nonparametric statistics were applied for data analysis.FindingsThe study reveals that the students of ODL are far better in using digital tools and activities that is, googling, collaborating and Skyping. They are good at understanding and application levels and are involved in higher-order thinking tasks, that is, publishing and podcasting as well. Unlike the students, the teachers of the virtual university are using digital tools of lower-order thinking. The authors infer that the students and teachers of the online universities are using these tools regularly because of the demands of the ODL environment. These findings suggest further research to explore the factors that hinder the use of higher-order thinking skills by the teachers in the online environment.Originality/valueThe study suggests the adoption of Bloom's digital taxonomy in teaching–learning processes, that is, curriculum, instructions and assessment for the millennials. The findings may motivate the online and conventional higher education institutions to adopt digital pedagogy for instructional purposes as the students of the digital age are already extensively involved with digital tools.
Control over π-π stacking of heteroheptacene-based nonfullerene acceptors for 16% efficiency polymer solar cells

Abstract Nonfullerene acceptors are being investigated for use in polymer solar cells (PSCs), with their advantages of extending the absorption range, reducing the energy loss and therefore enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE). However, to further boost the PCE, mobilities of these nonfullerene acceptors should be improved. For nonfullerene acceptors, the π–π stacking distance between cofacially stacked molecules significantly affects their mobility. Here, we demonstrate a strategy to increase the mobility of heteroheptacene-based nonfullerene acceptors by reducing their π–π stacking distances via control over the bulkiness of lateral side chains. Incorporation of 2-butyloctyl substituents into the nonfullerene acceptor (M36) leads to an increased mobility with a reduced π–π stacking distance of 3.45 Å. Consequently, M36 affords an enhanced PCE of 16%, which is the highest among all acceptor-donor-acceptor-type nonfullerene acceptors to date. This strategy of control over the bulkiness of side chains on nonfullerene acceptors should aid the development of more efficient PSCs.
In Silico Genetic Variation Analysis of Cytochrome P450 2C19 and Their Effect in Certain Drugs Metabolism

Background: Cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) is the commonest drug metabolizing enzyme, responsible for the oxidation of about 20% of the currently used drugs. Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs) play a major role in determining the risk of an individual susceptibility to many illnesses and their drug response. Identification of NPs may help in understanding their effects on genes product and their association with diseases and also could help in the development of new medical testing markers. Methods: This study was carried out for Homo sapiens single variation (SNPs) in CYP2C19 gene through coding regions. Variants data was obtained from dbsnps NCBI database of SNP even. A total of 15943 SNPs in CYP2C19 gene were fond; 14307 SNPs were Homosapins; of which 319 were non-synonymous SNPs. Non synonymous SNPs were selected for insilico analysis; SIFT, Polyphen2, and PharmGKB softwares and servers were used to identify SNPs in proteins functions, structures and, pharmacokinetic activity. Results show that, of 319 nsSNPs, 13SNPs were predicted as highly damaging. Pharmacogenomic analysis of this 13 nsSNPS showed clinical annotations with many diseases and affection of efficacy, pharmacokinetics and toxicity of many drugs. In conclude these previous identified SNPs could lead to gene alteration, which may be contribute to the distinct pharmacogenetic phenotypes.
Factors influencing dietary nitrate metabolism in humans

2 Table of contents.4 List of tables.7 List of figures.8 Symbols and abbreviations.11 Declaration.12 Acknowledgements.13 Chapter 1: Introduction and literature review Nitric oxide.14 Nitric oxide production.14 Dietary nitrate supplementation.16 Plasma [nitrate] and [nitrite]. 16 Physiological effects.16 Blood pressure.16 Pulmonary and muscular oxygen uptake.17 Exercise tolerance and performance.18 Factors influencing dietary nitrate metabolism.18 Oral cavity temperature and pH.18 Muscle oxygenation.19 Summary.20 Aims.21 Hypotheses.22
What is maaf for in the Indonesian language? A study of its use in written sources

Apologizing, commonly, contains the word ‘sorry’ for the English language and other languages, has the meaning of ‘feeling regret or penitence’. In the Indonesian language, ‘sorry’ is similar to the word ‘maaf’. The study focuses on the use of ‘maaf’ in the Indonesian language. Its primary aim is to find out the functions of ‘maaf’ in the Indonesian language. The subject of this study is written data which is from three Indonesian novels. Meanwhile, the object is the functions of the use of the word ‘maaf’. Reading attentively method was used in collecting data specifically in noting technique. The technique used for data analysis is pragmatic (identity) method. The researchers used the framework by Kimura (1994) combined with Pratiwi and Hilaliyah (2018) in analyzing the functions of ‘maaf’ in the Indonesian language. Based on the analysis, it was found that the function of ‘maaf’ in the Indonesian language are for regret (63 occurrences) as the most used in the novels, followed by attention-getter (five occurrences), closing (four occurrences), request (three occurrences), and mocking or teasing (two occurrences ) as the least used function. Generally, the characters in the novel were displayed to produce apologies in different ways, depending on power (i.e. employee to employer), relationships (i.e. a nephew to his aunt, between friends), age (i.e. same age, young to old, and vice-versa) and situation (i.e. approaching strangers). These different ways bear various functions of ‘maaf’ in their conversations. The article further elaborates on the results and provides recommendations for future research in related studies.
Cow efficiency: modeling the biological and economic output of a Michigan beef herd

Abstract In recent decades, beef cattle producers have selected cattle for biological traits (i.e., improved growth) to maximize revenue, leading to an increase in average cow body size. However, matching cow size to the production environment would allow producers to maximize productivity and economic returns per unit of land. This may help meet the goals of sustainable intensification, but environmental complexity and varying cow-calf production systems dictates a regional approach. The objective of this experiment was to examine the biological efficiency and economic returns of a Northern Michigan cow-calf system. We hypothesized that biological efficiency and economic returns would decrease with increasing cow body size. Data were collected from a Red Angus cow herd located at the Lake City AgBio Research Center in Lake City, MI from 2011 to 2018 on cow age, weight, and body condition score at weaning, and subsequent 205 d adjusted calf weaning weight (WW), sex, and yearling weight. Biological efficiency was defined as WW as a percentage of cow body weight (DBW). Enterprise budgeting techniques were used to calculate expected net returns from 2011 to 2018 after classifying cows into 11 BW tiers at 22.67 kg intervals beginning at 430.83 kg. Forward-looking net present value (NPV) was calculated using the same tier system, for a 10-yr production cycle with the baseline being a 200 d grazing season. Weaning weight increased with increasing DBW (P < 0.01), but the percentage of cow body weight weaned was reduced by −38.58 × Ln(DBW) (P < 0.01). This led to cows weaning 26.38 kg/ha more with every 100 kg drop in DBW. Expected net returns from 2011 to 2018 did not differ by DBW tier on a per cow basis but did on a per ha basis with a decrease in $10.27/ha with each increase in DBW tier (P < 0.01). Net present value was maximized in the baseline scenario at 453.51 kg DBW and decreased in value as DBW increased. These results suggest that for a Northern Midwestern cow-calf herd, comparatively lighter cows provide a higher economic value on a land basis.