Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immobilization of Glucose Oxidase on Modified-Carbon-Paste-Electrodes for Microfuel Cell

Glucose oxidase (GOx) is being developed for many applications such as an implantable fuel cell, due to its attractive property of operating under physiological conditions. This study reports the functional immobilization of glucose oxidase onto polyaniline-nanofiber-modified-carbon-paste-electrodes (GOx/MCPE) as bioanodes in fuel cell applications. In particular, GOx is immobilized onto the electrode surface via a linker molecule (glutaraldehyde). Polyaniline, synthesized by the interfacial polymerization method, produces a morphological form of nanofibers (100-120 nm) which have good conductivity. The performance of the polyaniline-modified-carbon-paste-electrode (MCPE) was better than the carbon- paste-electrode (CPE) alone. The optimal pH and temperature of the GOx/MCPE were 4.5 (in 100 mM acetate buffer) and 65 °C, respectively. The GOx/MCPE exhibit high catalytic performances (activation energy 16.4 kJ mol -1 ), have a high affinity for glucose (K m value 37.79 µM) and can have a maximum current (I max ) of 3.95 mA. The sensitivity of the bioelectrode also was high at 57.79 mA mM -1 cm -2 .
Retroelement Expression and Integration in Mammalian Gametes and Embryos

Retroelements are expressed during male and female gametes differentiation and are normally regulated by the methylation machinery, chromatin modifications, non-coding RNAs and transcription factors. In this review, we discuss recent data concerning retroelement expression and retrotransposition events in mammalian gametes, as well as the importance of their impact on the preimplantation embryo development.
Militancy and Moderation in Teacher's Unions: Is there a fit between Union image and member attitudes?

This paper provides a comparison of member attitudes in the Professional Association of Teachers (PAT) and the National Unions of Teachers (NUT), often seen as the most "moderate" and "militant" teacher unions respectively. Findings suggest that members of PAT were higher in job satisfaction, and both organizational and professional commitment, with NUT members higher in union citizenship behaviour (UCB) and general pro-union attitudes. For NUT members, pro-union beliefs had a significantly stronger effect on union commitment, and union commitment on UCB. These findings are consistent with the relative images of the two unions, and also with Bamberger et al.’s (1999) suggestion that the nature of the membership is likely to moderate the antecedents of union commitment and participation.
A Robust Alternative to the t - Test

t -test is a classical test statistics for testing the equality of two groups. However, this test is very sensitive to non-normality as well as variance heterogeneity. To overcome these problems, robust method such as F t and S 1 tests statistics can be used. This study proposed the use of a robust estimator that is trimmed mean as the central tendency measure in F t test and median as the central tendency measure in S 1 test when comparing the equality of two groups. The performance of the S 1 test with MAD n was able to give the most convincing result than the other methods. The F t with MAD n showed comparable results with the conventional methods. This study has shown some improvement in the statistical solution of detecting differences between location parameters. These modified methods may serve as alternatives to some other robust statistical methods which are unable to handle either the problem of non-normality, variance heterogeneity or unbalanced design.
The Impact of Fuel Ownership on Intrastate Violence

The impact of natural resources on intrastate violence has been increasingly analyzed in the peace and conflict literature. Surprisingly, little quantitative evidence has been gathered on the effects of the resource-ownership structure on internal violence. This paper uses a novel dataset on oil and natural gas property rights covering 40 countries during the period 1989–2010. The results of regression analyses employing logit models reveal that the curvilinear effect between hydrocarbon production and civil conflict onset – often found in previous studies – only applies to countries in which oil and gas production is mainly state controlled. The findings suggest that only state-owned hydrocarbons may entail peace - buying mechanisms such as specific clientelistic practices, patronage networks, welfare policies, and/or coercion. At the same time, it seems that greed and grievance are more pronounced whenever resources lie in the hands of the state. Exploring the within - country variation, further analyses reveal that divergent welfare spending patterns are likely to be one causal channel driving the relationship between resource ownership and internal violence.
Regression-based season-ahead drought prediction for southern Peru conditioned on large-scale climate variables

Abstract. Located at a complex topographic, climatic, and hydrologic crossroads, southern Peru is a semiarid region that exhibits high spatiotemporal variability in precipitation. The economic viability of the region hinges on this water, yet southern Peru is prone to water scarcity caused by seasonal meteorological drought. Meteorological droughts in this region are often triggered during El Nino episodes; however, other large-scale climate mechanisms also play a noteworthy role in controlling the region's hydrologic cycle. An extensive season-ahead precipitation prediction model is developed to help bolster the existing capacity of stakeholders to plan for and mitigate deleterious impacts of drought. In addition to existing climate indices, large-scale climatic variables, such as sea surface temperature, are investigated to identify potential drought predictors. A principal component regression framework is applied to 11 potential predictors to produce an ensemble forecast of regional January–March precipitation totals. Model hindcasts of 51 years, compared to climatology and another model conditioned solely on an El Nino–Southern Oscillation index, achieve notable skill and perform better for several metrics, including ranked probability skill score and a hit–miss statistic. The information provided by the developed model and ancillary modeling efforts, such as extending the lead time of and spatially disaggregating precipitation predictions to the local level as well as forecasting the number of wet–dry days per rainy season, may further assist regional stakeholders and policymakers in preparing for drought.
Past Carbonate Preservation Events in the Deep Southeast Atlantic Ocean (Cape Basin) and Their Implications for Atlantic Overturning Dynamics and Marine Carbon Cycling

Micropaleontological and geochemical analyses reveal distinct millennial‐scale increases in carbonate preservation in the deep Southeast Atlantic (Cape Basin) during strong and prolonged Greenland interstadials that are superimposed on long‐term (orbital‐scale) changes in carbonate burial. These data suggest carbonate oversaturation of the deep Atlantic and a strengthened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) during the most intense Greenland interstadials. However, proxy evidence from outside the Cape Basin indicates that AMOC changes also occurred during weaker and shorter Greenland interstadials. Here we revisit the link between AMOC dynamics and carbonate saturation in the deep Cape Basin over the last 400 kyr (sediment cores TN057‐21, TN057‐10, and Ocean Drilling Program Site 1089) by reconstructing centennial changes in carbonate preservation using millimeter‐scale X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) scanning data. We observe close agreement between variations in XRF Ca/Ti, sedimentary carbonate content, and foraminiferal shell fragmentation, reflecting a common control primarily through changing deep water carbonate saturation. We suggest that the high‐frequency (suborbital) component of the XRF Ca/Ti records indicates the fast and recurrent redistribution of carbonate ions in the Atlantic basin via the AMOC during both long/strong and short/weak North Atlantic climate anomalies. In contrast, the low‐frequency (orbital) XRF Ca/Ti component is interpreted to reflect slow adjustments through carbonate compensation and/or changes in the deep ocean respired carbon content. Our findings emphasize the recurrent influence of rapid AMOC variations on the marine carbonate system during past glacial periods, providing a mechanism for transferring the impacts of North Atlantic climate anomalies to the global carbon cycle via the Southern Ocean.
CIRP Conference on Assembly Technologies and Systems ( CATS ) Layout planning and geometry analysis using 3 D laser scanning in production system redesign

Production system layouts are traditionally redesigned and modelled using CAD tools. Frequent system changes, i.e. equipment is replaced or moved to new locations, necessitate time-consuming measurement and modelling work to keep the models valid and up-to-date. 3D imaging has been proposed as a means for rapid and accurate spatial modelling by digitalising real world objects. This paper analyses the method and result from five industrial studies where 3D imaging, specifically 3D laser scanning, were used to support layout planning and geometry analysis of production systems. The results show promise to reduce time, risks, and cost when redesigning production systems. © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of the 6th CIRP Conference on Assembly Technologies and Systems (CATS).
IMPROVING CREATIVITY TRAINING: A STUDY OF DESIGNER SKILLS

Creativity is widely accepted to be important for design, raising the interest to identify ways to train designers to be more creative. To improve such creativity training this study observed individual creativity skills during team interactions and their influence on the creative process. The key finding is the importance of Process awareness, in which individual designers utilize own knowledge of cognitive processes to manage/advance teamwork. It is thus important to educate designers about such cognitive processes during training and arm them with knowledge to strategically deploy them.
Body growth and phenotypic variation of the carcasses of native duck lineages (Cairina moschata)

Natives ducks are birds that require little handling and are resistant to many diseases that affect chickens. Thus, they adapt to low-input farming conditions, which contributes to the food security of small farmers. Although they exhibit potential for growth, their production characteristics are relatively unknown, so they are underexploited. The objective of this study was to compare how nonlinear models fit the growth curve of two genetic groups of duck and to evaluate variation based on carcass characteristics. Two hundred and twenty four animals were weighed weekly, from birth to 90 days of age. We used nonlinear models (Brody, Richards, Gompertz, Von Bertalanff and Logistic) to describe growth curve. For the evaluation of phenotypic variation, we measured seven carcass traits from 81 ducks carried out by principal component analysis. The logistic model best fit the growth curve, and the absolute growth rates (AGR) for the Catolé duck showed that females reached their maximum AGR at approximately 30 days but did not reach their ideal commercial weight. The drumstick, thigh and liver yields accounted for 41.17% of the differences between the Catolé and Paysandu ducks. The slaughter of male Catolé ducks is recommended between 70 and 90 days because a drastic decrease in growth occurs after this time. For the slaughter of females, feeding management modifications and improvement in growth indices are recommended to increase the final weight and AGR. The carcass yields indicate potential for native duck meat production.
Ungulate browsing as an ecosystem process : browser-plant-soil interactions in a semi-arid eutrophic African savanna

This study examined the consequences of long-term ungulate browsing at the ecosystem level in a semi-arid eutrophic African savanna. I tested whether large mammalian browsers were responsible for positive or negative feedbacks with their food resource, and whether such effects would decelerate or accelerate the nitrogen (N) cycling. A set of experiments was performed to investigate (1) leaf litter decomposition rates in five common woody species (Acacia nigrescens, Securinega virosa, Combretum hereroense, Euclea divinorum, and Maytenus senegalensis) by mean of 690 litterbags placed under natural conditions, (2) leaf N in wet and dry seasons, (3) soil chemistry and (4) litter biomass and composition distributed across browsing and grazing gradients. My results show a general depletion of total soil N in heavily browsed sites. This agrees with longterm decelerating effects of browsing on nutrient cycling, previously established for temperate and boreal forest ecosystems. However, I found evidence of high plant resilience in heavily browsed sites where Acacia stands shown (a) higher leaf N during the main growing season, (b) higher N release from leaf litter, (c) high concentration of labile soil nutrient forms, such as nitrate (NO3) and ammonium (NH4), and (d) similar, or even faster, litter decomposition rates than in lightly browsed sites. Firstly, this suggests that tree pruning triggers and maintains a fast nutrient cycling within the plant-browser system. The accelerating effect is supported by high mass compensatory growth abilities from highly palatable, fast-growing Acacia trees that produce highly decomposable litter. Secondly, browsing has a long-term decelerating effect on N cycling drastically reducing the quantity of leaf-twig litter biomass that is returned to the soil rather than through qualitative changes in litter chemistry. I discuss how the interactive effects of browsinggrazing-soil fertility may influence nutrient cycling through different ecological processes.
Design and experimental verification of ridge gap waveguide in bed of nails for parallel-plate mode suppression

This study describes the design and experimental verification of the ridge gap waveguide, appearing in the gap between parallel metal plates. One of the plates has a texture in the form of a wave-guiding metal ridge surrounded by metal posts. The latter posts, referred to as a pin surface or bed of nails, are designed to give a stopband for the normal parallel-plate modes between 10 and 23 GHz. The hardware demonstrator includes two 90 bends and two capacitive coupled coaxial transitions enabling measurements with a vector network analyser (VNA). The measured results verify the large bandwidth and low losses of the quasi-transverse electromagnetic (TEM) mode propagating along the guiding ridge, and that 90 bends can be designed in the same way as for microstrip lines. The demonstrator is designed for use around 15 GHz. Still, the ridge gap waveguide is more advantageous for frequencies above 30 GHz, because it can be realised entirely from metal using milling or moulding, and there are no requirements for conducting joints between the two plates that otherwise is a problem when realising conventional hollow waveguides.
Impacts of Deregulation on Property and Casualty Insurers' Pricing and Risk Taking: Empirical Evidence in Japan

The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically the effects of rate-deregulation on Japanese Property and Casualty (P/C) insurers' pricing and risk-taking behaviors. As long as we know, there is little empirical evidence of the determinants of risk-taking at P/C insurance companies in Japan. Applying the basic ideas from the field of banking, we investigate the factors affecting risk-taking at P/C insurance companies. We find that the price setting at Japanese P/C insurers are decreased after the deregulation. In contrast, we find the risk levels of Japanese P/C insurers are generally increased after the rate-deregulation. However, franchise value that is measured by simple Q contributes adversely to P/C insurer risk-taking only before the deregulation. Lastly, we find that P/C insurers that belong to keiretsu groups have reduced the insurer rates but increased risk taking after the deregulation. In this sense, the impacts of deregulation are higher for P/C insurance companies that belong to the Keiretsu groups.
Optimal Paths in Random Conductor Networks

In this master thesis, the spanning path through a random conductor network with a quenched threshold distribuion has been studied. An argument is made using a hierar- chial model, that for bonds having a piecewise linear character with slopes α before the threshold and β after, with α, β ∈ [0, ∞), it is the ratio r = α/β which is important for where the spanning path forms. It is shown that in the limit of r → ∞, the spanning path follows the optimal path through the network, as in the case of a perfect plastic. Numerical results which support the argument are also given. The fracture path in brittle fracture has also been studied in a hierarchy of optimal paths, without leading to any conclusions.
Genetic analyses of archival specimens of the Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser sturio L., 1758

Genetic variability was analysed in Acipenser sturio L. , 1758 and Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus Mitchill, 1815 using variation in the D-loop region of mtDNA and a number of microsatellites (nuclear markers). The studied material included tissue samples from: (1) 38 A. sturio archival specimens collected in different German, Swedish, Danish, and French museums of natural history; (2) 27 live A. sturio representing a broodstock for restoration of this species in German waters (Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany); (3) 30 wild A. o. oxyrinchus caught in the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of New Jersey and in the Delaware River (USA); and (4) 60 individuals of A. o. oxyrinchus from an artificially reproduced stock originally obtained from several wild sturgeons captured in the St. John River (Canada). A 250-bp fragment of the D-loop region of mtDNA was cloned and sequenced. The length of a repeated unit was 80 bp in A. sturio and 79 bp in A. o. oxyrinchus. The repeated units of A. sturio and A. o. oxyrinchus differed by 11 substitutions and one deletion or insertion, respectively. No heteroplasmy was found. Three different haplotypes of mtDNA were observed in both species. Five microsatellites had polymorphic band patterns. In A. sturio, analyses of microsatellites showed a decrease in allelic numbers between the years 1823 and 1992. This decline resulted in a fixation of several alleles. For A. sturio, one mtDNA haplotype and seven alleles were observed only in archival samples. Genetic distance calculations showed a great genetic similarity between A. sturio populations in the Gironde River and the North Sea, and a basal position of the Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea A. sturio populations. In A. o. oxyrinchus, the number of microsatellite alleles ranged between 14 (Hudson and St. John rivers) and 22 (Delaware River). Genetic distance calculations showed a high genetic similarity between subpopulations of A. o. oxyrinchus.
Design of "Hands-Free" Human-Computer Interface

Nowadays, although electronic devices are everywhere, the traditional interfaces limit the physically disabled people to access. Therefore, we need to develop a new kind of interface which is not only for the normal person, but also for the disabled people. This work presents a video-based “hands-free” human-computer interface designed to offer a friendly user experience and accessibility for everyone including disabilities. The interface automatically captures the movement of users’ eyes with camera and helps them to accomplish some simple tasks with computer by eyes and head rotation. At last, we show the first prototype of the interface which is implemented by Kinect for Windows.
Primary and bacterial production in sea ice in the northern Baltic Sea

The temporal variation of ice primary and bacterial production along with ice algal, bacterial and heterotrophic flagellate biomass were studied at a coastal station in the northern Baltic Sea throughout the ice-covered period of 1996 (January to April). Ice core samples were taken every week and analyzed for abundance and production of different microorganisms. In addition, physical and chemical parameters were measured. The ice algae were Limited by light during the first 3 mo of the study. The algal production showed a peak in the middle of April, which coincided with a marked increase in light availability. Shortly after that, the system became phosphorus depleted and primary production decreased rapidly. Bacterial biomass and production rates were relatively low and stable before the ice algal bloom. After the ice algal bloom, bacterial production increased rapidly, while the biomass remained low. The growth rate of small heterotrophic flagellates (<l0 pm), calculated from increase in biomass, was more than 1 order of magnitude higher than the bacterial production rate following the ice algal bloom. Thus, small heterotrophic flagellates were using food sources other than bacteria for growth after the ice algal bloom. On an annual basis, the ice algal and bacterial production accounted for < l % and <0.1% respectively of the total production (ice + pelagic) due to a short ice-covered season. During the ice-covered season, however, the ice algae accounted tor 10% of the total algal production, whlle ice bacterial production was 0.2 % of the total bacterial produckon.
Knowledge Transfers and Structure of International Research Networks

The geography of knowledge transfers from universities to industrial innovation has been widely researched in the relevant literature. One of the crucial results of this literature is that the effectiveness of university-industry knowledge related linkages are determined to a large extent by several external factors such as agglomeration, entrepreneurship or local business culture. However, the interest of researchers has just turned to the issue of the relationship between embeddedness in research networks and knowledge transfers from universities. Considering first that research productivity is strongly related to scientific networking and second that university patenting and quality research results do not necessary contradict to each other, the relationship between networking and patenting is an interesting issue. Our paper analyses the impact of international publication network structure (i.e., concentration, size, integratedness) on university patenting within the knowledge production function tradition using recently collected data on different research units of the University of Pécs.