Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In Silico Structural Modeling of Wildtype and Mutant PRODH Proteins Involved in Psychiatric Disorder.

Proline dehydrogenase is an important mitochondrial enzyme that is encoded by the PRODH gene. Biologically, a mutation in this gene affects the activity of proline dehydrogenase enzyme that is normally involved in conversion of proline to glutamate. However, its reduced or null activity leads to excess quantity of proline in the body, which results in different psychiatric phenotypes along with intellectual disability. In the present study, we performed in silico analysis on all reported mutations of PRODH. The 3D models of normal and mutant PRODH were predicted using I-TASSER. The predicted structures were visualized and superimposed using chimera 1.13. 1. The CASTp was used to identify active sites in modelled proteins. Protein-protein docking was done with Cluspro, while protein-substrate docking was done with Auto Dock 1.5. 6 and-MGL tools and the results were visualized using LigPlus+ v.2. 2 and Discovery studio 2020 respectively. Alignment of 3D models (mutant with wildtype) revealed that Arg185Gln (73.83 % ) and Gln19Ter (6.25% ) had the highest and lowest similarity indices, respectively. Enzyme pocket prediction identified three largest sites, with the second largest active site pocket containing substrate proline binding residues Leu527, Tyr548, and Arg563. Moreover, docking of mutant and wildtype PRODH with its close interactor “ALDH4A1” showed differences with respect to number, position, and nature of interacting amino acids residues. We observed that the nature of amino acid substitution and the number of bonds affect the binding of proline molecule with proline dehydrogenase enzyme, and therefore, affect its biological activity.
In Vitro Callus Culture of Dianthus Chinensis L. for Assessment of Flavonoid Related Gene Expression Profile

Dianthus chinensis L. is an edible, ornamental herb used to prepare the Dianthi Herba, a Chinese traditional rejuvenating medicine. Owing to the rapid proliferation of callus tissues, in vitro production of flavonoids has their own specific importance. Callus cultures raised followed by auxin directed biosynthesis of flavonoid through related transcript profile were carried out. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium fortified with 2,4- Dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4- D) or picloram induced formation of friable callus from internode derived cultures of D. chinensis. Culture medium containing 2,4- D (10 µM) produced the highest flavonoid content, 4.44 mg quercetin equivalent per gram (QE g− 1) under incubation in continuous dark condition, while maximum dry weight yield (0.38 g/ culture) was obtained from 10 µM 2,4- D under 16 h light / 8 h dark condition (50 µmol m− 2 s− 1 irradiance) at 60 days of incubation. The callus raised in light condition in 10 µM 2,4- D selected to analyze flavonoid related gene expression profile viz., chalcone synthase (CHS), chalcone isomerase (CHI), flavanone-3-hydroxylase (F3H), and flavonol synthase (FLS) at specific time intervals. The transcript abundance of CHS, F3H, or FLS gene was higher at 60 days old callus cultures and reaching 11.59, 48.31, and 114.63-fold relative expression than that of initial callus tissues respectively. These understandings are critical for the regulation of targeted phytochemicals as well as their wide exploitation in the field of biological research.
Using Stirling Engines For Residential CHP

Most households obtain electric power from the grid, space heating from a furnace or boiler, and hot water from a gas-fired or electric-resistance water heater. In contrast, residential combined heat and power systems (RCHP) use a prime mover to generate electric power and harness waste thermal energy produced in the power-generation process to provide heat to satisfy space heating, water heating, and, po tentially, space cooling loads (e.g., via absorption cooling). In practice, not all the waste heat is recoverable due to thermal energy radiated to the ambient air, losses from the exhaust-gas stream, low-quality heat (e.g., temperature too low to satisfy household thermal loads), and heat generation that exceeds household thermal loads at that point in time.
Laser surface treatment of bio-implant materials

The biomaterials technology industry is already well established in the western world and is growing rapidly within Asian Pacific nations. It is often described as the ‘next electronics industry’, whilst the laser is described as a ‘solution looking for a problem’. This book describes the use of the laser to solve a troublesome and costly problem in a rapidly growing global industry. The authors have spent many years conducting research using laser materials processing and wettability characteristics and have perfected a technique to improve the bio-compatibility of various bone-implant materials using laser irradiation. They have made pioneering discoveries on the subject and established some generic theories and principals that will have a wide range of applications in the biomaterials field.
Using Existing Pavement In Place and Achieving Long Life

On roadways that have acceptable geometric features, renewal can be greatly accelerated and costs reduced if the existing pavement can be incorporated into the new pavement structure. Transportation agencies need reliable procedures that allow them to identify when an existing pavement can successfully be used in place and how to incorporate it into the new pavement structure to achieve long life. This report and the accompanying guide and web tool provide guidance for selecting, designing, and constructing long-life pavements by using existing pavement structure. The goal of the project was to develop reliable procedures and guidelines for identifying when existing pavements can be used in place and the methods necessary to incorporate the original material into the new pavement structure while achieving long life. “Long life” was defined as 50 years or longer from the time the pavement was renewed or rehabilitated until the next major rehabilitation. The report and guide encourage longer-lasting renewed pavement designs; provide realistic, easy-to-use pavement thickness scoping assessments; and guide users through the data gathering process needed for input into designing and constructing a long-life pavement by using the existing pavement structure. The guide includes the following: project assessment manual; best practices for rehabilitation of flexible pavements and rigid pavements; guide specifications; life-cycle cost analysis; and emerging pavement technology. All the guidance has been incorporated into the web-based pavement design scoping tool, which is meant to complement, not replace, a transportation agency’s normal processes for design and pavement-type selection.
Enzyme biotechnology for sustainable textiles

Abstract: Enzymes are used in a broad range of processes in the textile industry: scouring, bleach clean-up, desizing, denim abrasion and polishing. Enzymes are specific and fast in action and small amounts of enzyme often save large amounts of raw materials, chemicals, energy and/or water. This chapter describes enzyme use in the textile industry in the context of sustainable production and reports life cycle assessments (LCAs) on two enzyme applications: bioscouring and enzymatic bleach clean-up. The results show that resource use and impact on the environment can be reduced considerably when enzymes are implemented in the two processes.
Activity Recognition: Approaches, Practices and Trends

Activity recognition has attracted increasing attention as a number of related research areas such as pervasive computing, intelligent environments and robotics converge on this critical issue. It is also driven by growing real-world application needs in such areas as ambient assisted living and security surveillance. This chapter aims to provide an overview on existing approaches, current practices and future trends on activity recognition. It is intended to provide the necessary material to inform relevant research communities of the latest developments in this field in addition to providing a reference for researchers and system developers who are working towards the design and development of activity-based context aware applications. The chapter first reviews the existing approaches and algorithms that have been used for activity recognition in a number of related areas. It then describes the practice and lifecycle of the ontology-based approach to activity recognition that has recently been under vigorous investigation. Finally the chapter presents emerging research on activity recognition by outlining various issues and directions the field will take.
Virtual Synchronous Machine-based Power Control in Active Rectifiers for Micro Grids

This dissertation presents an analytical study on virtual synchronous machine-based power control in active rectifiers for micro grids supported by prototype modelling, simulation results and discussions. Popularity and demand of the distributed energy resources and renewable energy sources are increasing due to their economic and environmental friendliness. Concept of micro grid with an active rectifier (AR) interface has been found to be promising for smart integration of such distributed generation units. Having the presence of a synchronous generator (SG) in a micro grid introduces several advantages in terms of stability and reliability in the power system. This is mainly owed to the inertia, damping and load sharing properties of SG. This in return, gives rise to the question if an AR of a micro grid can imitate the behaviour of a synchronous generator, can the stability and reliability introduced by SG be replicated in a micro grid. A research on the state-of-the-art for uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) has been carried out to identify the implementation and the control strategies of redundancy and parallel operation as UPS has been an established technology over the last decades. The theoretical study on virtual synchronous machine (VSM) concept in the fall, 2011, has been extended in developing a model with classical inner current control and outer voltage control loops based on the synchronous reference frame. The complete active rectifier model has been able to emulate the inertia, damping and load sharing properties of a SG and redundancy and expandability of parallel UPS systems. It must be emphasized that due to the flexibility of the virtual machine parameters and the absence of magnetic saturation and eddy current losses, a much improved performance have been achieved with a VSM compared to a synchronous generator. Simulations have been carried out for single and parallel operation of active rectifiers in island and grid-tied modes with satisfactory stability, damping and power sharing features. Key words  Active rectifier, virtual synchronous machine, micro grid, uninterruptible power supply, load sharing, redundancy, island mode, grid-tied mode, synchronous reference frame
CREATIVITY IN DESIGN - HOW DESIGNERS GATHER INFORMATION IN THE "PREPARATION" PHASE

Design cognition studies aim at describing designers’ mental strategies for solving design problems. So far, research has been focusing on the idea generation phases of design process and the early stages of design (before the very first ideas are generated) still remain incompletely understood. Yet, the preparation phase, called “fact-finding” by Osborn and “collect” phase by Schneiderman, is identified as a crucial step : designers “build knowledge about the problem” [Amabile]. An emergent trend in research is the focus on understanding early phases of design process (‘preparation’ or ‘information’ phase); in this context, our study aims at identifying and evaluating inspirational information used by professional designers before generating ideas, and at describing how inspirational information such as images are used. In future additional works, we will evaluate the influence of visual materials on generated ideas and design solutions. The
YÜKSEK ÖĞRETİMDE UZAKTAN EĞİTİM YOLUYLA AKADEMİK AMAÇLARA YÖNELİK KURSUN ADDIE MODELİ KULLANILARAK HAZIRLANMASI VE DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ

Due to inadequate support, most university students have difficulty with writing academic texts, such as research articles and dissertations. Therefore, the aim of this research is to design a web-based academic writing course for university students by using the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation) model, which is supported by individual instructional and socio-cultural theories on the design of online instruction. The first group of participants in the study included undergraduate and graduate students studying in a variety of departments at a state university in Turkey. The second group of participants included university instructors. To diagnose the needs of the students, semi-structured questions were asked in interview sessions. Additionally, a questionnaire was used. After diagnosis of the students’ academic writing needs, course content and materials were designed for topics such as formality, paraphrasing, and the IMRaD (Introduction, Method Results and Discussion) model. The data collected with the questionnaire were analysed through item analysis. The frequencies and percentages of responses to each item in the questionnaire were calculated. Content analysis was used to analyse the transcribed interview data. The findings elucidate how the current academic online courses can be implemented more efficiently.
Novel multi-scale topo-morphologic approaches to pulmonary medical image processing

The overall aim of my PhD research work is to design, develop, and evaluate a new practical environment to generate separated representations of arterial and venous trees in non-contrast pulmonary CT imaging of human subjects and to extract quantitative measures at different tree-levels. Artery/vein (A/V) separation is of substantial importance contributing to our understanding of pulmonary structure and function, and immediate clinical applications exist, e.g., for assessment of pulmonary emboli. Separated A/V trees may also significantly boost performance of airway segmentation methods for higher tree generations. Although, non-contrast pulmonary CT imaging successfully captures higher tree generations of vasculature, A/V are indistinguishable by their intensity values, and often, there is no trace of intensity variation at locations of fused arteries and veins. Patient-specific structural abnormalities of vascular trees further complicate the task. We developed a novel multi-scale topo-morphologic opening algorithm to separate A/V trees in non-contrast CT images. The algorithm combines fuzzy distance transform, a morphologic feature, with a topologic connectivity and a new morphological reconstruction step to iteratively open multi-scale fusions starting at large scales and progressing towards smaller scales. The algorithm has been successfully applied on fuzzy vessel segmentation results using interactive seed selection via an efficient graphical user interface developed as a part of my PhD project. Accuracy, reproducibility and efficiency of the system are quantitatively evaluated using computer-
RADIO-CONTROLLED MODEL DESIGN AND TESTING TECHNIQUES FOR STALL/SPIN EVALUATION OF GENERAL-AVIATION AIRCRAFT

A relatively inexpensive radio-controlled model stall/spin test technique was developed. Operational experiences using the technique are presented. A discussion of model construction techniques, spin-recovery parachute system, data recording system, and movie camera tracking system is included. Also discussed are a method of measuring moments of inertia, scaling of engine thrust, cost and time required to conduct a program, and examples of the results obtained from the flight tests.
Automated acoustic identification of nine bat species of the eastern United States

iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. v LIST OF TABLES . vii LIST OF FIGURES. ix INTRODUCTION. 1 METHODS . 7 Field Methods . 7 Echolocation call signal processing . 8 Data Analysis. 19 RESULTS and DISCUSSION . 31 Echolocation call detection. 31 Manual versus automated parameter measurement . 33 Manual versus automated parameter classification . 34 One-level versus two-level classification. 35 Discriminant probability cutoff filtering . 36 Overall classification success . 37 CONCLUSIONS . 40 LITERATURE CITED. 48
Identication of Wiener-Hammerstein systems by means of Support Vector Machines for Regression

1 AbstractIn this work we propose the use of Support Vector Ma-chines for Regression for the identi cation of Wiener-Hammerstein systems. The proposed methodology notonly leads to the de nition of an alternative tool for sys-tem identi cation, but gives also a better insight on thebehaviour of the Support Vector Machines approach.2 IntroductionA Wiener-Hammerstein system can be described, ingeneral terms, as the cascade of a rst linear dynamicsystem, a static nonlinear block, and a second lineardynamic system, as depicted in Fig.1. u p q
Building Blocks for Building Skills: An Inventory of Adult Learning Models and Innovations.

About CAEL The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) is a national, non-profit organization whose mission is to expand learning opportunities for adults. CAEL consults with colleges and universities to improve their programs and services for adults, manages tuition assistance and career development programs for employers, consults with employers on how to implement learning programs and policies, and links employers and industries to providers of education and training. Through several initiatives, CAEL advocates and facilitates shifts in policy to support lifelong learning and workforce development. For over 30 years, CAEL has been the recognized leader both nationally and internationally for advocacy of quality standards in the area of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and for adult-centered higher education. Both regional accrediting bodies and policy organizations promoting higher education for adults turn to CAEL for leadership, and CAEL provides consulting and technical assistance to colleges and universities in how to improve their policies and practices. CAEL now directly serves over 500,000 adult learners who are supported by their employers for education and training by annually administering over $178 million in tuition assistance benefits on behalf of employers. CAEL hosts an annual conference and numerous training events for professionals in the field of adult learning, leads both national and local demonstration projects that promote lifelong learning, and develops new approaches to serving adult learners through our Adult Learning Focused Institution (ALFI) initiative. were especially helpful in fine-tuning the list of components and innovations, while giving helpful suggestions for the monograph's overall structure and content. Elisa Miller also provided valuable editorial assistance, and Charles Clutter did his usual magic in shepherding the final report through the printing process. The number of key components and innovations included in the monograph are many, and most of these are illustrated by examples of real learning initiatives. Rhonda Saad at CAEL doggedly pursued details on those programs and helped in the writing or revision of the profiles. We at CAEL are grateful to the staff and leadership of the organizations who graciously contributed details for the profiles. Without their pioneering spirit, entrepreneurial excellence, and dedication to adult learners and employers alike, we would have no model programs from which to learn. Introduction The skills of the workforce are an important contributor to the economic vitality of any region, leading economic developers to consider how to connect their efforts to workforce development and help to build the skills …
On Robust Tail Index Estimation and Related Topics

In this work we discuss tail index estimation for heavy-tailed distributions with an emphasis on robustness. After a short introduction we provide a theoretical background treating regular variation and its extensions. In particular, we consider secondand third-order properties of regularly varying functions and state uniform approximations. Based on this, classical results of Extreme Value Theory including limit distributions of normalized maxima and necessary and sufficient conditions for maximum domains of attraction (MDA) are discussed. In particular, we present a new two-parametric characterization of limiting distributions of normalized maxima naturally arising from second-order regular variation of the tail quantile function. Additionally we provide an interpretation of MDA-conditions for heavytailed distributions and derive their empirical counterparts. Generalized versions of empirical MDA-conditions lead to asymptotic expansions of the tail quantile process and the tail empirical process. Thereafter we discuss different tail index estimators, first considering an approach based on robustification of the ParetoMLE. We then establish the parametric rate of convergence and quantify the robustness properties of the resulting Huberized Tail Index Estimator by the Influence Function. Subsequently, classical tail index estimators based on relative excesses are considered. In particular these are linked to empirical versions of MDA-conditions. This relation also leads to some new classes of estimators, including p-Quantile Tail Index Estimators and Harmonic Moment Tail Index Estimators (HME). We derive the asymptotic properties of these classes and compare them with the well known Hill estimator. It turns out that the HME outperforms the Hill estimator in certain situations. Moreover, the parametric Huberized Tail Index Estimator shows a competitive behavior in comparison to the Hill estimator for small to moderate sample sizes. These asymptotic results are confirmed by simulations illustrating the finite sample behavior of corresponding estimators. We conclude by discussing the issue of tail index estimation for linear long memory processes with infinite second moments. A unifying characterization of long memory for strict stationary processes is proposed. Moreover, the tail index of a linear long memory process with α-stable innovations is estimated by a modified version of the Huberized Tail Index Estimator and asymptotic properties are derived.