Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ascodesmisrosicola sp. nov. and Talaromycesrosarhiza sp. nov., two endophytes from Rosaroxburghii in China

Abstract Background Rosaroxburghii Tratt. , a deciduous shrub of the family Rosaceae, is usually used as food and medicinal materials and also cultivated as an ornamental. Plant endophytic fungi are a large class of microbial resources not fully researched, with great potential applications. Two strains of Ascodesmis and Talaromyces were isolated during a survey of biodiversity on endophytic fungi of R.roxburghii in China. Multigene phylogenetic analyses showed that each of the two fungi formed a distinct lineage and separated from known congeneric species and they are proposed as two novel taxa. New information Ascodesmisrosicola sp. nov. usually has one or two conspicuous simple or branched ridges extending to the majority of the ascospore surface and remarkably small asci, distinguishing it from the previously-described species in the genus Ascodesmis. Talaromycesrosarhiza sp. nov., of the section Talaromyces, is closely related to T.francoae. It differs from the latter by having both monoverticillate and biverticillate conidiophores, while those of T.francoae are biverticillate. Both novel endophytes are illustrated and described.
Development of a propolis collecting device

Propolis is a sticky resinous substance collected from buds, leaves, stems of wild plants and processed by bees, which has bactericidal properties and which they use to seal openings in the hive, polish the walls of wax cells, embalm the corpses of enemies. The analysis of research and publications gives grounds to conclude that Ukraine has not yet paid sufficient attention to the conditions of propolis production. There are no devices and equipment to improve the process of production of safe and high-quality propolis, which will meet the high requirements of regulatory acts on the quality and safety of food products and raw materials. Currently, apiaries use methods of collecting propolis, which require considerable human labor, are not economically efficient, and the resulting product does not meet the quality requirements of market operators. Therefore, there is a need to improve existing technologies for obtaining propolis, to improve sanitary-hygienic conditions of production, to increase productivity and economic efficiency, mechanization, and automation of the production process. The goal of our work was to develop a new propolis collecting device. The work was carried out as a part of the dissertation research at the Department of Standardization and Certification of Agricultural Products of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine during 2020–2021. A new propolis collecting device has been designed and manufactured. The design of the device shafts and the principle of mechanical cleaning of the grids from the propolis, laid down during its development, can be used to develop highly automated lines for cleaning the grids. The use of the device in industrial apiaries in countries with tropical and subtropical climates is possible by placing the device in honeycomb storage, if available, or in a manufacturing area equipped with air conditioning. For a good cleaning of the grids with propolis using the device, it is sufficient to cool the grids at a temperature of +5 °C for 60–90 minutes, depending on the type of propolis. The device can be used at apiaries in Ukraine and other countries where the production of propolis from bee colonies is carried out using elastic grids. The use of the device ensures the production of pure propolis without mechanical impurities, which meets the requirements of current legislation. The developed device is patented, a patent № 139736 “Propolis collecting device”.
A spectral subtraction method for noise reduction in speech signals

A noise suppression algorithm for enhancing speech signals corrupted by additive white Gaussian noise is presented in this paper. The algorithm is based on the subtraction of estimated noise spectrum from the noisy speech spectrum. The performance of the algorithm is assessed by comparing the original clean speech and processed speech. An objective measure based on the log area ratios of a speech segment is used.
Adoption Intention of UPI Payment Method Using Unified Theory

Abstract: This research was conducted to gather data and understand the perception what the Indian population holds when it comes to using UPI payment method. To do so, a survey was designed using the UTAUT model and was circulated by the means of google forms. A wide range of parameters were considered to avail the maximum possible accuracy for the data collected. Parameters like, the ease of using this payment method, short term and long term benefits, monetary benefits, social benefits were considered. All of these parameters were supposed to be answered on a scale of 5. After collecting all the data, the results were analyzed and evaluated using which the hypothesis made were proved. Keywords: UPI, payment, transaction, UTAUT, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, perceived monetary benefits, perceived safety, social influence, adoption intension.
Luminance level conversions to assist lighting engineers to use fundamental visual data

There is often a need for the lighting engineer to apply results of visual experiments, conducted under laboratory conditions, to normal viewing situations. But whereas the latter implies use of the eye's natural pupil, the former may well employ a smaller, artificial pupil. The effect of this on luminance level is discussed and conversion tables are provided.
Examination of luminance distributions in the field of vision of drivers in locations with LED billboards

When in traffic, a driver observes the road and its vicinity. There are objects of various luminance in the driver's field of vision, such as the road, buildings, standard billboards, LED billboards. At night, the road vicinity luminance is much lower than the luminance of the surface of LED billboards. The conducted research allowed to determine typical distributions of luminance in the vicinity of LED billboards located in various places in municipal environment. Streszczenie. W ruchu miejskim kierowca obserwuje droge oraz otoczenie. W jego polu widzenia znajdują sie obiekty o roznej luminancji np. droga, budynki, reklamy tradycyjne, reklamy elektroniczne. W porze nocnej luminancja otoczenia drogi jest znacznie mniejsza od luminancji powierzchni reklam elektronicznych. W wyniku przeprowadzonych badan ustalone zostaly typowe rozklady luminancji w otoczeniu reklam z diodami świecącymi w roznych lokalizacjach w przestrzeni miejskiej. (Badanie rozkladow luminancji w polu widzenia kierowcow w miejscach wystepowania reklam z diodami świecącymi).
Modeling the dengue fever transmission in a periodic environment

A mathematical model for dengue fever transmission is analyzed, which incorporates relevant biological and ecological factors: vertical transmission and seasonality in the interaction between the vector (Aedes aegypti females) and the host (human). The existence and uniqueness of a positive disease-free periodic solution is proved; the global stability of the disease-free solution and the effect of periodic migrations of mosquitoes carrying the virus on the transmission of dengue are analyzed utilizing the mathematical definition of the Basic Reproductive Number in periodic environments; finally, it is numerically corroborated with the help of the Basic Reproductive Number that dengue cannot invade the disease-free state if it is less than one and can invade if it is greater than one, however, in both threshold conditions when vertical transmission occurs, the number of infected people and carrier vectors rises, representing a mechanism for the persistence of dengue cases in a community throughout a natural year.
RC FLAT SLAB-COLUMN SUBASSEMBLAGES UNDER LATERAL LOADING

Results of laboratory tests on four reinforced concrete flat slab‐interior column connections, carrying quasi‐static, cyclic, horizontal loadings are presented. The specimens, at about two‐thirds scale, had reinforcing steel arrangements representative of column strips. The major aspects studied are the resistance and final failure mechanisms, the relative influence of the cross‐sectional width of the column, and the contribution of vertical gravity loading on the propagation of failure. Test results show that combined primary bending, slab failures, and final one‐side punching‐shear failures had occurred. The failure contributors, their development areas, and final shape are described. The results of the present series of tests are compared with solutions of current calculation methods, which suggest using either the full slab width between the field centerlines, beam analogies, or the linear shear stress distribution on a critical perimeter around the column.
Comparative Analysis of Collaborative Filtering-Based Predictors of Scores in Surveys of a Large Company

Collaborative Filtering (CF) can be understood as the process of predicting the preferences of users and deriving useful patterns by studying their activities. In the survey context, it can be used to predict answers to questions as combinations of other available answers. In this paper, we aim to test five CF-based algorithms (item-item, iterative matrix factorization, neural collaborative filtering, logistic matrix factorization, and an ensemble of them) to estimate scores in four survey applications (checkpoints) composed of 700,000 employee's ratings. These data have been collected from 2019 to 2020 by a large Brazilian tech company with more than 10,000 employees. The results show that collaborative filtering approaches provide relevant alternatives to score questions of surveys. They provided good quality estimates. This result can be further explored to eventually reduce the size of questionnaires, avoiding burden phenomena faced by respondents when dealing with large surveys.
Cooperative Parent-Mediated Therapy in Children with Fragile X Syndrome and Williams Beuren Syndrome: A Pilot RCT Study of a Transdiagnostic Intervention-Preliminary Data

Children with fragile X syndrome and William Beuren syndrome share several socio-communicative deficits. In both populations, around 30/35% of individuals meets criteria for autism spectrum disorder on gold standard instruments. Notwithstanding, few studies have explored feasibility and validity of therapy for socio-communicative deficits in individuals with these genetic conditions. In this study, we present preliminary data on a pilot RCT aimed to verify the effectiveness of cooperative parent-mediated therapy for socio-communicative deficits in a transdiagnostic perspective in a small sample of 12 participants. Our preliminary data showed that the experimental group had significant improvement in one socio-communicative skill (responsivity) and in clinical global impression, while the control group in an adaptive measure of socialization and word production. Implications of these results are then discussed.
bHLH Transcription Factor NtMYC2a Regulates Carbohydrate Metabolism during the Pollen Development of Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. TN90)

Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor MYC2 regulates plant growth and development in many aspects through the jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathway, while the role of MYC2 in plant carbohydrate metabolism has not been reported. Here, we generated NtMYC2a-overexpressing (NtMYC2a-OE) and RNA-interference-mediated knockdown (NtMYC2a-RI) transgenic plants of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. TN90) to investigate the role of NtMYC2a in carbohydrate metabolism and pollen development. Results showed that NtMYC2a regulates the starch accumulation and the starch-sugar conversion of floral organs, especially in pollen. The RT-qPCR analysis showed that the expression of starch-metabolic-related genes, AGPs, SS2 and BAM1, were regulated by NtMYC2a in the pollen grain, anther wall and ovary of tobacco plants. The process of pollen maturation was accelerated in NtMYC2a-OE plants and was delayed in NtMYC2a-RI plants, but the manipulation of NtMYC2a expression did not abolish the pollen fertility of the transgenic plants. Intriguingly, overexpression of NtMYC2a also enhanced the soluble carbohydrate accumulation in tobacco ovaries. Overall, our results demonstrated that the bHLH transcription factor NtMYC2a plays an important role in regulating the carbohydrate metabolism during pollen maturation in tobacco.
Using Student Test Results for Accountability and Improvement: A Literature Review

This report discusses the most relevant issues concerning using student test results in OECD countries. Initially the report provides an overview of how student test results are reported in OECD countries and how stakeholders in these countries use and perceive of the results. The report then reviews the literature relating to using student test results for accountability and improvement purposes. Two general findings can be drawn from the literature: (1) accountability based on student test results can be a powerful tool for changing teacher and school behaviour, but it often creates unintended strategic behaviour, and (2) no test can be a perfect indicator of student performance. Drawing from these findings the report discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using student test results for accountability and improvement. The discussion touches upon four themes: (1) assessment design, (2) the use of test results, (3) stakeholder involvement, and (4) implementation. Ce rapport analyse les questions essentielles sur l’utilisation des resultats de tests standardises aux eleves dans les pays de l’OCDE. Premierement, le rapport offre un apercu sur comment les resultats de tests standardises sont communiques dans les pays de l’OCDE et comment les differentes parties prenantes utilisent et percoivent les resultats. Ensuite le rapport fait une revision de la litterature academique sur l’utilisation des resultats de tests standardises pour l’amelioration et le rendement de comptes. Deux resultats plus generaux emergent de la litterature : (1) Le rendement de comptes base sur les resultats de tests standardises peut avoir un fort effet sur le comportement de l’enseignant et de l’ecole mais peut aussi creer du comportement strategique non souhaite, et (2) aucun test ne peut etre un indicateur parfait des resultats scolaires d’un eleve. En se fondant sur ces resultats, le rapport analyse les avantages et inconvenients de l’utilisation des resultats de tests standardises pour l’amelioration et le rendement de comptes. L’analyse aborde quatre themes : (1) la conception de l’evaluation, (2) l’utilisation des resultats des tests, (3) l’implication des parties prenantes, et (4) l’implementation.
Mixtures of Multipoles—Should They Be in Your EM Toolbox?

Multipole expansions are an essential analysis tool in the foundations of the descriptions of the electromagnetic fields radiated by electric and magnetic sources. Nevertheless, practical antenna systems generally rely on them as an academic explanation, not as a fundamental building block. An overview of the recent surge in interest in multipole sources and their fields to achieve useful radiated and scattered fields with, for example, high directivities in preferred directions is given. Topics include Huygens sources, dielectric-based Mie-tronics, edge-singularity multipoles, and exotic metamaterial-inspired superdirective lenses and radiators. While there has been a never-ending stream of physics publications, little has happened in the engineering electromagnetics community. I will try to answer the title with examples that may stimulate interest in the field.
MODELING AND CONTROL OF A DOUBLY-FED INDUCTION GENERATOR FOR WIND TURBINE-GENERATOR SYSTEMS

MODELING AND CONTROL OF A DOUBLY-FED INDUCTION GENERATOR FOR WIND TURBINE-GENERATOR SYSTEMS Xin Jing, M.S.E.E Marquette University, 2012 Wind energy plays an increasingly important role in the world because it is friendly to the environment. During the last decades, the concept of a variable-speed wind turbine (WT) has been receiving increasing attention due to the fact that it is more controllable and efficient, and has good power quality. As the demand of controllability of variable speed WTs increases, it is therefore important and necessary to investigate the modeling for wind turbine-generator systems (WTGS) that are capable of accurately simulating the behavior of each component in the WTGS. Therefore, this thesis will provide detailed models of a grid-connected wind turbine system equipped with a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG), which includes the aerodynamic models of the wind turbine, the models of the mechanical transmission system, the DFIG models and the three-phase two-level PWM voltage source converter models. In order to obtain satisfying output power from the WTGS, control strategies are also necessary to be developed based on the previously obtained WTGS models. These control schemes include the grid-side converter control, the generator-side converter control, the maximum power point tracking control and the pitch angle control. The grid-side converter controller is used to keep the DC-link voltage constant and yield a unity power factor looking into the WTGS from the grid-side. The generator-side converter controller has the ability of regulating the torque, active power and reactive power. The maximum power point tracking control is used to provide the reference values for the active power at the stator terminals. The pitch angle control scheme is used to regulate the pitch angle and thus keep the output power at rated value even when the wind speed experiences gusts. Various studies in the literature have reported that two-level converters have several disadvantages compared with three-level converters. Among the disadvantages are high switching losses, high dv/dt, and high total harmonic distortion (THD). Hence, the models and field oriented control schemes for three-level neutral-point-clamped (NPC) converters are also investigated and applied to a WTGS. Besides, an advanced modulation technology, namely, space vector PWM (SVPWM), is also investigated and compared to traditional sinusoidal PWM in a WTGS.
A decision enhancement studio for starting a miners enterprise in Uganda

ICT-studio voor startende mijnbouwbedrijven in Oeganda Ook in ontwikkelingslanden maken steeds meer startende ondernemingen in het MKB gebruik van Informatie en Communicatie Technologie (ICT). Bij gebrek aan diensten die de besluitvorming ondersteunen is het mislukkingspercentage echter hoog. Annabella Basaza onderzocht dit probleem in de Oegandese mijnbouwsector. Zij ontwikkelde een ‘bedrijfsopstartstudio’ in Oeganda, dat een nuttig instrument blijkt te zijn.
Circular RNA circYPEL2: A Novel Biomarker in Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the most threatening diseases in women. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been reported to be cancer hallmarks, but typical circRNAs in CC were rarely indicated. Through high-throughput sequencing in CC and normal cervix tissues, circYPEL2 (hsa_circ_0005600) was proposed as a candidate circRNA. CircYPEL2 exhibited significantly high expression in CC tissue and strong stability in CC cell lines. Furthermore, knockdown and overexpression of circYPEL2 indicated the potential involvement in CC proliferation, migration and invasion. Finally, the downstream regulatory genes of circYPEL2 were investigated by knockdown experiment in CC cell lines with high-throughput sequencing. In summary, our work identified circYPEL2 as a potential biomarker for clinical research of cervical cancer.
How adopters’ and foster carers’ perceptions of ‘family’ affect communicative openness in post-adoption contact interactions

This article explores the constructions of communicative openness following adoption. Data from three waves of interviews with six adoptive mothers and four foster carers were collected, transcribed verbatim and analysed in keeping with a social constructivist grounded theory methodology. The results show that the way ‘family’ is constructed can both facilitate and impede communicative openness. Those who hold a fluid, child-centred concept of family, are willing to construct it as different and can accept the ebb and flow of family membership intuitively and view such openness as a natural part of caring for children. Those with a more traditional, nuclear construction of family may associate adoption with fear, a sense of biological related competition and the need to control the controllable, all of which act as barriers to communicative openness. The study demonstrates that communicative openness is person and context sensitive and emphasises the need to think creatively and flexibly about the very nature of family.
Live-cell microscopy or fluorescence anisotropy with budded baculoviruses—which way to go with measuring ligand binding to M4 muscarinic receptors?

M4 muscarinic receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor that has been associated with alcohol and cocaine abuse, Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia which makes it an interesting drug target. For many G protein-coupled receptors, the development of high-affinity fluorescence ligands has expanded the options for high throughput screening of drug candidates and serve as useful tools in fundamental receptor research. So far, the lack of suitable fluorescence ligands has limited studying M4 receptor ligand binding. Here, we explored the possibilities of using fluorescence-based methods for studying binding affinity and kinetics to M4 receptor of both labeled and unlabeled ligands. We used two TAMRA-labeled fluorescence ligands, UR-MK342 and UR-CG072, for assay development. Using budded baculovirus particles as M4 receptor preparation and fluorescence anisotropy method, we determined the affinities and binding kinetics of both fluorescence ligands. The fluorescence ligands could also be used as reported probes for determining binding affinities of a set of unlabeled ligands. Based on these results, we took a step further towards a more natural signaling system and developed a method using live CHO-K1-hM4R cells and automated fluorescence microscopy suitable for routine determination of unlabeled ligand affinities. For quantitative image analysis, we developed random forest and deep learning-based pipelines for cell segmentation. The pipelines were integrated into the user-friendly open-source Aparecium software. Both developed methods were suitable for measuring fluorescence ligand saturation binding, association and dissociation kinetics as well as for screening binding affinities of unlabeled ligands.
Sensor Validation and Recovery for Combustion Turbines in Electrical Power Generation

Development of a comprehensive combustion turbine health management system will play a critical role in reducing the cost of electricity by improving reliability, availability, and maintainability. The real-time health management technologies under development use a combination of probabilistic and artificial intelligence-based tools to assess both thermodynamic and mechanical health of combustion turbines. These technologies include sensor validation, performance diagnostics and prognostics, vibration diagnostics, and critical component remaining useful life assessments. Sensor validation is an important front-end of the health management system that checks the integrity of sensed data before it is passed to the diagnostic and prognostic modules. The sensor validation software utilizes a combination or fusion of neural network model-based and generic signal-processing based approaches to ensure the highest possible sensor fault detection confidence with minimal false alarms. In the event that a gas path sensor fault is detected, neural network models are used to calculate proxy or “recovered” signal values that allow diagnostic and component life assessments until the fault is corrected. The sensor validation and recovery module is demonstrated on a GE Frame 7FA application. © 2004 ASME