Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Impacts of Modern Small-scale Mining: Case Studies from Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina

Abstract This paper analyzes the social impacts of “modern” small-scale mining as perceived by four small communities in Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. The case data consists of 58 semi-structured interviews conducted in 2017–2019. The cases represent examples of old metal mining sites from the Yugoslavian period, recently reopened for exploration and operations. The paper makes a contribution both to social impact research on mining and analysis of the social aspects of new small-scale mining development in Europe. The study revealed that respondents perceived local employment, slowing down migration, and the socio-economic development of the region as the main social impacts of mining development. The study has shown that the “scale” of mining operations is barely regarded by local residents as a determining factor in shaping their attitudes toward the impacts of small-scale mining, while the socio-economic context and historical legacy are important factors in forming social acceptance.
The Front End of Innovation (FEI) in the context of entrepreneurship education

Entrepreneurship is a key component for answering the need for creating and strengthening businesses. The expected results of entrepreneurial activities are the creation of jobs and innovative firms. Therefore, entrepreneurship education plays a vital role in engaging students in the systematic practice of innovation. An entrepreneur committed to a management role has a significant perspective to innovation and entrepreneurship endeavor, both tasks demanding a management practice for creating change. In this context, the Front End of Innovation (FEI) plays a critical role. However, this is a challenging phase for entrepreneurs and companies as the FEI demands a variety of activities and approaches, necessary to overcoming the risks entailed in a new concept development, which hopefully will be unfolded as a new product or service, or even a business. The literature reflects this situation, with a variety of FEI approaches and works. This study builds on the results of research that aimed at overcoming this issue by proposing the FEI Integrative Ontology (FEI2O). This paper details the manner by which the FEI Integrative Ontology offers an appropriate novel conceptual model for entrepreneurship education providing a cross-analysis of the FEI2O and the Content Standards for Entrepreneurship Education considering the “Entrepreneurial Process” that is part of the “Entrepreneurial Skills” section of the standard. Therefore, it explores the benefits of adopting the FEI2O canvas to support innovation projects in the classroom, and ultimately the management of the FEI. Lastly, the work evaluates the FEI2O answers for FEI Critical Success Factors, such as strategy, resources, processes, climate and leadership. Given the clear relationship between the subset of skills required for entrepreneurship education and the concepts handled at the front-end of innovation, our results demonstrate that the in-depth understanding of the FEI ontology could help entrepreneurship educators to enrich entrepreneurship and management skills by the use of an organized body of knowledge. In sum, this comprehensive tool is helpful to translate into action the management of the FEI contributing as a novel approach to education for entrepreneurship.
Design of multi-polarised quad-band planar antenna with parasitic multistubs for multiband wireless communication

A multi-polarised quad-band planar circular disc monopole antenna consisting of a parasitic double T-stub and parasitic long and short inverted L-stubs is presented. By loading parasitic multistubs along the y-axis behind a circular patch, the antenna can yield four resonance modes at 2.5, 4.5, 5.7, and 7.7 GHz frequencies while keeping the size of 30 × 40 mm2. The proposed antenna has been fabricated and experimentally studied. The measured impedance bandwidths of 290 MHz (2.36–2.65 GHz), 540 MHz (4.28–4.82 GHz), 530 MHz (5.47–6.0 GHz), and 780 MHz (7.28–8.06 GHz), for Bluetooth, 2.4/5.8 GHz wireless local area network, 2.5/5.5 GHz worldwide interoperability for microwave access, 5.9 GHz intelligent transportation systems (ITS), downlink of Indian National Satellite System and X-band satellite applications. The 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth is 280 MHz (5.79–6.07 GHz) for the 5.9 GHz ITS band. The antenna E-field radiation has y-directed (vertical linear) polarisation at first, second, third resonance bands and slant + 45° linear polarisation at the fourth resonance band. At the ITS band, the E-field radiation has right-handed circular polarisation. In addition, the design procedure, electrical model and effects of parasitic stub dimensions on the antenna characteristics are discussed.
Iterative reweighted atomic norm minimization based two-dimensional multiple-snapshot grid-free compressive beamforming with planar microphone array

Compressive beamforming with a planar microphone array can effectively estimate the two-dimensional directions-of-arrival and quantify the strengths of acoustic sources. Due to the superiorities of overcoming the basis mismatch issue of the conventional grid-based method and improving the performance of the single-snapshot grid-free method, the multiple-snapshot grid-free method has become the current research focus. Its existing atomic norm minimization (ANM) based strategy blocks high resolution because it cannot work well for sources with a small separation. This paper commits itself to remedying this drawback. After revealing the cause for this drawback, we present an iterative reweighted ANM (IRANM) approach. Both simulations and experiments demonstrate that compared with the ANM-based two-dimensional multiple-snapshot grid-free compressive beamforming, the IRANM-based one enjoys not only the enhanced resolution but also the stronger denoising ability and the higher identification accuracy.
Comparison of loose and bagged eclosion methods at varying pupal densities for the production of adult sterile Queensland fruit fly 'Bactrocera tryoni' (Froggatt)(Diptera: Tephritidae)

Holding dyed sterile pupae of Queensland fruit fly ('Bactrocera tryoni') (Qfly) for adult eclosion loose in open tubs has produced variable results. We compared the effect of holding pupae loose and in mesh bags in tubs for a range of densities. Only at low density levels (10000 and 20000 per bag) was eclosion significantly higher for bagged, than loose pupae. Similarly eclosion of viable adults (those which successfully left the puparium) showed a similar trend, with differences between the methods only significant at densities <= 30000 pupae. We conclude that adult eclosion for the sterile Qfly could be optimised by reducing the density of pupae per rearing tub and by allowing flies to emerge from pupae held in mesh bags.
Standards-based Internet of Things sub-GHz environmental sensor networks

In recent years there has been shift in the use of wireless sensor networks from standalone systems that use bespoke methods of communication and data transfer to systems that use Internet standards and can interact more directly with the Internet. This has allowed wireless sensor networks to become a key enabler of the Internet of Things; however, the same is not true for environmental sensor networks as the focus of most existing research into Internet of Things wireless sensor networks has been on 2.4 GHz designs for indoor, urban and agricultural applications. In these applications, power, Internet connectivity and physical access are less of a challenge when compared to a typical environmental sensor network. Environmental sensor networks are used for monitoring natural processes and are generally deployed in harsh, remote environments where these factors are more of a concern. Sub-GHz radios are commonly used for communication due to their increased range and desirable propagation characteristics. Unlike wireless sensor networks, environmental sensor networks have been slow to adopt Internet standards and have continued to rely on bespoke methods of communication and data transfer, keeping their usability low. This has impeded the adoption of environmental sensor networks for earth sciences research. This thesis investigates whether the Internet standards that have helped to make wireless sensor network an important part of the Internet of Things can be applied to sub-GHz environmental sensor networks. It is demonstrated that 6LoWPAN can successfully be used with an 868 MHz network in a series of real-world deployments in the Highlands of Scotland that collected usable earth science data and facilitated research in other fields. Additionally, the suitability of these standards for real-world networks is assessed in terms of energy, throughput and latency performance and compared to a theoretical 2.4 GHz network. An publicly available open source Contiki radio driver for the CC1120 was developed as part of this work. Additionally, timing parameters for using ContikiMAC with 868 MHz radios were determines and shared with researchers at other institutions, facilitating further research into sub-GHz IoT ESNs by other researchers.
Prevalence, Severity, and Treatment Outcomes of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction in Patients With Dry Eye Symptoms at a Tertiary Care Center in South India

Background and objective Dry eye disease (DED) is one of the most common reasons why patients seek eye care. With increasing age, widespread adoption of technology, and environmental changes, its prevalence has been on the rise, and will likely increase further. Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is the most common cause of DED; however, for a variety of reasons, it is currently underrecognized. We aimed to determine the etiology of DED from a sample of patients visiting our center with dry eye symptoms and study the characteristics of those diagnosed with MGD. Methodology We conducted this prospective observational study from 2016 to 2018. We included patients with two or more dry eye symptoms and excluded those with systemic conditions or structural issues causing dry eye. Each patient underwent a detailed evaluation of the dry eye, including the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, Oxford corneal staining, Schirmer test 1, tear film break-up time (TBUT), tear meniscus height, and non-contact meibography. All patients subsequently received appropriate treatment. Patients with MGD were evaluated once again after one month. Results We included 250 patients in the study. Their mean (standard deviation) age was 45.3 (16.9) years, and 138 (55%) of them were males. Grittiness and itching were the most common symptoms. MGD was the most common diagnosis, seen in 100 (40%), followed by chronic allergic conjunctivitis. Patients with MGD were more likely to be elderly and had significantly worse DED parameters. Over half of all MGD cases were mild or less severe. With appropriate treatment, all DED metrics improved significantly. Conclusions MGD was the most common cause of DED in our sample. Patients with MGD were more likely to be elderly and had more severe DED, consistent with other studies in the literature. With specific treatment of MGD, there was a significant improvement in the patients' condition. DED is a growing ocular health issue that causes great detriment to patients’ quality of life and finances. Our findings support the need for a detailed evaluation and specific treatment of patients presenting with dry eye symptoms.
Characterization of the CCD and CMOS cameras for grating-based phase-contrast tomography

In this article we present the quantitative characterization of CCD and CMOS sensors which are used at the experiments for microtomography operated by HZG at PETRA III at DESY in Hamburg, Germany. A standard commercial CCD camera is compared to a camera based on a CMOS sensor. This CMOS camera is modified for grating-based differential phase-contrast tomography. The main goal of the project is to quantify and to optimize the statistical parameters of this camera system. These key performance parameters such as readout noise, conversion gain and full-well capacity are used to define an optimized measurement for grating-based phase-contrast. First results will be shown.
Seaweed Chara baltica: Isolation, Characterization and In vivo Antidiabetic Study

For the first time, five known metabolites - 1 and 5 are reported from the ethyl acetate extract from seaweed Chara baltica (EAE) . Both the metabolites and EAE were screened against free-radicals, α-glucosidase enzyme and glycaemia in albino rats. 4, 5 and EAE depicted significant antiradical and α-glucosidase inhibitory profile. Particularly, compound 5 showed equivalent inhibition of superoxide free radical as that of the standard drug with IC 50 value of 32.0 µg/mL. In addition, the EAE (200 mg/kg b.w) revealed significant reduction in plasma glucose, body weight, total cholesterol, total glycerides and LDL levels in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The HDL levels were markedly augmented in EAE treated diabetic rats, when compared with control group. EAE abolished the increased lipid peroxidation content in both liver and kidneys. The histopathological examination of pancreas of EAE protected the Langerhans islets with the number of islet cells were found statistically significant, when compared to diabetic control pancreas. This is the first in vitro and in vivo antidiabetic report on C. baltica.
Hospitalized Women’s Perspective on Willingness-to-Screen for Cancers in Relation to Life Expectancy

Objective: Life expectancy is an important tool for physicians and patients to determine when medical services for disease prevention should be rendered. Since patients’ preference is an important predictor for cancer screening compliance, incorporating life expectancy with cancer screening preferences becomes essential. The purpose of the study is to explore the mean life expectancy duration that hospitalized women expect in order to undergo cancer screening tests. Methods: A cross-sectional bedside survey including the contingent valuation method was used to assess the mean life expectancy among 475 cancer-free hospitalized women aged 50-75 years, which justified their willingness to undergo cancer screening tests. The probit and logistic regression models were used for the analysis in October 2021. Results: A total of 74% of women were willing to undergo cancer screening if the mean life expectancy was 24.3 months (SE = 12.8, p = 0.058). After adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical covariates, hospitalized women were willing to undergo cancer screening if the mean life expectancy was 26.6 months (SE = 13.3, p = 0.045). Race (African American and others vs Caucasians, OR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.43-3.81) and annual household income <$20,000 (OR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.02-2.86) were associated with the willingness to undergo cancer screening among hospitalized women. Conclusion: The study’s findings suggest that hospitalized women value the prospect of cancer screening tests, given the mean life expectancy of approximately 27 months. Therefore, offering screening tests to nonadherent hospitalized women with a mean life expectancy of 2¼ years, especially to those at high risk for developing cancer, with low income, or women of color, may improve adherence to cancer screening recommendations.
Teachers' Instructional Approaches in Teaching Literary Texts in an ESL Classroom: Learners' Impressions at Core

This study was conducted to examine the challenges of the learners on the instructional approaches employed by their English teachers in teaching literary texts. It also sought the impressions of the learners towards these instructional approaches and practices. The study employed qualitative realistic phenomenology as design and utilized researcher-made probing questions to elicit responses from the participants. Using In-Depth Interviews (IDI) and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) among the learners with Framework Method as the unit of analysis on the responses, the researcher found several themes that emerged and were categorically charted respectively. The challenges hindered learners from learning and appreciating literary texts. It also revealed the favorable impressions of the learners on the instructional approaches and practices of the teachers upon evaluating the teachers' approaches. With the study's limitations, it was recommended to investigate other lived realities of the learners to bank new knowledge and practices in literature education.
A low‐power wideband LNA exploiting current‐reuse and noise cancelation techniques

This paper presents an inductorless low‐power wideband Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) in TSMC 0.18 μm CMOS technology. The proposed LNA is based on the Common‐Gate (CG) topology, which consists of three consecutive stages: CG, Common‐Source (CS), and Collector stage. The CG and CS configurations are responsible for providing the wideband input impedance matching and the majority of the gain, respectively. The overall performance of the LNA has been improved by applying noise cancelation, capacitive‐peaking, and current reuse techniques. Unlike the conventional structure, the CG and CS sections' noise is canceled by utilizing a novel noise‐canceling mechanism, simultaneously. Furthermore, with the capacitive‐peaking technique, the voltage gain drop across hi gher frequencies is prevented, and thus, the bandwidth of the structure is improved. The trade‐off between power consumption and input impedance has been dramatically resolved by employing the current reuse technique in the CG stage. Post‐layout simulation results of the presented noise‐canceling LNA demonstrate a Noise Figure (NF) of 2.19–2.58 dB and a maximum voltage gain of 19.84 dB with a −3 dB bandwidth of 0.2–2.85 GHz. The simulated input/output matching (i.e., S11/S22) is better than −14.73/−19.43 dB in the entire bandwidth. Additionally, Input Third Intercept Point (IIP3) of −4.56 dBm is achieved. The results are gained by consuming only 2.87 mW under a supply voltage of 1.2 V and occupying a 0.0429 mm2 of die area.
Degradation model of multi-signals based on a novel feature-selection criterion

In most data-driven prognostics approaches, features extracted from measurements are used in the model to indicate the degradation process and determine the reliability in real time. However, many features with physical meaning commonly exhibit no variation until a failure occurs, which leaves little time to conduct maintenance strategies or replacement policies. Hence, this research presents a novel feature-selection criterion, which enables to select a feature with an obvious trend throughout the entire life, thereby avoiding the problem mentioned. In addition, for reliability estimation and condition monitoring, an innovative model-building method based on identical statistical features extracted from multi-signals is developed, in which the features are considered to be dependent and governed by a copula function. An example is provided to illustrate the application of the proposed two-step methods. The result shows that this method is more convincible and realistic for reliability estimation.
Bacteriologic Profile Along With Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern of Pediatric Pyoderma in Eastern India

Background Pyogenic skin infection (pyoderma) is a bacterial infection of the skin and its appendages. Primary pyoderma is caused by the direct invasion of healthy skin, whereas secondary pyoderma originates in diseased skin as superimposed conditions, such as scabies, pediculosis, wounds, insect bites, and eczema. This study aimed to identify the clinical patterns and risk factors of pyoderma in a pediatric population and to isolate various causative bacteria and determine their susceptibility patterns. Methodology A prospective study was performed at the Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, India, for one year (from August 2016 to July 2017), which included all children younger than 12 years with pyoderma attending the outpatient dermatology department (as the study was conducted among the pediatric population, only children below 12 years of age were included). Sterile cotton swabs were used to aseptically collect exudates or pus from lesions and anterior nares, which were used for culture, identification, and antibiotic susceptibility testing of the causative organisms. Results During the study period, a total of 182 patients were included, 121 (66.48%) of whom had primary pyoderma and 61 (33.52%) of whom had secondary pyoderma. Of the 182 patients, 161 showed bacterial growth on culture: 126 (78.26%) were Staphylococcus aureus, 18 (11.18%) were coagulase-negative staphylococci, 16 (9.94%) were Streptococcus pyogenes, and 1 (0.62%) was Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All staphylococci were susceptible to vancomycin and linezolid. Conclusions The most common cause of pyoderma in the pediatric age group is S. aureus, although the prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus was low in this hospital. Proper identification and antibiogram are required for managing these cases.
Moderating effect of social capital on the dynamics between entrepreneurial orientation and internationalization of Spanish family owned businesses

This paper addresses an important knowledge gap regarding the internationalization of family businesses. To understand the specific factors that influence the internationalization of these firms, this paper investigates the role and articulation of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and family social capital (FSC) on internationalization performance. Our findings reveal that the more entrepreneurial the family business, the higher the likelihood of identifying and exploiting business opportunities in foreign markets. The moderating effect that FSC can have on the dynamics between EO and internationalization indicates that this relational family specific asset facilitates organizational stability and performance enhancement.
Structural and Functional Characterization of the Holliday Junction Resolvase RuvC from Deinococcus radiodurans

Holliday junctions (HJs) are four-way DNA structures, which are an important intermediate in the process of homologous recombination. In most bacteria, HJs are cleaved by specific nucleases called RuvC resolvases at the end of homologous recombination. Deinococcus radiodurans is an extraordinary radiation-resistant bacterium and is known as an ideal model organism for elucidating DNA repair processes. Here, we described the biochemical properties and the crystal structure of RuvC from D. radiodurans (DrRuvC). DrRuvC exhibited an RNase H fold that belonged to the retroviral integrase family. Among many DNA substrates, DrRuvC specifically bound to HJ DNA and cleaved it. In particular, Mn2+ was the preferred bivalent metal co-factor for HJ cleavage, whereas high concentrations of Mg2+ inhibited the binding of DrRuvC to HJ. In addition, DrRuvC was crystallized and the crystals diffracted to 1.6 Å. The crystal structure of DrRuvC revealed essential amino acid sites for cleavage and binding activities, indicating that DrRuvC was a typical resolvase with a characteristic choice for metal co-factor.