Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multi-objective optimization of the geometry of a double wishbone suspension system

The vehicle suspension system optimal design problem is multi-objective, has a hierarchical multi-level structure and presents couplings with the rest of the vehicle design. Moreover, many of the vehicle performances are dependent of the suspension system, specifically on its geometry. For this reason, it is desirable to develop a strategy in which the geometry of the suspension system is automatically generated with optimal characteristics. For this type of problems, the Analytical Target Cascading (ATC) brings a powerful optimization strategy that permits the management of a complex optimal design problem in a partitioned manner. This work proposes a new approach for the automatic optimal geometry generation of the suspension system of the vehicle, the development of the optimization problem in order to use the ATC optimization strategy and a case study in which a full-scale functional prototype is designed with the use of the developed tools.
Strong Radical Scavenging Macrofungi from the Dry Zone Forest Reserves in Sri Lanka

Natural metabolites produced by macro fungi are of great interest as potential antioxidant defensive agents to reduce the oxidative damage caused by free radicals. Primarily, phenolic and flavonoid type metabolites have gained major importance due to the strong capacity of scavenging free radicals. The study was mainly focused to investigate the natural antioxidant properties of macro fungi found in Sri Lankan dry zone forest reserves using DPPH radical scavenging assay and to find out the contribution of phenol and flavonoid substances towards their antioxidant capacity. EC50 values of all extracts were below 1.2 mg/ml. Among the analyzed specimens, Phellinus repandus and Inonotus porrectus showed the most potent antioxidant activities having EC50 of 7.91 ± 1.38 µg/ ml and 19.70 ± 0.17 µg/ ml, respectively. Ten fungal forms exhibited EC50 < 300 µg/ ml and eighteen showed a mean values of EC50 in the range of 300-1200 µg/ ml. Further, P. repandus and I. porrectus also exhibited the highest level of total phenols and flavonoids. EC50 values of the species studied were inversely related to the total phenol and flavonoid contents. The analyzed macrofungi specimens exhibited high antioxidant power highlighting their potential as therapeutically useful antioxidant agents. Particularly, P. repandus and I. porrectus could be an important source of novel antioxidant compounds. In addition, phenol and flavonoid compounds largely contribute to the scavenging activity of studied macrofungi.
Investigation on optical properties in the surface of KClxBr1-x mixed crystals irradiated to gamma radiation (A new approach)

*Corresponding author: Dr. Rasoul Malekfar, Physics Department, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 14115-175, Tehran, Iran. Fax: +98 21 8288 3440 E-mail: Malekfar@Modares.ac. ir Background: Similar to the thermoluminescence (TL) spectra, the optical parameters variations can also be used in TL crystals for dosimetry purposes. These optical parameters can include absorption, transmission and reflection coefficients. Materials and Methods: Single crystals of KBr and KCl which have been used in this research were grown from laboratory grade extra pure precursor powders. Crystal growth was performed by using a Czochralski crystal growth apparatus. The grown crystals were irradiated using a 60Co source to doses of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 kGy. Reflection spectra were measured by a Shimatzu UVPC 3101 model spectrometer in 5 and 45 incident degree angles. Results: Optical properties of KClxBr1-x mixed crystals surfaces irradiated with gamma radiation were determined. Refraction indices and dielectric coefficients of the crystals in the optical region of 250-750 nm were studied. It was observed that both irradiated and non-irradiated mixed crystals had similar surface behaviour in the order of n ≈ 1.4 and e ≈ 2.2 in the whole range of 250-750 nm, while colour intensities of irradiated samples were different for various irradiation doses. The reason could have been due to the permanent heat transfer effects with the outer surface layers of the crystal and the rapid relaxation of the excited states in defected surface of the crystal. Conclusion: Reflection spectra along with the crystal surface optical parameters could not be efficient for the dosimetry purposes and additional information such as absorption or transmission data would also be necessary Iran. J. Radiat. Res., 2009; 7 (3): 165­169
Phylogenetic and functional mechanisms of direct and indirect interactions among alien and native plants

Disentangling direct and indirect interactions among alien and native plants is essential to understanding the success of alien plants in multispecies communities, but studies have only focused on direct pairwise interactions. Moreover, it is also essential to explore phylogenetic and functional mechanisms driving these interactions. In a greenhouse experiment, we selected nine groups of alien and native plant species from the herbaceous flora of Germany to disentangle their direct and indirect interactions. Each group had an alien (A) that is common or rare in Germany (i.e. non‐native range), two natives that are phylogenetically closely related (Nclose) and distantly related (Ndist) to A respectively, and a distantly related “target” native (T). We grew the four species of each group alone, and in two‐species and three‐species combinations. Specifically, we tested whether competition is greater between A and Nclose than between A and Ndist, whether presence of Nclose rather than Ndist indirectly alleviates competition of A on T, and whether these interaction patterns depend on commonness of A. Moreover, we tested how intensity of these interactions is explained by phylogenetic distance, functional traits (height, seed mass, SLA, leaf size, specific root length, leaf area ratio, root length ratio (root length/plant mass), shoot weight ratio) and traits‐based functional distance. We found A had stronger competition on Nclose than on Ndist. In turn, A was more suppressed by Nclose than by Ndist, but this was only true for rare rather than common A. The presence of Ndist rather than Nclose indirectly reduced competition of A on T. The intensity of these interactions was not explained by phylogenetic or functional distance, but by some of the functional traits. Specifically, a plant experienced stronger competition when it was shorter and had smaller leaves and lower shoot weight ratio, and when its neighbours were taller, had greater SLA, leaf area ratio and shoot weight ratio, and had a lower root length ratio. Synthesis. Functional traits can help explain competitive interactions. While direct competition tended to be stronger between more closely related alien and native plants, this did not indirectly facilitate other co‐occurring native plants.
A note on the molecular water content in uranyl carbonate mineral andersonite

The crystal structure of andersonite from Jachymov (western Bohemia, Czech Republic) was refined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data to an R = 0.0286 against 1657 unique observed reflections. Andersonite from Jachymov is trigonal, R32/m, with a = 17.8589(6), c = 23.6935(8), V = 6544.4(4) A3 and Z = 18. The structural formula derived from the refinement of X-ray data is Na2Ca[(UO2)(CO3)3](H2O)5.28. This formula confirms previous structure determination on synthetic material. The maximal H2O content in andersonite is discussed also with regard to the published thermal analysis and vibration spectroscopy studies and disunities in chemical formula of andersonite in the literature.
Inhibiting Factors in the Prevention of Overweight in Infants: An Explorative Qualitative Study among Child Healthcare Practitioners in the Netherlands

The aim of this study was to explore inhibiting factors in the prevention of overweight in infants younger than one year, among practitioners working for municipal child healthcare organisations in the Netherlands. Twelve in-depth interviews with child healthcare physicians and nurses were conducted. All interviews were tape-recorded, after which the transcripts were thematically analysed. Two investigators separately coded two transcripts to verify coding and a final code book was developed. Finally, general conclusions were drawn from the interviews. The findings indicated that child healthcare practitioners are insufficiently aware that a child's first year is an important period to prevent overweight, and that they find it difficult to discuss the topic with parents. Additionally, the findings suggest that the current local overweight prevention protocols in the Netherlands are not well implemented. This study indicates opportunities to improve the performance of child healthcare practitioners with respect to the early identification of infants at risk for overweight, as well as the communication of this risk to parents and the implementation of overweight-prevention protocols.
Factors influencing independent audit fees: Multi-group analysis PLS-SEM and moderate model

Article history: Received: April 22, 2019 Received in revised format: April 28 2019 Accepted: May 22, 2019 Available online: May 23, 2019 This study is conducted to investigate the levels of factors influencing audit fees for clients of Vietnamese garment and textile firms. Data are collected from 186 auditors in independent audit firms in Vietnam. We use PLS analysis on Smart PLS 3.0 and test the scale’s reliability with Cronbach’s Alpha index and the total correlation on the software of SPSS 22.0. The results show that the characteristics of audit firm, customers, auditors, characteristics of the audit and the relationship between the audit firm and customers had positive effects on the audit fee. The moderate role of auditor's age, qualification in the relationship between the auditor's characteristics on the audit fee are also verified. The findings reveal that the higher level the auditors are, and the more experiences the auditors are, the higher the cost of audit fee is. The results of multi-group analysis between auditors and customers group show that auditors believed that the characteristics of customers had the strongest impact on audit fees, whereas the audited clients claim that the characteristics of audits had the strongest impact on audit fees. © 2019 by the authors; licensee Growing Science, Canada
Payroll Taxes and Labor Demand: Evidence from Colombian Manufacturing Industry

This study analyzes the impact of payroll taxes (paid by firms) on employment decisions of Colombian manufacturing industry during the period 1974-2009. According to the standard microeconomic analysis of factors demand, the impact of payroll taxation might be explained as consequence of two effects: a substitution effect and an output effect. This study focuses on the total and substitution effect. I consider two extended versions of labor demand. One of them captures the total effect of payroll taxes while the other one captures the substitution effect. Both equations are estimated as autoregressive distributed lag models by GMM. The empirical methodology has two advantages because of the use of statutory payroll tax rates. First, it avoids dealing with measurement error bias raised by using an effective tax rate. Second, the effect of social security payroll tax (health and pension) and the parafiscal contributions can be identified individually. The main findings measured as elasticities are (i) the total effect of social security contributions on labor demand is 1.2% whereas the effect of parafiscal contributions is 2.3%. (ii) the substitution effect of social security and parafiscal contributions are close to 1.5%.
REMOVAL OF As, Cr AND Cd BY ADSORPTIVE FILTRATION

The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) recently introduced more stringent arsenic regulations by lowering the maximum contaminant level (MCL) to 10 ig l -1 (ppb) arsenic in drinking water. During the present study, an iron solution injection sand filtration process was designed and tested to selectively remove arsenic (As(V)), chromate (Cr(VI)) and cadmium (Cd(II)) from aqueous solutions down to trace level. Bench scale sand columns with a chemical feeding system were used to conduct the filtration study. The filtration results demonstrate that As(V) could be removed by ferric solution-treated sand filters from 2,000 ig l -1 (ppb) down to less than 5 ig l -1 (ppb) using two sand filters connected in series (two stage filtration). During the filtration, ferric concentrations in the first and second filters were maintained at 5 and 2 ppm, respectively, through a continuous injection scheme. Bench scale filtration results suggest that Cr(VI) could also be effectively removed by injection of ferrous solution into the sand columns. Similar ferric treatment of the sand columns also significantly increased Cd(II) removal. Batch adsorption experimental results suggest that when solution pH is lower than 8, arsenate can be removed by iron-treated sand. Arsenate-saturated sand can be regenerated using a high pH (pH > 12) solution. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) studies suggest that very little amount of Fe on the sand surface was dissolved when the sand was regenerated using a dilute NaOH solution (pH = 13).
DYNAMIC LINKAGES BETWEEN PRICES AND IMPORTS FOR JAPANESE FROZEN TUNA

VAR models have been used to describe the dynamic relationships among market price, Japanese harvest, import-from-Taiwan, and import-from-Korea for frozen Big-Eye tuna and Yellow-Fin tuna markets in Japan. It is found that tuna imports from South Korea exert more significant effects on Japan market prices than import-from-Taiwan.
Tree Height Estimation of Forest Plantation in Mountainous Terrain from Bare-Earth Points Using a DoG-Coupled Radial Basis Function Neural Network

Tree heights are the principal variables for forest plantation inventory. The increasing availability of high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) point clouds derived from low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and modern photogrammetry offers an opportunity to generate a Canopy Height Model (CHM) in the mountainous areas. In this paper, we assessed the capabilities of tree height estimation using UAV-based Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry and Semi-Global Matching (SGM). The former is utilized to generate 3D geometry, while the latter is used to generate dense point clouds from UAV imagery. The two algorithms were coupled with a Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural network to acquire CHMs in mountainous areas. This study focused on the performance of Digital Terrain Model (DTM) interpolation over complex terrains. With the UAV-based image acquisition and image-derived point clouds, we constructed a 5 cm-resolution Digital Surface Model (DSM), which was assessed against 14 independent checkpoints measured by a Real-Time Kinematic Global Positioning System RTK GPS. Results showed that the Root Mean Square Errors (RMSEs) of horizontal and vertical accuracies are approximately 5 cm and 10 cm, respectively. Bare-earth Index (BEI) and Shadow Index (SI) were used to separate ground points from the image-derived point clouds. The RBF neural network coupled with the Difference of Gaussian (DoG) was exploited to provide a favorable generalization for the DTM from 3D ground points with noisy data. CHMs were generated using the height value in each pixel of the DSM and by subtracting the corresponding DTM value. Individual tree heights were estimated using local maxima algorithm under a contour-surround constraint. Two forest plantations in mountainous areas were selected to evaluate the accuracy of estimating tree heights, rather than field measurements. Results indicated that the proposed method can construct a highly accurate DTM and effectively remove nontreetop maxima. Furthermore, the proposed method has been confirmed to be acceptable for tree height estimation in mountainous areas given the strong linear correlation of the measured and estimated tree heights and the acceptable t-test values. Overall, the low-cost UAV-based photogrammetry and RBF neural network can yield a highly accurate DTM over mountainous terrain, thereby making them particularly suitable for rapid and cost-effective estimation of tree heights of forest plantation in mountainous areas.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE Biochemical studies on Crown Gall Disease in Cantharanthus roseus induced by Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Biochemical resource manipulation is typical of bacterial-plant gall interactions. Catharanthus roseus (Vinca rosea) was the organism of choice to demonstrate the effects of tumours induced by the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The choice of this particular subject is based on the fact that the plant is known to possess several important medicinal properties, and is used extensively in the field of anti-cancer drug production. The pathogen chosen is of great relevance in the field of biotechnology. Analytical procedures were carried out to demonstrate the variations of several parameters such as auxins, cytokinins, flavonoids, β-carotene and total protein. Along with the above mentioned parameters, the activity of the antioxidant enzyme peroxidase was also determined. As the various parameters analyzed provide a wholesome measure to determine the extent of damage caused by the pathogen, the results thus obtained helped us evaluate the effects of tumors on various facets of the plant growth.
Optimal culture conditions for the initial development of Ilex paraguariensis A.St.-Hil. explants

ABSTRACT In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, yerba mate ( Ilex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil.) is an economically and culturally important species. Because of the difficulty in obtaining plantlets from seeds, micropropagation has emerged as an alternative that could increase production. This work aime d to evaluate the effect that treatment with 6-benzyladenine (BA), at concentrations of 2.2, 8.9, and 20 μM and associated with naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA, 0.5 μM), has on the in vitro growth and leaf emission of I. paraguariensis nodal segments cultivated in 0.5 X Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium or 0.5 X Woody Plant Medium (WPM). The most efficient treatment was MS medium with 8.9 μM BA+NAA, in which I. paraguariensis presented greater shoot elongation and higher leaf counts than in the other treatments. Therefore, use of the MS medium with 8.9 μM BA+NAA is recommended in order to increase efficiency in the initial development of I. paraguariensis explants. Key words: Aquifoliaceae, growth regulators, naphthaleneacetic acid, vegetative micropropagation, yerba mate
Characteristics of 2-photon ultraviolet laser etching of diamond

We report graphite-free laser etching of diamond surfaces using 266 nm laser pulses for a wide range of incident fluences below the threshold for ablation. The etching rate is proportional to the (fluence)x where x = 1.88 ± 0.16 over the range 10−6 - 10−2 nm per pulse for incident pulse fluences 1 – 60 J/cm2. Surface sensitive near edge x-ray fine absorption structure measurements (partial electron yield NEXAFS) reveal that etching does not significantly alter the surface structure from the initial oxygen terminated and graphite-free state. The etching process, which is consistent with a mechanism involving the desorption of carbon species via the decay of 2-photon excited excitons near the surface, appears to have no threshold and is promising for creating a range of high resolution structures.
The Effects of Education and Training on Nurses' Perception of Lateral Violence in the Healthcare Field

The effects of lateral violence are costly for all aspects of the healthcare profession. Lateral violence is an act of aggression directed towards another nurse. Educating nurses of lateral violence and its appearance may prove to increase nurse’s perception of lateral violence therefore decreasing its occurrence. This study will explore the effects of education and training on nurses’ perception of lateral violence in the healthcare field. Lateral violence threatens the integrity of each nurse, the nursing profession, and the organization. Increasing the awareness of lateral violence attempts to make a culture change among nurses in the healthcare profession. Minimizing lateral violence can restore the value in the nursing profession that it once obtained.
Not enough, or maybe too much: Associative deficit vs. hyper-binding models of aging in implicit learning

Background. This project investigated the effects of cognitive aging on implicit learning [IL] by testing the competing predictions of two models. One model, the Associative Deficit Hypothesis [ADH], suggests that older adults [OAs] have a specific deficit in their ability to form new relationships in memory, whereas the Hyper-Binding Hypothesis [HBH] suggests that age differences in IL stem from attentional changes in later life. Aims. We contrasted the predictions of these models by addressing the following aims: 1. Determine whether OAs show more context dependence in IL tasks than younger adults. 2. Determine whether OAs show greater interference from unattended stimuli during IL tasks than younger adults. Method. We tested context dependence using a novel protocol that manipulated the informativity of objects and their contexts during a word-learning task, and we adapted an established protocol to examine interference from unattended linguistic stimuli. Results. Neither protocol revealed reliable main effects of age on the learning measure, counter to the predictions of both the ADH and the HBH, although this may be a result of relatively small sample sizes and a wide age range in the older age group. Both experiments provided tentative support of the HBH in their higher-order interactions, but some interactions in the interference protocol contradicted elements of the HBH’s predictions. Post-experimental interviews suggested that participants completed the contextual dependence protocol implicitly but may have been explicitly aware of the patterns present in the interference protocol. Future studies should focus on narrowing the age range of older participants and increasing sample sizes, and in the case of the interference protocol, separating effects of different sources of interference (i.e. interference from attended stimuli versus interference from unattended stimuli.)
Agrobacterium radiobacter DSM 30147

Agrobacterium radiobacter is the only known non-phytopathogenic species in Agrobacterium genus. In this study, the whole-genome sequence of A. radiobacter type strain DSM 30147 was described and compared to the other available Agrobacterium genomes. This bacterium has a genome size of 7,122,065 bp distributed in 612 contigs, including 6,834 proteincoding genes and 41 RNA genes. It harbors a circular chromosome and a linear chromosome
MULTI-INSECTICIDE EXTRACTIVE TECHNOLOGY OF NEEM SEEDS FOR SMALL GROWERS

The neem tree (Azadirachta indica A. Juss.) is known for its insecticidal properties. In this study an extraction method for neem seeds based on cold extrusion with methanol was applied. On the resulting extract (azadirex), limonoids azadirachtin A and B (AZA and AZB), salannin, and nimbin were quantified by HPLC. A 10 years old neem orchard was used (19Â° 11.65â€™ N, 96Â° 20.07â€™ W). The extrusion of 1.0 kg of dry endocarp, ground seeds previously immersed in 150 mL of methanol during 20 min, was performed in a manual hydraulic press, at 20 kg cm-2 and room temperature. Concentration of limonoids underwent an analysis of variance and means separation (Tukey, P < 0.05). The seed with endocarp showed a salannin concentration of 4500 mg kg-1, 3450 mg kg-1 of nimbin and 2784 mg kg-1 of the azadirachtins A and B mixture. Azadirex had a typical composition of AZA, AZB, nimbin and salannin, however the latter (3866 mg kg-1) was found in a significantly higher proportion compared to the others (Tukey, P < 0.05). No significant differences were found between the mixture of AZA + AZB (1818 mg kg-1) and nimbin (1280 mg kg-1).