Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding the role of ICT in South African Sustainable Manufacturing Practice

Existing literature perceived Economic, Social and Environmental (ESE) factors as three key drivers of Sustainable Manufacturing Practice (SMP). ICT is not considered as a driving factor, but only as a tool that supports the achievement of SMP. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of ICT in achieving SMP in South Africa. A systematic literature review was conducted. The Google Scholar search engine was used to retrieve 1,352 articles that were analysed in this study. Themes and constructs were analysed based on the scope of the study. The findings revealed that South African manufacturing stakeholders are leveraging the advancement of ICT such as Artificial Intelligence and smart production systems to drive SMP through reduced waste and optimisation of resources. Also, the findings revealed that ICT plays a significant role that warrant its consideration as a fourth factor that drives SMP. This study emphasised the role of ICT as a driver in achieving SMP and presents the ESET model (ESE with the addition of Technology) to support the argument that ICT is a major driving factor for SMP. Understanding the role of ICT can influence how the issues of SMP are addressed and stakeholders can rethink strategies for SMP. Further empirical studies with a broader scope are encouraged because the review process and the scope of this study limits its generalisability
An Efficient Agent-Based System to Extract Interests of User Groups

— This work proposes an agent-based system to extract the interests of user groups based on certain category values such as males, teens, singles, and so on. Many previous works proposed recommender systems but their concentration was on users as individuals. Finding interests per group would have two main benefits. First, it would improve the recommender system accuracy. Second, it would give important and interesting information to optimize the market according to the interests of the various groups. Experiments show that the system is efficient in term of the execution time and accuracy.
Real Time Image Processing and Forensic Verification of Documents

Image Processing is a computer science field which involves the analysis and manipulation of digitized image, especially in order to improve its quality. The particular document is converted to an image format in order to achieve a common goal in image processing to get an enhanced image. Enhanced Image refers to the extraction of useful information which is used to detect the fabricated documents. We use Python inbuilt command for front-end and Machine Language (which can identify and execute algorithm) for Back-end. The documents which are converted into image format may not be original always. Even though some of current framework are available to find the fake documents the reliability is not assured. So there is the need to improve the performance of search results. Hence the effectual document verification will be provided using image processing in MATLAB software. The system is used to process the document verification without any Google assistant and to control the leakage of statistical information. Fabrication of documents can be found in an efficient way and can be protected from forgery activities. Thus the system helps the user to find out the fabricated documents using the original
CYP2C8 and SLCO1B1 variants and therapeutic response to thiazolidinediones in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are putatively transported into the liver by OATP1B1 (encoded by SLCO1B1) and metabolized by CYP450 2C8 enzyme (encoded by CYP2C8 ). Whilst CYP2C8 *3 has been shown to alter TZD pharmacokinetics, it has not been shown to alter efficacy. Design: We genotyped 833 Scottish Type 2 diabetes patients treated with pioglitazone or rosiglitazone and jointly investigated association of variants in these two genes with therapeutic outcome. Result: The CYP2C8 *3 variant was associated with reduced glycaemic response to rosiglitazone ( P = 0.01) and less weight gain ( P = 0.02). The SLCO1B1 521T>C variant was associated with enhanced glycaemic response to rosiglitazone ( P = 0.04). The super responders defined by combined genotypes at CYP2C8 and SLCO1B1 had a 0.39% (4 mmol/mol) greater HbA1c reduction ( P = 0.006) than the poor responders. Neither of the variants had a significant impact on pioglitazone response. Conclusion: These results show that variants in CYP2C8 and SLCO1B1 have a large clinical impact on the therapeutic response to rosiglitazone, and highlight the importance of studying transporter and metabolising genes together in pharmacogenetics.
Dynamic fluctuations of protein-carbohydrate interactions promote aggregation

Protein-carbohydrate interactions are important for glycoprotein structure and function. Antibodies of the IgG class, with increasing significance as therapeutics, are glycosylated at a conserved site in the constant Fc region. We hypothesized that disruption of protein-carbohydrate interactions in the glycosylated domain of antibodies leads to the exposure of aggregation-prone motifs. Aggregation is one of the main problems in protein-based therapeutics because of immunogenicity concerns and decreased efficacy. To explore the significance of intramolecular interactions between aromatic amino acids and carbohydrates in the IgG glycosylated domain, we utilized computer simulations, fluorescence analysis, and site-directed mutagenesis. We find that the surface exposure of one aromatic amino acid increases due to dynamic fluctuations. Moreover, protein-carbohydrate interactions decrease upon stress, while protein-protein and carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions increase. Substitution of the carbohydrate-interacting aromatic amino acids with non-aromatic residues leads to a significantly lower stability than wild type, and to compromised binding to Fc receptors. Our results support a mechanism for antibody aggregation via decreased protein-carbohydrate interactions, leading to the exposure of aggregation-prone regions, and to aggregation. Citation: Voynov V, Chennamsetty N, Kayser V, Helk B, Forrer K, et al. (2009) Dynamic Fluctuations of Protein-Carbohydrate Interactions Promote Protein Aggregation. PLoS ONE 4(12): e8425. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0008425 Editor: Laurent Kreplak, Dalhousie University, Canada Received September 7, 2009; Accepted November 30, 2009; Published December 23, 2009 Copyright: 2009 Voynov et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This work was supported by Novartis Pharma AG. Employees of Novartis participated in study design, data collection and analysis, and preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors declare competing financial interests. The authors Bernhard Helk, Kurt Forrer, Heidi Zhang, Cornelius Fritsch, and Holger Heine are current employees of Novartis Pharma AG. This work was supported by Novartis Pharma AG. * E-mail: trout@mit.edu
Effects of exogenous cytokinin on photosynthesis, senescence, and yield performance of inferior rice tillers grown under different nitrogen regimes

Inferior tillers contribute negligibly to rice grain yields as their late occurrence or prematurity curtails growth. However, 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA, a synthetic cytokinin) can delay tiller senescence. Our results indicate that foliar application of 6-BA enhanced the distribution and allocation of light energy for the photochemical reactions of PSII, under appropriate N supply. The percentage of thermal energy dissipation also decreased following the application of 6-BA as a consequence of the reduced risk of chloroplast oxidative damage through excess excitations. Moreover, leaf peroxidase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase activities were augmented by adding 6-BA, which significantly inhibited the accumulation of malondialdehyde and H2O2. The application of 6-BA increased the grain numbers of the inferior tillers and further enhanced tiller yields under 82.5 and 165 kg(N) ha-1 supply. The effect of 6-BA was negligible for the untreated or excessive N-treated plants.
Using the "Daily Missions" Gamification Strategy To Promote Incremental Progress on Programming Assignments

Automatic assessment tools are increasingly utilized in undergraduate programming courses to evaluate software solutions, streamlining the grading process for both students and professors. In spite of their beneﬁts of speed and convenience, such online systems for providing instant feedback have the tendency to draw attention to performance-based outcomes while failing to reliably recognize the effort and hard work a student puts into a solution. For the many struggling students who are new to programming, this type of objective feedback can be discouraging and may decrease their motivation to stay engaged towards success. To address this issue, this paper explores strategies for more effectively recognizing student progress on programming assignments and identifying small tasks for students to complete that will steer them in the right direction. Further, this paper presents the design of a “Daily Missions” gamiﬁcation strategy that was added to an automated program grading system. A pilot study shows feasibility of the approach and suitability of the design, indicating a statistically signiﬁcant increase in the rate of completing tasks assigned as daily missions, and that students believe daily missions reinforce good practices while giving them better ideas on how to improve their work. An evaluation of experiences from using the strategy in the classroom is presented, along with student perceptions from using the system.
Layout as a Determinant Factor in the Efficiency of Industrial Manufacturing

In face of the pressures exerted by the globalization of the markets and the needs to meet the expectations of consumers, companies seek to improve their organizations at different levels. To meet these requirements and survive in increasingly dynamic scenarios, companies must be aware that they can not to be more static and they must adapt to gain competitive strength. In this context, the study of the industrial layout assumes an important role integrating all the elements involved in the production process. The rational use of available physical resources, a demand for operator safety, products and equipment, greater flexibility in the production process and ease of production management are inherent objectives of the industrial layout, which companies will inevitably have to pay more attention. Thus, this article intends to demonstrate the relevance of the thematic study on the layout, as well as the vital importance of the restructuring of organizations in the face of constant adversity and challenges that they are subject. To this objective, we present a case study layout of a manufacturing wood-based, with a proposal for improvement based on the SLP (Systematic Layout Planning) method, combined with practical considerations and constraints, discussed here, and presents in industrial facilities.
Hepatoprotective studies of aqueous leaf and root extracts of Barringtonia acutangula (L.) Gaertn. against ethanol induced hepatic stress in rats

The liver is of vital importance in intermediary metabolism and in the elimination of toxic substances. To maintain the liver in a healthy condition is crucial for overall wellbeing of an individual. A number of plants have been the sources of raw materials for various drug formulations used to treat liver ailments. Barringtonia acutangula (L.) Gaertn. , is one of the medicinal plant used in Ayurveda which is well-known to have hepatoprotective property. In the present study, the hepatoprotection of aqueous leaf (LWBA) and root (RWBA) extracts of B. acutangula, at doses 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg were evaluated on ethanol induced hepatic damage in Wistar strain, male albino rats (150-200 g body weight). The liver protective efficacy of the extracts was indicated by reduced levels of serum enzymes, bilirubin, lipid peroxidation and improvement in glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase and protein content in a dose dependent manner. The results obtained in the enzyme assays were supported by the histopathological observations. The findings shows that the LWBA extract has better hepatoprotection against ethanol induced liver injury than RWBA extract and also justify the Ayurvedic applications of B. acutangula in the management of liver diseases.
AtChem (version 1), an open-source box model for the Master Chemical Mechanism

Abstract. AtChem is an open-source zero-dimensional box model for atmospheric chemistry. Any general set of chemical reactions can be used with AtChem, but the model was designed specifically for use with the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM, http://mcm.york.ac.uk/, last access: 16 January 2020). AtChem was initially developed within the EUROCHAMP project as a web application (AtChem-online, https://atchem.leeds.ac.uk/webapp/, last access: 16 January 2020) for modelling environmental chamber experiments; it was recently upgraded and further developed into a stand-alone offline version (AtChem2), which allows the user to run complex and long simulations, such as those needed for modelling of intensive field campaigns, as well as to perform batch model runs for sensitivity studies. AtChem is installed, set up and configured using semi-automated scripts and simple text configuration files, making it easy to use even for inexperienced users. A key feature of AtChem is that it can easily be constrained to observational data which may have different timescales, thus retaining all the information contained in the observations. Implementation of a continuous integration workflow, coupled with a comprehensive suite of tests and version control software, makes the AtChem code base robust, reliable and traceable. The AtChem2 code and documentation are available at https://github.com/AtChem/ (last access: 16 January 2020) under the open-source MIT License.
Perceived legitimacy towards the European Union

The European Union (EU) suffers from an increase in citizens’ discontent (Schweiger, 2017; Loveless & Rohrschneider, 2011). The appropriate remedy for this increase in citizens' discontent, however, remains the subject of scholarly debate (Steffek et al., 2007). Political authorities have been experimenting with possible remedies to counter this problem. One possibility, which is widely endorsed by governments, is the use of basic types of democracy (Geissel, 2012; Best et al, 2011). This study distinguishes between two basic types of democracy, namely direct democracy and participatory democracy (Best et al., 2011). The focus of this study resides on the effect that the use of these basic types of democracy have on the legitimacy of the European Union. After discussing the overarching concepts of democratic and legitimacy deficit in the literature review, this study will lay focus on the more subjective side of perceived legitimacy. Derived from the literature two hypotheses concerning 'direct' and 'participatory' democracy are formulated. After establishing a proper research design to structure the data collection and analysis, four cases are selected. Belgium and Sweden are chosen to conduct research on the effects of direct democracy. France and Germany are selected to conduct research on the effects of participatory democracy. The in-depth analysis of this study concludes that direct democracy, in contrast to expectations of the first hypothesis, has a negative impact on the perceived legitimacy of the EU. In line with the expectations of the second hypothesis, the effects of participatory democracy were found to have a more positive effect on perceived legitimacy. However, after consideration of the in-depth data of the cases, it is found that the answer to the second hypothesis is more nuanced. The effectiveness of participatory democracy is disputed due to two different observations, concerning the content and design of this method, made in the data.
The Value of F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography for the Detection of Residual Breast Tumor or Axillary Metastasis after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Invasive Ductal Carcinoma of the Breast

Cite this article as/Atıf: Berberoğlu K. The Value of F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/ Computed Tomography for the Detection of Residual Breast Tumor or Axillary Metastasis after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Invasive Ductal Carcinoma of the Breast. İstanbul Med J 2020; 21(1): 42-6. Introduction: Accurate evaluation of pathological response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy would aid in treatment and surgical planning as well as prediction of outcomes. This study examined the value of F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-18-FDG PET/ CT) in predicting pathologically confirmed residual tumor in breast or presence of axillary metastasis when performed after completion of neoadjuvant therapy in patients with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) of the breast cancer.
Growth Inhibition Kinetics of a Pseudomonas Diesel-degrading Strain from Antarctica

Antarctica is one of the largest southernmost continent and most pristine wilderness areas left on earth. Over decades, human activities in this area have resulted in the accumulated pollution of hydrocarbon in the Antarctica mainly due to transportation and logistics activities. The sinking of the supply ships Nella Dan and Bahia Paraiso have resulted in diesel spillage that warrant the utilization and research on diesel-degrading microorganisms in the form of bioremediation to prepare for future disasters. A previously isolated diesel-degrading Pseudomonas sp. strain DRYJ3 has shown effectiveness as a bioremediation tool. Its growth is however strongly inhibited as the diesel concentrations was increased. In this study the inhibitory effect of diesel on the growth rate of this bacterium is modelled according to the Luong, Aiba, Haldane, Hans-Levenspiel, Yano, Teissier and Monod models. Statistical evaluations indicated that the most suitable kinetic model to fit the growth rate on diesel was Luongâ€™s model. The Luongâ€™s constants; maximal growth rate, half saturation constant for maximal growth, maximum substrate concentration that growth ceases, and curve parameter that defines the steepness of the growth rate decline from the maximum rate symbolized by ï­max, Ks, Sm, and n were 0.406 hr-1 (95% CI, 0.269 to 0.881), 0.194 (%v/v) (95% CI, 0.2877 to 0.390), 4.025 (%v/v) (95% CI, 3.820 to 4.229) and 0.378 (95% CI, 0.122 to 0.877) 0.099, respectively. The Luong model predicted Sm value was close to the value of which no growth was observed experimentally suggesting the appropriateness of the model in adhering to observed values.
On the Microstructure Size Effect in SLS-built 316 L Stainless Steel Parts

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is an additive manufacturing technique in which thin layers of fine powder are fused by selective sintering with a high-powered laser to create a 3D part directly based on a digital instruction file. A characteristic aspect of the process is the high cooling rate experienced by the deposited material volume, which gives rise to directional cooling and the generation of columnar microstructure. The fabrication of fine sub-millimetre features leads to the modification of heat flow patterns that in turn affects the microstructure produced. Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) mapping was performed on samples of 316 stainless steel consisting of a set of thin (sub-mm) strut structures protruding from a thick base. This sample geometry was chosen to reveal the role of the transition from a bulk base (representing a large heat sink) to a thin strut (unidirectional heat conduction) in this additive manufacturing process. EBSD data was collected from the base region, the transition region between the base and the strut, and in the strut region. This allows examining the effect of the heat flow difference between the strut region and the base region on sample microstructure. The greater temperature gradients in the strut region lead to significantly refined grain structure compared to the base region.
INVESTIGATION OF THE EMULSIFYING CAPACITY OF SNACK PASTE BASED ON FATLESS COTTAGE CHEESE

Technological parameters of the process of refined deodorized sunflower oil emulsification in a protein base – fatless cottage cheese for making a snack paste are presented. The expedience of introducing a melting salt – sodium citrate as a main emulsifier and its concentration are substantiated. It has been established, that with increasing a content of sodium citrate the emulsifying capacity of a protein base grows, and at its concentration 2.0 %, reaches the maximal value – 50 vol un of oil. At a further increase of the sodium citrate concentration the emulsifying capacity decreases probably as a result of an abrupt рН growth. It has been proved, that at adding dry skimmed milk in amount 4.0±0.5 % as an additional emulsifier in the protein base of a snack paste at 40 % of fatless cottage cheese in the recipe an increase of its emulsifying capacity by 6 vol un of oil, probably as a result of the growth of surface active substances, takes place. The temperature influence on the viscosity of the snack paste protein base has been investigated and the rational concentration of refined deodorized sunflower oil has been determined as 25±2 %. It has been established, that the temperature decrease from 50 to 30 °С and content increase of sunflower oil in the protein base from 25±2 % to 30±2 % result in the essential viscosity increase that may worsen emulsifying conditions. It has been proved, that emulsion stability that is an important parameter for a snack paste of the emulsion type with a long storage term depends on content of main protein-containing components, sunflower oil and active acidity of the protein base. The obtained results have a practical importance for determining the rational concentration of refined deodorized oil and sodium citrate that provides more necessary emulsifying capacity of the protein base and emulsion stability at storage in the technology of snack pastes, based on fatless cottage cheese
Interactive comment on “The timescale and extent of thermal expansion of the oceans due to climate change” by S. Marčelja

I shall describe the changes with respect to what I understood are the three major suggestions that result in significant improvements. Other comments are also very valuable and will be followed when the revised ms. is completed. I would also like to take advantage of the less formal Discussion format and show several graphs with changes made or supplementary information that will not appear in the final manuscript.
Improving of Feature Selection in Speech Emotion Recognition Based-on Hybrid Evolutionary Algorithms

One of the important issues in speech emotion recognizing is selecting of appropriate feature sets in order to improve the detection rate and classification accuracy. In last studies researchers tried to select the appropriate features for classification by using the selecting and reducing the space of features methods, such as the Fisher and PCA. In this research, a hybrid evolutionary algorithm is proposed which uses support vector machine classifier and cuckoo search algorithm in combination with the genetic algorithm in order to select the optimal features. In the proposed method, at first, a set of characteristics based on the Cepstral, Spectral and Fourier coefficients of the speech signal is extracted and then with the proposed hybrid algorithm, the operation of selecting the optimal feature set is performed. The results of the experiments on the famous Berlin's emotional speech database showed that using this proposed method for selecting the features, increases the classification accuracy to about 93%.