Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intraocular Biocompatibility of Gold-Nanoparticles

Intraocular Biocompatibility of Gold-Nanoparticles Background: The present study is to assess the in vitro biocompatibility of colloidal gold nanoparticles (CGN) and to describe the effect of CGN over the normal electrical activity of the retina on an in vivo rat model. Material and Methods: Retinal pigment epithelium cells (ARPE- 19) were cultured to confluence. Three wells were incubated with a mixture of CGN conjugated to goat anti-mouse IgG and three were incubated with culture media as a control. After 2 days, media was aspirated and incubated again with 4,5-dimethylthiazol- 2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide for 2 hrs. The absorbance of each well was measured by spectrophotometry at a 540 nm wavelength, subtracting the background measurement at 670 nm. A total of 16 eyes of eight brown Norway rats were used, being divided in two groups of eight eyes each; Right eyes received an intravitreal injection of 1μM/5μL CGN suspension at baseline. An electroretinogram (ERG) was done at baseline and then again after six weeks. A two-sample t-test was used as statistical method. Results: Absorbance signal for the CGN Group was 89.06% with respect to the reference values of 100% for untreated controls. There was no statistical difference between groups (p=0.1). The ERG yielded no statistically significant difference between groups at any time point for any of the five steps of the ERG. Conclusion: The in vitro viability of ARPE-19 cells seems not to be affected by addition of 5 nm CGN to the culture, with no significant morphological changes. The normal electrical activity of the retina seems not be disturbed by the intravitreal injection of CNG.
Effects of hook and bait on targeted and bycatch fishes in an equatorial atlantic pelagic longline fishery

We examined the effects of different hook style and bait type combinations on the catches of targeted, bycatch, and discarded fishes in equatorial atlantic waters. in total, 221 longline sets (>305,000 hooks) were deployed from portuguese pelagic longline vessels (sElEct-pal project) during the february-october fishing season. Three different hook styles and two bait types were tested: the traditional J-hook was compared to two circle hooks (one non-offset and one with 10° offset), and squid bait was compared to mackerel. catch per unit effort (cpuEs) were calculated and compared between the different hook style and bait type combinations, which indicated that the effects of hook style and bait on the cpuEs were species-specific. for example, swordfish cpuEs were higher with J-hooks baited with squid, while for targeted tunas and blue shark only the bait effect was significant, but with opposite effect (i.e., higher catches of tuna with squid bait and higher catches of blue shark with mackerel bait). for the discarded species, at-haulback mortality was also species-specific. proportions of alive vs dead specimens at time of fishing gear retrieval did not vary significantly by hook style or bait type combinations. The total retained catch was analyzed in value per unit effort (VpuE), and indicated losses in fishery revenue when mackerel was used instead of squid, but not when circle hooks were used instead of J-hooks.
Examining Technology Use Factors of Privacy-Enhancing Technologies: The Role of Perceived Anonymity and Trust

Today's environment of data-driven business models relies heavily on collecting as much personal data as possible. This is one of the main causes for the importance of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) to protect internet users' privacy. Still, PETs are rather a niche product used by relatively few users on the internet. We undertake a first step towards understanding the use behavior of such technologies. For that purpose, we conducted an online survey with 141 users of the anonymity service "JonDonym". We use the technology acceptance model as a theoretical starting point and extend it with the constructs perceived anonymity and trust in the service. Our model explains almost half of the variance of the behavioral intention to use JonDonym and the actual use behavior. In addition, the results indicate that both added variables are highly relevant factors in the path model.
Site-speci fi cally 11 C-labeled Sel-tagged annexin A 5 and a size-matched control for dynamic in vivo PET imaging of protein distribution in tissues prior to and after induced cell death

a Division of Biochemistry, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden b Karolinska Experimental Research and Imaging Center, Department of Comparative Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden c Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden d Department of Oncology-Pathology, Cancer Centrum Karolinska, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden e PET Radiochemistry, Neuroradiology Department, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
Removal of organic Load from wastewater by using Datura innoxia Mill.

1 Laboratoire de Stress, Défenses et Reproduction des Plantes, URVVC-SE EA 2069, Université de Reims ChampagneArdenne, UFR Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, Bâtiment 18, Moulin de la Housse, BP 1039, 51687 Reims Cedex 2, France 2 CEA, CNRS, Université Aix-Marseille, UMR 6191 Biologie Végétale et Microbiologie Environnementale, Laboratoire d1Ecophysiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CEA Cadarache, 13108 Saint Paul lez Durance, France 3 Université d’Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse, Faculté des Sciences, 33 Rue Louis Pasteru, 84000 Avignon, France 4 Qualité et sécurité des aliments d’origine végétale, Université d’Avignon et Pays de Vaucluse, 74 rue Louis-Pasteur, 84029 Avignon, France 5 Clermont Université, Université d'Auvergne, Laboratoire de Physiologie et Biotechnologies Végétales, BP 10448, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France 6 Laboratoire de Physiologie et Biotechnologies Végétales, IUT de Clermont-Ferrand, Université d’Auvergne, 100, rue de l’Egalité, 15000 Aurillac, France.
Frequency Domain Estimation of Time Variant Channels in OFDM

OFDM modulation combines the advantages of high achievable rates and relatively easy implementation. However, for proper recovery of the input, the OFDM receiver needs accurate channel information. Most algorithms proposed in literature perform channel estimation in the time domain. This increases the computational complexity especially for data aided algorithms and does not lend itself to multiaccess situations where the user is only interested in part of the spectrum. In this final project report, we propose a frequency domain algorithm for channel estimation and tracking in OFDM. The algorithm is based on interpolating the spectrum and tracking the interpolation parameters instead of tracking the actual response. In this project we propose two interpolation techniques. The first is a polynomial interpolation method (e.g., using piece-wise linear or quadratic interpolation) which proved to be quite inadequate for channel tracking in a wireless environment. The second tracking method is based on eigen-decomposition of the channel correlation and proves to be superior to former tracking technique and to channel estimation techniques. A data-aided forward-backward Kalman filter is also implemented to to enhance the performance of the channel estimation algorithm.
Progressive failure on the North Anatolian fault since 1939 by earthquake stress triggering

SUMMARY 10 M ≥ 6.7 earthquakes ruptured 1000 km of the North Anatolian fault (Turkey) during 1939–1992, providing an unsurpassed opportunity to study how one large shock sets up the next. We use the mapped surface slip and fault geometry to infer the transfer of stress throughout the sequence. Calculations of the change in Coulomb failure stress reveal that nine out of 10 ruptures were brought closer to failure by the preceding shocks, typically by 1–10 bar, equivalent to 3–30 years of secular stressing. We translate the calculated stress changes into earthquake probability gains using an earthquake-nucleation constitutive relation, which includes both permanent and transient effects of the sudden stress changes. The transient effects of the stress changes dominate during the mean 10 yr period between triggering and subsequent rupturing shocks in the Anatolia sequence. The stress changes result in an average three-fold gain in the net earthquake probability during the decade after each event. Stress is calculated to be high today at several isolated sites along the fault. During the next 30 years, we estimate a 15 per cent probability of a M ≥ 6.7 earthquake east of the major eastern centre of Ercinzan, and a 12 per cent probability for a large event south of the major western port city of Izmit. Such stress-based probability calculations may thus be useful to assess and update earthquake hazards elsewhere.
The Effect of Strategic Leadership, Organization Innovativeness,Information Technology Capability on Effective Strategy Implementation:A Study of Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria

This is a literature-based paper. The paper has conceptualized a simple model comprising of four variables, namely strategic leadership, organizational innovative, information technology capability and effective strategy implementation. Because previous studies have only concentrated in profit oriented organization, especially in Europe, America and Asia. This paper is an attempts to move outward the frontier of knowledge concerning the relationship strategic leadership behaviors (SLP), organizational innovativeness (OiV), information technology capability (ITC) on effective strategy implementation (ESE) by looking at it from different context namely, Nigeria. A survey study of cross-sectional nature will be conducted fourteen (14) in tertiary institutions located in Kaduna State. The institutions located in the state are major element in Nigeria’s educational sector, the sector that is currently experiencing serious and major reforms targeted toward enhancing its service delivery and quality. Contextual performance in the form of strategic leadership behaviors, organizational inn ovation attitude (innovativeness) and IT capability promotes the effectiveness of the institutions. This is because of their positive relationship with organization effectiveness in its strategy implementation. This paper proposes that having strategic leaders in place couple with innovation attitude and IT capability of the institutions will increase the efficiency of the overall institutions due proper implementation of good and reputable strategies. In today’s world were knowledge economy strives, tertiary institutions have great role to play in socio economic and political growth, especially in developing country like Nigeria.
Wootz: Cast Iron or Steel?

It is shown that the excess carbide phase in Wootz is of an unusual nature origin that differs from the excess phase of secondary cementite, ledeburite and primary cementite in iron-carbon alloys. It is revealed that the morphological features of excess cementite in Wootz lie in the abnormal size of excess carbides having the shape of irregular prisms. It is discovered that the faceted angular carbides are formed within the original of metastable ledeburite, so they are called “eutectic carbides”. It was found that angular eutectic carbides in the Wootz formed during long isothermal soaking at the annealing and subsequent deformation of ledeburite structures. It is revealed that carbon takes up 2.25% in Wootz (in the region of white cast iron), while none in its structure of crushed ledeburite. It is shown that the pattern of carbide heterogeneity consists entirely of angular eutectic carbides having an irregular trigonal-prismatic morphology. It is shown that Wootz (Damascus steel) is non-alloy tool steel of ledeburite class, similar with structural characteristics of die steel of ledeburite class and high-speed steel, differing from them only in the nature of excess carbide phase.
Life cycle assessment in wastewater treatment: influence of site-oriented normalization factors, life cycle impact assessment methods, and weighting methods

This present study aims to analyze the differences in results of different site-directional life cycle assessment (LCA) methods applied in the field of wastewater treatment. Site-generic methods were employed and compared with China-specific methods on a full-scale wastewater treatment case. A set of Chinese normalized factors were developed and employed to compare with world normalization factors. No substantial discrepancies in results were obtained from the two different sets of normalization factors. In the phase of life cycle impact assessment, the e-Balance showed substantial discrepancies in results, compared with the CML method that is widely applied in LCA. The discrepancies were mainly attributed to the cause that in e-Balance more emphasis is on regional water pollution potential (that is: chemical oxygen demand (COD) as an independent impact category). Moreover, discrepancies in the results were also investigated by applying different site-directional weighting methods. Besides the specific locations where the weighting methods were designed for, this study showed that employing different environmental indicators in impact categories was another important factor that resulted in differences in the LCA results of the different weighting methods.
Application of ARMA modelling and alpha-stable distribution for local damage detection in bearings

Summary In this paper a novel method for informative frequency band selection is presented. It is suitable for a vibration signal from a damaged rotating machine which is consisted of a pulse train, but it might be contaminated by other vibrations, often with higher energy. We first decompose the signal into simpler sub-signals and analyze those sub-signals using statistical tools, i.e. autoregressive moving average modelling and fitting of the α -stable distribution. The choice of this distribution is motivated by its excellent ability of modeling heavy-tailed data, i.e impulsive data. We illustrate the proposed methodology by analysis of real vibration signals from heavy-duty rotating machinery. The results prove that this statistical analysis is very efficient in informative frequency band selection in presence of highenergy contamination.
Differential Power Processing System for the Capacitor Voltage Balancing of Cost-effective Photovoltaic Multi-level Inverters

The Differential Power Processing (DPP) converter is a promising multi-module inverter architecture recently proposed for photovoltaic systems. In this paper, a DPP converter architecture, in which each PV-panel has its own DPP converter in the shunt, performs distributed maximum power point tracking (DMPPT) control. It maintains a high energy conversion efficiency, even under partial shading conditions. The system architecture only deals with the power differences among the PV panels, which reduces the power capacity of the converters. Therefore, the DPP systems can easily overcome the conventional disadvantages of PCS such as centralized, string, and module integrated converter (MIC) topologies. Among the various types of the DPP systems, the feed-forward method has been selected for both its voltage balancing and power transfer to a modified H-bridge inverter that needs charge balancing of the input capacitors. Multi-level inverters have some advantages such as a low part count and cost competitiveness when compared to conventional multi-level inverters. Therefore, it is frequently used in photovoltaic (PV) power conditioning system (PCS). However, its simplified switching network draws input current asymmetrically. Therefore, input capacitors in series suffer from a problem due to a charge imbalance. This paper validates the operating principle and feasibility of the proposed topology through the simulation and experimental results. They show that the input-capacitor voltages maintain the voltage balance with the PV MPPT control operating with a 140-W hardware prototype.
Sound as Affective Design Feature in Multimedia Learning--Benefits and Drawbacks from a Cognitive Load Theory Perspective.

The study presented in this paper investigates the potential effects of including non-speech audio such as sound effects into multimedia-based instruction taking into account Sweller’s cognitive load theory (Sweller, 2005) and applied frameworks such as the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (Mayer, 2005) and the cognitive affective theory of learning with media (Moreno, 2006). Proceeding from the assumption that sound is an incisive means to affect people’s emotional state it is argued that sound may also be well suited to stimulate involvement and motivation in learning situations, thereby bringing the learner to invest more mental effort into learning, which finally leads to better learning performance. This paper refers to an experimental case study, which was carried out within the framework of a Master’s Thesis at the University of Applied Sciences Bremerhaven (Germany). In order to investigate the cognitive effects of including sound into multimedia learning, two groups of 1st semester Digital Media students were asked to learn about a historic subject using two different experimental designs: One version of a prototypical learning application consists of a photo slideshow with accompanying audio narration and another version consists of the same material supplemented with environmental sounds that illustrate the content of the lesson. Comparing both groups, the results don’t reveal significant differences in learning performance. However, the subjective mental effort ratings of the participants are identified as a positive predictor for the performance score and are thus hypothetically discussed as being an indicator for learner motivation. The analysis finally confirms that the learner involvement, which is a measure relating the performance score and the mental effort ratings (Paas et al., 2005), during the subsequent achievement test is significantly higher when sounds were presented during instruction. These results suggest that the inclusion of sound may have positive effects on motivation and learning, which is according to a cognitive-motivational theory.
Alterations in fibrinolytic system proteins PAI-1, MMP-3, MMP-8, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in post-cholecystectomy bile duct injury

Introduction: In bile duct injuries (BDI), cholestasis and cholangitis can alter the fibrinolytic system by promoting an increase of extracellular matrix depositions which favor an imbalance between metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs). Materials and Methods: Levels of PAI-1, MMP-3, MMP-8, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in 35 patients with post-cholecystectomy BDI by complete biliary obstruction were measured and compared to a healthy control group. Sirius red staining and immune staining for MMP-3 and MMP-8 were also undertaken in liver biopsies. Results: Levels of PAI-1, TIMP-1, TIMP-2 and MMP-8 were higher in BDI than healthy controls: 15 ± 2 ng/mL vs 7.1 ± 2 ng/mL (p 0.024); 539 ± 64 ng/mL vs 256 ± 13 ng/mL (p p p 2 vs. 22865.7 ± 3865 μm2 in healthy controls (p 2 vs. 30744.2 ± 5810.2 μm2 (p 2 vs. 116337.9 ± 24803.3 μm2 (p 0.55). These results suggest an imbalance between fibrogenic/fibrinolytic protein levels. Interestingly, expression of the fibrinolytic protein MMP-8 was increased in serum and liver biopsies in BDI. Conclusion: We found an imbalance of profibrogenic molecules which promote extracellular matrix deposition. The over-expression of fibrinolytic proteins such as MMP-8 could limit liver fibrosis, preventing hepatic dysfunction in post-cholecystectomy BDI.
Consumer Lending Using Social Media Data

Consumer credit has been around for a long period of time but the dynamics observable from the consumers makes it hard to credit score and lend to the consumers. This difficulty results in the poor being excluded from receiving credit as they lack financial history. We analyze the limitations of the traditional consumer lending models due to use of historical data, and look at the benefits that could arise by incorporating social media data in credit scoring process for consumer lending. A review of the research progress made in using social media data for consumer scoring and lending process is presented. We found that social media data offers rich, vast and attractive information on changing trends and shifting demographics in credit underwriting of existing consumers and new consumers with minimal or no financial history. This data advances the lending process by widening the data set available and capture of new markets that are excluded from financial services
FORECASTERS' FORUM Comments on "Discussion of Verification Concepts in Forecast Verification: A Practitioner's Guide in Atmospheric Science"

We congratulate Bob Glahn on his perceptive and thoughtful review (Glahn 2004; hereafter G04) of the book we edited entitled Forecast Verification: A Practitioner’s Guide in Atmospheric Science (Jolliffe and Stephenson 2003; hereafter JS03). His comments will undoubtedly lead to an improved second edition. Furthermore, he has raised several very stimulating and important verification and forecasting issues that could benefit from a wider debate. We, therefore, wish to take this opportunity to respond to some of the issues raised in Glahn (2004) in the hope that a thoughtprovoking verification debate appears in the literature. Rather than attempt to elicit and then present a consensus response that reflects the views of all our authors (if such a thing were ever achievable! ), we prefer to respond more directly to G04 with our own subjective editorial opinions. We hope that some of our authors will comment separately. Forecast verification is an essential part of atmospheric sciences. It is the way in which the science of meteorology is ultimately judged—by the skill of its predictions. Forecast verification is an intellectually stimulating and multidisciplinary area of research that requires careful summary and interpretation of pairs of past forecasts and observations. Despite its importance, forecast verification is not always fully acknowledged in operational forecasting centers and is often completely absent from atmospheric science courses. In addition to skill, forecasts should also provide information that helps forecast users make better decisions despite the uncertainty inherent in the forecasts. These and other factors have led to more than a century of fascinating ongoing developments in forecast verification. We agree with many of the points raised in G04 but we wish to expand here on several that we consider to be the most interesting and important issues.