Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of N-Phosphoryl Branched Peptides

H-phosphonates were conveniently prepared by direct transesterification of diphenyl phosphite (DPP) with the corresponding alcohols, without further purification they were reacted with branched peptide methyl ester (L-Leu2-L-LysOMe) through Atherton-Todd method, a series of different substituted alkyloxy (N-phosphoryl-L-Leu)2-L-LysOMe were synthesized, and their structures were confirmed by 31P NMR, ESI-MS, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR and elemental analysis. The approach possesses the advantages of easy operation, high yield and inexpensive phosphorylating reagent.
The Individual and Combined Effects of PNF Stretching and Plyometric Training on Muscular Power and Flexibility for Volleyball Players

The knowledge gained through this study could help to make plyometric training more effective when Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) stretching added to the workouts without having to isolate strength and flexibility on separate sessions. The aim of this study was to compare the individual and combined effects of 6-week of PNF stretching and plyometric training (PLYOT) in muscular power and flexibility for young volleyball players Thirty-seven male young volleyball players participated in the current study. They were distributed into four groups; PNF (n = 10), PLYOT (n = 10), Combining PNF and PLYOT (COMB) (n = 10), and control group without PNF and PLYOT (CON) (n = 7), they were tested before (PRE) and after (POST) 6-week training for muscular power [i.e. vertical jump (VJ), seated medicine ball throw (SMTH), and rotational power ball throw (RPTH)] and flexibility [i.e. sit& reach test (SRT), shoulder& wrist flexibility test (SWFT), and trunk rotation test (TRT)]. The results have shown significant effects of the time for all study variables (p ≤ 0.05) of all groups except CON group had no significant effects (p ˃ 0.05). There were statistically significant differences favor COMB group (p ≤ 0.05) at the POST evaluation in muscular power variables in comparison with the PNF and PLYOT groups, while no statistically significant differences (p ˃ 0.05) were found between PNF, PLYOT, and COMB in all flexibility variables. In conclusion the combined effect of PNF and PLYOT has surpassed the individual effect of them on muscular power but not on flexibility variables.
CakeVR: A Social Virtual Reality (VR) Tool for Co-designing Cakes

Cake customization services allow clients to collaboratively personalize cakes with pastry chefs. However, remote (e.g., email) and in-person co-design sessions are prone to miscommunication, due to natural restrictions in visualizing cake size, decoration, and celebration context. This paper presents the design, implementation, and expert evaluation of a social VR application (CakeVR) that allows a client to remotely co-design cakes with a pastry chef, through real-time realistic 3D visualizations. Drawing on expert semi-structured interviews (4 clients, 5 pastry chefs), we distill and incorporate 8 design requirements into our CakeVR prototype. We evaluate CakeVR with 10 experts (6 clients, 4 pastry chefs) using cognitive walkthroughs, and find that it supports ideation and decision making through intuitive size manipulation, color/flavor selection, decoration design, and custom celebration theme fitting. Our findings provide recommendations for enabling co-design in social VR and highlight CakeVR’s potential to transform product design communication through remote interactive and immersive co-design.
Comparison of PD-NOMA for RF and VLC Based Vehicular Communication Under Various Weather Conditions

In order to provide vehicles with reliable, ubiquitous, and massive connectivity, an appropriate multiple access (MA) scheme should be adopted. An appealing MA scheme referred to as non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has been gaining significant attention in vehicular networks among academia and industry. This work aims to show the technical feasibility of uplink vehicular-VLC system (V-VLC) using OPD-NOMA, which is a promising technique for future intelligent transportation system which has not been explored before. We aim to present a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analysis on the performance of Optical Power Domain-NOMA (OPD-NOMA) based Vehicular Visible Light Communication (V-VLC) systems. In particular, we aim for designing V-VLC systems with robust information exchange over various weather conditions such as rain, light fog, dense fog, dry snow, etc. We make use of various analytical tools of stochastic geometry to derive theoretical expression for outage probability and throughput by modelling the location of the vehicle as a spatial Poisson point process. We compare the performance of OPD-NOMA based V-VLC with Vehicular Radio Frequency (V-RF) communication for three different traffic scenarios (i.e., sparse, medium, and dense traffic) in terms of outage probability and throughput. Our numerical results reveal that instead of viewing V-VLC as competing technology, it can be visualized as complementary technology to V-RF technology under different environmental conditions for future Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) to meet diverse requirements of 5G networks and beyond.
Nanoscale lipid membrane mimetics in spin-labeling and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy studies of protein structure and function

Abstract Cellular membranes and associated proteins play critical physiological roles in organisms from all life kingdoms. In many cases, malfunction of biological membranes triggered by changes in the lipid bilayer properties or membrane protein functional abnormalities lead to severe diseases. To understand in detail the processes that govern the life of cells and to control diseases, one of the major tasks in biological sciences is to learn how the membrane proteins function. To do so, a variety of biochemical and biophysical approaches have been used in molecular studies of membrane protein structure and function on the nanoscale. This review focuses on electron paramagnetic resonance with site-directed nitroxide spin-labeling (SDSL EPR), which is a rapidly expanding and powerful technique reporting on the local protein/spin-label dynamics and on large functionally important structural rearrangements. On the other hand, adequate to nanoscale study membrane mimetics have been developed and used in conjunction with SDSL EPR. Primarily, these mimetics include various liposomes, bicelles, and nanodiscs. This review provides a basic description of the EPR methods, continuous-wave and pulse, applied to spin-labeled proteins, and highlights several representative applications of EPR to liposome-, bicelle-, or nanodisc-reconstituted membrane proteins.
Hot-Water Extraction Optimization of Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and Red Maple (Acer rubrum L.) Bark Applying Principal Component Analysis

In the forest industry, bark is an abundant residue, predominantly converted into calorific energy. As the antioxidant potential of phenolic compounds from sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and red maple (Acer rubrum L.) bark has previously been established, the present study focused on the hot-water extraction optimization of these barks. Several process parameters (maple species, temperature, duration, ratio bark/water, particle size) were thus studied and large disparities were found between the two species. Extraction yield, phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity of red maple extracts were several times higher than those of sugar maple extracts. Principal component analysis, applied to the selected best extraction conditions, identified 3–4 clusters depending on the maple species. These groups were sorted from the highest extraction yield and energy consumption combined with the lowest phenolic content and antioxidant capacity, to moderate extraction yield and energy consumption with the highest phenolic content and antioxidant capacity.
Photolysis of bromophenol blue in aqueous solution under UV-irradiation: optimization of the parameters influencing the kinetics of degradation

Although water purification technologies have advanced considerably, they still come up against certain recalcitrant molecules that are difficult to degrade, such as pesticides, dyes and other industrial or agricultural residues. The degradation by photolysis of bromophenol blue (BPB), a textile dye, is studied under UV irradiation in the absence of the catalyst. Various parameters which influence the kinetics of degradation have been studied, of which we can cite the pH, photonic intensity, BPB concentration and irradiation time. This study shows that the change in the chemical oxygen demand (COD) as a function of irradiation time and the mineralization of the solution occurs slowly. 4 h of irradiation are necessary to observe 20% of COD which is determined by K2Cr2O7 oxidation in the presence of Ag+ as a catalyst, 96% of the organic compounds are oxidized under these conditions. The results show that the apparent rate constants of the BPB degradation augment linearly with the light flux. The discoloration rate of BPB solution augments with increasing pH until an optimum pH of 12, the degradation kinetics shows that the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model gives a better correlation. A total disappearance of BPB was observed after 150 min of irradiation, indicating the effectiveness of direct photolysis in eliminating the dye. The apparent rate constants are determined for the different parameters to confirm the validity of the model. The measurement of COD is a determination of organic matter which characterizes the amount of chemically oxidized substances present in water. The results show that the apparent rate constants of the BPB degradation increase linearly with the photonic flux applied in the field of study.
Women’s mode and trip structure choices in daily activity- travels: A developing country perspective from Iran

Understanding the effects of gender differences on activity-travel patterns is important to design and monitor appropriate management policies of transportation systems. In addition to inherent psycho-physical gender differences, women in Iran also might face special constraints that force them not to be involved in all activity-travel patterns that men and women in developed countries usually undertake. We here analyze travel demand of Iranian women considering that the typical patriarchal views and specific social and cultural norms reveal travelers’ behavior patterns that are different from those in western societies. We pay special attention to the role of marital and employment status of Iranian women on their activity-travel patterns. To this extent, we develop a joint mode and daily trip structure (DTS) discrete choice model. It takes the form of a mixed nested logit model. This paper also intends to show how different demographic factors in a patriarchal Muslim society like Iran affect or restrict women's types and structures of their activity-travels patterns, and more generally their freedom to make their journeys.
Principal’s individualized support and teacher’s self-efficacy: An empirical research

The purpose of this study is to provide evidence whether principals’ individual mentoring and coaching to support teachers could influence teachers’ self-efficacy. Data were collected from 843 Greek primary and secondary school teachers of 110 schools. Teachers were asked to fill in the PLQ to measure principal’s individualized support and TSES to measure teacher’s self-efficacy. CFA was conducted to identify the factor structure of TSES model. Consequently, results shown a first-order two-factor model fits best the data of TSES. TSES subscale, “Efficacy in Instructional Strategies” was excluded from the analysis. Findings of path analysis (Structural Equation Modelling analysis) showed that principal’s individualized support creating a culture of trust and respect could influence efficacy of teachers related only to student engagement. On the other hand, principal’s individualized support to teachers may not affect teacher’s efficacy related to classroom management. Implications and suggestions for future research and policy are discussed.
Analysis of academic performance based on sociograms: A case study with students from at risk groups

The present work analyzes the academic performance of students from at-risk groups from the perspective of Social Network Analysis (SNA), studying the academic and interaction information of 45 students belonging to at-risk groups who attended a pilot socio-academic course during one academic term. This information was used to create a sociogram, which served as the basis for determining the centrality metrics of the SNA. The relationships between these metrics and the academic variables were then studied by means of correlation analysis and linear regression with LASSO standardization. As a preview of the results, it was determined that the academic performance of the students in the pilot course was influenced, on the one hand, by their academic knowledge prior to being admitted to the university, represented by the score on the Mathematics and Geometry section of the diagnostic test, and on the other hand, by the dynamics of the social network in which they interacted in the classroom, represented by the eigenvector centrality. These results have significant potential for explaining the academic performance according to SNA metrics, and they provide evidence to support the implementation of practices that promote a healthy social environment in an academic context.
Ambient seismic noise tomography to build up a 3D shear-wave velocity model

To explore the usefulness of the ambient seismic noise tomography method for characterizing the subsoil surface structure, in this study, we apply this method to contribute to geotechnical decision-making in the construction of a school building. We used a rectangular array (36x56 m) of 48-4.5 Hz vertical geophones and produce surface wave tomographies from the travel times of Rayleigh waves extracted by cross-correlation of seismic noise. We determined a final 3D Vs model using 1D models derived from the inversion of dispersion curves obtained from the tomography maps for different frequencies. The 3D model shows an excellent resolution (vertical and lateral); we observe critical velocity contrasts in the range of 2 to 15 m deep. At depths higher than 15 m, the velocity has values close to 900 m/s; however, we observe a low-velocity anomaly associated with a lava tube or crack that seems to continue under an adjacent building.
Effect of chicken egg consumption on antioxidant status and lipid profile levels in students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi, Nigeria

Introduction: Chicken egg contains a number of biological substances which may play pivotal roles in human nutrition and health. Aim: This is a case control study designed to assess the effect of chicken egg consumption on antioxidant status and lipid profile levels in students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A total of thirty (30) participants comprising of fifteen (15) male and female students aged between eighteen (18) and twenty six (26) years were randomly recruited for the study. Five milliliters (5mls) of baseline samples (after an overnight fast) were collected from participants at day 0 as baseline samples and levels of antioxidants (TAC and MDA) and lipid profile were evaluated. Subsequently, in addition to their normal diet, each of the participants received one (1) egg before meal daily for a period of 30 days. After an overnight fast, 5mls of post research (post test) samples was collected on day 31 and the levels of antioxidants and lipid profile (TC, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C) were re-evaluated using standard laboratory methods. Also, the body mass index (BMI) of the participants was determined. Results: the results showed that the consumption of one (1) chicken egg per day for a period of 30 days caused a significant increase (p<0.05) in total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels; decrease in serum triglyceride (TG) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (p<0.05) with no significant alterations in the mean serum total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (p>0.05) respectively after (day 31) egg consumption compared to baseline (day 0) values. Also, gender comparisons revealed no significant alterations in the mean TAC, MDA, TC, LDL-C and HDL-C levels (p>0.05) respectively while the mean serum TG level was significantly higher in female participants than in the males after egg consumption (p<0.05). Conclusion: this study revealed that the consumption of one chicken egg per day for a period of thirty days has beneficial effects on the antioxidant status and lipid profile levels in healthy individuals.
SYZYGIUM AROMATICUM AMELIORATES OXIDATIVE STRESS AND FIBROSIS IN ADENINE-INDUCED CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE IN RATS

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a slowly progressive disease. The prevalence and incidence of CKD are increasing, making it a worldwide public health problem causing a high economic burden to poor outcomes countries. The clinical complications of CKD include not only cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) but also renal anemia, renal failure and renal osteodystrophy. Here, we assessed the effect of treatment with clove extract (CE) on kidney structure and function using a chronic kidney disease experimental model induced by adenine. Twenty four rats were randomly divided into four groups: control group; clove extract (CE only) group; CKD (adenine only) group and CKD/clove extract (adenine treated with CE) group. After adenine and/or clove extract were given orally to rats for 4 weeks, kidney specimens and blood were collected for further histopathological examination and biochemical analyses. Results showed that adenine treatment caused serious renal pathological damages and increase of blood creatinine, urea nitrogen and phosphorus levels. However, the activities of renal antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were suppressed and the level of malondialdehyde was increased by administration of adenine. In addition, the expressions antioxidative transcription factor as Nrf2, heme-oxygenase1 (HO1) and endothelial nitric oxide synthetase (e-NOS) genes were down regulated. Meanwhile, the expression of Ki67, wnt7a, collagen IV and βcatenin genes were up regulated. However, these changes could be significantly reversed by the treatment with of clove extract (300 mg/kg), indicating clove extract could improve the kidney function of CKD via enhancing antioxidant ability and inhibiting inflammation and fibrosis, Clove extract markedly ameliorated renal histopathological markers of inflammation and fibrosis. In conclusion, Clove extract exhibits ameliorative effects against adenine-induced CKD in rats by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation and modulation of different molecular mechanisms.
Reply to the editor’s comments We would like to thank the editor for concisely summarizing the concerns of both reviewers and sharing

Surface cyclones that feed the ::::::: western part of the North Pacific storm track experiencing ::: and ::::::::: experience a midwinter suppression originate from three regions: the East China Sea (⇠30 N), the Kuroshio extension (⇠35 N), and downstream of Kamchatka (⇠53 N). In midwinter, in terms of cyclone numbers, Kuroshio (45%) and Kamchatka (40%) cyclones dominate in the region where eddy kinetic energy is suppressed, while the relevance of East China Sea cyclones increases from winter (15%) to spring (20%). The equatorward movement of the baroclinicity and the associated upper-level jet toward midwinter 5 influences cyclones from the three genesis regions in different ways. In January, Kamchatka cyclones are less numerous, less intense and their lifetime shortens; broadly consistent with the reduced baroclinicity in which they grow. The opposite is found for East China Sea cyclones, which in winter live longer, are more intense, and experience more frequently explosive deepening. The fraction of explosive East China Sea cyclones is particularly high in January when they benefit from the increased baroclinicity in their environment. Again, a different and more complex behavior is found for Kuroshio cyclones. In 10 midwinter, their number increases, but their lifetime decreases; on average they reach higher intensity in terms of minimum sea level pressure, but the fraction of explosively deepening cyclones reduces and the latitude where maximum growth occurs shifts equatorward. Therefore, the life cycle of Kuroshio cyclones seems to be accelerated in midwinter with a stronger and earlier but also shorter deepening phase followed by an earlier decay. Once they reach the latitude where eddy kinetic energy is suppressed in midwinter, their baroclinic conversion efficiency is strongly reduced. Together, this detailed cyclone life-cycle 15 analysis reveals that the North Pacific storm-track suppression in midwinter is related to fewer and weaker Kamchatka cyclones and to more equatorward intensifying and then more rapidly decaying Kuroshio cyclones. The less numerous cyclone branch from the East China Sea partially opposes the midwinter suppression. ::: The ::::::: cyclones ::::::: passing :::::: through ::: the ::::::::: suppressed :::::: region :::: over :: the :::::::::::: north-western :::::: Pacific :: do ::: not ::::::::: propagate :::::: further :::::::::: downstream ::: into ::: the :::::: eastern :::::: Pacific ::: but :::: have ::::: their :::: lysis :::::: further ::::::: poleward :::: and :: in ::: the :::::::::: mid-Pacific. ::: The :::::: eastern :::::: Pacific ::::::: requires :::::: further :::::::: analysis. 20
Single Image Dehazing Using Deep Learning

Many real-world situations such as bad weather may result in hazy environments. Images captured in these hazy conditions will have low image quality due to microparticles in the air. The microparticles light to scatter and absorb, resulting in hazy images with various effects. In recent years, image dehazing has been researched in depth to handle images captured in these conditions. Various methods were developed, from traditional methods to deep learning methods. Traditional methods focus more on the use of statistical prior. These statistical prior have weaknesses in certain conditions. This paper proposes a novel architecture based on PDR-Net by using a pyramid dilated convolution and pre-processing modules, processing modules, post-processing modules, and attention applications. The proposed network is trained to minimize L1 loss and perceptual loss with the O-Haze dataset. To evaluate our architecture's result, we used structural similarity index measure (SSIM), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and color difference as an objective assessment and psychovisual experiment as a subjective assessment. Our architecture obtained better results than the previous method using the O-Haze dataset with an SSIM of 0.798, a PSNR of 25.39, but not better on the color difference . The SSIM and PSNR results were strengthened by using subjective assessments and 65 respondents, most of whom chose the results of the restoration of the image produced by our architecture.