Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Studies on the Determination of Biogenic Amines in Foods. 1. Development of a TLC Method for the Determination of Eight Biogenic Amines in Fish

Ingestion of foods that contain high levels of histamine causes clinical symptoms, namely histamine poisoning. During the course of this investigation eight biogenic amines in fish samples, including histamine, putrescine, cadaverine, tyramine, tryptamine, spermine, spermidine, and beta-phenylethylamine, were separated and quantitated by TLC technique. Many solvent systems were evaluated, with the best separation in one dimension when benzene/triethylamine (5:1) was used as a developing system, which enabled separation of histamine in addition to spermine, tyramine, and beta-phenylethylamine. However, the other four biogenic amines were not separated using this developing system. The only way to separate the eight tested biogenic amines was by using a two-dimensional TLC procedure. The running system in the first direction was benzene/triethylamine/acetone (10:2:1), and the solvent system in the second direction was benzene/triethylamine (5:1). This method provides a simple and inexpensive means to separate and detect biogenic amines in fish samples.
TestDNA: Novel Wafer Defect Signature for Diagnosis and Pattern Recognition

The spatial failure patterns in wafer defect maps can be related to problems in the manufacturing and test process. Therefore, failure pattern recognition can be used for root cause analysis, which is very important for defect diagnosis resolution improvement and yield learning. However, previous studies show that wafers with recognizable failure patterns only account for a small part of all defective wafers. In order to further improve diagnosis resolution with data collected from wafer test, we propose a novel way to present results of various test items in order to facilitate feature extraction. The test results are exhibited in a DNA-like signature called TestDNA such that sources of wafer defects can be effectively and efficiently identified. Since more defect information can be incorporated into a TestDNA, more defect types of wafer defects can be identified and predicted with higher accuracy. Experimental results show that the proposed TestDNA method can be used to identify and predict more defect types such that both higher diagnosis resolution and prediction accuracy are achieved.
A bioassay for predicting the resistance of wheat leaves to Septoria nodorum

SUMMARY Plants of the winter wheat cv. Bounty were inoculated with Septoria nodorum and then assayed for ergosterol. A detached leaf technique was used in which leaf segments were incubated on agar containing benzimidazole. Four levels of a conidial suspension inoculum were applied using a measured droplet technique. Ergosterol in plant extracts was measured using HPLC and its identity confirmed by co-injection with pure ergosterol as an internal standard. The extracts were also assayed by silica-gel thin layer chromatography with the sterol being visualised with rhodamine; the presence of ergosterol in the material from the two higher disease level treatments was confirmed by analysing the eluted spots in a spectrophotometer. Additional confirmation of ergosterol was obtained using gas-liquid chromatography comparing a mixture of known plant sterols with a sample from the diseased leaf tissue. The ergosterol assay was found to be very sensitive and offers a high level of reproducibility. It would therefore appear that such assays could be of value in breeding programmes when it is necessary to screen wheat cultivars for their reaction to S. nodorum or other fungal pathogens.
An Innovative Approach to Anomaly Detection in Communication Networks Using Multifractal Analysis

Fractal and multifractal analysis can help to discover the structure of the communication system, and in particular the pattern and characteristics of traffic, in order to understand the threats better and detect anomalies in network operation. The massive increase in the amount of data transmitted by different devices makes these systems the target of various types of attacks by cybercriminals. This article presents the use of fractal analysis in detecting threats and anomalies. The issues related to the construction and functioning of the Security Operations Centre (SOC) are presented. To examine the correctness of SOC, several attacks on virtual systems located in the network were carried out, such as Denial of Service (DoS) attack, brute force, malware infections, exploits. Based on data collected from monitoring and devices, the response to the event was analyzed, and multifractal spectra of network traffic before and during the incident were created. The collected information allows us to verify the theses and confirm the effectiveness of multifractal methods in detecting anomalies in the operation of any Information and Communication Technology (ICT) network. Such solutions will contribute to the development of advanced intrusion detection systems (IDS).
Realization of Multistage Detection Sensitivity and Dynamic Range in Capacitive Tactile Sensors

In this study, stoppers were designed and allocated in a planar four-capacitor (P4C) sensing unit for modulating capacitive tactile sensor (CTS) characteristics. The stoppers deterred the structural deformation of the CTS when applied with normal forces, realizing a three-stage operation: high detection sensitivity, wide dynamic range, and saturation. Comprehensive studies including theoretical design, numerical evaluation, demonstrator fabrication, experimental analysis, and a technical discussion were conducted. The proposed CTS achieved 0.901 pF/N sensitivity, enhanced dynamic range by 235.3%, and supported 2.1 N detection in the first, second, and third stages under normal force applications, respectively. With the CTS characteristics resulting from varying stopper locations, a relationship between the capacitive response and applied force is established to support typical P4C CTSs in arbitrary dimensions. In addition, systematic tolerance is studied to explain detection accuracy for the first time. The proposed CTS provides operation flexibility in normal force detections, and unaltered supportiveness on shear force and its angle detections, compared with typical CTSs.
Charge-and-Activate Policies for Targets Monitoring in RF-Harvesting Sensor Networks

In this paper, we consider a Hybrid Access Point (HAP) that supplies energy to sensor devices tasked with monitoring one or more mobile targets with a known trajectory. The HAP's goal is to maximize a Quality of Monitoring (QoM) metric that is a ratio of the following quantities: (i) distance between a sensor device and a target, and (ii) duration in which a target is monitored by a sensor device. We formulate a Mixed Integer Linear Program (MILP) and use it to determine the subset of sensor devices to be charged in each time slot, their activation time, and the transmission or charging power used by the HAP. We also propose a Cross-Entropy (CE) approach and a heuristic algorithm called Energy Reallocation Linear Programming Approximation (ERLPA) to select sensor devices for charging in large-scale networks. Our results show that (i) QoM is affected by the energy requirement of sensor devices, energy storage capacity, number of channels available to the HAP, sensor sensing radius and energy conversion efficiency of sensor devices, and (ii) both the CE method and ERLPA are capable of producing schedules that are near optimal.
Investigating quality of life by residents of social housing in eastern Algeria: a structural equation modelling

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify, confirm and validate a model appropriate to capture the interrelationships between different variables to develop and improve social housing quality, adequacy, provision and residents’ quality of life (RQOL). Design/methodology/approachThis research adopted a quantitative approach to examine the research objectives of this study. The proposed conceptual framework was tested using primary data collected from a survey of 418 residents of the new urban center of Hamla. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and exploratory factor analysis through SPSS. In addition, confirmatory factor analysis was performed using AMOS before validating the measurement model and testing the hypotheses through structural equation modeling (SEM). FindingsThe results of SEM indicated acceptable high goodness-of-fit indices. The results revealed that three out of six hypotheses were supported. Consequently, residential quality and housing adequacy appeared to have a vital role in the conceptual framework, as it influenced social housing provision andRQOLand was influenced by socio-economic characteristics.Practical implicationsThe present study illustrates the interrelationships between the proposed variables using SEM analysis. In addition, by understanding the direct relationships between the selected variables, the findings would be useful for the concerned authorities to ameliorate and upgrade the social housing quality and adequacy along with surpassing the current shortage, which would enhance and contribute to the amelioration of theRQOLand throughout Algeria.Originality/valueThis paper aims to establish, examine, validate the relationships and develop a conceptual framework in the context of Algerian social housing that contributes to the assessment and amelioration of social housing.
A probabilistic framework for improving reverse geocoding output

Reverse geocoding, which transforms machine‐readable GPS coordinates into human‐readable location information, is widely used in a variety of location‐based services and analysis. The output quality of reverse geocoding is critical because it can greatly impact these services provided to end‐users. We argue that the output of reverse geocoding should be spatially close to and topologically correct with respect to the input coordinates, contain multiple suggestions ranked by a uniform standard, and incorporate GPS uncertainties. However, existing reverse geocoding systems often fail to fulfill these aims. To further improve the reverse geocoding process, we propose a probabilistic framework that includes: (1) a new workflow that can adapt all existing address models and unitizes distance and topology relations among retrieved reference data for candidate selections; (2) an advanced scoring mechanism that quantifies characteristics of the entire workflow and orders candidates according to their likelihood of being the best candidate; and (3) a novel algorithm that derives statistical surfaces for input GPS uncertainties and propagates such uncertainties into final output lists. The efficiency of the proposed approaches is demonstrated through comparisons to the four commercial reverse geocoding systems and through human judgments. We envision that more advanced reverse geocoding output ranking algorithms specific to different application scenarios can be built upon this work.
A Sandwiched-Slab-Transformer-Based SiGe Power Amplifier Operating at W- and D-Bands

In this letter, a 75.1–151.4-GHz silicon power amplifier (PA) is devised with the help of sandwiched slab transformer, which is proposed to increase the tuning ranges of coupling coefficient, quality factor, and conductivity. Being compact in size and simple in implementation enables it to be well-applied in multiple-way power combination. Based on this device, the fabricated PA in the 130-nm silicon germanium (SiGe) process demonstrates more than 14.1-dB gain at full <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$W$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-band and 77% of the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$D$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-band. From 75 to 117.7 GHz, its measured <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$P_{\mathrm {sat}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is all above 16.8 dBm, while its peak point is 19.8 dBm at 100 GHz with 8.8% PAE.
The Bacterial Flora of Distilled and Stored Water. III. new species of the genera Corynebacterium, Flavobacterium, Spirillum and Pseudomonas

SUMMARY Names are proposed and descriptions given for five new species of bacteria isolated from stored distilled water from various laboratories. Corynebacterium aquaticum n. sp. has many of the characteristics of the motile plant pathogenic bacteria that have been placed in genus Corynebacterium. Other species named are Flavobacterium capsulatumn. n. sp. , Spirillum delicatum n. s p., Pseudomonas Ianceolata n. sp. , and Pseudomonas huttiensis n. sp. Cultures of the type strain of each new species have been deposited in the American Type Culture Collection.
Morphology Evolution of the Midlatitude Ionospheric Trough in Nighttime Under Geomagnetic Quiet Conditions

The dynamics and climatology of midlatitude trough minimum have been widely investigated. However, the detailed magnetic local time (MLT) evolution of the trough walls (both equatorward and poleward) has not been well addressed. In this study, we used nearly 10‐year Planar Langmuir Probe (PLP) data from the CHAMP satellite to investigate how the location and shape of midlatitude trough evolve during night hours. We find that (1) the trough equatorward wall experiences an obvious equatorward extension in the premidnight sector, with steepness rapidly decreasing during the same local time sector; (2) the trough equatorward wall is as steep as poleward wall in the dusk sector; and (3) the trough poleward wall shows no remarkable change during the whole nighttime, except for a weakly reduced width and a slightly enhanced steepness near midnight. We suggest that the rapid extension of the equatorward wall in the premidnight sector is closely related to the plasma equatorward movement caused by the neutral winds. The rapid decrease of the steepness of the equatorward wall in the premidnight sector is not only influenced by its own width expansion but possibly also related to the upward plasma drift caused by neutral winds. The trough minimum and equatorward/poleward boundaries are found located at slightly higher magnetic latitude during equinoxes than that during solstice seasons.
Perceptions of Post-Disaster Housing Safety in Future Typhoons and Earthquakes

How residents perceive housing safety affects how structures are designed, built, and maintained. This study assesses the perceptions of housing safety through a survey of over 450 individuals in communities that received post-disaster housing reconstruction assistance following 2013’s Typhoon Yolanda, and that were potentially vulnerable to earthquakes. We analyzed how housing design factors, post-disaster program elements, personal characteristics, and hazard type and exposure influenced safety perceptions. Overall, individuals were most concerned with the safety of their roofs during hazard events and perceived their houses would be less safe in a future typhoon than a future earthquake. Housing material significantly impacted safety perceptions, with individuals in wood houses perceiving their houses to be the least safe. Individuals living in areas more exposed to hazards also perceived their houses to be less safe. Being relocated after the typhoon, witnessing good or bad practices during reconstruction, and prior disaster experience also significantly influenced perceptions of housing safety. These results are used to make recommendations on how implementing organizations can most beneficially intervene with program factors to improve local understanding of housing safety.
Influence of ferulic acid on stability of anthocyanins from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in a model system and a yogurt system

Summary The influence of different factors on the stability of the anthocyanin crude extract from Cabernet Sauvignon grape skins was investigated. In a model system, the factors evaluated were as follows: temperature 4 ± 1 °C and 29 ± 3 °C, presence and absence of light, pH 3.0 and 4.0 and presence of ferulic acid. The influence of the addition of ferulic acid to anthocyanins was investigated in a yogurt system stored at 4 ± 1 °C. The results obtained for anthocyanin degradation velocity constant and for the half-life time of anthocyanins in a model system and in a yogurt system showed that ferulic acid significantly increased the stability of the anthocyanins crude extract.
The Drivers of the City Brand Equity Comparing Citizens’ and Tourists’ Perceptions and Its Influence on the City Attractiveness: The Case of the City of Coimbra

ABSTRACT Based on the perceptions of the citizens and tourists of the city of Coimbra, the main objective of this study is to analyze some drivers and consequences of the City Brand Equity (BE). This investigation is based on data collected from 202 citizens and 200 tourists. Results show that image, identity, attachment and satisfaction are the BE main drivers, and optimal distinctiveness showed its influence only for tourists. BE seems to impact WOM, commitment (citizens) and intention to return (tourists). This investigation innovates comparing these two samples of stakeholders and testing an adapted measure of BE, considering its effect in transferring the results from the marketing strategy to the desired outcomes that contribute to the city attractiveness.
Algorithmic Analysis of Vesselness and Blobness for Detecting Retinopathies Based on Fractional Gaussian Filters

All around the world, partial or total blindness has become a direct consequence of diabetes and hypertension. Visual disorders related to these diseases require automatic and specialized methods to detect early malformations, artifacts, or irregular structures for helping specialists in the diagnosis. This study presents an innovative methodology for detecting and evaluating retinopathies, particularly microaneurysm and hemorrhages. The method is based on a multidirectional Fractional-Order Gaussian Filters tuned by the Differential Evolution algorithm. The contrast of the microaneurysms and hemorrhages, regarding the background, is improved substantially. After that, these structures are extracted using the Kittler thresholding method under additional considerations. Then, candidate lesions are detected by removing the blood vessels and fovea pixels in the resulting image. Finally, candidate lesions are classified according to its size, shape, and intensity properties via Support Vector Machines with a radial basis function kernel. The proposed method is evaluated by using the publicly available database MESSIDOR for detecting microaneurysms. The numerical results are summarized by the averaged binary metrics of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity giving the performance values of 0.9995, 0.7820 and 0.9998, respectively.
Multi-source insights for discernment of “competition” threat

A recent report on Hostile Social Manipulation stated that the tools and techniques being employed in targeted social media campaigns, sophisticated forgeries, cyberbullying and harassment of individuals, and distribution of rumors and conspiracy theories pose a “potentially significant threat to U.S. and allied national interests”. This creates a challenge for an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) force comprised of platforms, sensors, networks and personnel that have been focused on overseas contingency operations for nearly 20 years. Recent defense strategy emphatically stated, “Inter-state strategic competition, not terrorism, is now the primary concern in U.S. national security. ” Joint guidance on Operations in the Information Environment (OIE) emphasized the need for a better characterization and assessment of the informational as well as physical, and human aspects of the security environment in order to identify and leverage interdependencies between them. Carley and Beskow wrote, “Social cybersecurity is an emerging subdomain of national security that will affect all levels of future warfare, both conventional and unconventional, with strategic consequences”4 and characterized a set of 16 socio-cyber security forms of maneuver in the BEND model. This paper will introduce the BEND model, providing real-world examples of maneuvers, and highlight emerging multi-source analytics for discernment of threat.
A new spectroscopic analysis of the massive O + O type binary HD 54662 AB

HD 54662 AB is one of the three O + OB binaries known so far with orbital period longer than 1000 d, offering the opportunity to test scenarios of massive star formation and models of single stellar evolution. Here, we present a detailed study of this system based on new high-resolution spectra and data. A disentangling method is used to recover the individual spectra of the primary and secondary components, which are classified as O6.5 V(n)z and O7.5 Vz, respectively. Combining radial velocity measurements and astrometric data, a new absolute orbit with a period of 2113 ± 9 d and an eccentricity of 0.062 ± 0.008 is determined, confirming previous findings. However, absolute masses of 23.8 ± 1.1 M⊙ for the primary and 20.3 ± 1.1 M⊙ for the secondary are obtained, differing from previous determinations but in reasonable agreement with the spectral types of the stars. Primary and secondary components show remarkably different projected rotational velocities (160 and ≲40 $\rm km\, s^{-1}$ , respectively), which is probably related to the formation process of the binary. Contrary to previously interpretations, the star with broader spectral features is the most massive object in the system. Stellar and wind parameters of both stars are derived through quantitative spectroscopic analysis of the disentangled spectra using fastwind models, and they are consistent with the current calibrations for O-type stars. Evolutionary masses and ages are also computed with the bonnsai tool. Ages below 2.5 Ma are obtained, in agreement with the youth expected from their Vz nature.
Polyphenol levels in two cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) callus cultures

Abstract We study the production of polyphenols by callus cultures from two cultivars of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Coker 312 produces the best calli and has embryogenic potential contrary to that of R405-2000, which is non- embryogenic. There is a relationship between the level of phenolic compounds and the callus cultures. Callogenesis in Coker 312 is highly correlated to a higher content of catechin, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, rutin, o—coumaric acid and salicylic acid. On the other hand, the cinnamic acid derivates (trans-cinnamic, cis and trans—methoxycinnamic acids) found in high amounts in R405-2000 calli could have a negative influence on the induction of cotton callogenesis.
Nucleic Acid Amplification as used in the Diagnosis and Management of Viral Diseases: A Review

Diagnostic virology is of great importance particularly in disease management and for epidemiological purposes, but is slow and results are obtained when the patient has recovered or succumbed to the infection. In addition, consideration of antiviral chemotherapy is in short supply even where preliminary investigation results are available. Some viruses are highly unculturable, fastidious or hazardous to the laboratory personnel and diagnosis depends on serological methods or culture in an expensive bio-safety level. Molecular diagnostic techniques do not depend on pathogen isolation or growth or on the detection of an immune response to the pathogen, rather uses genotypic characteristics to identify specific pathogen. Nucleic acid of a given pathogen is unique, and therefore nucleic acid analysis can be used for unequivocal identification via amplification to increase the amount of material available for analysis. Nucleic acid-based diagnostic methods are extremely sensitive, reliable and to some extent affordable, and are widely used for clinical microbiology to detect pathogen. Keywords: Amplification, Diagnosis, Nucleic acid, Viral Diseases