Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Insulin and Dexamethasone on Experimentally Escherichia coli Serotype O55:B5 Induced Endotoxemia in Iranian Fat-Tailed Sheep

The present experiment was performed in order to compare the effect of insulin and dexamethasone on treating endotoxemia following the intravenous infusion of endotoxin of Escherichia coli serotype O55:B5 in the Iranian fattailed sheep. Twenty clinically healthy one-year old Iranian fat-tailed ewes were randomly assigned into four equal (n=5) experimental groups, comprising of Control, Dexa, Insln 1.5 and Insln 3 groups. Lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli serotype O55:B5 was administered intravenously at 20 µg/kg. All experimental groups undergone intravenous fluid therapy for 120 minutes after lipopolysaccharide injection. 180 minutes after lipopolysaccharide injection, dexamethasone (in Dexa group at 1 mg/kg) and insulin regular (in Insln 1.5 and 3 at 1.5 and 3 IU/kg, respectively) were injected along with the intravenous fluid for 60 minutes. The Control group just received lipopolysaccharide and was treated only with intravenous fluid without using any drug. The blood samples were collected from all ewes and assayed separated sera for serum acute phase proteins (serum amyloid A and haptoglobin), inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma) and oxidative stress biomarkers (super oxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase). In all experimental groups a rapid increase was seen in the amount of acute phase proteins and inflammatory cytokines and a decrease was seen in oxidative stress biomarkers after endotoxemia induction (P<0.05). The results of the present study showed that insulin regular at 3 IU/kg controlled acute phase response following endotoxemia induction. The potency of insulin regular at 3 IU/kg was significantly higher than 1.5 IU/kg and dexamethasone at 1 mg/kg (P<0.05) in order to treat endotoxemia due to Escherichia coli serotype O55:B5 in Iranian fat-tailed sheep.
Scale Development and Factor Structure Confirmation of Constructs within Durkheim’s Theoretical Framework of Emotional Solidarity

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate scales corresponding to the constructs in Durkheim’s theoretical framework of emotional solidarity. Following two initial stage of pilot testing, each scale was included in an onsite self-administered survey instrument and distributed to approximately 700 homes in a coastal South Carolina county. Psychometric properties were assessed and each scale was found to be high in internal consistency and construct validity (i.e., convergent and discriminant validity). Practical and theoretical implications are discussed as well as potential research opportunities concerning emotional solidarity.
The clustering of galaxies in the completed SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: Cosmological implications of the configuration-space clustering wedges

Citation: Sanchez, A. G. , Scoccimarro, R. , Crocce, M. , Grieb, J. N. , Salazar-Albornoz, S. , Dalla Vecchia, C. , . Zhao, G. B. (2017). The clustering of galaxies in the completed SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: Cosmological implications of the configuration-space clustering wedges. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 464(2), 1640-1658. doi:10.1093/mnras/stw2443
Implementation of a digital evaluation platform to analyze bifurcation based nonlinear amplifiers

Abstract. Recently, nonlinear amplifiers based on the supercritical Andronov–Hopf bifurcation have become a focus of attention, especially in the modeling of the mammalian hearing organ. In general, to gain deeper insights in the input-output behavior, the analysis of bifurcation based amplifiers requires a flexible framework to exchange equations and adjust certain parameters. A DSP implementation is presented which is capable to analyze various amplifier systems. Amplifiers based on the Andronov–Hopf and Neimark–Sacker bifurcations are implemented and compared exemplarily. It is shown that the Neimark–Sacker system remarkably outperforms the Andronov–Hopf amplifier regarding the CPU usage. Nevertheless, both show a similar input-output behavior over a wide parameter range. Combined with an USB-based control interface connected to a PC, the digital framework provides a powerful instrument to analyze bifurcation based amplifiers.
Initiation into crime: An analysis of Norwegian register data on five cohorts

We construct linked register data on five Norwegian birth cohorts, covering: criminal charges after age 15; family characteristics and history up to age 15; and (for males) IQ test scores. A longitudinal analysis of the risk of initiation into crime in early adulthood suggests an increased risk for the children of young and unmarried mothers and for those experiencing disruptive family events including divorce or maternal death during childhood. There is a relationship between continuity of parental employment and reduced risk, with no evidence of harm from mothers’ employment. Cognitive ability remains strongly associated with reduced risk after allowing for family history and circumstances.
Entrepreneurship education in the age of effectuation: teaching strategies evidence from Mexico and Germany

The positive impact of Entrepreneurship on economic development has been supported by many research studies (Drucker 1985). Based on those, education and training have been confirmed as relevant factors in promoting and fostering an entrepreneurial perspective (Gibb 1994; Peterman and Kennedy 2003; Kuratko 2005; Pittaway and Cope 2007). Therefore, universities have increasingly incorporated entrepreneurship modules into their educational programs at undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels (Kirby 1992; Vesper and Gartner 1997; Katz 2003). Even counterarguments on the general effectiveness of entrepreneurship education agree that entrepreneurial skills are teachable (Aronsson 2004). In recent years, the effectuation theory has emerged, arguing that while it was hitherto known that entrepreneurs focus on discovering and exploiting existing opportunities with a set target in mind, research findings suggest another equally valid approach (Sarasvathy 2008). In the age of effectuation, potential entrepreneurs may derive their entrepreneurial ideas and decisions from the realities of their life and individual value systems. Therefore, the same person can use both causal and effectual reasoning at different times depending on what the circumstances call for (Sarasvathy 2001a). As a result, a scientific debate about the role of effectuation in entrepreneurship education has emerged. In particular, teacher-centered classroom teaching was exposed as a purely causal element, due to its sequential progression from an initial business idea to its respective market potential and financial projections (Sarasvathy 2001b). This study aims to demonstrate the existence of a range of effectuation elements in current entrepreneurship education programs and identify the teaching strategies adopted. The methodology followed the multiple case study approach, applied to the entrepreneurship education programs at a Mexican and a German University respectively. The main implication highlights the role of both teaching methodologies and teaching models in entrepreneurship education in the ‘Age of Effectuation. ’ ∗ Corresponding Author: Dr Maribel Guerrero (maribel.guerrero@uab.cat) Maribel Guerrero and Susanne Steiner 2
Development of computer–integrated systems for the automation of technological process of associated gas processing

A procedure for constructing a computer-integrated system for automating the technological process of processing associated petroleum gas has been developed. Development of the technological process according to the proposed procedure makes it possible to identify and overcome the difficulties encountered in solving the problems of technological calculation and synthesis of an automatic control system. Difficulties are exacerbated by the influence of heavy disturbances in the flow and concentration of associated petroleum gas. Using the procedure, a technological process for processing associated petroleum gases along with an automatic control system has been developed. The technological process was adapted to use in medium oil fields, such as Ukrainian, which are characterized by low bulks and territorial dispersion. This makes it economically inexpedient to design large gas processing plants operating at a fixed load and gas concentration, which are common in the main oil-producing countries. Therefore, the technological process ensures production of methane and propane-butane of a required quality in the conditions of deviation of composition, concentration and flow rate of the streams incoming from wells in a wide range. The automatic process control system has a two-level structure. The upper level is used to ensure operability at heavy disturbances, which is achieved by changing the operation conditions. The lower level ensures stabilization of the process for small disturbances. Two alternative implementations of the automatic control system based on PID controllers and linear quadratic regulator (LQR) were considered. The results of simulation made in HYSYS program show advantages of the cascade system of the proposed structure based on PID controllers. The control system ensures operability in conditions of deviation of gas flow by ±30 %, when the mole fraction of the gas components alters by 30–50 % and when the gas temperature deviates by ±15 °C from the values of working conditions
GENETIC VARIATION AND POPULATION STRUCTURE IN WILD ISOLATES OF Caenorhabditis elegans COLLECTED FROM CALIFORNIA by ALIVIA DEY

OF THE THESIS Genetic variation and population structure in wild isolates of Caenorhabditis elegans collected from California By ALIVIA DEY Thesis Director: Prof. Jody Hey Though much widespread in distribution, the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans exhibits low levels of genetic variation at the DNA sequence level, a paradox which may be partly explained by its typical self-fertilization mode of reproduction. However recent work on the genetic structure of natural populations of C. elegans from France, Scotland and Portugal suggests a substantial level of outcrossing together with finding of a very strong local population structure. To find out whether this same occurrence extrapolates to other wild isolates of worm populations, the present study was carried on worm populations from California. Here, genetic variation is studied by detecting single nucleotide polymorphisms in a random genome-wide manner using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism analysis (AFLP). The worms used in this study are natural isolates of C. elegans collected from parks and gardens around the Los Angeles area in southern California. Some populations sampled were a few meters apart, enabling the assessment of variation and population structure on a very local scale. As previous studies, a low overall genetic diversity was found with these worm populations. The finding of a strong population structure and high linkage disequilibrium both within and between chromosomes was also concurrent with the findings from other wild isolates. All these findings elucidate the extra-ordinary evolutionary dynamics of these sets of worm from the wild.
ENHANCEMENT AND RESTORATION OF MICROSCOPIC IMAGES CORRUPTED WITH POISSON ’ S NOISE 454 estimation based on expectation-maximization ( EM ) algorithm

An inherent characteristic of the many imaging modalities such as fluorescence microscopy and other microscopic modalities is the presence of intrinsic Poisson noise that may lead to degradation of the captured image during its formation. A nonlinear complex diffusion-based filter adapted to Poisson noise is proposed in this paper to restore and enhance the degraded microscopic images captured by imaging devices having photon limited light detectors. The proposed filter is based on a maximum a posterior approach to the image reconstruction problem. The formulation of the filtering problem as maximisation of a posterior is useful because it allows one to incorporate the Poisson likelihood term as a data attachment which can be added to an image prior model. Here, the Gibb’s image prior model-based on energy functional defined in terms of gradient norm of the image is used. The performance of the proposed scheme has been compared with other standard techniques available in literature such as Wiener filter, regularised filter, Lucy-Richardson filter and another proposed nonlinear anisotropic diffusion-based filter in terms of mean square error, peak signal-to-noise ratio, correlation parameter and mean structure similarity index map. The results shows that the proposed complex diffusion-based filter adapted to Poisson noise performs better in comparison to other filters and is better choice for reduction of intrinsic Poisson noise from the digital microscopic images and it is also well capable of preserving edges and radiometric information such as luminance and contrast of the restored image.
Evaluation of the 2015 Domestic Violence Evidence-in-Chief (DVEC) reforms

Aim: To investigate the impact of the 2015 Domestic Violence Evidence-in-Chief (DVEC) reforms on court outcomes for Domestic Violence (DV) assaults in New South Wales (NSW). Method: Court outcome data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research's Reoffending Database (ROD) and DVEC data from the NSW Police Force's Computerised Operational Policing System (COPS) were extracted for the period January 2014 to June 2016. These data were used to assess the impact of DVEC using two different identification strategies. First, an Instrumental Variables approach was employed in order to estimate the causal effect of a DVEC statement on the probabilities that an individual defendant: i) has at least one proven offence (a conviction) or ii) pleads guilty to at least one offence at their court appearance. We also use this approach in order to estimate the impact of a DVEC statement on the time taken to finalise a DV assault matter conditional on a guilty plea being entered. Second, a dynamic panel data model with fixed effects was employed in order to investigate the relationship between each Local Area Command's (LAC's) monthly conviction and guilty plea rate for DV assaults and its uptake of DVEC. Results: We find no evidence to indicate that DVEC has had a significant impact on the probability of a guilty plea or the time to finalisation for matters resulting in a guilty plea. We do, however, find limited evidence to indicate that the presence of a DVEC statement may increase the probability of a conviction by about two percentage points. With respect to the monthly LAC level analysis, we find no evidence to indicate that a LAC's DVEC uptake rate has any significant effect on its rate of convictions or guilty pleas. Both of these results are extremely robust to a variety of specifications. Conclusions: Once factors like seasonality and systematic differences between LACs are taken into account, there is limited evidence of a significant impact of the NSW DVEC reforms on court outcomes for DV assaults.
Homework as an outcome assessment: relationships between homework and test performance

Homework imposes a significant load on undergraduate engineering students and faculty, and typically represents 10 to 30 percent of a student’s final course grade. One of the fundamental purposes of homework is to help students master the course material, mastery ultimately assessed through quizzes, tests and a final examination. To understand whether homework grades are a significant factor in determining student performance on tests, a study was conducted to examine the correlation between individual student scores on homework, quizzes, tests and final examination. Data from four courses taught by three different instructors showed very weak correlation between homework and quiz, test or final examination scores, respectively; much stronger correlations were found between quiz, tests and final examinations. Multiple linear regressions were developed for three courses, with quiz and test scores found to be the only statistically significant predictors of final examination performance (homework was found not to be a statistically significant predictor). Study results indicate that graded homework may potentially not be an effective means of enhancing student performance on tests. Areas of potential future research extensions are discussed.
Genetic characterization of Turkish cattle breeds by microsatellite markers: usefulness for parentage testing.

Objective of this study was to evaluate microsatellite markers in paternity testing of native cattle breeds in Turkey. Blood samples were collected from Anatolian Black (n=51), Anatolian Grey (n=54), South Anatolian Red (n=51), Native Southern Anatolian Yellow (n=51), East Anatolian Red (n=45) and Zavot (n = 19) cattle. From the blood samples DNA was isolated by using a standard phenol/ chloroform method. A total of 20 microsatellite loci were selected from a FAO/ISAG-suggested list. Polymerase chain reaction products were separated by capillary electrophoresis and marker genotypes were determined by fragment analysis. In statistical analyses, allel numbers, observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosities, deviation from Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium and probability of exclusion (PE) at each microsatellite locus were calculated. A total of 269 different alleles were observed and the mean allele was identified as 13.45. Mean Ho and He values were observed as 0.619-0.852 and 0.669-0.877, respectively. The results indicated that the microsatellite test panel including the most informative 7 loci had total PE value of >0.9999 in each populations and can thereby be used for parentage testing studies of native cattle breeds in Turkey.
A Novel Single-Step Growth Process for the Deposition of CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3-xClx Perovskite Films from CH 3 NH 3 Cl and PbI 2 Precursors

The primary synthesis process for organolead mixed halide thin films for solar cell applications involves a two-step process, where CH3NH3I is synthesized first, which is then reacted with PbCl2 to form CH3NH3PbI3-xClx. However, the synthesis of CH3NH3I is quite expensive and laborious. In this work we present a single-step solution approach to prepare perovskite CH3NH3PbI3-xClx films by the direct reaction of commercially available CH3NH3Cl (or MACl) and PbI2. Formation of the mixed halide perovskite phase is facilitated by the confinement of reactants to micro droplets that enhanced reaction kinetics. The growth process includes the nebulization of a stoichiometric mixture of MACl and PbI2 dissolved in DMF, and injection of the aerosol into a low-pressure chamber and deposition onto a substrate. Our results show that the enhanced perovskite film crystallinity and the formation of multiple phases depend strongly on the precursor concentration and the deposition temperature.
ANTIPLASMODIAL FLAVANONOL FROM TEPHROSIA SUBTRIFLORA WITH RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY

Medicinal plants play a key role in malaria control in Africa, especially in remote areas where health facilities are limited. Tephrosia subtriflora indigenous plant and of common use in Kenya folkmedicine, was examined in vitro for antimalarial activity against schizonts maturation of Plasmodium falciparum, the major human malaria parasite In order to assess their acclaimed potentials. The cytotoxicity estimated on mammalian cell lines, African monkey kidney (Vero), and human larynx carcinoma (HEp2) cell. The CH2Cl2/MeOH (1:1) extract of the aerial parts of Tephrosia subtriflora afforded a new flavanonol, trivial name subtriflavanonol (1), along with the known compounds spinosaflavanone B (2), 3-hydroxy-di(2,2-dimethylchromene-5:6,7:8)flavanonol (3) and Mundulinol (4). The new compound 1 showed moderate radical scavenging activity against DPPH radical with IC50 value of 29.23 μg/mL. In the antiplasmodial assay, the new flavanonol together with the known compound, 3-hydroxy-di-(2,2-dimethylchromene5:6,7:8)flavanonol (3) showed good antiplasmodial activity against KSM 009 strain of P. falciparum with IC50 values of 8.8±0.2 μΜ and 1.5±0.1 μΜ, respectively.
Time-Optimal Attitude Scheduling of a Spacecraft Equipped with Reaction Wheels

The time-optimal control problem of a spacecraft equipped with reaction wheels has been studied, in which the spacecraft is constrained to sequentially assume a set of attitudes, whose order is not specified. This attitude scheduling problem has been solved as a multiphase mixed-integer optimal control problem in which binary functions have been introduced to model the choice of the optimal sequence of target attitudes and to enforce the constraint of adopting once and only once each attitude. Given the dynamic model of the spacecraft, the initial and final attitudes, and a set of target attitudes, solving this problem consists in finding the control inputs, the sequence of attitudes with the corresponding passage times, and the resulting trajectory of the spacecraft that minimize the time of the maneuver. The multiphase mixed-integer optimal control problem has been converted into a mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem first making the unknown passage times through the target attitudes part of the state, then introducing binary variables to discretize the binary functions, and finally applying a fifth-degree Gauss-Lobatto direct collocation method to tackle the dynamic constraints. The resulting problem has been solved using a nonlinear programming-based branch-and-bound algorithm.
A Rectangular Microstrip Antenna Loaded with Log-Periodic Stubs for Tri-bands Operation

Abst ract- In thi s paper, a rectangular microstrip antenna loaded with two log periodic stubs is proposed. The antenna geometry is fed with a microstrip line which is tapered at the connection point. The proposed geometry is designed on easily available FR4_epoxy dielectric material and the dimensions of the dielectric substrate used are of 48 mm x 36 mm x 1.6 mm. Antenna geometry’s performance is investigated in the frequency range between 2 GHz to 20 GHz. The geometry exhibits resonances at 7.76GHz, 11.27GHz, and 16.22GHz which lie in the C, X, and Ku bands. To validate the design, proposed geometry was fabricated and tested. Measured results fairly agree with the simulated data.
EMU Effects on Stock Markets: From Home Bias to Euro Bias

The shift of perspective from a national basis to a Euro area basis, inevitably induced by EMU, has led member countries to a parallel shift from equity home bias to equity Euro bias. We interpret this evidence by means of a standard mean-variance portfolio selection model modified in order to include information asymmetries, considering the effect of the EMU integration process on equity markets through informational channels, real and financial. We find a stronger informational impact of the financial channel relative to the real channel in shaping EMU countries' equity portfolios after integration.