Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Work Out the SemanticWeb Search : The

We propose a Cooperative Question Answering System that takes as input natural language queries and is able to return a cooperative answer based on semantic web resources, more specifically DBpedia represented in OWL/RDF as knowledge base and WordNet to build similar questions. Our system resorts to ontologies not only for reasoning but also to find answers and is independent of prior knowledge of the semantic resources by the user. The natural language question is translated into its semantic representation and then answered by consulting the semantics sources of information. The system is able to clarify the problems of ambiguity and helps finding the path to the correct answer. If there are multiple answers to the question posed (or to the similar questions for which DBpedia contains answers), they will be grouped according to their semantic meaning, providing a more cooperative and clarified answer to the user.
“ Risk-based Probabilistic Small-disturbance Security Assessment of Power Systems ”

This paper presents a risk-based Probabilistic Small-disturbance Security Analysis (PSSA) methodology for use with power systems with uncertainties. This novel addition to existing Dynamic Security Assessment (DSA) techniques can be used to quantify the small-disturbance stability risks associated with forecasted operating conditions. This approach first establishes the probability density functions (pdfs) for the damping of the critical oscillatory electromechanical modes by modeling the stochastic variation of system uncertainties such as loading levels, intermittent generation sources, and power flows through Voltage Source Converter High Voltage Direct Current (VSCHVDC) lines. The produced pdfs are then be combined with severity measures (either simple risk matrices or continuous functions) in order to quantify the risk of stability issues for the system associated with the forecasted operating scenario. Additionally, the PSSA is used to establish risk-based operational limits and the concept of a probabilistic security margin is introduced to more accurately represent the probabilistic operation of uncertain power systems. The proposed techniques are demonstrated using a multi-area meshed power system incorporating two VSC-HVDC systems, one of which is connected to a large wind farm.
Paper title : Networking Activities and Performance of Enterprises : Some Empirical Findings from Tanzanian Manufacturing SMEs

Informed by the networks, entrepreneurial, industrial districts, business strategy, marketing and innovation perspectives, this study investigated the impact of networking activities on performance of small and medium manufacturing enterprises (SMEs). It is argued that the networking-performance nexus has received little attention especially in developing economies. Networking in this study was measured by actors bonds. Results from 413 SMEs revealed a strong positive relationship between SMEs actor’ involvement in actor bonds and the resulting firm performance. The results suggest that networking is instrumental to SMEs actors’ acquisition and leveraging of resources. Both social and business networks were found to play a crucial role. The findings imply that there are potentials to improving performance of firms in these contexts if SMes actors can actively engage themselves in social and economic bonds among themselves, which in turn can enhance their resource mobilization and leveraging capacities.
Explorer ' Birds of a feather ' fail together

This paper studies the effects of incorporating the interdependence among London small business defaults into risk analysis framework using the data just before the financial crisis. We propose an extension from standard scoring models to take into account the spatial dimensions and the demographic characteristics of SMEs, such as legal form, industry sector and number of employees. We estimate spatial probit models using different distance matrices based only on the spatial location or on an interaction between spatial locations and demographic characteristics. We find that the interdependence or contagion component defined on spatial and demographic characteristics is significant and that it improves the ability to predict defaults of non-start-ups in London. Furthermore, including contagion effects among SMEs alters the parameter estimates of risk determinants. The approach can be extended to other risk analysis applications where spatial risk may incorporate correlation based on other aspects.
Do secondary students learn more in homogeneous or heterogeneous classes ? The importance of classroom composition for the development of Reading achievement in secondary school

Ability grouping is one of the most controversial issues in educational research (Slavin, 1987). In theory, proponents of ability grouping emphasise that it provides instruction that can specifically be adapted to the students’ needs for learning. Opponents of ability grouping, however, argue that ability grouping is especially disadvantageous for low-ability students. The present study takes up this discussion about the pros and cons of ability grouping and examines whether a homogeneous or heterogeneous classroom composition is more suitable for the development of the students’ Reading achievement in grades 7 and 8 in secondary school. Based on previous analyses for grades 5 and 6, it is hypothesised that – controlling for individual variables as well as classroom compositional and institutional variables – student learning is more effective in heterogeneous classes. The paper presents findings within the context of the longitudinal study KESS in Hamburg, Germany. A total of 5,941 students in 331 classes were included in the analysis sample. Multilevel models show that the strongest predictor of the students’ Reading achievement at the end of grade 8 is their individual prior knowledge at the previous point of measurement. On the class level, a heterogeneous classroom composition is neither associated with a higher nor a lower development of achievement. High-ability and high-SES classes, however, prove to be effective for the development of achievement. Commonality analyses show that these compositional characteristics are highly confounded with the different tracks, indicating that the effectiveness of heterogeneous or homogeneous classes also depends on their average achievement and social composition as well as the school track.
Modeling and Simulation of Artificial Core-Shell Based Nanodielectrics for Electrostatic Capacitors Applications

The need for high storage capacitors led to the development of polymer based capacitors. Polymers have high processability, mechanical flexibility, electrical breakdown strength and compatibility with printed circuit board (PCB) technologies but usually have very low permittivity (K). The permittivity of the polymer as well as its dielectric strength can be tuned to desired characteristics by introducing metallic nano fillers. In the 2010 COMSOL Multiphysics conference, we presented characteristics of capacitors fabricated with Au (core) and SiO2 (shell) nano composites, dispersed in Polyvinyl Pyrrolidine (PVP) polymer solution. Effective Medium Theories (EMT) of Maxwell-Garnett, Bruggeman and Looyenga models were employed to calculate K value. It was found that with increase in volume loading of the Au nanofiller, K value of the composite increases. The dielectric permittivity of modified PVP increased from 7 to 1400 at percolation threshold using AuSiO2 core-shell nanoparticles. In this work, the Au nanoparticle and SiO2 shell are replaced by silver (Ag) and polystyrene (PS) shell, respectively. The usage of polymer coating instead of SiO2 cuts down a step in the preparation of core-shell nanoparticles, thus making the process simpler and cost effective. Removal of SiO2 layer increases the polarization around the metallic core as a result of improvement in the acting electrical potential. This modification also leads to significant cost reduction in the fabrication process ingredients as Ag is less expensive than Au. Improved electrical performance can also be achieved, since Ag presents higher conductivity than Au. In COMSOL Multiphysics software, the AC/DC module is selected and the Inplane electric currents are applied to the physical model. The modified EMT is applied to the polymer core-shell to calculate the effective electrical properties of the composite. The percolation data analysis is used to predict the maximum theoretical K value of the composite and results of both 2D and 3D models under different amount of filler loading are presented.
DETERMINANTS OF THE QUALITY OF HOUSING IN POOR AND NON-POOR HOUSEHOLDS

Living conditions are very important in the sense that they provide peaceful environment to inhabitants. Living conditions are primarily based on the income level of the household. Higher income usually leads to higher quality of housing. But there are still other factors which are responsible for good housing conditions. It is fact that housing provides shelter to their inhabitants, access to health and educational services as well as employment opportunities which may lead to higher productivity and income for families. Since the quality of contains many aspects, it not only depends upon the internal features of the housing units, but also depend upon the environment of the community where this house is located.
An application of cluster analysis for determining homogeneous subregions: The agroclimatological point of view

A stratification oriented to crop area and yield estimation problems was performed using an algorithm of clustering. The variables used were a set of agroclimatological characteristics measured in each one of the 232 municipalities of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A nonhierarchical cluster analysis was used and the pseudo F-statistics criterion was implemented for determining the "cut point" in the number of strata.
Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of Family Adenoviridae from marine environment as inferred from the hexon protein gene

The marine environment, covering 70% of the planet’s surface, is estimated to contain 10 30 viruses. Despite their great importance in the marine environment, virtually very little is known about marine viral biodiversity or the evolutionary relationships of marine and non-marine viruses. The present study is aimed at molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the viral Family Adenoviridae from the marine environment, based on the hexon protein gene. Briefly, 50 L of sea water was purified and concentrated by a combination of tangential flow filtration, flocculation and centrifugation. Metagenomic DNA was extracted from the viral particles and PCR amplification was performed using specific primers designed for hexon protein gene of adenoviruses. Positive amplicons were cloned and sequenced. Sequences were analysed using GeneTool, BioEdit, ExPASy, ClustalW, GeneDoc and Mega 5.0 programmes. Partial hexon protein amplicon of 254 bp fragment encoding hexon protein of 84 amino acids could be recovered from the metagenomc viral DNA (KJ958986). Phylogenetic relationship of the newly identified hexon protein gene was constructed employing neighbour joining method based on already available hexon protein sequences in GenBank. The results of phylogenetic analysis confirmed the basal placement of the newly identified hexon protein gene in the Adenoviridae family. The present study shows that the newly identified adenovirus from marine environment is more closely related to adenoviruses isolated from Ovine and Bovine sources than to other adenoviruses from human sources. The present study provides a clearer insight into adenoviridae present in the marine system.
Towards Understanding Successful Novice Example Use in Blocks-Based Programming

Blocks-based environments are frequently used in settings where there is little or no access to teachers. Effective support for examples in blocks-based environments may help novices learn in the absence of human experts. However, existing research suggests that novices can struggle to use examples effectively. We conducted a study exploring the impacts of example-task similarity and annotation style on children’s abilities to use examples in a blocks-based environment. To gain understanding of where and why children struggle, we examined the degree to which (1) children were able to map a task to its corresponding example, and (2) their programming behavior predicted task success. The results suggest that annotations improve task performance to an extent and that mappings and programming behavior can begin to explain the remaining problems novices have
Comparative Study for Different Antenna Designs for the 4G Networks

Wireless communication has become an inevitable part of our lives. Since the evolution of patch antennas, there has been rapid growth observed in its application. There are many advantages of wireless communication such as the small size, ease of fabrication and installation, and firm performance. There are several designs that have been developed and presented by researchers over time. In this report, different antenna designs for the 4G network will be presented with their specific features and applications.
Current understanding of tumor lysis syndrome

Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is an oncologic emergency from the intracellular release of material in lysing malignant cells. The earlier it is treated, the less likely it is to be harmful to an individual and spread through the body. Common complications of TLS include arrhythmias, which are caused by hypocalcemia or hyperkalemia, renal failures due to hyperuricemia or hyperphosphatemia, and seizures. Furthermore, the risk to develop TLS varies widely based on several factors including factors that are related to disease, the patient, and the treatment of the patient. Laboratory data can be used to gauge the severity of TLS based on patient serum levels for specific markers. On the contrary, evidence of TLS via radiological imaging and electrocardiogram findings has been a limited way to evaluate TLS, indicating the need for further research in this area. Common trends of treatment have also been seen in the past several years, evident by case studies seen in the following literature review.
Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Origanum elongatum essential oil

Background: In recent years, antioxidants have become essential in nutrition because of their ability to protect the body against oxidative cell damage that can produce dangerous diseases. Medicinal plants are a major source of many bioactive molecules that act directly on the body. Objective: The main objective of our work is to highlight the antioxidant potential of the essential oil (EO) of Origanum elongatum Emb and Maire (endemic plant of Morocco), determine its composition, and carry out fractionation operations to isolate the molecule (s) responsible for this activity. Materials and Methods: The measurement of the antioxidant activity of the EO is carried out by trapping the free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and the composition of the EO is determined using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The fractionation of the EO was carried out by various chromatography techniques. Results: The results show that the EO has an interesting antioxidant activity with an EC50in the order of 1.2 in comparison with a reference antioxidant, δ-tocopherol whose EC50is 0.26. The EO of O. elongatum consists of 11 compounds, of which 3 are the majority: carvacrol (60.42%), para-cymene (13.9%), and γ-terpinene (9.4%). Conclusion: Fractionation of the oil made it possible to isolate a purified antioxidant molecule consisting mainly of carvacrol (95%).
An Efficient Electrochemiluminescence Enhancement Strategy on Bipolar Electrode for Bioanalysis.

This paper develops an efficient electrochemiluminescence (ECL) enhancement strategy on closed bipolar electrode for the detection of prostate specific antigen (PSA). We first synthesized a cyclometalated iridium(III) complex ((pq)2Irbza) with high ECL efficiency and used as ECL emitter in the anodic cell of BPE. While we introduced a Pt-tipped Au NRs and constructed a sandwich immune structure at the cathodic pole of BPE. Combined the signal amplification strategies of enzyme catalysis and the synergistic catalytic effect of bimetallic structure for the reduction of H2O2, the attached Pt-tipped Au NRs-GOx-Ab2 nanocomplex as both recognition probes and signal amplification units could mediate the ECL signals of (pq)2Irbza/tripropylamine (TPrA) on the anodes of BPE through faradaic reaction due to the charge neutrality of BPE. Therefore, a highly sensitive BPE-ECL sensor for detection of PSA with a detection limit of 0.72 pg/mL and a line-ar range from 1.0 pg/mL to 10 ng/mL was obtained. This work is expected to broad the application of iridium complex and bimetallic nanocatalyst in biological detection and could be utilized to detect many other biological molecules.
Modulation of cholesterol efflux capacity in patients with myocardial infarction.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Epidemiologic studies consistently demonstrated that patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and low HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) are more likely to develop major adverse cardiovascular events as compared with those with normal or high HDL. However, several large randomized trials failed to demonstrate that a substantial, pharmacological-based, increase of HDL-C concentrations results in a clinically significant reduction of ischemic outcomes. This has been largely attributed to the fact that, although these drugs are able to raise the HDL-C concentration, they have no effect on HDL-C atheroprotective function. Subsequently, the 'HDL hypothesis' evolved, and the focus shifted from raising the concentration of HDL-C to raising the reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) function by increasing patients cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) instead. Indeed, new data suggest that HDL-C metabolism and the ability of the HDL molecule to transport cholesterol from the atherosclerotic plaque to the liver, measured by the CEC, is more important than steady-state HDL-C levels. Modulation of the CEC has become, therefore, a promising therapeutic target in CAD patients. This article reviews the current data on the 'cholesterol efflux hypothesis' and discuss its ability to be modulated has a potential therapeutic target. RECENT FINDINGS Recent data have demonstrated that impaired serum CEC was associated with increased mortality after a myocardial infarction (MI). Thus, therapeutic intervention aiming to improve CEC and RCT may reduce the risk of recurrent events. Early phase clinical studies targeting CEC showed promising results and a megatrial is ongoing testing the hypothesis that an improved RCT trough a modulation of the CEC can modify patient's prognosis after an acute MI. SUMMARY The 'cholesterol efflux hypothesis' is now supported by several clinical studies and is being tested with a therapeutic candidate in a megatrial enrolling high-risk patient with MI.
Data-Driven Process Control via Reinforcement Learning and Recurrent Neural Networks

Overview Model-based controllers are ubiquitous in process control. In order to maintain overall performance in the presence of gradual changes in the process (for example due to changes in feedstock, wear and tear on equipment and instrumentation, etc), such controllers require re-tuning. For Model Predictive Control (MPC), or other modern approaches where performance is directly correlated with the quality of the underlying process model, re-tuning the controller requires re-identifying the model, and this can take up to two weeks for some applications (Kano and Ogawa, 2009). Our recent results in (Spielberg et al., 2017) and (Spielberg et al., 2019) use Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) to develop an input-output controller for set-point tracking problems in discrete-time nonlinear processes by simply using the current output information from the system. Here, we propose a general RL state definition to include past inputs and outputs, and accompanying Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) structures to parameterize the actor and critic. Further, we propose a new reward function that involves both the current deviation from a set-point and the difference in control actions across several previous time-steps, thereby incentivizing smoother controls.
Prevalence of Zika and malaria in patients with fever in secondary healthcare facilities in south-eastern Nigeria

We describe the frequency of Zika and malaria among patients presenting with fever to secondary health facilities in Cross River State, Nigeria. Using a cross-sectional, stratified survey design, we randomly selected nine facilities and consecutively recruited 100 participants (aged ≥ 1 year) who presented with fever. On testing blood samples using Biocan qualitative lateral flow immuno-chromatographic cassettes for Zika IgG and IgM, 10% were seropositive for Zika virus (ZIKV) IgM, 12% for ZIKV IgG and 20% for ZIKV IgM, IgG or both. Following microscopy of thick films stained with Giemsa for malaria parasites, 55% were positive for malaria and 15% were positive for both malaria and ZIKV IgM, IgG or both. A moderately negative association between urban and rural household location and seropositivity for ZIKV IgM or IgG was found on logistic regression. Our results clearly indicate a high rate of probable ZIKV and malaria co-incidence in Cross River State. Given the high risk of serious fetal outcomes following ZIKV infection, further epidemiological research and surveillance systems for ZIKV are clearly required.
A modelling framework for improved design and decision-making in drug development

The development of a new drug is an extremely high-risk enterprise. The attrition rates of development projects and the average costs for each launched product are daunting, and the completion of a development program requires a very long time horizon. These facts imply that there are huge potential gains, should one be able to improve efficiency and enhance decision-making capabilities. In this paper, we argue that substantial gains can be achieved by adapting a holistic view of drug development. Historically, too much planning, design and decision-making in the pharmaceutical development has been based on locally optimising separate parts of the development program, and too often important sources of uncertainty are ignored. We propose instead a model-based approach built on two essential pillars; (1) an integrated holistic view of the development program, including post-launch marketing and sales, with all parts evaluated simultaneously; (2) an explicit appreciation of all relevant sources of uncertainty. Computer simulations are utilised to evaluate the properties of the program options at hand, and to provide valuable quantitative decision support. Applications of this modelling approach have proven to add large value to development projects in terms of better program options being generated and more value-adding decisions taken.