Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of setter ability in the provincial sports week championship in 2022

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of the setter's ability at the 2022 volleyball championship. This study used a quantitative approach with survey methods by technically observing ongoing matches. The research sample was the setters consisting of the best teams who made it to the top 8, semifinals and finals, using a purposive sampling technique. The data collection technique was a direct observation of the playing field and was assisted by video documentation on the success, rally and failure of a setter passing the ball at the 2022 Provincial Sports Week Championship. It was assessed based on the observation sheet. The research results indicate that the average setter effectiveness in the top 8 matches was 34% in the very ineffective category. The average result of the effectiveness of the setter in the semifinal match was 48% in the ineffective category. The average result of the effectiveness of setters in the final match was 51% in the ineffective category. The conclusion is that the average effectiveness of the setter's abilities in the Provincial Sports Week Championship from the Big 8 match stage to the final setter is ineffective in feeding the ball.Keywords: Effectiveness, Ability, Setter
On the Solution of Linear Difference Equations

The solution of linear differential equations under given boundary and initial conditions has been greatly expedited in recent years by the use of the method of integral transforms. It is the purpose of this note to show that an entirely parallel method may be developed for the solution of linear difference equations and that this leads to a new view of the generating function of a sequence as a transform of the sequence, analogous to the Laplace transform of a function.
Validation protocol of analytical methods for finished pharmaceutical products

Cette etude etablit un protocole de validation de methodes analytiques pour formes pharmaceutiques qui regroupe et unifie tous les aspects impliques. Les parametres de validation etudies sont: la linearite, la sensibilite, la precision, l'exactitude et la selectivite. Les criteres a considerer sont inclus dans l'etude, tant sur le plan experimental de l'etude de validation que pour l'evaluation statistique des resultats obtenus
Eve: A Gradient Based Optimization Method with Locally and Globally Adaptive Learning Rates

Adaptive gradient methods for stochastic optimization adjust the learning rate for each parameter locally. However, there is also a global learning rate which must be tuned in order to get the best performance. In this paper, we present a new algorithm that adapts the learning rate locally for each parameter separately, and also globally for all parameters together. Specifically, we modify Adam, a popular method for training deep learning models, with a coefficient that captures properties of the objective function. Empirically, we show that our method, which we call Eve, outperforms Adam and other popular methods in training deep neural networks, like convolutional neural networks for image classification, and recurrent neural networks for language tasks.
Tradeoffs in optimization of Active Insulation Systems and HVAC: A case study in residential buildings

Active insulation systems (AIS) have been conceptualized to make buildings more responsive to changing environmental conditions, creating energy efficiency and flexibility gains. Building flexibility and efficiency can be further improved if the building is also equipped with optimized HVAC system controls. Optimal control of AIS and HVAC systems can be used to activate thermal mass, and past work has quantified the potential benefits of jointly optimizing both systems. In this work, we more fully elucidate and evaluate the potential tradeoffs between optimal control of these technologies with respect to building energy use and peak demand–including different configurations of heat pump systems and integrated building thermal energy storage. Tradeoffs are revealed by applying a multi-objective optimal control framework and comparing the Pareto optimal sets across various system configurations. Discussion of the results provides insights into how buildings can be best designed and controlled to achieve both energy efficiency and flexibility.
Mechanism of generation of hybrid states and implementation of two-qubit controlled-sign gate based on displaced properties of qubits

We consider mechanism of generation of hybrid states and implementation of two-qubit unitary operations for quantum computation. The mechanism is based on displaced properties of optical qubits. Coherent states with large modulo but opposite in sign amplitudes deterministically displaces microscopic qubit. Registration of a certain number of photons in the auxiliary mode (probabilistic operation) creates output hybrid entangled state. Symmetry properties of the decomposition amplitudes of the microscopic states over the displaced number states with respect to change of the sign of the displacement amplitude are the basis for generation of hybrid states and implementation of two-qubit controlled-sign gate (direct and reverse actions). It is shown that this mechanism works for a variety of basic states. Near-deterministic protocol of quantum teleportation between coherent and dual-rail microscopic qubits by means of hybrid channel is analyzed.
ECOLOGIA DA GERMINAÇÃO DE UMA ESPÉCIE INVASORA EM POTENCIAL: Dodonaea viscosa Jacq

Dodonaea viscosa Jacq. (Sapindaceae), espécie exótica, de origem australiana, é uma árvore com potencial para a recuperação de áreas degradadas, pois cresce rápido, tolera a seca, forma bancos de sementes no solo e possui boas taxas de germinação. Estas características permitem considerá-la também como invasora potencial, ao se dispersar agressivamente no ambiente, quando comparada às espécies nativas do Brasil. A germinação das sementes foi avaliada em três experimentos, sendo submetidas às seguintes condições: (a) duas intensidades de luz, sobre dois substratos, em cinco regimes de temperatura; (b) cinco comprimentos de onda luminosa, sobre papel fltro, a 30 °C; (c) ausência e presença de dormência, sobre vermiculita, a 25 °C, divididos por matrizes. Os testes demonstraram que as sementes possuem dormência física, germinaram melhor no escuro (ou luz verde), no intervalo entre 20 e 25 °C, características também observadas em espécies pioneiras e invasoras, como Leucaena leucocephala e Pinus spp. , caracterizando-a como tal. Ressalta-se que o conceito de espécie invasora é muito amplo e dependente do contexto, permitindo múltiplas interpretações por parte dos autores, por isso, estudos do impacto da espécie no entorno são necessários, a fm de aliar a fsiologia à paisagem.
ANALISIS FAKTOR YANG MEMENGARUHI PEMBELIAN IMPULSIF KONSUMEN SHOPEE MELALUI HEDONIC SHOPPING MOTIVATION DAN UTILITARIAN VALUE SEBAGAI INTERVENING

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji pengaruh kualitas website terhadap pembelian impulsive dengan memasukan dua variabel intervening hedonic shopping motivation dan utilitarian value. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kuantiatif dengan pendekatan survey. Sampel penelitian diambil sebanyak 119 orang dengan teknik stratified random sampling. Adapun analisis data menggunakan metode SEM-PLS dengan tahapan uji outer model, uji inner model dan uji hipotesis. Dari hasil penelitian diketahui bahwa 1) Kualitas website terbukti memberikan pengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap pembelian impulsive; 2) Kualitas website terbukti memberikan pengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap hedonic shopping motivation; 3) Kualitas website terbukti memberikan pengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap utilitarian value; 4) Hedonic shopping motivation tidak berpengaruh terhadap pembelian impulsive; dan 5) Utilitarian value memberikan pengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap pembelian impulsive. Dari penelitian ini diketahui ada sebesar 48,7% pembelian impulsive yang dipengaruhi oleh variabel lain yang tidak diteliti dalam model.
Effect of Mannan Oligosaccharides Extracts in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Adhesion in Human Bladder Cells

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common public health problem, mainly caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). Patients with chronic UTIs are usually treated with long-acting prophylactic antibiotics, which promotes the development of antibiotic-resistant UPEC strains and may complicate their long-term management. D-mannose and extracts rich in D-mannose such as mannan oligosaccharides (MOS; D-mannose oligomers) are promising alternatives to antibiotic prophylaxis due to their ability to inhibit bacterial adhesion to urothelial cells and, therefore, infection. This highlights the therapeutic potential and commercial value of using them as health supplements. Studies on the effect of MOS in UTIs are, however, scarce. Aiming to evaluate the potential benefits of using MOS extracts in UTIs prophylaxis, their ability to inhibit the adhesion of UPEC to urothelial cells and its mechanism of action were assessed. Additionally, the expression levels of the pro-inflammatory marker interleukin 6 (IL-6) were also evaluated. After characterizing their cytotoxic profiles, the preliminary results indicated that MOS extracts have potential to be used for the handling of UTIs and demonstrated that the mechanism through which they inhibit bacterial adhesion is through the competitive inhibition of FimH adhesins through the action of mannose, validated by a bacterial growth impact assessment.
Residual Spatial Correlation in Two-Way Error Panel Data Models

This thesis examines the spatial autocorrelation in residuals of two-way error panel data models. Three types of models are examined: the standard linear panel data model, the dynamic panel data model, and the spatial lag panel data model. A known theoretical result for the linear model, that the within estimator applied to independent observations results in a spatial correlation in the residuals which is proportional to the inverse of the number of observed individual units, is supported in a Monte Carlo study. Similar Monte Carlo results are shown for the dynamic and spatial models. The Monte Carlo study shows the effect of residual correlation on the maximum likelihood estimation of the spatial model and on residual tests for spatial correlation. Randomization tests for spatial correlation are formulated and their properties are evaluated. The results suggest that a randomization test for local spatial autocorrelation is the most suitable test for samples large in number of individual regions and small in number of time points. The model estimation methods and tests for residual spatial autocorrelation are applied in an empirical examination of regional unemployment in Southern Sweden. The study shows that the spatial lag model is sensitive to choice of spatial weight matrix and indicates the presence of a spatial structure which is not fully captured by the applied models and weight matrices. (Less)
Protective Effects of Bacillus subtilis HH2 against Oral Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in Beagles

Simple Summary Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is an important pathogen that causes diarrhea in both humans and animals, thereby posing a serious threat to public health and animal agriculture. Bacillus subtilis, a probiotic, offers a novel approach to reduce the need for antibiotics and plays a crucial role in treating various intestinal diseases. We previously isolated a strain of B. subtilis HH2 from giant panda feces, which has shown multiple beneficial functions in vitro and in vivo. However, studies on the protective effect of B. subtilis on companion animals with orally administered ETEC have not been reported. Therefore, we explored the effects of B. subtilis HH2 on the fecal microbiota, intestinal barrier integrity, and non-specific immunity in beagles challenged with ETEC. Experimental results showed that B. subtilis HH2 could alleviate diarrhea caused by ETEC, improve non-specific immunity and intestinal barrier integrity, and modulate gut microbiota. Notably, more indicators are needed to determine its protective effect on beagles in future studies. Abstract This study evaluated the protective effect of Bacillus subtilis HH2 on beagles orally challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). We assessed the physiological parameters and the severity of diarrhea, as well as the changes in three serum immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, and IgM), plasma diamine oxidase (DAO), D-lactate (D-LA), and the fecal microbiome. Feeding B. subtilis HH2 significantly reduced the severity of diarrhea after the ETEC challenge (p < 0.05) and increased serum levels of IgG, IgA, and IgM (p < 0.01). B. subtilis HH2 administration also reduced serum levels of DAO at 48 h after the ETEC challenge (p < 0.05), but no significant changes were observed in D-LA (p > 0.05). Oral ETEC challenge significantly reduced the richness and diversity of gut microbiota in beagles not pre-fed with B. subtilis HH2 (p < 0.05), while B. subtilis HH2 feeding and oral ETEC challenge significantly altered the gut microbiota structure of beagles (p < 0.01). Moreover, 14 days of B. subtilis HH2 feeding reduced the relative abundance of Deinococcus-Thermus in feces. This study reveals that B. subtilis HH2 alleviates diarrhea caused by ETEC, enhances non-specific immunity, reduces ETEC-induced damage to the intestinal mucosa, and regulates gut microbiota composition.
An energy momentum consistent integration scheme using a polyconvexity‐based framework for nonlinear thermo‐elastodynamics

The present contribution provides a new approach to the design of energy momentum consistent integration schemes in the field of nonlinear thermo‐elastodynamics. The method is inspired by the structure of polyconvex energy density functions and benefits from a tensor cross product that greatly simplifies the algebra. Furthermore, a temperature‐based weak form is used, which facilitates the design of a structure‐preserving time‐stepping scheme for coupled thermoelastic problems. This approach is motivated by the general equation for nonequilibrium reversible‐irreversible coupling (GENERIC) framework for open systems. In contrast to complex projection‐based discrete derivatives, a new form of an algorithmic stress formula is proposed. The spatial discretization relies on finite element interpolations for the displacements and the temperature. The superior performance of the proposed formulation is shown within representative quasi‐static and fully transient numerical examples.
Synthesis of Approximate Parallel-Prefix Adders

Approximate computation has evolved recently as a viable alternative for maximizing energy efficiency. One aspect of approximate computing involves the design of hardware units that return a sufficiently accurate result for the examined occasion, rather than computing an accurate result. As long as the hardware units are allowed to compute approximately, they can be designed with multiple new ways. In this work, we focus on the synthesis of approximate parallel-prefix adders. Instead of exploring specific architectures, as done by state-of-the-art approaches, the introduced synthesizer can produce every solution that meets the designer’s criteria, resulting in adders with various delay, area, and error tradeoffs. This automatic design space exploration allows approaching, in several cases, optimal solutions that could have not been designed with any other known parallel-prefix architecture. The synthesized adders, when compared with state-of-the-art adders, achieve 27%–36% better error frequency (EF) on average for random inputs and improve image quality metrics by 8%–42% for image filtering. These results are achieved with the proposed adders requiring the same or marginally more hardware area or energy. On the contrary, in split-accuracy configurations, more than 30% of hardware area/energy can be saved for the same classification accuracy for a neural network application.
Putrescine Detected in Strains of Staphylococcus aureus

Most forms of life, including the archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes synthesize the polyamine putrescine. Although putrescine is widely distributed, several Gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), appear to be the exceptions. We report here that strains of S. aureus can produce the polyamine putrescine, as well as the derivative N-acetyl-putrescine. Three strains of S. aureus from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), one strain listed in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database, whose genomic sequence is well defined, and well as eight strains from S. aureus-induced brain abscesses of individual patients from multiple geographic locations were evaluated. Each strain was grown in complete chemically defined medium (CDM) under stringent conditions, after which the partially purified conditioned medium (CM) was analyzed by mass spectroscopy (MS), and the data were reported as the ratio of experimental results to controls. We confirmed the synthesis of putrescine by S. aureus by using 13C/15N-labeled arginine as a tracer. We found that agmatine, N-acetyl-putrescine, ornithine, citrulline, proline, and NH3 were all labeled with heavy isotope derived from 13C/15N-labeled arginine. None of the strains examined produced spermine or spermidine, but strains from either ATCC or human brain abscesses produced putrescine and/or its derivative N-acetyl-putrescine.
Design and Evaluation of Composite Magnetic Iron–Platinum Nanowires for Targeted Cancer Nanomedicine

The purpose of the study was to synthesize and investigate the influence of geometrical structure, magnetism, and cytotoxic activity on core–shell platinum and iron–platinum (Fe/Pt) composite nanowires (NWs) for potential application in targeted chemotherapeutic approaches. The Pt-NWs and Fe/Pt composite NWs were synthesized via template electrodeposition, using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes. The Fe/Pt composite NWs (Method 1) was synthesized using two electrodeposition steps, allowing for greater control of the diameter of the NW core. The Fe/Pt composite NWs (Method 2) was synthesized by pulsed electrodeposition, using a single electrolytic bath. The properties of the synthesized NWs were assessed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Raman spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), vibrating-sample magnetometry (VSM), and surface charge (zeta potential). A microscopy image analysis of the NWs revealed the presence of high-aspect-ratio NWs with nominal diameters of 40–50 nm and lengths of approximately <4 µm. The obtained powder XRD patterns confirmed the presence of a polycrystalline structure for both Pt NWs and Fe/Pt composite NWs. The potential utility of the synthesized NW nanoplatforms for anticancer activity was investigated using Tera 1 cells and Mouse 3T3 cells. Pt-NWs displayed modest cytotoxic activity against Tera 1 cells, while the Fe/Pt composite NWs (both Methods 1 and 2) demonstrated enhanced cytotoxic activity compared to the Pt-NWs on Tera 1 cells. The Fe/Pt composite NWs (Method 1) displayed ferromagnetic behavior and enhanced cytotoxic activity compared to Pt-NWs on Tera 1 cells, thus providing a sound basis for future magnetically targeted chemotherapeutic applications.
Antioxidant Enzyme System Modulation by Dietary Palm Oils, Palm Kernel Oil and Soybean Oil in Laying Hens

Simple Summary Different sources of oils have unique characteristics, such as fatty acids and phenolic compounds. Different compounds in oils have different antioxidant capacities, and their inclusion in the diet would influence the antioxidant system in poultry. In comparing dietary supplementation of palm oils (crude palm oil, red palm oil, refined palm oil), palm kernel oil and soybean oil in laying hens, we found that palm oils with high antioxidant content had a lower production of antioxidant enzymes in the intestinal mucosa, serum and liver. We suggest that the inclusion of oils with high antioxidant content, such as crude palm oil and red palm oil, provides better protection through reduction in oxidation. Abstract Palm-based oils (palm oil and kernel oil) and soybean oil have unique fatty acid and antioxidant profiles based on the compounds present in them. Hence, this study elucidated the antioxidant properties of crude palm oil (CPO), red palm oil (RPO), refined palm oil (RBD), palm kernel oil (PKO) and soybean oil (SBO) and the influence of dietary oils on blood lipid profiles, tissue fatty acid deposition and the expression of hepatic lipid and lipoprotein metabolism genes in laying hens. The oils were analyzed for color, beta-carotene, free fatty acid and acid value, phenolic content and lipid peroxidation. In an in vivo trial, 150 laying hens were allotted into five groups and supplemented with either CPO, RPO, RBD, PKO or SBO for 16 weeks. High antioxidant compounds present in palm oils help reduce the oxidation of oils. Dietary supplementation with palm oils, particularly CPO and RPO, contributed to the lower liver, serum and jejunal mucosal antioxidant enzyme activities. The antioxidant enzyme genes in the jejunal mucosa were downregulated in palm oils and PKO, but there was no difference between oils in antioxidant enzyme genes in the liver. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with oils with high antioxidant content contributed to protection against oxidation and was associated with a lower requirement for producing antioxidant enzymes.
Constructing Chinese Cultural Identity Internationally in Translated Political Discourse: A Corpus Analysis of the English Versions of President Xi Jinping’s International Addresses

Political discourse is generally assumed to deal with politics, on issues such as policies, power and ideology; however, it also involves cultural issues, thus playing a role in cultural transmission and cultural identity construction. The international addresses delivered by Chinese President Xi Jinping in and outside China are good examples of political discourse that take culture into account. In President Xi’s international addresses, he quoted extensively from Chinese culture to construct an identity of a peace-loving China that seeks peaceful and harmonious co-existence with other nations. How President Xi constructed Chinese cultural identity as a peace-loving nation is of much research interest. To answer this question, we built a corpus of President Xi’s international addresses, which is composed of 145 texts of English versions delivered between 2013 and 2022 on various occasions. We investigated how Chinese cultural identity is constructed in translated political discourse by means of corpus analysis. By analyzing the high-frequency content words, the first-person plural pronoun “we”, LDA topic modeling, and sentiment, we found that a Chinese cultural identity of a peace-loving nation that seeks harmonious relationships with other countries had been constructed in President Xi’s international addresses. Based on the corpus-driven analysis, it is argued that political discourse can also serve as a good channel to construct cultural identity.