Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is the creatine kinase isoenzyme MB level a marker of myocardial ischemia in ventilated premature infants

INTRODUCTION: It is not clear whether the levels of troponin I (TI) and creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CK-MB) are changed in premature infants (PI) without evidence of myocardial ischemia (MI). OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether TI and CK-MB change their levels in newborns without MI while on mechanical ventilation (MV). METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study in which 165 PI were divided into control group ([CG]; n = 68), mechanical ventilated group ([VG]; n = 21) and a surfactant therapy group ([SG]; n = 76), and had their TI, creatine kinase (CK) and CK-MB levels were determined. After the division, within the first four hours after the introduction of the mechanical ventilation (MV) and one hour after the withdrawal of it, we performed a new measurement of TI, CK and CK-MB to all PI from VG and VS. We used the chi-square test to evaluate the association among qualitative variables and the Kruskall-Wallis test to compare the serum levels of TI, and CK-MB among the groups, before, during and after MV using the statistical package SPSS 16.0 software. RESULTS: TI, CK, and CK-MB serum values before the groups were divided were considered normal. The TI concentration among the groups before and after MV (p > 0.05) did not changed; however, the CK-MB levels were higher in VG when compared to the CG (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: The increase of CK-MB serum levels in VG and SG seems to indicate an increased work of thoracic skeletal muscle and do not represent a MI signal, which invalidate its use as a marker.
Climate Change and Space Heating Energy Demand: A Review of the Literature

This paper reviews recent evidence on the potential impacts of climate change on energy demand for space heating in residential and commercial buildings. We cover two main topics. First, we review empirical studies of the historical relationship between temperature and energy use for heating and cooling. These studies show consistent evidence of a U-shaped relationship between temperature and energy demand, in which energy use for heating is greatest at very low temperatures, and energy use for cooling is greatest at very high temperatures. The temperature at which energy use is minimized varies across geography and time periods, but in most studies is between 53°F and 72°F (12°C and 22°C). Second, we review studies that estimate how climate change will affect future energy use for space heating and cooling. Most studies predict that climate change will result in reductions in demand for heating and increases in demand for cooling. Although the sign of the net global effect depends on the time frame and climate change scenario, a very robust conclusion is that there is considerable variation across geographies, with the largest magnitude effects predicted for countries that currently have either very low or very high average temperatures. Overall, the results summarized in this paper will be useful for understanding the potential magnitude of the benefits of climate-related reductions in space heating, and for improving the damage functions used in integrated assessment models of climate change.
Ab Initio Construction of Polypeptide Fragments: Efficient Generation of Accurate, Representative Ensembles

We describe a novel method to generate ensembles of conformations of the main-chain atoms {N, C␣, C, O, C␤} for a sequence of amino acids within the context of a fixed protein framework. Each conformation satisfies fundamental stereo-chemical restraints such as idealized geometry, favorable ␾/␺ angles, and excluded volume. The ensembles include conformations both near and far from the native structure. Algorithms for effective conformational sampling and constant time overlap detection permit the generation of thousands of distinct conformations in minutes. Unlike previous approaches, our method samples dihedral angles from fine-grained ␾/␺ state sets, which we demonstrate is superior to exhaustive enumeration from coarse ␾/␺ sets. Applied to a large set of loop structures , our method samples consistently near-native conformations, averaging 0.4, 1.1, and 2.2 A ˚ main-chain root-mean-square deviations for four, eight, and twelve residue long loops, respectively. The ensembles make ideal decoy sets to assess the discriminatory power of a selection method. Using these decoy sets, we conclude that quality of anchor geometry cannot reliably identify near-native con-formations, though the selection results are comparable to previous loop prediction methods. In a subsequent study (de Bakker et al.: Proteins 2003;51: 21– 40), we demonstrate that the AMBER forcefield with the Generalized Born solvation model identifies near-native conformations significantly better than previous methods.
NOx Emission Forecasting: A Case Study for Iran

Industrialization, urbanization, rapid traffic growth and increasing levels of anthropogenic emissions have resulted in a substantial deterioration of air quality over the globe. The main objective of the present study is to forecast NOx emission in Iran using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) based on the values of oil, natural gas, coal, and primary energy consumptions as the energy consumption indicators. Linear and non-linear forms of equations are developed to forecast NOx emission using PSO based on the Iran's energy consumption indicators. The related data between 1981 and 2009 were used, partly for installing the models (finding candidates of the best weighting factors for each model (1981-2002)) and partly for testing the models (2003–2009). Eventually, NOx emission in Iran is estimated up to year 2035.
Robust regeneration protocol for the Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation of Solanum tuberosum

Plant genetic transformation requires robust regeneration system. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) such as cytokinins (CKs) play a pivotal role in organogenesis; however, CKs are the most expensive PGRs. In the current study, an efficient yet economical protocol for regeneration of potato plant was developed. Stem inter-nodal and leaf explants were cultured on different regeneration media supplemented with varying concentration of different CKs such as kinetin and zeatin. MurashigeSkoog media added with zeatin (1, 1.5 mg/L) was designated as RZ1, RZ1.5, respectively or kinetin (1.5, 2 mg/L) was designated as RK1.5 and RK2, respectively, however, concentrations of other hormones such as NAA (1-Naphthaleneacetic acid) and GA3 (Gibberellic acid A3) were kept same. RZ1 and RZ1.5 gave significantly better results as compared to RK-type media in all aspects studied such as callus initiation, days to first shoot emergence, number of shoots per explants. RZ1 medium was then selected as regeneration media for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of potato plants with cyanobacterial phosphoenol pyruvate carboxylase gene, which provided multiple putative transformants on selection media. The transformants were further confirmed through PCR. The current protocol is found to be cost effective and efficient for the regeneration of Solanum tuberosum and can be successfully implied for the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.
Gravel Beach Swash Zone Dynamics

A swash flow transducer was constructed to record wave energies and swash velocities measured via a system of marker poles. Long (4m) metal poles were installed on a gravel beach located at Nash Point, South Wales, UK, a rugged, high energy, coastal environment. These were secured to three 30kg concrete anchoring legs per pole buried in the beach. A Rustrak Event recorder with manual trip pen device recorded the time taken by a series of swash edges to pass each marker pole. Twenty such consecutive swashes were monitored over various tidal stages. The event recorder also obtained wave period, swash period and run up. Profiles and surface sediments were also recorded both before and after each experiment. Non-parametric testing of the sediment samples pre and post experiments were carried out in order to identify any significant differences in gravel size. No specific point of peak velocity was found. A scatter of velocity value points, which increased up beach, correlated with the swash tip. Swash values were an order of magnitude higher than those produced by other workers. Average swash velocity was > 4m/sec. A correlation (0.7) was found between t/Tb (swash period/breaker period) the 'phase difference' and % (breaker height), reflecting the association between wave height and the amount of water brought onto the beach surface. For a given wave period, an increase in height induced an increase in phase difference. No such relationship was found between swash velocity and HO (deep-water wave height) or Hy (breaker height). Environmental Coastal Regions III, C.A. Brebbia, G.R. Rodriguez & E. Perez Martell (Editors) © 2000 WIT Press, www.witpress. com, ISBN 1-85312-827-9
Statistical Consistency of Kernel Canonical Correlation Analysis

While kernel canonical correlation analysis (CCA) has been applied in many contexts, the convergence of finite sample estimates of the associated functions to their population counterparts has not yet been established. This paper gives a mathematical proof of the statistical convergence of kernel CCA, providing a theoretical justification for the method. The proof uses covariance operators defined on reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces, and analyzes the convergence of their empirical estimates of finite rank to their population counterparts, which can have infinite rank. The result also gives a sufficient condition for convergence on the regularization coefficient involved in kernel CCA: this should decrease as n-1/3, where n is the number of data.
Effects of Bio-Organic Fertilizer on the Yield of Chuzhou Chrysanthemum and Soil Microflora under Continuous Cropping Cultivation System

Effects of bio-organic fertilizer on the yield of Chuzhou Chrysanthemum and microflora in soil under continuous cropping cultivation were studied by a field plot experiment. The results showed that the yield of Chuzhou chrysanthemum rose to 356 kilograms per 667 m2by increasing 200 kilograms bio-organic fertilizer application per 667 m2, and the rate of increasing yield was 50.4% compared with the control treatment which applied with common chemical fertilizer. Moreover, the amount of total microorganisms in soil increased slightly with applied bio-organic fertilizer, but the increasing rate was not obvious, meanwhile, the amount of Fusarium oxysporum in soil descended significantly. The amount of Fusarium oxysporum in soil amended with the addition of an extra 200 kilograms bio-organic fertilizer per 667 m2was only 15.7% of the control.
Sun glint requirement for the remote detection of surface oil films

Natural oil slicks in the western Gulf of Mexico are used to determine the sun glint threshold required for optical remote sensing of oil films. The threshold is determined using the same‐day image pairs collected by Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra (MODIST), MODIS Aqua (MODISA), and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) (N = 2297 images) over the same oil slick locations where at least one of the sensors captures the oil slicks. For each sensor, statistics of sun glint strengths, represented by the normalized glint reflectance (LGN, sr−1), when oil slicks can and cannot be observed are generated. The LGN threshold for oil film detections is determined to be 10−5–10−6 sr−1 for MODIST and MODISA, and 10−6–10−7 sr−1 for VIIRS. Below these thresholds, no oil films can be detected, while above these thresholds, oil films can always be detected except near the critical‐angle zone where oil slicks reverse their contrast against the background water.
Being through there matters: Materiality, bodies, and movement in urban communication research

Increasingly, scholars have turned to the urban built environment as a medium of communication in its own right. The bricks and mortar of cities are communicative insofar as they shape, constrain, and ultimately also mediate the everyday lives of individuals and communities. We draw on our own and others’ work in the broader field of rhetorical studies to state that “being through there” matters as a methodological approach to examining the urban built environment as a key form of mediation. Looking both backward and forward, we argue that this approach to studying the city is centered on three key concepts: materiality, bodies, and movement. This means that we must directly engage as fully embodied communication scholars with the built landscape, with temporality, and in movement. We therefore offer a number of examples to show communication scholars how to bring their own material possibilities into experiencing contact with the urban built environment, how to reconstruct urban landscapes’ histories and ongoing changes, and how to integrate considerations about both direction and speed into the study of urban communication.
Re-investigation of the long run relationship between money growth and inflation in Iran: An application of Bounds test approach to cointegration

This paper re-investigates the long-run relationship between money growth and inflation, for the period of 1989- 2007 by using quarterly data of the Iranian economy. As standard unit root tests, such as Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) and Philips and Perron (PP) tests, are biased towards the null of a unit root in presence of structural breaks, we use Lee and Strazicich (2003) test to address this issue and test the null of unit roots. The result reveals that the variables under consideration are not in the same order of integration. Therefore to investigate the long-run relationship between variables under consideration, this paper applies the bounds test approach to cointegration. This method was developed by Pesaran et al. (2001) and can be applied irrespective of the order of integration of the variables. The results reveal that there is a long run relation among these variables and in the long run 1 percent increase in money growth cause to increase 72 percent in inflation rate, which means money is the most important variable that effect inflation in long run. Moreover we find that inflation was largely a monetary phenomenon, supporting quantity theory of money.
The Impact of Extracurricular Activity on Teacher Job Satisfaction

Student involvement in extracurricular activities (ECA) has been studied in the field of educational research in regard to its impact on academic achievement. This research reviewed the extant research regarding student achievement. In addition, it expands upon the limited research on the relationship these activities may have in regard to the teachers and staff who oversee them, and how this supervision and involvement of ECA impacted those teachers’ job satisfaction. The findings of the current investigation indicate that supervision of ECA can have a positive impact on educational professionals. Additionally, the research has shown to substantiate positive impacts on teacher longevity, organizational commitment, job performance, and job satisfaction for those individuals who coach and/or advise these activities. Coupled with the research indicating a positive impact on academic achievement from participation in ECA for students, these findings support the prioritization of ECA by school districts and states, so that creative fiscal ways can be found to sustain such programs that have, in recent times, been eliminated due to budget cuts.
Crossing rates and fade durations for diversity-combining schemes over α-μ fading channels

This paper derives exact expressions for the level crossing rate and average fade duration of multibranch pure-selection, equal-gain, and maximal-ratio combiners operating over independent non-identical α-μ (also called generalized Γ or Stacy) fading channels. The derived expressions are in closed form for pure-selection combining and in integral form for equal-gain and maximal-ratio combining. For the two latter schemes, accurate closed-form approximations are then provided. The analytical results are validated by reducing the general expressions to known particular cases and, more generally, by means of simulation. Numerical examples are also given to illustrate the high accuracy of the proposed closed-form approximations.
STATA Commands for Unobserved Eects Panel Data

Panel data or cross-sectional timeseries are observations on a panel of i units or cases over t time periods. Most panel data commands start with xt For an overview type help xt. These notes present the annotated log of a STATA session demonstrating the use of many of these commands. The data sets used are those used in the STATA cross-sectional time series reference manual. This note should be regarded as an introduction to that manual and to the STATA on-line help files which give comprehensive descriptions of the facilities in STATA for cross-sectional time series analysis. To obtain the optimum benefit from these notes I would recommend that one should work through the STATA session with a copy of Wooldridge available for reference. The emphasis here is on the implementation of the methods described in Chapter 10 of Wooldridge and no attempt is made to explain the theory set out there. Note the different fonts used for comments (this font), instructions in these comments (help xt) and for computer input/output (help xt).
A Systematic Human Counting at Guest House using Sensing Device Technique

The application of vision detector using sensing device techniques is important in systematic counting of people both indoors and outdoors. This technique is broadly used in auditorium, lecture theatre and public market. In this paper, the technique uses a camera attached to an Android-based mobile phone which is then applied to capture images that are then transferred to a storage system via USB for image processing and counting. Also, a model for counting people indoors and outdoors is developed. Also, accurate human counting is observed
Microbiological safety and quality of salmon: health benefits and risk

A b s t r a c t: A total of 703 samples were tested over 1-year period. Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from 12.4 % and 2.3 % of fish and environmental swabs, respectively. The ratio of n-6/n-3 which is between 1:1 and 4:1, as more desirable parameter of the lipid quality for nutritive benefit e.g. reducing the risk of many diseases, in the fresh salmon, cold and hot smoked salmon was close to 1:1 (fresh salmon, 1.28; cold smoked salmon, 0.98; hot smoked salmon, 1.59). The fatty acid composition of smoked salmon products was also expressed as mg 100 g-1 which is important from the nutritional point of view. The examined salmon products had a high content of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (742 to 1567 mg 100g-1) and fulfill requirements for their sufficient contents of recommendations in the World. On the other hand, cold smoked salmon can be naturally contaminated with low numbers of L. monocytogenes. This could represent a serious hazard for susceptible individuals or “YOPI” (young, old, pregnant or immunocompromised individuals).
Knowledge management implementation in construction projects: a KM model for Knowledge Creation, Collection and Updating (KCCU)

Knowledge Management (KM) is becoming increasingly important for construction companies in order to improve their competitiveness by reducing the cost and time while improving the quality of projects. Construction projects are in knowledge-intensive environments where many interrelated components work together in a complex manner. In many circumstances, knowledge in the construction industry is mostly tacit knowledge and highly based on individuals' experiences and perceptions. These situations call for a method of managing knowledge to solve construction problems and achieve a high quality of construction projects. Various kinds of KM models have been developed to support KM activities. However, the existing KM models and tools are far from enough, since most KM models only provide a communication platform and much creative knowledge work still depends entirely on human activities. This paper presents a new KM model that overcomes such shortcomings and provides an effective and efficient way of managing knowledge in the construction industry. A case study collected from the industry is used to demonstrate how the proposed KM model can be used to improve the industry's KM performance. The results indicate that the proposed KM model can facilitate the process of implementation, development and use of the KM system.
Low cost fabrication of microfluidic paper-based analytical devices with water-based polyurethane acrylate and their application for bacterial detection

This study presents a simple, inexpensive and environment-friendly fabrication strategy for microfluidic paperbased analytical devices which can resist the penetration of surfactant solutions and organic solvents, by using water-based polyurethane acrylate via UV light curing. The filter paper’s barrier created using cured PUA could withstand surfactant solutions (10 wt%, CTAB, SDS and Triton X-100) and organic solvents (methanol, isopropanol, DMF, DMSO, etc). This is very useful for analyzing complicated biological samples on the microfluidic paper-based analytical devices. In addition, the expense of water-based polyurethane acrylate is very cheap (about $8/500 g) and PUA developer is water that is environmental-friendly. To further verify its advantage, we successfully demonstrated the proposed microfluidic devices for detection of E. coli targets in tap water and seawater via colorimetric analysis in a fast and convenient manner. Our results revealed that the linear response to E. coli BL21 was in the range of 10∼10 cfu/mL. The proposed method can effectively avoid the damage for the hydrophobic barriers from the solution even some aggressive liquids, and shows great potential in on-site analysis, environmental monitoring, and food safety.
PILOT STUDY OF BLUEFIN TUNA AGE VALIDATION

A preliminary investigation of the utility of using deposition of bomb radiocarbon as a dated mark to validate inferences of ages of bluefin tuna was completed. Using archived samples obtained from St. Margaret’s Bay, Nova Scotia in 1976, it is shown that the actual ages of the samples were likely considerably older than predicted by the age-length relationship currently in use by the SCRS. The implications of this possible over-estimation of the Linfinity term of the growth equation on population productivity and resilience requires investigation.
Cognitive Strategy Training: Improving Reading Comprehension in the Language Classroom

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive strategy instruction on English reading comprehension of Iranian advanced students. A total of 60 participants took part in the present study. The participants (n=20) in one experimental group were provided with the cognitive training condition only, while the participants (n=20) in the other experimental group were exposed to both a training and a verbalization requirement condition. The control group (n= 20) did not receive any training. Students of the experimental group in both conditions received 10 hours of cognitive strategy training in their regular lessons. The findings in this study generally supported the view that the consciousness-raising of the cognitive strategies had a positive impact on the reading development of Persian-speaking students. Although students of both experimental groups made superior improvements in their comprehension performance, those participants who were given the opportunity to verbalize the learned strategies had more knowledge about strategy use and showed a more positive attitude toward the reading instruction than did their peers who received the cognitive training only. Unlike the experimental groups, the control group reported that their reading ability was the same as before. The results also suggest no statistically significant differences between male and female participants in the use of strategies after the training program.