Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Polymer Cement Modifiers on Mechanical and Physica Properties of Polymer-Modified Mortar Using Recycled Waste Concrete Fine Aggregate

Various polymer-modified mortars using recycled waste concrete fine aggregate were prepared and investigated for the purpose of measuring their feasibility of recycling. Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) latex and polyacrylic ester (PAE) emulsion were used and compared as polymer cement modifiers. The replacement ratio of waste concrete fine aggregate (WCFA) was also changed to investigate its effect on the physical properties. The addition of a polymer cement modifier into the mortar reduced the water-cement ratio significantly; PAE was more effective at reducing the water-cement ratio than was SBR. There was slight difference in water absorption between the SBRand PAE-modified mortars, and it decreased drastically at a 20 % content of polymer cement modifier for both SBR and PAE. The compressive strengths decreased after the addition of the polymer cement modifiers; the PAE emulsion-modified mortar showed higher flexural strength than did the SBR latex-modified one. After the hot water resistance test, the compressive strength of the 20 % polymer cement modifier had a slightly lower value than did that at 10 % for both SBR and PAE; the rate of decrease in flexural strength of the specimen was more rapid in case of the PAE-modified mortar relative to that of the SBR-modification.
Approach to the implementation and modeling of LDO-assisted DC-DC voltage regulators

This paper presents the design of an LDO-assisted DC-DC voltage regulator in Cadence Virtuoso® based on a 350-nm CMOS technology. This kind of voltage regulator consists of a switching converter together with a classic or LDO (low dropout) linear voltage regulator. While the linear regulator provides the constant output voltage, the switching converter conducts nearly all the current provided to the output load, and keeping the regulator current close to zero where the higher efficiency is achieved. In addition, this paper shows the modeling in Matlab/Simulink. Notice that, this modeling is mandatory in order to predict and assure the stability of the circuit. In addition, it will help to improve the transient response and performance of the circuit.
A two-zone approach to neutrino production in gamma-ray bursts

Context. Gamma-ray bursts (GRB) are the most powerful events in the universe. They are capable of accelerating particles to very high energies, so are strong candidates as sources of detect able astrophysical neutrinos. Aims. We study the effects of particle acceleration and escape by implementing a two-zone model in order to assess the production of high-energy neutrinos in GRBs associated with their prompt emission. Methods. Both primary relativistic electrons and protons are inject ed in a zone where an acceleration mechanism operates and dominates over the losses. The escaping particles are re-inject ed in a cooling zone that propagates downstream. The synchrotron photons emitted by the accelerated electrons are taken as targets fo r pγ interactions, which generate pions along with the pp collisions with cold protons in the flow. The distribution of these secondary pions and the decaying muons are also computed in both zones, from which the neutrino output is obtained. Results. We find that for escape rates lower than the acceleration rate , the synchrotron emission from electrons in the accelerati on zone can account for the GRB emission, and the production of neutrinos via pγ interactions in this zone becomes dominant for Eν> 10 5 GeV. For illustration, we compute the corresponding diffuse neutrino flux under di fferent assumptions and show that it can reach the level of the signal recently detected by IceCube.
Effect of Salicylic Acid and Mannitol on White Cabbage Plants under Saline Conditions

An experiment was conducted in the Experimental Farm of the Desert Research Center, Ras Sudr, South Sinai Governorate to study the effects of foliar applications of salicylic acid (SA) and mannitol (M) on white cabbage Kalorama F1 cv grown under saline conditions (soil and irrigation water). White cabbage seedlings were transplanted on to soil after forty days from seed sowing. Foliar applications began 30 and 35 days after transplantation for SA and M, respectively. A total of three sprays were given at an interval of 15 days. Three different foliar applications of SA (0, 75 and 150 mg l) and three different M treatments (0, 2000 and 4000 mg l) were used, in factorial randomized completely block design. Stem length, head width, head weight, total yield, vitamin C, total sugars, chlorophyll a and b, dry weight and minerals content (N, P and K) were studied. All parameters were significantly influenced by applying different SA especially 75 mg l, as well as application of higher dose of M (4000 mg l). The highest values were observed in 75 mg SA l + 4000 mg M l treatment. Thus, the present results revealed that application of foliar SA and MA must be performed to overcome saline stress conditions.
Resilient regular expression matching on FPGAs with fast error repair

The Network Function Virtualization (NFV) paradigm promises to make computer networks more scalable and flexible by decoupling the network functions (NFs) from dedicated and vendor-specific hardware. However, network and compute intensive NFs may be difficult to virtualize without performance degradation. In this context, Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have been shown to be a good option for hardware acceleration of virtual NFs that require high throughput, without deviating from the concept of an NFV infrastructure which aims at high flexibility. Regular expression matching is an important and compute intensive mechanism used to perform Deep Packet Inspection, which can be FPGA-accelerated to meet performance constraints. This solution, however, introduces new challenges regarding dependability requirements. Particularly for SRAM-based FPGAs, soft errors on the configuration memory are a significant dependability threat. In this work we present a comprehensive fault tolerance mechanism to deal with configuration faults on the functionality of FPGA-based regular expression matching engines. Moreover, a placement-aware scrubbing mechanism is introduced to reduce the system repair time, improving the system reliability and availability. Experimental results show that the overall failure rate and the system mean time to repair can be reduced in 95% and 90%, respectively, with manageable area and performance costs.
Isolation and Identification of Antimicrobial Producing Lactic Acid Bacteria from Local Egyptian Dairy Products

The aime of the present work is to evaluate the antimicrobial characteristics of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) being utilized as starter cultures in cheese and fermented dairy products. Morphological, biochemical and physiological features of the selected isolates were performed in their identification. A total of 226 isolates were recovered from 40 yogurt samples (23.45%), 30 Ras chesse samples (19.47%), 48 Kariesh cheese samples (33.18%) and 32 samples of Laban Rayeb (23.9%) that were randomly collected from local markets in Dakahlia governorate. The distribution of LAB isolates by the genus was as follows: Lactobacillus (33.63%), Streptococcus (17.69%), Lactococcus (8.85%) and Enterococcus (39.82%). Among these isolates, E. faecalis (55 isolates, of 24,34%), S. thermophilus (40 isolates, of 17.69%), Lb.delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (30 isolates, of 13.27%) E. faecium (25 isolates, of 11.06%), Lb. helveticus (16 isolates, of 7.1%), Lb. salivarius (15 isolates, of 6.64%), Lc.lactis subsp. lactis (15 isolates, of 6.64%), Lb. acidophilus (10 isolates, of 4.42%), E. gallinarum (7 isolates, of 3.1%), Lc. Lactis subsp. cremoris (5 isolates, of 2.21%) and E. malodoratus (3 isolates, of 1.33%). These 226 isolates were further examined for their capability to produce antimicrobial compounds. Only 16 out of 226 LAB isolates could inhibit the growth of the examined indicator organisms. Among these isolates, 8 LAB isolates (3 isolates of Enterococcus fecalis, 2 isolate of each E.faecium, E. gallinarum and E. malodoratus ) were still capable to inhibit the indicator organisms by neutralization to pH 6.8. These isolates may produce bacteriocin like substances.
Self‐Assembly of Atomically Thin Chiral Copper Heterostructures Templated by Black Phosphorus

The fabrication of 2D systems for electronic devices is not straightforward, with top‐down low‐yield methods often employed leading to irregular nanostructures and lower quality devices. Here, a simple and reproducible method to trigger self‐assembly of arrays of high aspect‐ratio chiral copper heterostructures templated by the structural anisotropy in black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets is presented. Using quantitative atomic resolution aberration‐corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging, in situ heating transmission electron microscopy and electron energy‐loss spectroscopy arrays of heterostructures forming at speeds exceeding 100 nm s−1 and displaying long‐range order over micrometers are observed. The controlled instigation of the self‐assembly of the Cu heterostructures embedded in BP is achieved using conventional electron beam lithography combined with site specific placement of Cu nanoparticles. Density functional theory calculations are used to investigate the atomic structure and suggest a metallic nature of the Cu heterostructures grown in BP. The findings of this new hybrid material with unique dimensionality, chirality, and metallic nature and its triggered self‐assembly open new and exciting opportunities for next generation, self‐assembling devices.
Lasergenerierte Nanopartikel in wässrigen Lösungen und synthetischen Ölen – Analyse der Kolloidqualität und Betrachtungen zur Wirtschaftlichkeit des Syntheseverfahrens

Skalierbare, wirtschaftliche Herstellungsverfahren und definierte, konstante Produkteigenschaften sind fur die Integration lasergenerierter Kolloide in grostechnischen Anwendungen essentiell, werden in der Forschung jedoch kaum thematisiert. Da Kolloide insbesondere in hochanspruchsvollen Bereichen der Biomedizin und Fahrzeugtechnik zuverlassig verarbeitbar und lagerfahig sein mussen, soll im Rahmen dieser Arbeit ein Beitrag zum Verstandnis kinetischer Wachstumsprozesse von lasergenerierten Edelmetallnanopartikeln in Wasser und synthetischen Olen geliefert werden. Zudem soll die Wirtschaftlichkeit durch Ermittlung von Nanopartikelproduktivitaten und anfallenden Synthesekosten der laserbasierten im Vergleich zur nasschemischen Synthese beurteilt werden. Die durch gepulste Laserablation und –fragmentierung in Wasser und Anionenlosung signifikant grosenreduzierten Gold- und Platinnanopartikel weisen ein langanhaltendes Atomcluster-getriggertes Wachstum durch Koaleszenz und Reifung auf. Im Gegensatz zu Platin wird fur Gold ein konzentrations- und zeitabhangiges, Iodid-induziertes Wachstum unter Bildung anisotroper Strukturen beobachtet, das durch Desorption des Iodids jedoch verlangsamt werden kann. Daruber hinaus steigt die kolloidale Stabilitat mit zunehmender Viskositat additivfreier Ole und in vergleichsweise geringviskosen Schmiermitteln an. Diese Kolloide konnen durch Nachbestrahlung grosenreduziert werden und sind auch bei thermischer und mechanischer Beanspruchung stabil. Ebenso kann durch geeignete Kombination aus Laserparametern die Produktivitat der laserbasierten Synthese in Modellsubstanzen der Olindustrie optimiert werden, wodurch eine Grundvoraussetzung fur tribologische Hochtemperaturanwendungen erfullt wird. Aufgrund ausbleibender, zeitaufwendiger Zentrifugationsschritte ist die laserbasierte Synthesetechnik bei hohen Produktivitaten rechnerisch wirtschaftlicher, wahrend die chemische Reduktion im Labormasstab aufgrund geringerer Investitionskosten leichter ausfuhrbar ist.
A Comparative Study of NoSQL and Relational Database

Relational Database and NoSQL are competing types of database models. The former has been in existence since 1979 and the latter since the year 2000. The demands of modern applications especially in web 2.0, 3.0 and big data have made NoSQL a popular database of choice. Choosing an appropriate database model to use is an important decision that developers must make based on the features of a given database model. This paper compares the features of Relational Databases and NoSQL to establish which database is better at supporting demands of modern applications. The paper also brings out the challenges of NoSQL. Finally, the paper concludes by determining whether Relational Databases would completely be replaced by NoSQL database models. The findings revealed that, Relational Databases are based on ACID model which emphasizes better consistency, security and offers a standard query language. However, Relational Databases have poor scalability, weak performance, cost more, face availability challenges when supporting large number of users and handle limited volume of data. NoSQL, on the other hand is based on the BASE model, which emphasizes greater scalability and provides a flexible schema, offers better performance, mostly open source, cheap but, lacks a standard query language and does not provide adequate security mechanisms. Both databases will continue to exist alongside each other with none being better than the other. The choice of the database to use will depend on the nature of the application being developed. Each database type has its own challenges and strengths, with relational database lacking of support for unstructured data while NoSQL lacks standardization and has poor security. Modern applications in web 2.0, 3.0 and big data are well suited to use NoSQL but, there are still many applications that rely on Relational Databases.
Phase transition and dewetting of a 5CB liquid crystal thin film on a topographically patterned substrate

We report thermally induced nematic to isotropic (N–I) phase transition as well as dewetting of 5CB Liquid Crystal (LC) thin films coated on flat and topographically patterned substrates with grating geometry of different line width (lP) and periodicity (λP). On a flat substrate, the nematic to isotropic (N–I) phase transition, which takes place within a temperature range between 31.1 °C and 34.4 °C is fully reversible, with re-appearance of identical Schlieren texture when the sample is cooled down during isotropic to nematic (I–N) transition. Upon further heating beyond N–I transition and annealing at T ≈ 65 °C, the film undergoes nucleated dewetting with formation and growth of holes, which eventually merge to form isolated droplets. The morphology of the dewetted structures remains unaltered when the film is cooled to room temperature from this stage, though the features undergo phase transition to the nematic state. In contrast on a topographically patterned substrate, the phase transition cycle is associated with a change of the texture of the film during cooling to the nematic stage. Interestingly the molecules exhibit homeotropic anchoring when λP ≈ 1.5 μm and planar anchoring when λP large (≈10 μm). When heated further to T ≈ 65 °C, the film dewets on topographically patterned substrates resulting in a collection of droplets, which are aligned to the substrate patterns when λP is large (≈10 μm). In contrast the dewetted droplets are random and not correlated to the patterns when λP is lower (≈1.5 μm).
Decorating a metal−organic framework UiO-66 layer on ceramics substrate by the seed-assisted solvothermal method for high-performance desalination

UiO-66 is one kind of zirconium-based metal-organic framework, and Zr6O4(OH)4 clusters are the cornerstones of the three-dimensional framework. To obtain enough strength for desalination, a dense continuous UiO-66 membrane was synthetized by the seed-assisted solvothermal synthesis method on the alumina substrate. The thickness of the dense UiO-66 membrane on the alumina substrate could be reduced to 1 μm. The thin layer achieved a high permeate flux of 0.344 L m–2 h–1 μm–1 with the ion rejections of Ca2+ and Mg2+ respectively reaching 82.1% and 98.2%. Such excellent performances were much better than those of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes. Na+ and K+ could also be rejected by the UiO-66 membrane based on the ligand effect, whose ion rejections were 49.8% and 45.8%, respectively. Due to the exceptional chemical stability of UiO-66, no degradation of membrane performance was observed by test up to 180 h toward the saline solution. These results show that the UiO-66 membrane on the alumina substrate gives a good promise in the desalination application.
A Survey on Identifying and Addressing Business Analysis Problems

Abstract Despite the growing body of knowledge on requirements engineering and business analysis, these areas of software project are still considered problematic. The paper focuses on problems reported by business analysts and on applicability of available business analysis techniques as solutions to such problems. A unified set of techniques was developed on the basis of 3 industrial standards associated with IIBA, REQB and IREB certification schemes. A group of 8 business analysts was surveyed to list problems they encounter in their work and to assess their frequency. Selected problems were further analyzed and most suitable techniques were proposed to address them. These proposals were validated through follow-up discussions with business analysts. The main results of research reported in this paper are: the comparative analysis of techniques included in IIBA, REQB and IREB standards and the list of problems reported by practitioners associated with techniques suggested as effective solutions.
GDI-Mediated Cdc42 Recycling at Polar Cortex in Dynamic Maintenance of Cell Polarity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Cell polarization is a fundamental requirement for development and many physiological processes such as cell motility, stem cell differentiation, immune response and neuronal polarity. Small G-protein Rho GTPase, Cdc42 has long been shown to be the key regulator of the polarization process. In this study we aim to understand how cell maintains an optimum Cdc42 concentration at the polar cortex, and how distinct polarized Cdc42 distribution is achieved based on its recycling pathways taking budding yeast as a model system. Our in depth study revealed that Cdc42 at yeast polar cortex is dynamically maintained via two redundant pathways of distinct response time. A slow pathway dependent on actin-mediated endocytosis and exocytosis and a fast response pathway dependent on Rdil, yeast GDI (guanine dissociation inhibitor) for Rho GTPases. Quantitative imaging and mathematical modeling found both the pathways to be spatially overlapping in order to have physiological Cdc42 distribution. We further demonstrated Cdc42 GTPase cycle as the common regulator of actin and Rdil mediated pathways, a process supports their concentric localization. We further focused on gaining mechanistic insight of Rdil-mediated Cdc42 recycling at polar cortex. Using a high throughput genetic screen, imaging, spectroscopy and mathematical modeling we found that phospholipid asymmetry at the polar cortex regulated by lipid flippase complex (Lem3-Dnfl and Lem3-Dnf2) plays a key role in Rdil mediated fast dissociation of Cdc42 from the polar cortex. Our finding suggests that flipping of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), a phospholipid with a positively charged head group, reduces the charge interaction between a Cdc42 C-terminal cationic region with the inner leaflet of the polar cortex, a key step for fast Rdil mediated Cdc42 extraction. In Δlem3 cells the negatively charged phospholipid phosphatidylserine (PS) is enriched in the inner leaflet of plasma membrane, as demonstrated by analysis of Cdc42 mutants with altered charge properties and biosensor for PS. Increase in PS in the inner leaflet increases Cdc42 and plasma membrane charge interaction antagonizing Rdil-mediated Cdc42 extraction. Using an in vitro assay with reconstituted supported lipid bilayers, we further demonstrated that relative composition of PE versus PS directly modulates the rate of Cdc42 extraction from the membrane by GDI.
Enhancing Antioxidant Activities of Cupcakes by Using Pumpkin Powder During Storage

The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the addition of pumpkin powder as a source of natural antioxidants to cupcakes to minimize lipid oxidation and extend the shelf-life. Two concentrations of pumpkin powder (5 and 10%) were added to cupcakes, all different cupcakes formula were baked at 180 C for 25-30 min then cooled before evaluation, packaged in poly ethylene bags and stored at temperature 5oC. The sensory evaluation, color characteristics and baking quality for different cupcake samples was estimated. On the other hand some menials, total carotenoids, total phenols and antioxidant activity (%) of the pumpkin powder and pumpkin cupcake were determined. Also, fats were extracted from cupcakes made from pumpkin powder every two week for six weeks and antioxidant activities of fortified cupcakes were evaluated by the determination of acids, peroxide, P-anisidine values and thiobarbituric (TBA) among six weeks storage. The results recorded that weight increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) in fortified cupcake with 5 and 10% pumpkin powder which reached 51.63±0.28 and51.71±0.31 gm, respectively when compared with control which reached 48.42±0.34gm. The result showed that fortified cupcakes with 10% pumpkin powder had the highest level of total carotenoids, total phenols and antioxidant activity% which reached 0.408 mg/100g, 0.722 mg/g and 11.69%, followed by fortified cupcakes with 5% pumpkin powder which reached 0.359 mg/100g, 0.720 mg/g and10.47%, respectively, while control recorded 0.306 mg/100g, 0.624 mg/g and 8.22%, respectively. The results showed that peroxide value decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) in fortified cupcakes 5% and 10% pumpkin powder which recorded 4.40 + 0.10 and 4.03 + 0.57 meq/kg, respectively than control which reached 7.13+ 0.32 meq/kg after 6 weeks under storage. Lipids extracted from fortified cupcakes with 5 and 10 % pumpkin powder recorded significant decreases (p ≤ 0.05) in TBA values which reached 0.32+0.03 and 0.28+0.01, respectively than control without pumpkin powder which reached 0.40+0.02 after 6 weeks under storage.
Evaluation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 for Bio-hydrogen production from El-Salam Canal Water.

In this study EL-Salam canal water was used as substrate for Bio-hydrogen production in microbial electrolysis (MECs) by Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and without addition of bacteria. The highest hydrogen yield was 31.18 % and the highest volume of Bio-H2 production was 51.1 cm 3 from Salam canal water at the anode chamber 500 ml with power supply 0.8 V without addition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853. While the highest hydrogen yield was 75.29% and the highest volume of Bio-H2 was 148.25 cm 3 production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 from EL-Salam canal water at the anode chamber 500 ml with power supply 0.4 V.