Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the waiting times to repeated hits of cells by particles for the polynomial allocation scheme

Abstract We consider random polynomial allocations of particles over N cells. Let τk, k ≥ 1, be the minimal number of trials when k particles hit the occupied cells. For the case N → ∞ the limit distribution of the random variable τ k / N $\tau_k/\sqrt{N}$is found. An example of application of τk is given.
Recapitulation of stability diversity of microbial α-amylases

Abstract α-Amylases from a huge number of sources have been isolated and characterised but very few of them meet the demands of the industries. The industrial processes take place under conditions hostile to biocatalysts thus increasing the industrial demand for a highly stable enzyme in good titre level. Improved understanding of biomolecular aspects of α-amylases has led to the advanced understanding of their catalytic nature. Enzymes with high stability are obtained from extremophiles. Extensive studies have demonstrated the importance of regulating expression and catalytic efficiency of nonextremophiles through genetic engineering, directed evolution and chemical modifications. The inability to culture most microorganisms in the environment by standard methods has also led to the focus on the development of metagenomics for getting improved biocatalytic functions. The present review aims to compile the studies reported by researchers in manipulating nonextremophiles and improving stability through directed evolution, metagenomics and protein engineering.
Exploring in Vitro Antioxidant Activity and Physicochemical Properties of Selected Under-Exploited Tropical Fruits

Abstract Dacryodes edulis (DE), Dalium guineensis (DG), Spondias mombin (SM) and Irvingia gabonensis (IG) as notable underexploited tropical wild fruits in Nigeria, were evaluated for quality characteristics, phenolic contents and in-vitro antioxidant activity. pH of the fruits ranked thus DE > IG > DG > SM and the reverse order was true for acidity. IG exhibited highest obrix, vitamin C and total sugar content. DE had no detectable reducing sugar compared to 18.84% in IG. Total phenol and flavonoid contents followed the same pattern with DG as the highest (1796.89 ± 71.1 and 860.64 ± 3.7 mg/100g) and IG as the lowest (454.23 ± 13.9 and 304.98 ± 7.5 mg/100g), respectively. Regarding antioxidant activities, SM was significant for ABTS•, DE and IG were similar in FRAP assay, while all the fruits were effective DPPH• radical scavengers. Generally, the fruits demonstrate high food application potentials with possible health benefits if consumed adequately.
Feasibility Study of Rans in Predicting Propeller Cavitation in Behind-Hull Conditions

Abstract The propeller cavitation not only affects the propulsive efficiency of a ship but also can cause vibration and noise. Accurate predictions of propeller cavitation are crucial at the design stage. This paper investigates the feasibility of the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) method in predicting propeller cavitation in behind-hull conditions, focusing on four aspects: (i) grid sensitivity; (ii) the time step effect; (iii) the turbulence model effect; and (iv) ability to rank two slightly different propellers. The Schnerr-Sauer model is adopted as the cavitation model. A model test is conducted to validate the numerical results. Good agreement on the cavitation pattern is obtained between the model test and computational fluid dynamics. Two propellers are computed, which have similar geometry but slightly different pitch ratios. The results show that RANS is capable of correctly differentiating the cavitation patterns between the two propellers in terms of the occurrence of face cavitation and the extent of sheet cavitation; moreover, time step size is found to slightly affect sheet cavitation and has a significant impact on the survival of the tip vortex cavitation. It is also observed that grid refinement is crucial for capturing tip vortex cavitation and the two-equation turbulence models used – realizable k-ε and shear stress transport (SST) k-ω – yield similar cavitation results.
Effect of light intensity and nitrogen level on growth and biomass of Rauvolfia vomitoria

A potted experiment was conducted to study thegrowth and biomass of Rauvolfia vomitoria plant under different light intensities (15%,40% and 70% of full sunlight) and nitrogen levels (15g,30g and 60g per plant). The results show that thegrowth,individual biomass and biomass allocation are significantly influenced by light intensity and nitrogen level (P0.05). The plant height,ground diameter,relativegrowth rate of height andground diameter (RGR H,RGR D) and individual biomass under 70% light intensity are higher than those under 15% and 40% light intensity,and more biomass is allocated to underground plant part.The height,ground diameter,RGR H,RGR D and individual biomass decrease with increasing nitrogen level under 15% and 40% light intensity.Under 70% light intensity,R.vomitoria plantgrows best and individual biomass reaches the highest value of 559.6g at 30g nitrogen per plant.At the same light intensity,root mass ratio (RMR) and root to shoot ratio (R/S) decrease with increasing nitrogen level.On the other hand,specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf mass ratio (LMR) are highest at 15% light intensity and 60g nitrogen per plant.Analysis on individual biomass,RMR,R/S andgrowth characteristics including height,ground diameter,RGR H,RGR D reveals that 70% light intensity and 30g nitrogen per plant combination yields the optimum condition for R.vomitoria plants.
Antioxidant Contents (Vitamin C) of Raw and Blanched Different Fresh Vegetable Samples

The study was aimed to determine the antioxidant contents and the effect of different blanching times (5 min, 10 min, 15 min and 20 min) on antioxidant contents of three different selected fresh vegetables. Three different types of vegeta- ble were used namely Amaranthus specie locally known as spinach, namely “tete”, (Celosia argentea), soko, (Solonum nodifiorum) and odu, (Telfeira occidentalis) were analyzed for their antioxidant contents. The analysis revealed that raw vegetables have the highest amount of antioxidant contents. Telferia occidentalis had the highest antioxidant content followed by Solonum nodifiorum. It was observed that blanching time had an adverse effect on the antioxidant contents of the blanched vegetables. The antioxidant contents of tete, soko and odu were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) after blanching.
Representing Uncertainty in Property Valuation Through a Bayesian Deep Learning Approach

Abstract Although deep learning-based valuation models are spreading throughout the real estate industry following the artificial intelligence boom, property owners and investors continue to doubt the accuracy of the results. In this study, we specify a neural network for predicting house prices. We suggest a standard feed-forward network with two hidden layers, and show that it is sufficiently reasonable to apply its prediction to real-world projects such as property valuation. In addition, we propose a Bayesian neural network for describing uncertainty in house price predictions while providing a means to quantify uncertainty for each prediction. We choose Gangnam-gu, Seoul for the analysis, and predict house prices in the area using both networks. Although the Bayesian neural network did not perform better than the conventional network, it could provide a tool to measure the uncertainty inherent in predicted prices. The findings of this study show that a Bayesian approach can model uncertainty in property valuation, thereby promoting the adoption of deep learning tools in the real estate industry.
Anti-HIV activity of some natural phenolics

Summary Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an immunosuppressive disease caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The urgent need for searching novel anti-HIV/AIDS medicines is a global concern. So far, a lot of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have been analyzed to select those that could assist in the prevention and/or amelioration of the disease. Among biologically active compounds present in these plants, one of the most promising group are phenolics. The purpose of this article was to report anti-HIV activity of selected phenolic compounds of plant origin.
The study of electrohydrodynamic printing by numerical simulation

Abstract EHD (Electrohydrodynamic) printing is a promising technique for alternative fabrication of highresolution micro- and nanostructures without employment of any molds or photo-masks However, the printing precision can be easily influenced by the printing conditions, such as applied voltage, printing distance (the distance between the nozzle tip and the substrate), and flow rate. Unfortunately, up to now there was no work which analyzed those influencing factors in-depth and systematically by theory and numerical simulation. In this paper, the theory of EHD printing was presented and the effect of applied voltage, printing distance, and flow rate on the width of printed line was analyzed by numerical simulation. The simulation results showed that the width of printed lines is proportional to printing distance, nozzle size, and flow rate. However, it is inversely proportional to the applied voltage.
X-ray reflectivity of diblock copolymer monolayers at the air/water interface

AB diblock copolymers PS{sub 260}-b-PVP-C{sub n}X{sup -}{sub 240} (PS = polystyrene; PVP-C{sub n} = alkylated polyvinylpyridine); X{sup -} = I, Br{sup -}; n = 1, 4, 8, 10 have recently been found to self-assemble at the air/water interface to form circular structures referred to as surface micelles. These surface micelles are ordered into a quasi-two-dimensional array in the corresponding Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films. Many questions arise in these systems, including the structure relationships between the air/water Langmuir films and the LB films deposited onto carbon or silicon surfaces. A detailed in situ synchrotron X-ray reflectivity study was performed to address these issues of the polymer film structure. Specular reflectance of all samples (n = 1, 4, 8, 10) reveals that the thickness of the polyelectrolyte layer only increases by a factor of 2 as polymer surface density increases 4-fold. No significant hydration of the layer is observed. The off-specular scattering data are well fit by an exact expression for the scattering intensity from a two-dimensional-ordered hexagonal lattice with a capillary wave contribution. The micelle-micelle distances obtained are in excellent agreement with atomic force microscopy images of the LB films, confirming that no change in structure occurs in the film liftoff process.more » 16 refs., 12 figs., 3 tabs. « less
Suitability Determination of Machine Learning Techniques for the Operational Quality Assessment of Geophysical Survey Results

Abstract Well logging, also known as a geophysical survey, is one of the main components of a nuclear fuel cycle. This survey follows directly after the drilling process, and the operational quality assessment of its results is a very serious problem. Any mistake in this survey can lead to the culling of the whole well. This paper examines the feasibility of applying machine learning techniques to quickly assess the well logging quality results. The studies were carried out by a reference well modelling for the selected uranium deposit of the Republic of Kazakhstan and further comparing it with the results of geophysical surveys recorded earlier. The parameters of the geophysical methods and the comparison rules for them were formulated after the reference well modelling process. The classification trees and the artificial neural networks were used during the research process and the results obtained for both methods were compared with each other. The results of this paper may be useful to the enterprises engaged in the geophysical well surveys and data processing obtained during the logging process.
Dynamics and Hydration Properties of Small Antifreeze-Like Glycopeptides Containing Non-Natural Amino Acids

Novel studies on the synthesis and conformation in aqueous solution of three antifreeze-like glycopeptides containing the sequence Xaa(α-GalNAc)-Ala-Ala, with Xaa being threonine (Thr) or the non-natural amino acids α-methylserine (MeSer) or α-methylthreonine (MeThr), are reported. The study has combined NMR experiments with molecular dynamics simulations. Whereas the Thr derivative is rather rigid in solution and exhibits an extended conformation for the backbone, the non-natural glycopeptides are fairly flexible and show random coil structures for the peptide sequence. On the other hand, only those glycopeptides with a methyl group at Cβ of the underlying amino acid show perpendicular orientation of the sugar with respect to the peptide moiety. This structural feature, together with the rigidity of the Thr-containing glycopeptide, makes this system unique to structure the water molecules of its first hydration shell. In addition, despite its chemical similarity, the different observed conformational behaviors of all these molecules, as well as the differences in their dynamics and hydration properties, make them suitable systems to shed light on the key factors that govern antifreeze activity.
Standardization of complementary work time in timber harvesting processes

Abstract One of the essential elements of work technology assessment is task performance time. In the working day structure, production times are crucial; however, under certain conditions, complementary work times can have a share of up to 30%. Accurate determination of the time structure of a work shift is very time consuming and requires time measurements using the methods of cumulative timing or snapshot observations. For this reason, the overall share of complementary work times in a work shift is usually estimated roughly, equally for all timber harvesting conditions. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of selected working environment factors on the share of complementary work times in a work shift, in technologies on the manual-machine and the machine levels. The analyses were carried out in 33 forest districts of the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Wrocław. Among forest contractors, surveys were carried out to analyse the time structure of a working day. For each forest district, analyses of environmental factors potentially relevant to the share of complementary work times in a work shift were carried out; these included field features, dispersion of stands, features of timber, area accessibility. The total share of complementary work times in the machine-level technology variant amounted to approx. 40% and was higher than the manual-machine technological variant, where this share amounted to approx. 35%. The models developed for standardization of the share of variability of complementary work times, in the case of the manual-machine technology level, took into account the share of timber assortments with the length of over 2.5 m as well as the share of upland and mountain sites. In the case of timber harvesting at the machine technology level, the standardization model included as significant the factors such as the share of coniferous forest sites, the number of forest complexes with an area of over 100 hectares, and the total length of roads. Therefore, the above features could be selected as decisive for the share of the complementary work time category out of the full set of environmental variables taken into consideration in the estimation of the time-consumption of timber harvesting processes.
Weak Berge Equilibrium in Finite Three-person Games: Conception and Computation

Abstract The paper proposes the concept of a weak Berge equilibrium. Unlike the Berge equilibrium, the moral basis of this equilibrium is the Hippocratic Oath “First do no harm”. On the other hand, any Berge equilibrium is a weak Berge equilibrium. But, there are weak Berge equilibria, which are not the Berge equilibria. The properties of the weak Berge equilibrium have been investigated. The existence of the weak Berge equilibrium in mixed strategies has been established for finite games. The weak Berge equilibria for finite three-person non-cooperative games are computed.
Characterization of Refuse Derived Fuel Production from Municipal Solid Waste: The Case Studies in Latvia and Lithuania

Abstract The authors determined the morphological composition of refuse derived fuel (RDF) produced in Latvia and Lithuania by manually sorting. The parameters of RDF (moisture, net calorific value, ash content, carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, sulphur, chlorine, metals) was determined using the EN standards. Comparing obtained results with data from literature, authors have found that the content of plastic is higher but paper and cardboard is lower than typical values. Results also show that the mean parameters for RDF can be classified with the class codes: Net heating value (3); chlorine (3); mercury (1), and responds to limits stated for 3rd class of solid recovered fuel. It is recommended to separate biological waste at source to lower moisture and ash content and increase heating value for potential fuel production from waste.
Optimising Rig Design for Sailing Yachts with Evolutionary Multi-Objective Algorithm

Abstract The paper presents a framework for optimising a sailing yacht rig using Multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithms and for filtering obtained solutions by means of a Multi-criteria Decision Making method. A Bermuda sloop with discontinuous rig is taken under consideration as a model rig configuration. It has been decomposed into its elements and described by a set of control parameters to form a responsive model which can be used for optimisation purposes. Considering the contradictory nature of real optimisation objectives, a multi-objective approach has been chosen to address this issue. Once the optimisation process is over, a Multi-criteria Decision Making method based on a w-dominance relation is applied for filtering out the most interesting solutions from the obtained Pareto set. The proposed method has been implemented, and selected results are provided and discussed.
Conventional Methods in Housing Market Analysis: A Review of Literature

Abstract Housing market analysis has witnessed considerable changes in recent decades, especially as a result of the complexity of human settlements and the dynamics of property market analytical techniques. This paper reviews various techniques/methods adopted by researchers and housing experts in analysing the housing market in recent times. The present study is a literature review and, therefore, essentially relies on published data sourced from academic journals, conference papers, thesis, and other secondary sources. The paper highlights the methods considered appropriate and relevant for different property market scenarios, especially in developing countries. The paper, therefore, recommends what it regards as the most appropriate basis for a housing market analysis and research in developing countries against the backdrop of the dynamics of the property market.
Albumin and functionalized albumin nanoparticles: production strategies, characterization, and target indications

Abstract The inherent properties of albumin facilitate its effective use as a raw material to prepare a nanosized drug delivery vehicles. Because of the enhanced surface area, biocompatibility, and extended half-life of albumin nanoparticles, a number of drugs have been incorporated in albumin matrices in recent years. Furthermore, its ability to be conjugated to various receptor ligands makes albumin an ideal candidate for the increased delivery of drugs to specific sites. The present review provides an in-depth discussion of production strategies for the preparation of albumin and conjugated albumin nanoparticles and for the targeting of these formulations to specific organs and cancer cells. This review also provides insights into drug loading, release patterns, and cytotoxicity of various drug-loaded albumin nanoparticles.
Stakeholders and Performance Management Systems of Small and Medium-Sized Outpatient Clinics

Abstract Performance management systems can be divided into those that rely considerably on significant stakeholders and that ignore stakeholders, other than the stockholders and the clients. Decision makers willing to implement and use a performance management system must decide to what extent such system should rely on various stakeholders. In this study, 10 in-depth interviews with representatives possessing significant experience with small and medium-sized outpatient clinics have been employed. The objective of this paper is to study if an efficient performance management system for small and medium-sized outpatient clinics can ignore stakeholders. The results of this study postulate performance management systems, which are not sufficiently rooted in stakeholders, are not likely to be successful for small and medium-sized outpatient clinics. Developed in this article concept acknowledges wider society and indicates significant stakeholders who cannot be ignored. The paper ends with conclusion, limitations, indications for further research, and some managerial implications.
Pelargonium root (Pelargonium sidoides DC) extract in paediatric patients - food supplement or medicine?

Summary Pelargonium sidoides DC is an interesting plant with various biological properties. Pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of food supplements are particularly interested in its beneficial effects in upper respiratory tract infections. The search for new therapeutic options is especially important at a time when antibiotics are prescribed too often. However, due to proven clinical effects of extracts from Pelargonium sidoides, their use in diet supplements, especially intended for infants and small children, is highly disputable. The paper presents reports on the use of Pelargonium sidoides extracts in paediatrics and also tries to answer the question whether the pelargonium extract should be qualified as food supplement or medicine.
Dual-mode resonator filter with improved feed-lines for dual-band applications

Abstract An improved feedline configuration for dual-mode resonator filter is investigated in this paper. Based on the introduced topology, a dual-mode dual-band bandpass filter with center frequencies of 1.8 and 2.4 GHz is optimally designed, fabricated and tested. The introduced dual-band bandpass filter has simple structure and enables high selectivity to be realized due to two pairs of transmission zeros located near to the lower and upper passband, respectively. Both measured and simulated performances are presented with good consistency.
Experimental and Numerical Investigations of Ultimate Strength of Imperfect Stiffened Plates of Different Slenderness

Abstract The objective of this study is to analyse the behaviour of compressed stiffened plates of different slenderness using experimental and numerical methods. The presented results are part of a long-term project to investigate the ultimate strength of geometrically imperfect structures subjected to different degradation phenomena, including corrosion degradation and locked cracks. Several specimens were subjected to a uniaxial compressive force, and the most important quantities related to the structural behaviour were captured and analysed. A finite element model, accounting for material and geometrical nonlinearities and initial geometrical imperfections, was developed using the commercial software ANSYS. The residual welding-induced stresses were measured in the middle cross-section for two specimens. The initial imperfection was identified by employing a close-range photogrammetry approach. It was concluded that the numerical analyses, based on the finite element model, predict the ultimate strength of stiffened plates accurately, although some deviations were also observed. The detailed analysis with the indication of possible uncertainty is presented, and several conclusions are derived.