Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Macrofungal Extracts on the Bacteria Inhibition of Bacillus subtilis Amruta

Macrofungus has been utilized as a medicinal remedy since ancient times. There has not been abundant research on its medicinal uses in comparison to other species of edible mushrooms, but studying its effects could lead to a global contribution regarding its therapeutic application. The purpose of this study was to determine the varying effect of mushroom extracts on antimicrobial properties against Bacillus subtilis. It was hypothesized if different edible mushroom extracts are treated to B. subtilis, then Lentinula edodes extract will show the greatest antibacterial activity with the largest clear zone diameter in millimeters. Determining which mushroom species exhibits the greatest inhibitory effect on bacteria can lead to the identification of alternative compounds to substitute the current ineffective antibacterial products. Prepared extracts from Agaricus bisporus, Plureotus ostreatus, and Lentinus edodes species were placed into wells of Luria Broth agar petri dishes that had been incubated with 5 day old Bacillus subtilis. After a 48 hour incubation period, the research hypothesis was supported as L. edodes had the largest mean clear zone diameter. Statistical analysis of the results revealed the calculated t-value for L. edodes vs. P. ostreatus, L. edodes vs. A. bisporus, and the mushroom levels vs. the control were all are significant, except for P. ostreatus vs. A. bisporus. It is believed that the presence of lenthionine, eritadenine, and lentinan, gave L. edodes its superior antibacterial properties. Unidentified protein content may have contributed to other mushroom species’ antimicrobial activity. The unknown compounds from the mushrooms could be isolated and, with further study, be of benefit for humans with the development of new antibiotics to combat bacterial resistance to medication.
Methane recovery efficiency in a Submerged Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (SAnMBR) treating sulphate-rich urban wastewater: Evaluation of methane losses with the effluent

The present paper presents a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor (SAnMBR) as a sustainable approach for urban wastewater treatment at 33oC and 20oC, since greenhouse gas emissions are reduced and energy recovery is enhanced. Compared to other anaerobic systems such as UASB reactors, the membrane technology allows the use of biogas-assisted mixing which enhances the methane stripping from the liquid phase bulk. The methane saturation index obtained for the whole period (1.00 ± 0.04) evidenced that the equilibrium condition was reached and the methane loss with the effluent was reduced. The methane recovery efficiency obtained at 20oC (53.6%) was slightly lower than at 33oC (57.4%) due to a reduction of the treatment efficiency, as evidenced by the lower methane production and the higher waste sludge per litre of treated wastewater. For both operational temperatures, the methane recovery efficiency was strongly affected by the high sulphate concentration in the influent wastewater.
Genetic Analysis of Colony and Population Structure of Three Introduced Populations of the Formosan Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in the Continental United States

Abstract The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, is a major invasive pest species in many parts of the world. We compared the colony breeding system and population genetic structure in three introduced populations in the continental United States: Charleston, SC; City Park, New Orleans, LA; and Rutherford County, NC. Based on worker genotypes at 12 microsatellite loci, we found that colonies were mainly genetically distinct entities consisting of either simple families headed by monogamous pairs of reproductives or extended families containing multiple neotenic (replacement) reproductives descended from simple families. Populations varied from 48% simple families in Charleston to 82% simple families in City Park. Extended family colonies in all three populations were likely headed by <10 neotenic reproductives. There was no significant isolation by distance in any of the populations, suggesting that colonies reproduce by relatively long-range mating flights and/or human-mediated dispersal within each population. The Charleston population showed evidence of a recent genetic bottleneck and most likely was founded by very few colonies. Cluster analysis indicated that the Charleston and City Park populations are quite genetically distant from each other and most likely originated from different source populations. The more recently introduced Rutherford County population was genetically most similar to City Park. These findings, together with results from other infested sites, indicate considerable variation in the genetic structure and breeding system of introduced populations of this species, making it unlikely that there is a simple genetic or behavioral explanation for the success of C. formosanus as an invasive species.
A Hybrid Non-Convex Compressed Sensing Approach for Array Diagnosis Using Sparse Promoting Norm with Perturbation Technique

The use of ℓ p ( 0 < p < 1 ) norm minimization will improve array diagnosis performance provided that the issue of local minima associated to its non-convex nature is properly handled. In order to overcome this deficiency, a hybrid method using random perturbation and non-convex optimization is investigated in this paper. Although it acquires a higher computational time, the trade-off between an accurate diagnosis and the computational burden appears to be acceptable. Theoretical analysis and simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method overcomes this disadvantage effectively and achieves better performance compared to the standard ℓ 1 norm minimization with a smaller number of far-field measurements, suggesting that the proposed method can be used to improve the performance of array diagnosis.
Effectiveness of Micro-Blowing Technique in Adverse Pressure Gradients

Abstract : The impact of the micro-blowing technique (MBT) on the skin friction and total drag of a strut in a turbulent, strong adverse-pressure-gradient flow is assessed experimentally over a range of subsonic Mach numbers (0.3<M<0.7) and reduced blowing fractions (0<2F/C(f,0)< 1.75). The MBT-treated strut is situated along the centerline of a symmetric 2-D diffuser with a static pressure rise coefficient of 0.6. In agreement with presented theory and earlier experiments in zero-pressure-gradient flows, the effusion of blowing air reduces skin friction significantly (e.g., by 60% at reduced blowing fractions near 1.75). The total drag of the treated strut with blowing is significantly lower than that of the treated strut in the limit of zero-blowing; further, the total drag is reduced below that of the baseline (solid-plate) strut, provided that the reduced blowing fractions are sufficiently high. The micro-blowing air is, however, deficient in streamwise momentum and the blowing leads to increased boundary-layer and wake thicknesses and shape factors. Diffuser performance metrics and wake surveys are used to discuss the impact of various levels of micro-blowing on the aerodynamic blockage and loss.
The Measurement and Elimination of Mode Splitting: From the Perspective of the Partly Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition

The problems of mode mixing, mode splitting, and pseudocomponents caused by intermittence or white noise signals during empirical mode decomposition (EMD) are difficult to resolve. The partly ensemble EMD (PEEMD) method is introduced first. The PEEMD method can eliminate mode mixing via the permutation entropy (PE) of the intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Then, bilateral permutation entropy (BPE) of the IMFs is proposed as a means to detect and eliminate mode splitting by means of the reconstructed signals in the PEEMD. Moreover, known ingredient component signals are comparatively designed to verify that the PEEMD method can effectively detect and progressively address the problem of mode splitting to some degree and generate IMFs with better performance. The microseismic signal is applied to prove, by means of spectral analysis, that this method is effective.
State Of-The-Art and Development of Rural Tourism in Bulgaria

The South Central region has all natural, cultural, historical and other sights and prerequisites for development of rural tourism. Over 300 small and medium tourist enterprises serving specialized forms of tourism are concentrated in the region. Significant funds and other capital have been invested here. This research aims to analyze the economic conditions and development of rural tourism in Bulgaria on the example of the South Central region. The objects of study - operating small and medium tourist enterprises are located in the mountain regions. We examined three of the most common tourist sites: 1. Farmhouse with yard and agricultural land; 2. Guest house; 3. Family hotel. Due to significant costs differences, two distinct periods are considered – heating period and non-heating period. The results from the research show that providing tourist service in tourist enterprises classified as farmhouses with yard and agricultural land is just a form of diversification of the principal activity of the family and the farm – production of agricultural production. Tourist establishments which are categorized as guest houses and family hotels are independent specialized tourist enterprises. The level and trends of change in sales revenue from tourist service in family hotels is satisfactory during both periods. The following conclusions can be drawn from the examined correlations and dependencies: since the level of labour productivity is directly dependent on the occupancy rate, it is necessary to enhance the activities of attracting new clients. The strong influence of current expenses over economic results requires improvement of their management inside the tourist enterprise.
Combining Satellite and Terrestrial InterferometricRadar Data to Investigate Surface Displacement in theStorfjord and Kåfjord Area, Northern Norway.

KUN Paper 1 skal legges ut pa Munin forelopig: Paper 1: Eriksen, H. O. , Lauknes, T. R. , Larsen, Y. , Corner, G. D. , Bergh, S. G. , Dehls, J., and Kierulf, H. P., 2017, Visualizing and interpreting surface displacement patterns on unstable slopes using multi-geometry satellite SAR interferometry (2D InSAR): Remote Sensing of Environment, v. 191, p. 297-312. , DOI: dx.doi. org/10.1016/j.rse. 2016.12. 024
Comparison of Acidic and Polymeric Agents in Synthesis of TiO 2 Nanoparticles via a Modified Sol-Gel Method

TiO2 nano particles were synthesized in Rutile and Anatase phases by sol-gel method using two kind of complex agents, acidic (Citric Acid) and organic complex agent (acetyl acetone) at 400°C, 500°C, 650°C sintering temperatures. The structural analysis by XRD diffraction confirmed phase formation of titanium oxide. Particles sizes were determined by using Scherrer formula. TEM was employed to confirm nano particles formation. The size of nano particles as well as Phase formation can be controlled by the type of complex agent and sintering temperature. Acetyl Acetone causes a more crystalline structure and more uniformity of size distribution in 400°C sintering temperatures. Moreover, it results in obtaining single phase TiO2 nanoparticles at 400°C and 650°C sintering temperature. On the other hand, at high sintering temperature, the particles obtained from polymeric agent tend to agglomerate larger in size than the acidic product.
Cyclic vectors and irreducibility for principal series representations. II

Canonical sets of cyclic vectors for principal series representations of semisimple Lie groups having faithful representations are found. These cyclic vectors are used to obtain estimates for the number of irreducible subrepresentations of a principal series representations. The results are used to prove irreducibility for the full principal series of complex semisimple Lie groups and for SL(2n + 1, R), n > 1.
Does Exposure to Cigarette Smoke Compromise Mast Cell Function?: Implications for Chronic Lung Inflammation and Host Defense Against Pathogens

Cigarette smoke (CS) is linked to increased frequency of pulmonary infections, airway hyper-reactivity & chronic inflammation. We investigated effects of soluble CS components (CSE) on mast cells (MC), which are principal effectors in these diseases. Cord blood MC (CBMC) were isolated and cultured with stem cell factor (SCF), prostaglandin (PG) E2 and interleukin (IL)-6 to derive primary lines and then exposed to varying concentrations (0-10%) of CSE for intervals of 12-48h. Viability and MC status before and after IgE-dependentand independent (compound 48/80) activation were determined by Trypan Blue exclusion, by β-hexosaminidase (β-hex) release and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation. CSE at 2.5% was non-toxic and significantly increased MC degranulation following activation. To evaluate indirect effects of CSE, CBMCs were co-cultured with 3T3 fibroblasts and β-hex release and expression of Gi3α (which is associated with granule exocytosis and eicosanoid generation) was measured in MC. CSE inhibited degranulation and Gi3α expression in a contact-dependent fashion. CSE also altered phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38, and JNK after activation. Thus, CS may modulate MC function in airway inflammation. representative This study was supported by funds from the Aimwell Charitable Trust (UK).
Mixing sweet cream buttermilk with whole milk to produce cream cheese

Abstract Buttermilk is an important by-product of the manufacture of butter. Sweet-cream buttermilk (SCBM) is similar in composition to skim milk, except for its high phospholipid and milk fat globular membrane protein content. The main objective of this investigation was to produce optimum quality cream cheese by replacing whole milk with different proportions of SCBM (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50%). Statistical analysis showed that there were significant differences (p < 0.05) between the chemical and organoleptic properties of the samples. As the percentage of SCBM increased, the chemical composition of total solids, fat, protein, fat in dry matter (FDM) and ash of cheese milk decreased significantly, leading to a softer, moister curd. Samples prepared with more than 25% SCBM were not acceptable to the taste panel. The cream cheeses prepared using 25% and 30% SCBM had the highest yields. Total solids and FDM were strong predictors of cheese yield (r2 ≈ 0.589). The results also showed that the best range for replacement using SCBM is 20–25%.
Using stratification to mitigate end effects in quasi-Keplerian Taylor–Couette flow

Efforts to model accretion disks in the laboratory using Taylor–Couette flow apparatus are plagued with problems due to the substantial impact the end plates have on the flow. We explore the possibility of mitigating the influence of these end plates by imposing stable stratification in their vicinity. Numerical computations and experiments confirm the effectiveness of this strategy for restoring the axially homogeneous quasi-Keplerian solution in the unstratified equatorial part of the flow for sufficiently strong stratification and moderate layer thickness. If the rotation ratio is too large, however (e.g. ${\it\Omega}_{o}/{\it\Omega}_{i}=(r_{i}/r_{o})^{3/2}$ , where ${\it\Omega}_{o}/{\it\Omega}_{i}$ is the angular velocity at the outer/inner boundary and $r_{i}/r_{o}$ is the inner/outer radius), the presence of stratification can make the quasi-Keplerian flow susceptible to the stratorotational instability. Otherwise (e.g. for ${\it\Omega}_{o}/{\it\Omega}_{i}=(r_{i}/r_{o})^{1/2}$ ), our control strategy is successful in reinstating a linearly stable quasi-Keplerian flow away from the end plates. Experiments probing the nonlinear stability of this flow show only decay of initial finite-amplitude disturbances at a Reynolds number $Re=O(10^{4})$ . This observation is consistent with most recent computational (Ostilla-Mónico, et al. J. Fluid Mech., vol. 748, 2014, R3) and experimental results (Edlund & Ji, Phys. Rev. E, vol. 89, 2014, 021004) at high $Re$ , and reinforces the growing consensus that turbulence in cold accretion disks must rely on additional physics beyond that of incompressible hydrodynamics.
Found in Translation: Learning Robust Joint Representations by Cyclic Translations Between Modalities

Multimodal sentiment analysis is a core research area that studies speaker sentiment expressed from the language, visual, and acoustic modalities. The central challenge in multimodal learning involves inferring joint representations that can process and relate information from these modalities. However, existing work learns joint representations by requiring all modalities as input and as a result, the learned representations may be sensitive to noisy or missing modalities at test time. With the recent success of sequence to sequence (Seq2Seq) models in machine translation, there is an opportunity to explore new ways of learning joint representations that may not require all input modalities at test time. In this paper, we propose a method to learn robust joint representations by translating between modalities. Our method is based on the key insight that translation from a source to a target modality provides a method of learning joint representations using only the source modality as input. We augment modality translations with a cycle consistency loss to ensure that our joint representations retain maximal information from all modalities. Once our translation model is trained with paired multimodal data, we only need data from the source modality at test time for ﬁnal sentiment prediction. This ensures that our model remains robust from perturbations or missing information in the other modalities. We train our model with a coupled translation-prediction objective and it achieves new state-of-the-art results on multimodal sentiment analysis datasets: CMU-MOSI, ICT-MMMO, and YouTube. Additional experiments show that our model learns increasingly discriminative joint representations with more input modalities while maintaining robustness to missing or perturbed modalities.
REACTIVITY IN CONVENTIONAL RADICAL POLYMERISATION

The best-known procedure for predicting monomer reactivity ratios in binary radical polymerisation is the so-called Q-e Scheme, which was advanced over 50 years ago. This had an unsound theoretical basis and provided results of low accuracy. The present paper describes the application of the Patterns of Reactivity Scheme, which draws exclusively on experimental data (reactivity ratios) for its raw material, and which provides far more satisfactory results.
Elliptic String Solutions in AdS(3) and Elliptic Minimal Surfaces in AdS(4)

Non-linear sigma models defined on symmetric target spaces have a wide set of applications in modern physics, including the description of string propagation in symmetric spaces, such as AdS or dS, or minimal surfaces in hyperbolic spaces. Although it is difficult to acquire solutions of these models, due to their non-linear nature, it is well known that they are reducible to integrable systems of the family of the sine- or sinh-Gordon equation. In this study, we develop a method to invert Pohlmeyer reduction for elliptic solutions of the reduced system, implementing a relation between NLSM solutions and the eigenstates of the n = 1 Lame problem. This method is applied to produce a family of classical string solutions in AdS(3), which includes the spiky strings, as well as hoop string solutions with singular evolution of their angular velocity and radius, which are interesting in the framework of holographic dualities. Furthermore, application of this method produces a wide family of static minimal surfaces in AdS(4), which includes helicoids and catenoids, and which are interesting in the framework of the Ryu-Takayanagi conjecture and the understanding of the emergence of gravity as an entropic force related to quantum entanglement statistics. The developed formalism allows the study of the area of the minimal surfaces and geometric phase transitions between them, which are relevant to confinement-deconfinement phase transitions.
Variable-speed induction motor drives for aircraft environmental control compressors

System analysis and engineering have determined that electrically-driven environmental control system (ECS) can help to maintain the improved fuel efficiencies; and electronic controllers and induction motors are now being developed in a NASA/MPD SBIR Program to drive both types of ECS compressors. An important operational requirement for these applications is variable speed/load operation; and total maximum power outputs are under 200-kW for cabin pressurization and 100-kW for vapor cycle compressors, divided among four redundant units in a typical, 300 passenger, wide-body design. Typical speeds for full output of aircraft centrifugal compressors are in the 50000-RPM range. The application area addressed is characterized by slowly-changing inputs and outputs, small reserve power capability for acceleration, and optimization for maximum efficiency. This paper therefore focuses on the differences between this case and the optimum response case, and shows the development of this new motor/controller approach. It starts with the creation of a new set of controller requirements. In response to those requirements, new control algorithms are being developed and implemented in an embedded computer, which is integrated into the motor controller closed loop. Buffered logic outputs are used to drive the power switches in a resonant-technology, power processor/motor-controller, at switching/resonant frequencies high enough to support efficient high-frequency induction motor operation at speeds up to 50000-RPM.
Evidence of asymmetries in the Aldebaran photosphere from multiwavelength lunar occultations

We have recorded three lunar occultations of Aldebaran (α Tau) at different telescopes and using various band-passes, from the ultraviolet to the far red. The data have been analysed using both model-dependent and model-independent methods. The derived uniform-disc angular diameter values have been converted to limb-darkened values using model atmosphere relations and are found in broad agreement among themselves and with previous literature values. The limb-darkened diameter is about 20.3 mas on average. However, we have found indications that the photospheric brightness profile of Aldebaran may have not been symmetric, a finding already reported by other authors for this and for similar late-type stars. At the sampling scale of our brightness profile, between 1 and 2 mas, the uniform and limb-darkened disc models may not be a good description for Aldebaran. The asymmetries appear to differ with wavelength and over the 137-d time span of our measurements. Surface spots appear as a likely explanation for the differences between observations and the models.