Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Colistin and Tigecycline Susceptibility Testing Methods for Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Isolates

Background: The evolution of nosocomial infections by multidrug resisitance (MDR) and extensive drug resistance (XDR) Acinetobacter baumannii and klebsiella pneumoniae are considered a major health problem owing to the relatively limited treatment options. Colistin and tigecycline are increasingly used as a last choice for treatment of these infections. The most accurate antibiotic susceptibility methods for colistin and tigecycline are still challenging. Objectives: The aim of the current study was to detect colistin and tigecycline antibiotic susceptibility of K. pneumoniae and A. baumanii and evaluate disk diffusion (DD), E- test and VITEK 2 automated system compared to broth dilution (BD) test. Methodology: This study was performed on 35 K. pneumoniae and 15 A. baumanii clinical isolates collected from patients admitted to Benha University Hospitals. The isolated strains were identified by the standard laboratory technique with subspecies identification by VITEK 2 automated system. Colistin and tigecycline antibiotic susceptibility for K. pneumoniae and A. baumanii were evaluated by E-test, disk diffusion and VITEK 2 compared to BD as the reference method. Results: Through the study of the studied k. pneumoniae and A. baumanii strains, The essential and categorical agreements of colistin suscebtibility were (82% & 80 %) for E-test, (92% & 98%) for VITEK 2 and categorical agreement for DD was 54%. The essential and categorical agreements of tigecycline suscebtibility were (96% & 98%) for E-test, (88% &78%) for VITEK 2 and categorical agreement for DD was 74%. Conclusion: For colistin, VITEK 2 is considered a reliable method to detect colistin susceptibility while E-test and disk diffusion showed a poor performance. For tigecycline, E-test showed the best performance compared to the gold standard test while shortcomings of automated VITEK 2 and manual DD were observed.
Flexible-Joint Humanoid Balancing Augmentation via Full-State Feedback Variable Impedance Control

This paper attempts to address the quandary of flexible-joint humanoid balancing performance augmentation, via the introduction of the Full-State Feedback Variable Impedance Control (FSFVIC), and Model-Free Compliant Floating-base VIC (MCFVIC) schemes. In comparison to rigid-joint humanoid robots, efficient balancing control of compliant bipeds, powered by Series Elastic Actuators (or harmonic drives), requires the design of more sophisticated controllers encapsulating both the motor and underactuated link dynamics. It has been demonstrated that Variable Impedance Control (VIC) can improve robotic interaction performance, albeit by introducing energy-injecting elements that may jeopardize closed-loop stability. To this end, the novel FSFVIC and MCFVIC schemes are proposed, which amalgamate both collocated and non-collocated feedback gains, with power-shaping signals that are capable of preserving the system's stability/passivity during VIC. The FSFVIC and MCFVIC stably modulate the system's collocated state gains to augment balancing performance, in addition to the non-collocated state gains that dictate the position control accuracy. Utilization of arbitrarily low-impedance gains is permitted by both the FSFVIC and MCFVIC schemes propounded herein. An array of experiments involving the COmpliant huMANoid reveals that significant balancing performance amelioration is achievable through online modulation of the full-state feedback gains (VIC), as compared to utilization of invariant impedance control.
IMAT: The Iterative Medial Axis Transform

We present the iterative medial axis transform (IMAT), an iterative descent method that constructs a medial axis transform (MAT) for a sparse, noisy, oriented point cloud sampled from an object's boundary. We first establish the equivalence between the traditional definition of the MAT of an object, i.e., the set of centres and corresponding radii of all balls maximally inscribed inside the object, with an alternative characterization matching the boundary enclosing the union of the balls with the object boundary. Based on this boundary equivalence characterization, a new MAT algorithm is proposed, in which an error function that reflects the difference between the two boundaries is minimized while restricting the number of balls to within some a priori specified upper limit. An iterative descent method with guaranteed local convergence is developed for the minimization that is also amenable to parallelization. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses of diverse 2D and 3D objects demonstrate the noise robustness, shape fidelity, and representation efficiency of the resulting MAT.
Near‐infrared Spectra of Lunar Ferrous Mineral Mixtures

Iron‐bearing minerals are a major component of materials on the lunar surface, and many of them can be distinguished based on the diagnostic absorption features in visible and near‐infrared reflectance spectra. The relationship between the 1 µm absorption (Band I) center and the band area ratio (BAR), defined as the ratio of 2–1 µm absorption areas, provides a sensitive way to estimate the relative abundance of olivine (Ol) and pyroxene. In the plot of the BAR value versus the Band I center, the Ol‐orthopyroxene (Opx) mixing line (derived from terrestrial materials) is strictly applicable only to Ol‐Opx mixtures. Based on published database of laboratory spectra and compositional data for lunar rocks and mineral separates, this study investigated the spectral characteristics of a variety of common Fe2+‐bearing lunar minerals and rocks, such as clinopyroxene (Cpx), ilmenite‐rich basalt, pyroxene‐bearing anorthosite, and glass‐rich impact melt. The lunar Ol‐Cpx‐Opx mixing line for rocks and minerals is determined, which contains less curvature than the Ol‐Opx mixing line, consistent with both the higher Fe2+ content of lunar mafic silicates and the presence of appreciable Cpx. This study suggests that some of the pyroxene‐bearing lunar materials that are rich in ilmenite, glass, or plagioclase can also be distinguished by this method. These results indicate that the plot of the BAR value versus the Band I center is a useful tool for spectral analysis of lunar composition and mineralogy, especially for those having pyroxene‐dominated spectra.
Mechanical properties and tribological characteristics of B4C-SiC ceramic composite in artificial seawater

ABSTRACT To improve the mechanical properties and tribological characteristics of boron carbide (B4C) ceramic, silicon carbide (SiC) as an incorporation phase was added into boron carbide matrix. The results showed that, the incorporation of SiC phase led to denser microstructure and lower porosity. When SiC content was 20 wt. %, the bending strength and fracture toughness of the ceramic composite were 447.6MPa and 7.21 MPa·m1/2, respectively. Under seawater lubrication, the friction coefficient of B4C-20%SiC was lowered to 0.052, and the wear rate of ceramic composite was lower than the magnitude of 10−6mm3/Nm. The excellent tribological performance was attributed to lubricating, cooling of seawater, and tribochemical reaction.
Narrative Economics and Behavioral Economics: contributions to the behavioral insights on post-Keynesian theory

ABSTRACT The objective of this review is to discuss the formation of knowledge proposed by Keynes on his Treatise on Probability, and the economic agents’ behavior in an uncertainty scenario presented on his General Theory, by the Narrative Economics’ and Behavioral Economics perspectives. The hypothesis that will be analyzed is that in a keynesian uncertainty scenario, economic agents tend to act according to their context (social, geographic, historic, cultural) spreading narratives by which they identify themselves and orient decisions that cause sensible movements on the economic aggregates. Revisiting the literature, we could conclude that by bringing together the behavioral economy and the narrative economy theory, we could, from the Keynes’ insights on his writings, perceive strong empirical evidence that can be analytically important on the assessment of the economic fluctuations.
Advances in Understanding Reactivity of Manganese Oxides with Arsenic and Chromium in Environmental Systems

In the past several years, through the use of molecular scale techniques, particularly those that are in-situ, advances have been made in determining the reactivity of manganese oxides with arsenic (As) and chromium (Cr). Of particular note is an enhanced understanding of the kinetics and mechanisms of As(III) and Cr(III) oxidation on Mn-oxides over a range of time scales, frommilliseconds to days. This is in large part due to the employment of novel, synchrotron-based techniques, such as Quick X-ray absorption spectroscopy (Q-XAS) and bench-scale attentuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATRFTIR) spectroscopy. This review will focus on these advances, and rely heavily on the published research of Sparks and his group, both present and former members. Undoubtedly these advancess were greatly facilitated by a large number of previous investigations by numerous authors, some of which are cited in the review.
Pricing and Hedging Options on Assets with Options on Related Assets

The question addressed is the pricing of options on the CBOE Skew Index. The option pricing theory developed partially hedges risk by taking positions in the market for options on a related asset. The option is then priced at the cost of this hedge. The theory is applied to pricing Volatility Index (VIX) options hedged by the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) options and pricing options on JPMorgan hedged by Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) options. The approach is then applied to illustrate the pricing of CBOE Skew Index options with a hedge in the market for SPY options. The Skew Index smile is then seen to imply the VIX and SKEW of the Skew Index itself. The pricing of VIX options with SPY as the related asset has the Gaussian copula underpricing options while the t-copula significantly overprices them. The multivariate bilateral gamma models are closer to market. The premia of cross-asset hedge prices over the market price are observed to fall with moneyness and maturity and rise with the level of the VIX. TOPICS: Derivatives, options, exchange-traded funds and applications, quantitative methods, statistical methods, performance measurement Key Findings ▪ Time series data on physical returns may be used to obtain market relevant option prices provided market-relevant hedging costs are incorporated. ▪ Options on the CBOE Skew Index are priced at the cost of an SPY option hedge portfolio. ▪ Residual risk pricing technologies may be applied more widely with market calibrated parameters if desired.
Dual-band and dual-polarized programmable metasurface unit with independent channels

Highly efficient aperture use and real-time control are important for current RF systems to achieve outstanding system performance. In this paper, we propose a novel dual-band and dual-polarized programmable metasurface unit (PMU) with two switchable phase states. Utilizing the dual-band and dual-polarized properties of parasitic patch antennas, the PMU can realize independent control of two channels by switching the PIN diodes. Because of the separation of frequency bands and orthogonal polarizations, the PMU posesses high isolation between two channels. Meanwhile, spoof surface plasmon polariton and choke structures are designed to further improve channel isolation. Each channel of the PMU has two states (state ‘0’ and state ‘1’) with a 180° phase difference between them, which is the basis for constructing programmable metasurfaces. The simulated and measured results illustrate the excellent performance of the proposed PMU. Through a detailed discussion of the functions of metasurfaces composed of the proposed PMU, the independent control of two channel beams is demonstrated in real time. Hence, the proposed dual-band and dual-polarized PMU may find wide applications in satellite communications, radar systems and other scenarios.
Fine Root Traits of Pinus koraiensis Varied with Soil Cation Exchange Capacity in Natural Forests

Adaptation of fine root plasticity to soil nutrients heterogeneity in natural forest ecosystems has not been well explored. The study aimed to determine seasonal variations of fine root traits in Pinus koraiensis natural forests and explore the relationship between fine root traits and soil properties. Root and soil samples were collected from the coniferous broad-leaved mixed forest (BP), monospecific P. koraiensis forest (MP), and coniferous mixed forest (CP). Soil available phosphorus (P) content for MP was 31.7% and 39.8% lower than for BP and CP. Soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) for MP was lower by 23.5% and 27.2% than for BP and CP, respectively. In July, specific root lengths and root surface areas for BP and CP (mixed forests) were significantly higher than for MP (monospecific forest). A structural equation model showed that CEC had a significant effect on fine root traits. Root diameter, root volume density, and root surface area density were negatively correlated with CEC. Fine root traits plasticity of P. koraiensis are closely related to soil available nutrient contents, CEC, and species composition at the ecosystem level.
The Ethanolic Extract of Annonaceous sp. to Inhibit Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) as Anticancer Modalities

Introduction: Cancer has become a major public health problem worldwide, with breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and one of the most important causes of death among them. Management of breast cancer have some adverse effects, with many factorx=s shiouln be considered to ordered the therapy. Use of chemotherapy will suppress cell proliferation and trigger apoptosis, but it cannot just focus on cancer cells only, but also would affected on other cells and cause. Objective: This study aim to analyze the inhibition effect of the Annonanceous sp. ethanolic extract to Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) on MCF-7 cells line Material and Methods: This study is an analytic experimental study used Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three repetitions. The extract was dissolved in 1 ml of DMSO with a concentration of 0.1%. Furthermore, dilution was made with a dose of 0 µg / ml (K); 25 µg / ml (P1); 50 µg / ml (P2); 100 µg / ml (P3); 200 µg / ml (P4). MCF-7 cells line were cultured used RPMI 1640 Medium with 80 – 90% confluent. The ethanolic extract of Annonaceous sp. were exposed to MCF-7 cells for 48 hours. Analyze of VEGF level use ELISA Methods with λ=405 nm. Results: The results of ELISA analyze shows that the ethanolic extract of Annonaceous sp. have potential effect to decreased of VEGF expression on sample with treatment on some concentration (p< 0,05). Conclusion: The ethanolic extract of Annonaceous sp. has shows the potential effect to decreased of VEGF level on MCF-7 cells line
The Effects of Different Supply Chain Integration Strategies on Disruption Recovery: A System Dynamics Study on the Cheese Industry

Long and complex supply chains are vulnerable to disruptions. One way to solve this problem is to successfully manage supply chain integration (SCI). A system dynamics simulation is thus applied to study a cheese supply chain with three individual firms: a producer, a logistics service provider (LSP), and a retailer. Our purpose is to study the effects of SCI strategies with different dimensional focuses, i.e., information integration (Scenario 1), relational integration (Scenario 2), and operational integration (Scenario 3), on the recovery of three types of disruptions, i.e., a producer capacity disruption, an LSP capacity disruption, and a demand disruption. Tests of parameter scenarios are further applied to provide solutions for supply chains using different strategies. Our results indicate that Scenario 3 is the best practice, regardless of any type of disruption, while Scenario 1 usually achieves the worst performance. This is consistent with an evolutionary perspective of supply chain integration: information integration gives firms a competitive advantage as the first step. Working as partners to share the most appropriate information leads to greater benefits. We extend this perspective by showing that further elimination of information delay helps the supply chain achieve the best performance.
Determinism and Non-linear Behaviour of Log-return and Conditional Volatility: Empirical Analysis for 26 Stock Markets

Determinism and non-linear behaviour in log-return and conditional volatility time series of the stock market index is examined for twenty-six countries. For this goal, the principal statistical techniques used in this study are a robust estimator of correlation dimension, a normalized non-linear prediction error, and pseudo-periodic surrogate data method. The proposed approach indicates, first, the stochastic behaviour of all log-return time series. Second, the inability of local linear, ARMA, or state- dependent noise models (such as ARCH, GARCH, and EGARCH) to describe its structure for the frontier, emerging, and developed markets. The same stochastic behaviour of conditional volatility time series, estimated by the stochastic volatility model with moving average innovations, is detected. This finding proves the efficiency of the stochastic volatility model compared with some analysed types of GARCH models for all studied markets. JEL Classification: C12, C52, D53, E44
Wideband circularly polarized cross‐dipole antenna with folded ground plane

Lei Wang, No. 78, Zhucun Avenue West, Zhucun Street, Zengcheng, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 511370, China Email: leiwang@ceprei.com Abstract A wideband circularly polarized (CP) cross‐dipole antenna with folded ground plane is presented. The antenna consists of an L‐shaped stepped patch as driven elements and four rotated L‐shaped metallic ground strips as parasitic elements. A sequential phase feeding structure is used to provide 90° phase difference, which is composed of a pair of vacant‐quarter printed rings. It is noticed that the four rotated parasitic L‐shaped metallic ground strips and ground plane are directly connected to form a folded ground plane instead of the traditional disconnection between parasitic elements and ground plane. By using these elements, multiple CP resonances can be excited to meet the requirement for the wideband CP radiation. The presented antenna shows outstanding CP feature with a broad axial‐ratio bandwidth (ARBW) of 85.7% (1.3–3.25 GHz) and a wide impedance bandwidth (IBW) of 100% (0.95–2.85 GHz).
Optimization of Biological Nitrogen Removal From Fermented Dairy Manure Using Low Levels of Dissolved Oxygen

A pilot scale nitrogen (N) removal system was constructed and operated for approximately 365 days and was designed to remove inorganic total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) from solids-separated dairy manure. An anaerobic fermenter, upstream of the N removal reactor, produced volatile fatty acids (VFAs), to be used as an electron donor to fuel denitrification, and TAN at a COD:N ratio of 18:1. However, sufficient amounts of non-VFA COD was produced by the fermenter to fuel the denitrification reaction at an average NO3 removal rate of 5.3 ± 2 mg/L NO3 -N. Total ammonia N was removed from the fermenter effluent in an N removal reactor where a series of aerobic and anoxic zones facilitated aerobic TAN oxidation and anoxic NO3 and NO2 reduction. The minimum dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration allowing for complete TAN removal was found to be 0.8 mg/L. However, TAN removal rates were less than predicted using default nitrifying kinetic parameters in BioWin ® , a biological modeling simulator, which indicated the presence of a nitrification inhibitor in fermented dairy manure. Furthermore, an N balance during the aerobic zone indicated that simultaneous nitrification-denitrification (SND) was occurring in the aerobic zone of the N removal reactor and was most apparent at DO concentrations below 1.3 mg/L. A series of nitrite generation rate (NGR) experiments confirmed the presence of an inhibitor in fermented dairy manure. A model sensitivity analysis determined that the most sensitive ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) kinetic parameters were the maximum specific growth rate, AOB μ , and the substrate half saturation coefficient, + 4 NH K . Nitrifying inhibition terms of competitive, non-competitive, mixed competitive, and un-competitive were applied to the growth rate equation in BioWin ® but an accurate representation of the observed TAN removal rates in the pilot scale system could not be found by adjusting the AOB μ and + 4 NH K alone. Reducing the default BioWin ® hydrolysis rate by approximately 50% produced a more accurate calibration for all inhibition terms tested indicating that the hydrolyization of organic N in dairy manure is less than typical municipal waste water.
Moderation effect of pleasure seeking and loss aversion in the relationship between personality traits and risky investment intention

Purpose The aim of this study, the moderating effect of pleasure-seeking and loss aversion, was investigated in relation to the big five personality traits with regard to risky investment intentions. Design/methodology/approach In the study, the data was obtained between January and November 2019 via an online survey with convenience sampling. The total number of subjects is 886. The authors used IBM SPSS Statistics for analysis. Exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis and discriminant analysis were performed. Findings Significant relationships were found between five personality traits and risky investment intentions. In these relationships, the moderator effect of pleasure-seeking for extraversion, conscientiousness and neuroticism personality traits was also determined. Besides, investment preferences for choosing “unknown and new investment” against “known and experienced investment”, which is a typical feature of the balloon periods, were modeled with big five personality traits and motivation variables (pleasure-seeking and loss aversion) and the equation was formed. As a result, high accuracy classification success was obtained. Originality/value The study is unique owing to its findings. In addition, general risk aversion and risky investment intention were investigated simultaneously to explain the different findings in the literature regarding the attitude of big five personality traits to risk and personality traits that show consistent approach were identified.
Reproductive Outcomes in Young Breast Cancer Survivors Treated (15–39) in Ontario, Canada

We conducted a population-based, retrospective, matched-cohort study to examine the impact of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment on fertility outcomes. Relative risks of infertility, childbirth, premature ovarian insufficiency (POI; age < 40) and early menopause (age < 45) were calculated using modified Poisson regression. Our primary cohort included young women (15–39) with early stage BC diagnosed 1995–2014. Five cancer-free patients were matched to each BC patient by birth year and census subdivision. The BC cohort was further divided by treatment with chemotherapy vs. no chemotherapy treatment. 3903 BC patients and 19,515 cancer-free women. BC patients treated with chemotherapy were at increased risk of infertility (RR 1.81; 95% CI 1.60–2.04), and POI (RR 6.25; 95% CI 5.15–7.58) and decreased childbirth (RR 0.85; 95% CI 0.75–0.96), compared to women without cancer. BC patients who did not receive chemotherapy were also at increased risk of infertility (RR 1.80 95% CI 1.48–2.18) and POI (RR 2.12 95% CI 1.37–3.28). All young BC survivors face an increased risk of diagnosed infertility and POI relative to women without cancer, independent of chemotherapy. These results emphasize the importance of pre-treatment fertility counselling for young women diagnosed with BC.