Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impairment of fertilization efficiency in mice following nano-sized titanium exposure

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiNP) are widely used commercially and exist in a broad range of applications and consumer products such as exterior wall paints, antibacterial agents, white pigments, and sunscreens. We previously reported that the testis is a fragile organ against titanium toxicity as compared to the liver; TiNP has been shown to decrease both the sperm motility and the sperm numbers, that is, TiNP quantitatively and qualitatively change the sperm functions. There are, however, few reports regarding to the influence of TiNP on fertility ability. In this paper, we evaluated the influence of TiNP on fertilization rate using in vitro fertility (IVF) assay. Male C57BL/6J mice were administered orally with TiNPs (10 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg). Mice were sacrificed 24 hr after the administration. As a result, TiNP (10 mg/kg group) significantly decreased the fertilization rate. In the higher dose group (100 mg/kg), the degree was weaker than in the lower dose group. Our results indicate that TiNP reduces not only the sperm motility but also the fertility, and it will be useful information in considering the influence of TiNP on next generation.
QUANTUM SINGULAR OPERATOR LIMITS OF THIN DIRICHLET TUBES VIA Γ-CONVERGENCE

The Γ-convergence of lower bounded quadratic forms is used to study the singular operator limit of thin tubes (i.e., the vanishing of the cross section diameter) of the Laplace operator with Dirichlet boundary conditions; a procedure to obtain the effective Schrödinger operator (in different subspaces) is proposed, generalizing recent results in case of compact tubes. Finally, after scaling curvature and torsion the limit of a broken line is briefly investigated.
Differential reactivity of anti-hepatitis C virus screening assays in patients with waning antibodies

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) leads to persistent infection. Viral clearance can be obtained through pharmacological treatment or spontaneously. After viral clearance, anti-HCV antibodies (Abs) slowly decline and finally disappear. Subjects with a resolved HCV infection are reactive to anti-HCV screening assays for a long time. These subjects pose a diagnostic challenge, and therefore, a more accurate interpretation of laboratory tests is needed for cases with resolved HCV infection. However, the performances of anti-HCV screening assays against declining anti-HCV Abs have not been assessed. Here we evaluated 1509 samples with different screening assays. Screening assays provided discrepant results in patients with waning Abs. The identification of signal-to-cut-off values indicative of waning Abs for each anti-HCV assay could avoid unnecessary confirmatory tests and reduce the impact of misdiagnosis.
Board Gender Diversity, Board Independence and Firm Performance in Malaysia

This study investigates the influences of board gender diversity and board independence on firm performance. Ordinary least squares, two-stage least squares and generalised method of moments are employed to test the relationships among board gender diversity, board independence, and firm performance in firms listed on Bursa Malaysia between 2010 and 2015. The regression results indicate that female directors and independent directors significantly and negatively affect firm performance, respectively. However, the interaction term of board gender diversity and board independence is statistically insignificant. Overall, managers must consider that board gender diversity and board independence may not have an interactive effect on improving the performance of their firms.
Coefficient d'ajustement pour des processus de risque dans des contextes de dépendance

Nous etudions le coefficient d'ajustement de la theorie de la ruine dans un contexte de dependance temporelle. Le coefficient d'ajustement, pour des donnees independantes a etudie par de nombreux auteurs. Nous utilisons ici la definition de Muller et Pflug pour des variables dependantes. Nous construisons un estimateur consitant de ce coefficient dans un cadre de dependance faible general. Pour des cas particuliers ayant un sens en theorie de la ruine / actuariat, nous explicitons le coefficient d'ajustement et procedons a des simulations.
Development of an integral model for RENE based electrical microgrids located in remote rural communities

The lack of electricity is one of the main problems in the development on the rural com-munities. The access to electricity can be achieved through the implementation of electricmicrogrids. A microgrid is one of the most indispensable elements of smart power systemsto improve the reliability and resilience of energy supply.Off-grid microgrids are among the most viable solutions for electrification of remote areas,islands, and regions to which extension of the main utility grid is costly. Expansion planningof off-grid microgrids requires a concrete business model to ensure that affordable energy issupplied to customers [1]. It is necessary that these microgrids will be efficient, economicand reliable.In order to achieve the expected microgrids characteristics, the purpose of the present Mas-ter’s Thesis is the development of an integral model for the sizing and costing of Low VoltageDirect Current (LVDC) Electrical Microgrids, based on Renewable Energy (RENE) Tech-nology. The microgrid sizing implies the development of a technical model and the Microgridcosting implies the development of an economic model. The main objective in the develop-ment of both models is to find an optimal configuration for the PVSHS, achieving a balancebetween the technical and the economical characteristics of the microgrid.The mentioned Model it is based on a real case of study which implements PhotovoltaicSolar Home Systems (PVSHS) in a LVDC Microgrid. The Microgrid is located in a RemoteRural community, where the access to the electrical main Grid is not always possible. In thepresent case of study the real location is in the city of Dhaka, capital city of Bangladesh.The corresponding methodology is based in the development of a MATLAB Code, whichincludes a general Sizing Method for Microgrids and the general Economic Method, whichachieves the calculation of the correspondent LCOE of the technology. Several scenarioswill be analyzed, taking into account different parameters of the Microgrid namely differentcable configurations, number of PV Panels, voltage drop and cable sections.The main results obtained in the Sizing Methodology, were in terms of the number of PVPanels and the section and the length of Cable utilized. Due to the little amount of energynecessary to cover the demand, it is possible to use a minor number of PV Panels than theconsider in previous studies. Besides that, the importance of the cable in final the designand in the cost of the microgrid is crucial. For this reason, two different cable configurationswere analyzed. In terms of the Economical Analysis the main result is related with theobtained LCOE value and the inputs utilized in order to calculated it. A new LCOE modelis developed for this kind of microgrids due to the correspondent expenditures can not beobtained from general reports.
e‐POP and Red Line Optical Observations of Alfvénic Auroras

Suprathermal electron bursts (STEBs), characterized by a board energy spectrum and a field‐aligned pitch angle distribution, have been well recognized to be associated with electron acceleration by inertial Alfvén waves and are thus conventionally termed as “Alfvénic aurora. ” In this study, we report joint Enhanced‐Polar‐Outflow‐Probe (e‐POP) and ground‐based optical observations of Alfvénic auroras. In particular, we highlight the prominence of 630‐nm red line emissions under low‐energy Alfvénic auroral precipitation. During the event interval, e‐POP traverses two arcs. One bright arc dominated by green line emissions is clearly seen by all optical instruments; it is embedded in upward field‐aligned currents (FACs) yet leaves little imprint on the e‐POP suprathermal electron imager (SEI), likely due to that the precipitation is well above the upper energy limit of SEI. On the other hand, there is a red line arc that is pronounced only in 630‐nm images. Such a red‐line‐only arc is located in a transition from large‐scale upward FACs to downward FACs and is associated with a prominent STEB structure detected by e‐POP SEI. The STEB features an inverse energy time dispersion, namely, that lower‐energy electrons are seen earlier while higher‐energy electrons appear later. The red‐line‐only arc and its separation from the green line arc evolve in a repeatable fashion, each stemming from a poleward auroral intensification (PAI) propagated from higher latitudes. Following each poleward auroral intensification the green line arc progressively moved southward, while the red‐line‐only arc is quasi‐stationary and stayed relatively stable in latitude. We propose tentative interpretations of the above features based upon stationary inertial Alfvén waves.
An analytical framework for retailer price and advertising decisions for products with temperature-sensitive demand

ABSTRACT The demand for weather-sensitive products, such as beverages, ice creams, or chocolate varies with changes in temperature. Yet, retailers lack a framework to adapt the marketing mix elements, such as price and advertising, in line with such changes. We provide a theoretical framework to fill this gap by developing an analytical model to derive the optimal marketing mix when product demand depends on temperature. The model prescribes how price and advertising for different demand characteristics should be set following a temperature change. Integrating the temperature element in the marketing mix offers an original profit-enhancing strategy.
Multi-Mode Two-Step Floating Catchment Area (2SFCA) Method to Measure the Potential Spatial Accessibility of Healthcare Services

While great progress in the development of a methodological approach to measure the accessibility of healthcare services has been made, the exclusion of the complex multi-mode travel behavior of urban residents and a rough calculation of travel costs from the origin to the destination limit its potential for making a detailed assessment, especially in urban areas. In this paper, we aim to describe and implement an enhanced method that enables the integration of multiple transportation modes into a two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method to estimate accessibility. We used a travel-mode choice survey, based on distance sections, to determine the complex multi-mode travel behavior of urban residents. Taking Nanjing as a study area, we proposed complete door-to-door approaches to determine every aspect of basic transportation modes. Additionally, we processed open data to implement an accurate computing of the origin-destination (OD) time cost. We applied the enhanced method to estimate the accessibility of residents to hospitals and compared it with three single-mode 2SFCA methods. The results showed that the proposed method effectively identified more accessibility details and provided more realistic accessibility values.
From the Dark Side to the Bright Side of Drug Addiction

Neurobiology of Addiction. By George F. Koob and Michel Le Moal. Academic Press (Elsevier), London, 2006. 502 pp. $129, £79.95. ISBN 0-12-419239-4. The authors offer a survey and synthesis of our current understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms of addiction.
A statistical shape space model of the palate surface trained on 3D MRI scans of the vocal tract

We describe a minimally-supervised method for computing a statistical shape space model of the palate surface. The model is created from a corpus of volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans collected from 12 speakers. We extract a 3D mesh of the palate from each speaker, then train the model using principal component analysis (PCA). The palate model is then tested using 3D MRI from another corpus and evaluated using a high-resolution optical scan. We find that the error is low even when only a handful of measured coordinates are available. In both cases, our approach yields promising results. It can be applied to extract the palate shape from MRI data, and could be useful to other analysis modalities, such as electromagnetic articulography (EMA) and ultrasound tongue imaging (UTI).
Identification of key transporters mediating uptake of aconitum alkaloids into the liver and kidneys and the potential mechanism of detoxification by active ingredients of liquorice

Aconite as a commonly used herb has been extensively applied in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, as pain relief, as well as for its cardiotonic actions. Aconitum alkaloids have been shown to be the most potent ingredients in aconite, in terms of efficacy against disease, but they are also highly toxic. Apart from neurological and cardiovascular toxicity exposed, the damage to hepatocytes and nephrocytes with long-term use of aconitum alkaloids should also be carefully considered. This study attempted to investigate the critical role of uptake transporters mediating the transport of aconitum alkaloids into the liver and the kidneys. The resulting data revealed that hOATP1B1, 1B3, hOCT1 and hOAT3 were mainly involved in the uptake of aconitum alkaloids. Additionally, the inhibitory effects of bioactive ingredients of liquorice on uptake transporters were screened and further confirmed by determining the IC50 values. The in vitro study suggested that liquorice might lower the toxicity of aconite by reducing its exposure in the liver and/or kidneys through inhibition of uptake transporters. Eventually, the in vivo study was indicative of detoxification of liquorice by decreasing the exposure of aconitine as representative compound in liver after co-administration, even though the exposure in kidney altered was less significant. In summary, hOATP1B1, 1B3, hOCT1 and hOCT3 were determined as the key uptake transporters mediating the transport process of aconitum alkaloids into the liver and/or kidneys, and liquorice may alleviate the toxicity caused by reduction of exposure through inhibition of those key uptake transporters.
BLOCKCHAIN OR NEW PARADIGMS OF INTERACTION IN THE DIGITAL WORLD

Abstract. The rapid growth in the number of blockchain-based startups proves that this technology is in demand in the modern world; completely different sectors of the economy are influenced by blockchain technologies or are ready to accept it today. Through the blockchain, databases can be created in the form of a registry to form a digital image of an asset (real estate, intellectual property, security, etc.) and a digital trace upon the fact of completion of transactions. First of all, there are opportunities in terms of storage, transfer and change of ownership rights on digital assets. It is already becoming obvious that the introduction of blockchain-based technologies in state administration will significantly reduce both financial and time costs for the implementation of state functions or the provision of services to citizens and businesses. At the same time, it is possible to minimize risks (fraud, cyber-attacks), significantly increase asset control and ensure confidentiality. The paper shows that most financial companies are ready and willing to use blockchain technology. At the moment, Russia is a few steps behind all of its direct competitors on the world stage. The transition to digital platform technology needed to be initiated several years ago, but so far it is only in the discussion stage. Keywords: blockchain, cryptocurrency, technology, startup, digital asset.
The persistence, bioaccumulation, and inherent toxicity of two organophosphate flame retardants tris (2-butoxyethyl) phosphate and tris (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

i Acknowledgements. iii List of Figures . viii List of Tables . x List of Abbreviations . xi 1. Literature Review . 1 1.1. The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants . 1 1.1.1. Persistence, bioaccumulation and inherent toxicity (PB&iT) . 2 1.1.2. Example: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) . 4 1.2. Organophosphorus Flame Retardant (OPFRs) . 4 1.2.1. How Flame Retardants Work . 7 1.2.2. Industrial Synthesis of TBOEP and TCIPP . 8 1.2.3. Uses and Applications of TBOEP and TCIPP . 10 1.2. 4. Physical and Chemical Properties of TBOEP and TCIPP . 10 1.2. 5. Environmental Levels and Toxicology . 13 1.2. 6. Analytical Methods for OPFR Analysis . 19 1.3. The Endocrine System . 20 1.3. 1. The Thyroid System . 21 1.3. 2. Steroidogenesis . 24 1.3. 3. Endocrine Disruption with Exposure to PBDEs . 26 1.4. Objectives of Thesis . 29 2. Methods . 31 2.1. Chemicals . 31 2.2. Food Preparation . 32 2.3. Lake Ontario Lake Trout Samples . 33
Location Semantics Identification via Users’ Clickstreams in Mobile Social Networking

With the rise of social networking and the awareness of privacy protection, the large-scale positioning data is getting harder to access while the clickstream data of social networking is accumulating. It is necessary to conduct a comprehensive study on the temporal property and spatial distribution of social network’s clickstream to determine the latent relationship between clickstream and location semantics which semantically annotate locations to help us understand the purpose of a social network user at a certain location and a particular time. In this paper, we first infer the location semantics from Internet logs as our baseline which is a large scale, imprecise positioning mobile dataset through combining the utilization of derived time pattern and speed pattern. Then we design a method to reconstruct location semantics through the social network. We are the first to our knowledge that define “click motif” of social network’s clickstream which is the combination of clicks in clickstream that occurs repeatedly and has significance. Click motif not only can help us to classify location semantics but also enhance the user experience of social networking. Besides, we propose a completed process to extract typical click motifs from a large-scale complicated clickstream data via embedding and clustering method. By extensive experiments and analysis, we demonstrate that different combination of click motifs can convey the users’ location semantics, therefore clickstream may disclose location privacy.
Assessing the Impact of Fertilization on Wheat Protein and Energy Nutrition

The present research aims at assessing the influence of leaf fertilizers on the two common wheat varieties. Study results show that the crude protein content ranges from 128.50-143.94 g/kg DM in the Enola variety and from 115.93 to 127.34 g/kg DM in the Illico variety. The introduction of Wuxal Grano slurry increased the crude protein content by 9.1 and 12.0 % relative to the control. The applied leaf fertilizers do not affect the contents of FUM, FUG and PDI. As a result of the correlation analysis, a very high correlation (r = 0.947-0.993) was found between CP and PDI for both common wheat varieties.
Improving the Fire Resistance of Heat Treated Wood by Using Environment-Friendly Substance

Ahsap malzemelerin avantajlarinin yaninda en buyuk dezavantajlari alevlenmeleri ve yanmalaridir. Odunun bu negatif ozelligi cevre dostu maddeler kullanilarak azaltilabilir. Bu calismada, cam (Pinus sylvestris L.) odun ornekleri,% 2.5 ve % 5'lik konsantrasyonlarda borik asit ile emprenye edildikten sonra 120 dakika sureyle, 210 ° C'de isil isleme tabi tutulmuslardir. Bor ve isil islem kombinasyonunun odunun yanma performansi uzerine etkisi maksimum sicaklik ve agirlik kaybi uzerinden hesaplanmistir. Mini Fire Tube (MFT) test sonuclarina gore kontrol orneklerinde% 99,99 agirlik kaybi gozlenirken, % 5 BA ve % 5 BA + Isil islemli orneklerde sirasiyla % 38,36 ve % 52,24 agirlik kaybi gozlenmistir. % 2,5 BA + Isil islem ve % 5 BA + Isil islemli ornekler 160 saniyede maksimum agirlik kaybina ulasmistir. % 5 BA emprenyeli orneklerde maksimum sicaklik 444,73 oC'ye yukselirken,% 2.5 BA + Isil islemdeki maksimum sicaklik 227,9 oC’de kalmistir.
Prediction of Metal Charge-Dependent Amide Hydrogen Exchange Rates for the Proteins Rubredoxin and Azurin

ii Table of Figures.iv INTRODUCTION.1-7 EXPERIMENTAL.8-11 RESULTS.12-20 DISCUSSION.21-23 REFERENCES.24 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.25 APPENDIX.26-43 RMSD Plots after Molecular Dynamics.26-28 Metal Binding Site Angles and Distances after MD.29-32 Setting up NAMD for Molecular Dynamic Simulations.33-39 Setting up Delphi Calculations.40-43
Annoyance prediction with fuzzy rule bases

This paper places the perception of noise annoyance within the framework of environmental assessment. It is shown that due to the inherent vagueness and uncertainties in the involved concepts, available data and knowledge, fuzzy techniques are very well suited for the modeling of this perception. This idea is then used to construct a fuzzy rule based model for the prediction of the level of general noise annoyance. It turns out that this model can be decomposed in building blocks, each describing the noise annoyance caused by an individual source. Finally, the models are tested against data collected in social surveys and the results are reported.
VISIBLE LIGHT NETWORKING WITH QR CODES A PROJECT REPORT FOR CSE 561 RYDER ZIOLA AND WILLIAM WEBB

Telecommunications networks and the internet have enabled many different forms of communication email, phone, instant messaging, etc. For most users, the fact that all of these are mediated by external networks is not important. However, some users, for instance, human rights activists operating in certain countries, may wish transfer digital data in a fashion that is anonymous, leaving no identifying traces on either participating machine nor any electronic record of the communication in the network. Physical storage media, such as CDs and portable hard drives are possible candidates if mail or an inperson handoff is allowed, but such media can also carry physical evidence, such as hair or fingerprints, and also serial numbers or metadata attached to the stored files. Any of these things could potentially compromise collaborators. Another possibility is to instead execute file transfers between portable machines in a way that uses no physical media and does not rely on any telecom network or exchange of addresses. Smart phones are natural candidates, being portable and increasingly ubiquitous, so for this project, we attempted to leverage common built-in functionality to create a secure channel with the desired properties. We note that many smart phones can communicate via IR ports, but there is always the possibility the that IR transmissions may be intercepted since they are one dimensional and monochromatic. A remaining feasible possibility is to use camera to screen communication, which is the approach we adopt.
Stability and breeding potential of tomato hybrids

Commercial tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) hybrids can be a good germplasm for obtaining new tomato inbred lines. The present study was aimed to investigate the stability of commercial F1 hybrids under climatic conditions of highlands, to estimate genetic parameters, and evaluate the breeding potential of F1 hybrids based on the agronomic performance of its F3 progeny. We employed a breeding scheme based on pedigree selection for the obtainment of 49 F3 families. Significant differences were found in most of the traits evaluated in both F1 and F3 generations, while in the F2 population only one variable showed significant differences. Heritability ranged from 0.07 to 0.29 for F1, and from 0.16 to 0.45 for F3. Most of the F1 hybrids exhibited values of stability across seasons in at least one trait. However, ‘Loreto’ and ‘Reserva’ only exhibited a high stability for yield. Genetic gains ranged from -8.40 to 72.95. Yield per plant was the traits with the highest gain. Based on genetic gains obtained by the F3 progeny, we concluded that ‘Cid’, ‘Espartaco’ and ‘Loreto’ have a high breeding potential for yield and other traits, which could be exploited by public tomato breeding programs.