Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Shell Height-To-Weight Relationships for Atlantic Sea Scallops ( Placopecten magellanicus ) in Offshore

Generalized linear mixed models were developed for allometric relationships in Atlantic sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus). These models used environmental covariates such as depth, latitude, geographic area, fishing pressure, population density, and season. This study makes several technical improvements to existing allometric models. We found depth, latitude, and geographic area to be important covariates in models for scallops on Georges Bank, whereas depth and fishing pressure were important for mid-Atlantic scallops. Our allometric relationships have important implications for stock assessment and fisheries management.
Monte Carlo method based QSAR modelling of natural lipase inhibitors using hybrid optimal descriptors

Abstract Obesity is one of the most provoking health burdens in the developed countries. One of the strategies to prevent obesity is the inhibition of pancreatic lipase enzyme. The aim of this study was to build QSAR models for natural lipase inhibitors by using the Monte Carlo method. The molecular structures were represented by the simplified molecular input line entry system (SMILES) notation and molecular graphs. Three sets – training, calibration and test set of three splits – were examined and validated. Statistical quality of all the described models was very good. The best QSAR model showed the following statistical parameters: r2 = 0.864 and Q2 = 0.836 for the test set and r2 = 0.824 and Q2 = 0.819 for the validation set. Structural attributes for increasing and decreasing the activity (expressed as pIC50) were also defined. Using defined structural attributes, the design of new potential lipase inhibitors is also presented. Additionally, a molecular docking study was performed for the determination of binding modes of designed molecules.
Effect of fish oil on ventricular tachyarrhythmia and death in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators: the Study on Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Ventricular Arrhythmia (SOFA) randomized trial.

CONTEXT Very-long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFAs) from fish are thought to reduce risk of sudden death, possibly by reducing susceptibility to cardiac arrhythmia. OBJECTIVE To study the effect of supplemental fish oil vs placebo on ventricular tachyarrhythmia or death. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS The Study on Omega-3 Fatty acids and ventricular Arrhythmia (SOFA) was a randomized, parallel, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial conducted at 26 cardiology clinics across Europe. A total of 546 patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and prior documented malignant ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) were enrolled between October 2001 and August 2004. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 2 g/d of fish oil (n = 273) or placebo (n = 273) for a median period of 356 days (range, 14-379 days). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Appropriate ICD intervention for VT or VF, or all-cause death. RESULTS The primary end point occurred in 81 (30%) patients taking fish oil vs 90 (33%) patients taking placebo (hazard ratio [HR], 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64-1.16; P = .33). In prespecified subgroup analyses, the HR was 0.91 (95% CI, 0.66-1.26) for fish oil vs placebo in the 411 patients who had experienced VT in the year before the study, and 0.76 (95% CI, 0.52-1.11) for 332 patients with prior myocardial infarctions. CONCLUSION Our findings do not indicate evidence of a strong protective effect of intake of omega-3 PUFAs from fish oil against ventricular arrhythmia in patients with ICDs. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00110838.
High Tunable ${\rm Ba}_{0.05}{\rm Sr}_{0.95} {\rm TiO} _{3}$ Thin Films for Microwave Applications at Cryogenic Temperature

La<sub>0.67</sub>Sr<sub>0.33</sub>MnO<sub>3</sub>/Ba<sub>0.05</sub>Sr<sub>0.95</sub>TiO<sub>3</sub> (LSMO/BST) heterostructure thin film was grown on single crystal MgO substrate by pulsed laser deposition. The phase structure and dielectric properties of the film were investigated. The results show that the permittivity of the BST thin film decreased from 1170 to 350 (70% tuning) with the bias voltage increasing from 0 to 80 V at 63 K. The effective loss tangent of the BST thin film is in the range of 0.009-0.017.
A population genetic comparison of argali sheep (Ovis ammon) in Mongolia using the ND5 gene of mitochondrial DNA; implications for conservation

We sequenced 556 bp of the mitochondrial ND5 gene to infer aspects of population structure and to test subspecific designations of argali sheep (Ovis ammon) in Mongolia. Analysis of molecular variance (amova) revealed greater variation within than among putative subspecies and populations, suggesting high levels female‐mediated gene flow. Compared with bighorn sheep (O. canadensis) in North America, substantially less differentiation in mitochondrial DNA was found among argali populations over 1200 km than was found among bighorn populations over 250 km. This result is consistent with differences in argali and bighorn life history traits. Argali run for long distances across open terrain in the presence of a threat rather than running up into steep escape terrain like bighorn sheep do. Our results suggest recognizing only one Evolutionary Significant Unit (subspecies) of argali in Mongolia, but they may support recognizing two Management Units, because two regions do exhibit slightly different haplotype frequencies at the ND5 gene of mtDNA.
Identifying shippers’ attitudes towards synchromodal freight transport services

Synchromodal transport is one of the recent innovations in the area of freight transport and logistics. In synchromodal transport, transport mode and route are chosen by logistics service providers (LSP) rather than shippers. This lose of control is a fundamental trade-off for shippers against better reliability and flexibility offered by LSPs. Understanding shippers’ preferences when a large number of service combinations is introduced by LSPs in the context of synchromodal transport is not studied in the modal choice research and stated preference (SP) surveys. This research aims to capture the taste heterogeneity and dynamics of the shippers’ requirements for synchromodal transport using advanced discrete choice models. SP data are collected through a web-based survey on the 500 global fortune companies. There are two main outcomes of the study. First, estimating freight shippers’ preferences for the main attributes of the synchromodal transport service such as cost, transit time, reliability (punctuality), control, flexibility (changeability) and value-adding services (e,g., tracking and tracing, customs). Second, obtaining willingness to pay and elasticity of choice probabilities of different transport attributes for improving the service level.
Fibrosis of the lung and other tissues: new concepts in pathogenesis and treatment.

Tissue fibrosis can lead to significant organ dysfunction and resulting patient morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, the therapeutic repertoire is currently limited, nonspecific, and largely ineffective. While the pathogenesis is incompletely understood, evidence is accumulating that immune and cytokine mediated mechanisms are critical. In this review, data will be provided to support the role of Type 2 cytokines in the pathogenesis of fibrosis. The importance of the role of the pro-fibrogenic cytokine TGF-beta and CD40-CD40 ligand mediated fibroblast activation will also be evaluated. Finally, novel therapeutic options based on inhibiting these pathways will be described.
Active Learning for Student Affect Detection

“Sensor-free” detectors of student aﬀect that use only student activity data and no physical or physiological sensors are cost-eﬀective and have potential to be applied at large scale in real classrooms. These detectors are trained using student aﬀect labels collected from human observers as they observe students learn within intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) in real classrooms. Due to the inherent diversity of student activity and aﬀect dynamics, observing the aﬀective states of some students at certain times is likely to be more informative to the aﬀect detectors than observing others. Therefore, a carefully-crafted observation schedule may lead to more meaningful observations and improved aﬀect detectors. In this paper, we investigate whether active (machine) learning methods, a family of methods that adaptively select the next most informative observation, can improve the eﬃciency of the aﬀect label collection process. We study several existing active learning methods and also propose a new method that is ideally suited for the problem setting in aﬀect detection. We conduct a series of experiments using a real-world student aﬀect dataset collected in real classrooms deploying the ASSISTments ITS. Results show that some active learning methods can lead to high-quality aﬀect detectors using only a small number of highly informative observations. We also discuss how to deploy active learning methods in real class-rooms to improve the aﬀect label collection process and thus sensor-free aﬀect detectors.
A new family of mesoporous molecular sieves prepared with liquid crystal templates

The synthesis, characterization, and proposed mechanism of formation of a new family of silicatelaluminosilicate mesoporous molecular sieves designated as M41S is described. MCM-41, one member of this family, exhibits a hexagonal arrangement of uniform mesopores whose dimensions may be engineered in the range of - 15 A to greater than 100 A. Other members of this family, including a material exhibiting cubic symmetry, have ken synthesized. The larger pore M41S materials typically have surface areas above 700 m2/g and hydrocarbon sorption capacities of 0.7 cc/g and greater. A templating mechanism (liquid crystal templating-LCT) in which surfactant liquid crystal structures serve as organic templates is proposed for the formation of these materials. In support of this templating mechanism, it was demonstrated that the structure and pore dimensions of MCM-41 materials are intimately linked to the properties of the surfactant, including surfactant chain length and solution chemistry. The presence of variable pore size MCM-41, cubic material, and other phases indicates that M41S is an extensive family of materials.
THE BALANCE BETWEEN EYE – RELATED PATHWAYS REGULATES RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA ONSET : A REVIEW OF MOLECULAR MECHANISMS

Retinitis pigmentosa is a heterogeneous eye disease group with a relatively high prevalence and a frequent onset at the middle age. Clinical observation of the wide spectrum of this pathology has been efficient, such as their genetic analysis, and a large catalogue of implicated loci has emerged. In addition to locus and allelic heterogeneity, along with allelic disorders, the complexity of retinitis pigmentosa is related to the actual lack of knowledge on all possible causative genes and their function. Such scenario implies that retinitis pigmentosa pathogenesis is not well understood, thus the research of new involved biochemical pathways is vital. In this review, we consider the architecture of genetic aspects that influence retinal degeneration, analyzing main biochemical pathways (such as inflammation, circadian rhythms, fatty acid metabolism, proteostasis, vesicular trafficking, phototransduction, RNA processing, extracellular matrix remodeling, cellular cycle regulation, etc.) implicated in photoreceptor degeneration via RPE impairments.
Analysis of Households Features , Consumption Patterns and CO 2 Emissions for Spain in an Input-Output framework

Previous works have looked at the relationship between the behaviour and, in particular, the consumption patterns of households and CO2 emissions resulting from production in Spain. The aim of this paper is to analyse the factors underlying the composition of final demand and, therefore, determining the final volume of emissions. This study will allow us to identify more clearly the relationships between the different parameters characterising Spanish households and their behaviour with regard to consumption and the demand for goods and services, and on this basis to propose measures to change consumption patterns towards standards that are better aligned with sustainable growth and development. The methodology proposed for this study combines linear InputOutput and SAM models, and includes segmentation of variables and the use of econometric tools.
An outbreak of hepatitis A in Roma populations living in three prefectures in Greece

SUMMARY An outbreak of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection affected Roma populations living in three prefectures of northeastern Greece. Between July and November 2007, 124 cases were reported. We carried out investigations to characterize the pathogen, to identify the source of infection and the route of transmission. Using the RT–PCR technique, HAV strains of the same genotype were detected in all sera from a subset of patients with acute disease. These showed more than 99·8% identity, suggesting a common source. A questionnaire was also completed to collect clinical and epidemiological information. The outbreak affected mainly Roma children aged <10 years. An inspection of Roma settlements showed that poor sanitary conditions were associated with the HAV outbreak.
Combining Deep Learning and Robotics for Automated Concrete Delamination Assessment

– Computer vision and robotics present tremendous opportunities for automating routine inspections of reinforced concrete bridges. One of the most critical aspects of these inspections is delamination assessment, as delaminations present immediate safety concerns due to falling concrete. Current methods of delamination assessment include hammer sounding and chain dragging, which are time consuming and difficult when accessibility is limited. Infrared technology presents an alternative method of assessing delaminations. In this work, a novel inspection method is proposed that uses an infrared camera combined with a convolutional neural network to automatically assess delaminations in infrared images. MobileNetV2 is implemented as an encoder with Deeplab V3 to perform pixel-wise segmentation in infrared images of delaminations. The results show 74.5% mean intersection over union (mIoU) for predicting delaminated areas, which is comparable with the performance of this network architecture on benchmark data sets. Reviewing the predicted delamination areas also shows that the results accurately predict delamination locations, and accuracy limitations primarily exist in the fine outline details of the delamination. The automated delamination assessment method was also tested by mounting an upward facing thermal camera on a mobile ground robot to perform a bridge soffit inspection. The robotic scanning data set yielded a mIoU of 79.5% for delamination assessment. The increase in mIoU is likely due to the image data being better structured in the robotic images. This displays the ability to combine infrared imagery, convolutional neural networks, and unmanned mobile robots to meet case-specific accessibility needs for more accurate and time-efficient delamination assessment.
Embolization and Diode Laser to a Large Arteriovenous Malformation of the Lip and Buccal Mucosa

Background: Various treatment modalities are available for treatment of Hemangiomas and arteriovenous malformations including cryotherapy, sclerotherapy, embolization, laser and surgical excision. Case Report: We describe the rare case of a lip and buccal vascular lesion in a 35-year-old male patient, measuring >45 mm × 40 mm in both dimensions. The lesion caused discomfort and aesthetic deformity. Preoperative angiography and embolization of the high-perfusion lesion was performed to minimize intraoperative bleeding followed by one-session definitive Diode Laser Treatment of the lesion. There was excellent postoperative healing and minimal discomfort. Conclusion: Compared to conventional methods embolization followed by diode laser photocoagulation has many advantages, both in cosmesis and function.
Key Knowledge Challenges Impacting an ERP implementation in an Emerging Economy Context

Knowledge Management (KM) has been identified as a critical success factor for an ERP implementation. A review of the existing literature reveals a lack of comprehensive research on the role of knowledge management during the ERP implementation phases and particularly, in emerging economies. As such, the primary research objective is to investigate the knowledge management challenges posed during an ERP implementation phase in a large organization in South Africa. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software provides a consistent integrated electronic business management environment for enterprises. Many companies are now reliant upon these systems for their daily operations. However, despite the various positive outcomes of adopting ERP systems, the implementation process poses a number of challenges for organizations. The value of knowledge management, more specifically for the implementation of ERP systems, is steadily gaining more importance. Through use of semi-structured interviews and thematic data analysis, this study unveils the core knowledge challenges faced by organizations. Initial findings include lack of process, technical and project knowledge as key challenges. Other concerns include lack of knowledge on the need for change, lack of contextualization and management support. This paper closes some of the identified research gaps in this area and should benefit large organizations in the emerging economies.
When to consider thyroid dysfunction in the neurology clinic

There are many neurological manifestations of thyroid disease, and thyroid function has taken its place in the “routine bloods” of neurology practice. However, although conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome prompt thyroid testing despite any clear evidence for this approach, other symptoms of potential significance in terms of thyroid disease may be overlooked in the busy general neurology clinic, or abnormal thyroid tests may be assumed to be incidental. Psychiatric disorders, loss of consciousness, movement disorders and weakness may all be manifestations of primary thyroid disease. This is a symptom-based review where we will consider the evidence (or lack of it) for the association of various neurological problems with thyroid dysfunction, and also the pitfalls in interpretation of the biochemical tests.
International Congress on Ultrasonics , 2015 ICU Metz Second harmonic generation of shear horizontal guided wave propagation in plate-like structures

In this paper, the conditions for generating cumulative second harmonics of shear horizontal guided waves are provided. The partial wave technique and normal modal analysis method are used to analyze the second harmonic field. Measurements of the accumulative growth of normalized second harmonic amplitudes of the shear horizontal guided modes by using wedge transducers are presented. The experimental results have a good agreement with the theoretical prediction and thus show that the use of these plate modes is favorable to detect material nonlinearity due to damage mechanism. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of 2015 ICU Metz.
TR-860 06 3 ( D REMARKS ON CERTAIN CRITERIA FOR CD DETECTION OF NUMBER OF SIGNALS

In this note, we derive the asymptotic distribution of logarithm of the likelihood ratio statistic for testing the hypothesis that the number of signals is equal to q against the alternative that it is equal to k (specified) for a special case. This distribution is not chi-square. The above statistic also arises (see Wax and Kailath (1985)) in studying consistency property of MDL and AIC criteria for detection of the number of signals.
A GRID-CONNECTED HYBRID WIND-SOLAR POWER SYSTEM

A hybrid renewable energy system consisting of a photovoltaic generator and a wind driven DC machine is interconnected with the power utilities grid. The interconnection is done through the use of two separate single phase full wave controlled bridge converters. The bridge converters are operated in the “inverter mode of operation”. That is to guaranty the extraction of the real powers from the wind driven generator as well as from the photovoltaic generator and inject them into the power utilities grid. At any pretended surrounding weather conditions, maximum extraction of powers from both renewable energy sources is targeted. This is done through the realization of self-adjusted firing angle controllers responsible of triggering the semiconductor elements of the controlled converters. An active power filter is shunted with the proposed setup to guaranty the sinusoid quality of the power utilities line current. The overall performance of the proposed system has been simulated in MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. Quite satisfactory and encouraging results have been obtained.
Application of ultrasound to protein extraction from defatted rice bran

In this study, water was used as a cheap and eco-friendly solvent in ultrasound-assisted extraction of protein from defatted rice bran meal. The effects of sonication variables on the protein yield were firstly investigated. The first-order kinetic model was then used to describe the extraction. The initial extraction rate and extraction constant in the ultrasonic extraction were 3.48 times and 2.20 times, respectively higher than those of the conventional extraction. In addition, the ultrasonic extraction resulted in significantly higher protein yield than the conventional extraction. The rice bran protein concentrates from both ultrasound-assisted and conventional extraction had similar protein profile, water and oil absorption capacity, emulsifying capacity and emulsion stability. Use of ultrasound in the protein extraction increased gelation capacity but decreased foaming capacity and stability of the protein concentrate.
Two-dimensional Analysis of Triple Coupled Physics of Structural Mechanics , Diffusion and Heat Transfer in a Gas Pipe

In this study, a 2-D model has been built using COMSOL Multiphysics® to analyze a triple coupled physics problem involving simultaneous gas diffusion, heat transfer, and structural mechanics in a pipe due to the flow of high-pressure carbon dioxide. The problem geometry and boundary conditions were based on the analysis by Rambert et al. who have published the most advanced modeling work in the open literature. Comparison of results with the Rambert group’s work showed excellent agreement. It will be demonstrated that COMSOL Multiphysics® software offers a more efficient and user friendly capability for solving complex multiphysics problems.
The application of AFMM aided system identification on ground vibration monitoring data analysis

The parametric system identification method has been used to construct soil layer models and compute average model parameters of the ground vibration monitoring data at ChingLiao. However, from the laboratory tests, the results show that the dynamic properties of soil are not always constant. An important goal of this study is to verify the soil properties changing with time. Before analyzing the data set, it is segmented into time-variant and time-invariant parts by adaptive forgetting through multiple models method (AFMM). Soil properties are estimated by both time-variant and time-invariant parametric modeling methods showing changes of system parameters. The results of this study show that the AFMM can reduce the error of estimation for time-variant model and has advantages of sorting data set in analysis. The modal frequencies decrease during main shaking area after a certain threshold strain and they are relevant to earthquake intensity. Damping ratios might be underestimated without segmentation while modal frequencies might be overestimated. The results show that there is a limit for linear time-variant models to identify earthquakes above seismic intensity 6. If non-linear time-variant models can be used to simulate the strong ground motion, the result would be more accurate.