Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emerging Influenza Viruses at Risk in Global Health

Since the emergence of a novel aquatic bird Flu agent in humans may be detected in near future, approaches to early diagnosis and prompt therapy are welcome. The swine-origin influenza virus (S-OIV) detected in April 2009 in Mexico, Canada and USA exhibited an unique genome composition not shown before. The emerging new Flu agent can cause outbreaks of febrile respiratory infection from mild to severe diseases throughout the world. This abstract has the purpose to emphasize the possibility of tracking the new influenza virus in the most affected regions of the world and to avoid a sad toll flu-related deaths that might occur. The possible causes of high incidence and mortality rates are discussed as well as their implications on the public opinion and the prevention campaign. *Corresponding author Giulio Tarro, Chairman Committee, Biotechnologies and VirusSphere, World Academy Biomedical Technologies, UNESCO, Italy, Tel/Fax: +390815358222; E-mail: giuliotarro@ gmail.com. Submitted: 28 Nov 2016; Accepted: 02 Dec 2016; Published: 07 Dec 2016
Two-Transformer Phase-Shift Full-Bridge Converter With a New Rectifier for Reducing Conduction Loss

A two-transformer phase-shift full-bridge (PSFB) converter has features of zero-voltage switching (ZVS) capability, clamped voltage stress of the primary switches, and small RMS current. However, when a wide input voltage range is required, the two-transformer PSFB converter operates with extended freewheeling mode. As a result, a large freewheeling current is reflected on the primary side, and it increases the primary RMS current. In addition, the freewheeling current flows through high voltage rating diodes, resulting in a large conduction loss. To mitigate this problem, a two-transformer PSFB converter with a new rectifier is proposed in this article. By employing a diode in the secondary side, the proposed converter reduces the conduction loss. This is because the path of the output current is changed to the freewheeling diode having a low voltage stress. As a result, the proposed converter can use a low voltage rating diode with a low forward voltage drop. In addition, it eliminates the circulating current in the primary side, which reduces the RMS current. Therefore, the proposed converter achieves a high efficiency by reducing the conduction loss. The proposed converter has been verified for a laboratory prototype with 300–400 V input and 12 V/400 W output.
Bacteriocin-Producing Escherichia coli Q5 and C41 with Potential Probiotic Properties: In Silico, In Vitro, and In Vivo Studies

Commensal bacteriocin-producing Escherichia coli are of interest for possible use as probiotics to selectively control the spread of pathogenic bacteria. Here, we evaluated the biosafety and efficacy of two new bacteriocin-producing E. coli strains, Q5 (VKM B-3706D) and C41 (VKM B-3707D), isolated from healthy farm animals. The genomes of both strains were sequenced, and genes responsible for the antagonistic and colonization abilities of each strain were identified. In vitro studies have shown that both strains were medium-adhesive and demonstrated antagonistic activity against most enteropathogens tested. Oral administration of 5 × 108 to 5 × 1010 colony-forming units of both strains to rats with drinking water did not cause any disease symptoms or side effects. Short-term (5 days) oral administration of both strains protected rats from colonization and pathogenic effects of a toxigenic beta-lactam-resistant strain of E. coli C55 and helped preserve intestinal homeostasis. Taken together, these in silico, in vitro, and in vivo data indicate that both strains (and especially E. coli Q5) can be potentially used for the prevention of colibacillosis in farm animals.
1,2,3-Triazoles and their metal chelates with antimicrobial activity

The emergence of drug-resistant bacterial and fungal pathogens has highlighted the urgent need of innovative antimicrobial therapeutics. Transition metal complexes with biologically active ligands (coumarins, terpyridines, triazoles, uracils, etc.) have long been investigated for antimicrobial activity. 1,2,3-Triazoles and their molecular derivatives are well known for a plethora of physiological activities, including antibacterial and antifungal. The aim of the present mini-review is to inform the reader about research conducted on potential antimicrobial 1,2,3-triazole complexes with transition metals. What the authors find surprising is how little such research and experimentation has actually been performed and reported in scientific literature. The goal is to highlight research efforts up to now and impress upon the reader the vast perspectives for novel, effective medicinal substances hidden in this yet unexplored field.
DEVELOPING ORGANIC FARMING IN NORWAY THROUGH SYSTEMIC ACTION RESEARCH

A systemic action research approach to gain insight into the present situation of the agroecosystem, to envision scenarios, and to accomplish workable outcomes is performed. This process is to be accomplished in a participatory way that empowers stakeholders to continue the learning process and system development in an ecologically friendly, socio-culturally feasible and economically viable way.
Marine Applications of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites

Composite materials are formed by bringing together two or more materials that are insolublein each other at a macro level. Composites consist of two main elements such as reinforcement (thecarrier) and matrix (the binder). These materials are generally classified according to matrix andreinforcement elements. In the classification made according to the matrix element, polymer, metal, andceramic matrix composites are examined. In this classification, polymer matrix composites are widelyused in practice. A polymer matrix from the thermoset or thermoplastic group is reinforced with varioustypes of continuous or short fibers. Composites belonging to this group are widely used in basic sectorssuch as automotive, aviation, and marine. Especially in the marine sector, polymer matrix composites areused in the construction of marine vehicles (ships, boats, yachts, etc.) and equipment. Marine systems andstructures include the hull and shipbuilding industries (ship and submarine masts, propellers, and interiorparts), the offshore applications industry (gas pipelines, tendons, and support structures), and therenewable energy sector (turbine devices and rotor blades). The importance of lightweight design isincreasing day by day in vehicles used in land, air, and sea transportation. Today, the increase in the valueof both safety and energy savings causes research on composite materials to intensify in the marinesector. It is advantageous to use composite materials in many parts so that negative environmental effectssuch as corrosion, biological pollution, seawater aging, and hydrostatic pressure cause minimal damage tomarine structures. With the developments in composite science, the level of use of these materials isincreasing in the marine sector, as in every other field. This review presents an overview of the use ofpolymer matrix composites in the marine industry.
Ternary Solid Dispersions: A Review of the Preparation, Characterization, Mechanism of Drug Release, and Physical Stability

The prevalence of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with low water solubility has experienced a significant increase in recent years. These APIs present challenges in formulation, particularly for oral dosage forms, despite their considerable therapeutic potential. Therefore, the improvement of solubility has become a major concern for pharmaceutical enterprises to increase the bioavailability of APIs. A promising formulation approach that can effectively improve the dissolution profile and the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs is the utilization of amorphous systems. Numerous formulation methods have been developed to enhance poorly water-soluble drugs through amorphization systems, including co-amorphous formulations, amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs), and the use of mesoporous silica as a carrier. Furthermore, the successful enhancement of certain drugs with poor aqueous solubility through amorphization has led to their incorporation into various commercially available preparations, such as ASDs, where the crystalline structure of APIs is transformed into an amorphous state within a hydrophilic matrix. A novel approach, known as ternary solid dispersions (TSDs), has emerged to address the solubility and bioavailability challenges associated with amorphous drugs. Meanwhile, the introduction of a third component in the ASD and co-amorphous systems has demonstrated the potential to improve performance in terms of solubility, physical stability, and processability. This comprehensive review discusses the preparation and characterization of poorly water-soluble drugs in ternary solid dispersions and their mechanisms of drug release and physical stability.
Low-Cost Gap Waveguide Technology Using Shallow Grooves and Glide-Symmetric Semicircular-Holes EBG Structures

In this letter, a novel electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structure is proposed to manufacture gap waveguides (GWs) at high frequencies. The proposed EBG structure combines parallel shallow grooves and glide-symmetric semicircular holes, located on the upper and lower plate, respectively. Attributed to much-reduced milling depth, an efficient and easier manufacturing process can be realized for the proposed structure. Besides, the layout of the milling grooves can be flexibly adapted, making the proposed EBG structure more easily conformal with GWs. As a validation of the concept, both straight and bent side-by-side GWs exploring the proposed EBG structure are elaborately designed, fabricated, and experimentally tested, verifying the features of low loss and high isolation, respectively.
Congenital Talipes Equinovarus Management and Outcomes: The Experiences of Pediatric Tertiary Centers in Abha, Saudi Arabia

Background: Congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV), also known as clubfoot, describes a range of foot abnormalities usually present at birth (congenital) in which a baby’s foot is twisted out of shape or position. In clubfoot, tendons are shorter than usual. Clubfoot is a fairly common birth defect and is usually an isolated problem for an otherwise healthy newborn. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the experiences of pediatric tertiary centers in Abha, Saudi Arabia, regarding the management, frequency, treatment options, and outcomes of CTEV. Methods: A retrospective chart review of pediatric patients with clubfoot was conducted to evaluate the number of cases, treatment options, and outcomes at Abha Maternity and Children Hospital and Khamis Mushait Maternity and Children Hospital. Data were extracted independently using prestructured data extraction forms. The collected data included demographic and medical information, family history, clinico-epidemiological information, risk factors, management options, and complications of clubfoot. Results: The study included 89 children with CTEV from the target hospitals. Their ages ranged from 20 days to six years, with a mean age of 10.5 ± 14.5 months. Of these, 57 (64%) were male. CTEV was unilateral in 53 (59.5%) cases and bilateral in 36 (40.5%) cases. The majority of the cases had isolated CTEV. Nearly all cases had Ponseti casting with a tendo-Achilles tenotomy (TAT) surgical procedure. Patient follow-up ranged from one week to three years, with an average follow-up of 3.1 months. Only three (3.4%) cases experienced recurrence of deformity after management. Conclusion: Ponseti casting with the tendo-Achilles tenotomy approach emerged as the most commonly employed management option, demonstrating a low rate of recurrence.
Augmented subspace MUSIC method for DOA estimation using acoustic vector sensor array

In the scenario of ambient noise, the noise powers received by the pressure and velocity components in an underwater acoustic vector sensor (AVS) array are unequal. This paper proves when using the MUSIC method, this inequality causes virtual sources and thus increases the rank of the signal subspace. This fact dramatically degrades the DOA estimation performance of the MUSIC method. Then, an augmented subspace (AS) MUSIC method is proposed to take account of the virtual sources, by augmenting the number of the virtual sources into the signal subspace. Simulation results demonstrate in the case of a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the performance of the AS MUSIC method and the MUSIC method is similar. However, in the case of a low SNR, the AS MUSIC method is superior to the MUSIC method in terms of spatial spectrum, estimation accuracy, and resolution. Experimental results further verify the superiority of the AS MUSIC method over the MUSIC method.
Pregnancy Decision Making for Women With Mental Health Conditions: The Roles of Distress, Lay Beliefs, and Self-Efficacy

Millions of people face unintended pregnancy each year, including thousands who are living with a mental health disorder, and must decide to terminate the pregnancy, become a parent, or place a child for adoption. While people of various genders, such as nonbinary people and transgender men, also face pregnancy, the current study highlighted the perspectives of women in particular, seeking to understand what unique circumstances may predict their pregnancy decision making in the context of mental health concerns. A sample of 327 women of reproductive age who self-identified as having a mental health condition were asked to consider the hypothetical situation of an unintended pregnancy and completed measures of psychological distress, parenting self-efficacy, and likelihood of choosing abortion. Qualitative data was transformed into two composite lay belief variables (perceived harm from pregnancy and mental health resilience) for inclusion in the model. Indirect effects revealed that psychological distress was related to higher likelihood of choosing an abortion through greater perceived harm from pregnancy and to lower likelihood of choosing an abortion through greater mental health resilience and higher parenting self-efficacy. The findings provide a nuanced view of pregnancy decision making from the perspective of women with mental health concerns.
Asymptotic approximation of the probability of ruin for large values of the Poisson rate

We analyze the probability of ruin for the {\it scaled} classical Cramer-Lundberg (CL) risk process and the corresponding diffusion approximation. The scaling, introduced by Iglehart (1969) to the actuarial literature, amounts to multiplying the Poisson rate $\lambda$ by $n$, dividing the claim severity by $\sqrt{n}$, and adjusting the premium rate so that net premium income remains constant. Therefore, we think of the associated diffusion approximation as being ``asymptotic for large values of $\lambda$. '' We are the first to use a comparison method to prove convergence of the probability of ruin for the scaled CL process and to derive the rate of convergence. Specifically, we prove a comparison lemma for the corresponding integro-differential equation and use this comparison lemma to prove that the probability of ruin for the scaled CL process converges to the probability of ruin for the limiting diffusion process. Moreover, we show that the rate of convergence for the ruin probability is of order $O(n^{-1/2})$, and we show that the convergence is {\it uniform} with respect to the surplus. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first rate of convergence achieved for these ruin probabilities, and we show that it is the tightest one. For the case of exponentially-distributed claims, we are able to improve the approximation arising from the diffusion, attaining a uniform $O(n^{-1})$ rate of convergence. We also include two examples that illustrate our results.
Application of the bulge test combined with 3D-DIC for biaxial characterization of PLA films and defect detection

The bulge test is a versatile mechanical testing technique widely applied in materials science, engineering, and biomedical research to understand the mechanical behavior of materials and structures. In this study, PLA blown films were characterized through the bulge test, and the corresponding properties were compared to those obtained from uniaxial t! esting. To achieve more accurate and precise deformation measurements, 3D digital image correlation (3D-DIC) was used, offering superior capabilities in terms of accuracy, precision, and non-destructive testing. This technique can detect defects such as cracks, voids, and delamination in materials and structures. During the bulge testing, 3D-DIC was utilized to analyze the strain field evolution within the test sample and identify regions of reduced film thickness. Notably, the results indicated zones with strain concentration aligned parallel to the film machine direction, suggesting localized thickness reduction in those areas.
Multi-faceted Eurasianism: a comparison in practice

PurposeAfter the collapse of the USSR, Eurasian integration projects, proposed by Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey, began to develop in the post-Soviet space. Hence, there is growing interest in Eurasianism as an ideology. In this context, the study of the use of the Eurasianism's ideas in practice becomes relevant. The argument of this article is that Russia, Turkey, and Kazakstan have their own interpretations of Eurasianism's ideas to develop the ideological basis of their own integration projects. The purpose of the article is to answer the question: How is the Eurasianism used in integration projects of Russia, Turkey and Kazakstan? Design/methodology/approachThe concept of Eurasianism has been viewed in terms of constructivism. On the basis of the principles of social constructivism, and in particular the works of constructivist ideologue Alexander Wendt, a comparative analysis was made. The ideas of Eurasianism in the integration processes of Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey has been carried out based on the criteria such as the role of common ideas, identity, consciousness, memory and culture. The examples of mentioned countries were compared, to consider the development of the ideas of Eurasianism in practice.FindingsThe ideas of Eurasianism have a significant impact on the integration processes of the post-Soviet space. Eurasianism advocates for important factors such as respect for cultural and civilizational differences between different nations, their equality in the overall union and common development opportunities. Such factors are undoubtedly important for the success of integration projects. The reflection of many individual thoughts of classical Eurasians and Neo-Eurasians can be seen in the statements of various ministers and leaders of Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey. The initiatives of these countries in creating integration projects also show the influence of the Eurasian concept.Originality/valueIn the 1990s, the study of Eurasianism gained new significance in academic circles. Articles and periodicals devoted to this concept were published. However, all parallels between variations in concepts of Eurasianism have been conducted on a theoretical level. The importance of this article lies in the fact that conceptual differences are compared in practice. Researchers had not previously considered the study of the relevance and productivity of Eurasianism in practice by comparing examples and experiences from different countries. The novelty of this article lies in its attempt to solve this problem.
Online Auctions: Insights into the First Bidder Discount

Internet auctions like Amazon or eBay use an ascending bid auction as the basic auction format. This basic auction format can be augmented by various price features: the First Bidder Discount is one example. In a First Bidder Discount auction the bidder receives a discount on the price to pay if the bidder was the first to place a bid. The objective of this paper is to analyse this mechanism and to present a theoretical model describing the rules of a discount auction. Furthermore, an analysis of bidder behaviour and the timing of bids in internet auctions that include an added discount is investigated.
Influence of Different Diets on the Degradation of Sulfasalazine by Colon Bacteria Determined Using MimiCol3

The microbiome of the colon is characterized by its great diversity. This varies not only intra- but also interindividually and is influenced by endogenous and exogenous factors, such as dietary and lifestyle factors. The aim of this work was to investigate the extent to which the degradation of the drug sulfasalazine is influenced by different microbiota. Therefore, the in vitro model MimiCol3 was used, which represents the physiological conditions of the ascending colon. In addition to a representative physiological volume, the pH value, redox potential and an anaerobic atmosphere are important to provide the bacteria with the best possible growth conditions. Stool samples were taken from three healthy subjects, comparing omnivorous, vegetarian and meat-rich diets, and cultured for 24 h. However, the nutrient medium used for cultivation led to the alignment of the bacterial composition of the microbiota. The previously observed differences between the diets could not be maintained. Nevertheless, the similar degradation of sulfasalazine was observed in all microbiota studied in MimiCol3. This makes MimiCol3 a suitable in vitro model for metabolism studies in the gut microbiome.
Generation of multiple beams carrying different orbital angular momentum modes based on anisotropic holographic metasurfaces in the radio-frequency domain

In this paper, an anisotropic holographic metasurface design is proposed, fabricated, and measured, to demonstrate that it can generate multiple beams with different orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes in the radio-frequency domain. The anisotropic holographic metasurface is composed of an array of quasi-periodic square particles with a rectangular slot in the upper metallic layer covered with a dielectric ground. The classic leaky-wave theory and a microwave holography method are introduced to construct the holograms that interfere with the surface waves excited by a monopole antenna and the objective waves represented by the desired multiple beams carrying different OAM modes. Moreover, the numerical simulations and experimental results are in very good agreement, which demonstrates the excellent performance of the design and provides a method of generating multiple OAM modes simultaneously. This lays a solid foundation for a channel-multiplexing method based on OAM-mode multiplexing to expand the capacity of wireless communication systems.In this paper, an anisotropic holographic metasurface design is proposed, fabricated, and measured, to demonstrate that it can generate multiple beams with different orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes in the radio-frequency domain. The anisotropic holographic metasurface is composed of an array of quasi-periodic square particles with a rectangular slot in the upper metallic layer covered with a dielectric ground. The classic leaky-wave theory and a microwave holography method are introduced to construct the holograms that interfere with the surface waves excited by a monopole antenna and the objective waves represented by the desired multiple beams carrying different OAM modes. Moreover, the numerical simulations and experimental results are in very good agreement, which demonstrates the excellent performance of the design and provides a method of generating multiple OAM modes simultaneously. This lays a solid foundation for a channel-multiplexing method based on OAM-mode multiplexing to expand the capa.