Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A STUDY ON INITIAL ESTABLISHMENT OF MULTI-PURPOSE MORINGA (Moringa oleifera.Lam) WITH FOCUS ON STAND DENSITIES, NITROGEN, PHOSPHORUS, pH, MEDIA TYPE AND SEED PRIMING.

Moringa is a multi-purpose tree which has gained a lot of publicity because of its many varied uses, which range from the medicinal applications, industrial, sanitary to the nutritional. Moringa has very high nutritional properties that would be useful as a food supplement, especially in those marginalized communities. As regards Moringa nutrition, much research has been documented, as opposed to research on agronomic needs of the plant. Hence, studies were carried out studies to determine whether initial establishment of Moringa is affected by stand densities, nitrogen, phosphorus and pH, and whether media type and seed priming influences the germination, emergence and initial seedling establishment. These studies were conducted as four separate experiments. The first experiment tested five population densities. The second experiment was a 5 x 3 x 3 factorial experiment with five pH levels (3.2, 6.2, 7.6, 8.2, 8.7) three phosphorus levels (0 g/plant, 8 g/plant, 16 g/plant) and three nitrogen levels (0 g/plant, 4 g/plant, 8 g/plant), and was carried out in the greenhouse. The third experiment was a 4 x 3 x 2 factorial with four pre-treatment methods, three organic sources and two soil texture sources, and also carried out in the greenhouse. The fourth experiment was a 4 x 3 x 2 factorial with four nitrogen levels (0 g/pot, 2 g/pot, 4 g/pot, 8 g/pot), three organic sources (pine bark, sawdust, none) and two textures (clay, sand). All these experiments were carried out at the University of Zimbabwe, Crop Science Department site. The results obtained indicated that high plant density produced high biomass yields and longer stems, but with smaller stem diameters, while low density produced higher individual growth of the plants as evidenced by the thicker stem diameters produced. The results further indicated that use of 1% potassium nitrate and water as seed primers best improves the germination, emergence and initial seedling establishment of Moringa compared to dehulling or heating. Clay proved more suitable than sand for Moringa seedling establishment. pH and phosphorus interaction had an effect on biomass and growth of Moringa. The most ideal pH for initial seedling establishment and growth was indicated as 7.6 (CaCl2 scale), while P and N with the highest growth results was 4 g/plant P and 4 g/plant N.
Microbiome Analysis of Mucosal Ileoanal Pouch in Ulcerative Colitis Patients Revealed Impairment of the Pouches Immunometabolites

The pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC) is unknown, although genetic loci and altered gut microbiota have been implicated. Up to a third of patients with moderate to severe UC require proctocolectomy with ileal pouch ano-anastomosis (IPAA). We aimed to explore the mucosal microbiota of UC patients who underwent IPAA. Methods: For microbiome analysis, mucosal specimens were collected from 34 IPAA individuals. Endoscopic and histological examinations of IPAA were normal in 21 cases, while pouchitis was in 13 patients. 19 specimens from the healthy control (10 from colonic and 9 from ileum) were also analyzed. Data were analyzed using an ensemble of software packages: QIIME2, coda-lasso, clr-lasso, PICRUSt2, and ALDEx2. Results: IPAA specimens had significantly lower bacterial diversity as compared to normal. The microbial composition of the normal pouch was also decreased also when compared to pouchitis. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Gemmiger formicilis, Blautia obeum, Ruminococcus torques, Dorea formicigenerans, and an unknown species from Roseburia were the most uncommon in pouch/pouchitis, while an unknown species from Enterobacteriaceae was over-represented. Propionibacterium acnes and Enterobacteriaceae were the species most abundant in the pouchitis and in the normal pouch, respectively. Predicted metabolic pathways among the IPAA bacterial communities revealed an important role of immunometabolites such as SCFA, butyrate, and amino acids. Conclusions: Our findings showed specific bacterial signature hallmarks of dysbiosis and could represent bacterial biomarkers in IPAA patients useful to develop novel treatments in the future by modulating the gut microbiota through the administration of probiotic immunometabolites-producing bacterial strains and the addition of specific prebiotics and the faecal microbiota transplantation.
Optimal stocking density for Nile tilapia, Orechromis niloticus within biofloc system

Considering limit water sources for aquaculture in Egypt, biofloc system is one of the answers. Biofloc system limits water exchange during the aquaculture process. Successful application in tilapia culture was our concern. Therefore, the experiment was established to detect the optimal fish density within biofloc system. Three stocking density (100, 150, 200 fish/m) were examined for the optimal density within biofloc system. Fish with average weight of (6.08±0.22) were randomly distributed in to plastic tanks of 150L water capacity in triplicate each to examine the different density on tilapia growth performance, feed utilization, water quality parameters, and water count of zooplankton. The best growth performance and feed utilization were recorded for100 fish/m (D1). With the increase of stocking density, a depression in growth performance was recognized. All water quality parameters (total ammonia nitrogen, No2, pH and temperature) ranged around safe values except for NO3. The highest water total zooplankton counts were recorded for (D1). The present results indicate that the optimal stocking density for Nile tilapia within biofloc system was 100 fish/ m.
Vibrotactile Signals -using tactile stimuli to present information

Tactile stimulation is a rarely utilized resource when presenting information. The present study was set up to investigate the use of six vibrotactile signals and to what degree, and how, they can get mixed up. The signals used in this study differed in temporal frequency, i.e. on/off-pulse. The experiment was conducted at the Swedish Defence Research Agency, FOI, in Linkoping, using a combat vehicle simulator and a tactile vest. Even though the participants were quite good at detecting and identifying the signals and their performance increased rapidly, the result suggests that six signals designed in this way is too many, at least without extensive training. The most interesting result was a pattern found in the errors made by the participants; more than half of the errors made occurred when a signal was mistaken for the signal above it on the intensity scale. This pattern was named the HIMUTS-Effect, Higher Intensity Mix-up Using Tactile Stimuli.
A dynamic thermal network approach to the modelling of Foundation Heat Exchangers

Foundation Heat Exchangers (FHX) are a novel form of ground heat exchanger for residential applications. The recently developed dynamic thermal network approach has been applied to formulate a model of the FHX that includes the basement, pipes and adjacent ground. This response factor approach allows complex three-dimensional geometries, such as this, to be represented and simulated efficiently. The formulation of the method and its application to the FHX is described along with a numerical procedure to calculate the required weighting factor series. An improved method of calculating these data and reducing it to a compact form is presented. Some modification of the original method has also been necessary to implement the boundary conditions associated with the heat exchanger pipes and ground surface. Data from an installation at an experimental house have been used to validate the model.
Islamic Perspectives on the Implementation of Wadiah Products at Islamic Banks in Indonesia

The aim of this paper is to study the implementation of Wadiah Product at an Islamic Bank in Indonesia. Bank Syariah Mandiri is the first government bank that operates according to the Islamic Syariah system in Indonesia. The Bank Syariah Mandiri provides wadiah products to serve its customers who are concerned with a free interest product in a financial transaction. This study was carried out with a qualitative method, and the data were gathered through in-depth interviews with the bank staff and manager, observation, and written material. The results of this study show that wadiah application in Bank Syariah Mandiri of Palu runs in accordance with the Syariah principles of Islamic Law. The results of this study also show that costumers lack knowledge regarding how to access the wadiah product. Then the Muslim community preferences in wadiah savings products is still relatively small because Muslim society perceived the profit sharing at the Islamic bank is lower compared to similar products from conventional banks.Further study may focus on Islamic banks customers perception of the wadiah product.
Pavement deterioration model incorporating unobserved heterogeneity for optimal life-cycle rehabilitation policy

Both deterioration and policy optimization models play a key role in pavement infrastructure management. A successful management system requires sound deterioration modeling as the basis for the policy optimization modeling and an effective integration of these two components. A significant amount of research has been conducted in both areas. However, an in-depth literature review suggests that a major aspect needs significant improvement—the development and integration of more comprehensive and realistic deterioration modeling for the selection of optimum rehabilitation policies. Deterioration models currently used are usually simple models due to lack of quality data or are often simplified to accommodate the optimization models for feasible solutions. Very few systems, if any, consider unobserved heterogeneity in the deterioration model involved in the policy optimization framework. To address this important aspect, this study developed a comprehensive pavement deterioration model incorporating both observed and unobserved heterogeneity. Furthermore, the results demonstrate how the established model is successfully integrated into the objective function to realize optimal rehabilitation policy in terms of total life-cycle cost.
Active Localization for Mobile Service Robots in Symmetrical and Open Environments

As mobile service robots are increasingly being introduced into everyday human activities, it is essential to get service robots moving securely. Improve robot localization will lead to more secure and efficient robots. Passive localization systems for indoor environments are a mature area and have a good performance in environments with enough features; however, robots still could get lost in symmetrical or open areas. On the other hand, active localization systems improve localization by letting the robot choose where to move or point its sensors to improve the robot pose. In this paper, we address the problem of active localization in the context of the indoor position tracking problem in very symmetrical and open environments. Our active localization system’s main contributions are: (i) introduce two cluster algorithms to group pose hypotheses, (ii) use a reduced map for searching informative points, and (iii) perform only rotational actions to point the sensor to the selected point without drift the robot from the navigation path. The system demonstrated a significant decrease in ground truth error and localization uncertainty in both simulated and real robot experiments.
A randomized control trial comparing the efficacy of 3Mixtatin and Modified 3Mix-MP paste using lesion sterilization and tissue repair technique to conventional root canal treatment in primary molars of children aged 4–8 years: An in vivo study

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and radiographic success rates of 3Mixtatin and Modified 3Mix-MP paste and compare it with conventional root canal treatment procedure in primary molars requiring pulpectomy. Materials and Methods: In this in vivo study, 66 primary molars in 52 children aged between 4 and 8 years with primary molars having chronic periapical abscess were treated randomly with 3Mixtatin, Modified 3Mix-MP paste, and Metapex. The subjects were reviewed at 6 and 12 months both clinically and radiographically after pulpal therapy to evaluate and compare the healing process. The data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis at a significance level of 0.05. Results: By the end of 12-month follow-up among the three groups, Group I seemed to be performing consistently better as compared to the other two groups when evaluated clinically and radiographically. However, Group III resulted in the greatest number of failures, with success rate being mere 42.9% at the end of follow-up period. Conclusion: Radiographic and clinical healing occurred in all the three groups; however, based on our results, Group I seemed to be performing consistently better among the three groups at 12-month follow-up. Hence, it can be inferred that 3Mixtatin used as a localized agent is effective and comparable to both Modified 3Mix-MP paste and conventional pulpectomy procedure involving calcium hydroxide and iodoform paste in primary teeth.
High‐Efficiency Motors Using Soft Magnetic Cores

We have developed a small and highly efficient axial gap motor whose stator core consists of a soft magnetic core. First, the loss sensitivities to various motor design parameters were evaluated by magnetic field analysis. Low sensitivity to the pole number and core dimensions ( ⩽ 2.2 dB) was found for the total loss, which is the sum of the copper loss and the iron losses in the stator core and the rotor yoke. From this we concluded that to improve the motor efficiency, it is essential to reduce the iron loss in the rotor yoke and to minimize the other losses. With this in mind, a prototype axial gap motor was manufactured and tested. The motor has four poles and six slots. The motor is 123 mm in diameter and the axial length is 47 mm. The rotor has parallel magnetized magnets and a rotor yoke with magnetic steel sheets. The maximum measured rotor efficiency is 93%. This value roughly agrees with the maximum calculated efficiency of 95%.
Hardware prototype and real-time validation of the satellite communication based loss-of-mains protection

This paper describes the current progress of the project developing a satellite based Loss-of-Mains (LOM) protection based on accumulated voltage phase angle difference (VPAD). In the initial stage of the laboratory trial, relay prototype in Opal-RT/RT-lab, test network modelled in RTDS/RSCAD and a commercial SEL-PMU are interconnected to establish a hardware-in-the-loop test platform. With a series of tests carefully designed for stability and sensitivity assessment, considering various generator control and load representations, the new protection scheme has been proved to have both enhanced stability and sensitivity over the existing passive LOM methods.
Seismic Performance of Slender Reinforced Concrete Structural Walls

Reinforced concrete structural walls are one of the most common lateral-load resisting systems found in mid-rise buildings. They are stiff and strong, easily incorporated into architectural layouts, and, when well designed and detailed, generally considered to perform well under earthquake loading. However, damage to mid-rise walled buildings in the 2010 Chilean earthquake has reminded the engineering community that structural walls can sustain serious damage and that consequently there is a need to improve understanding of wall performance. The research presented here seeks to address this need through experimental testing of slender planar walls and evaluation of performance-assessment tools for performance-based earthquake engineering. Despite the engineering community's reliance on reinforced concrete structural walls, relatively few experimental tests have been done to investigate the seismic performance of modern, code-compliant walls. Those tests that have been conducted provide a limited amount of data to support development of performance-based seismic design tools. To address this lack of data, a large experimental test program was undertaken by researchers at the Universities of Washington, Illinois, and California. As a portion of this program, four large-scale planar (rectangular) walls representative of mid-rise West Coast construction were tested and a large number of data were collected. Data analysis, presented here, was done to provide improved understanding of earthquake response and performance of rectangular walls and support the validation of numerical models. Collected experimental data included detailed damage data. These data, along with documented damage from previous experimental tests, were used to develop performance-prediction tools. These tools, known as fragility functions, relate engineering demand parameters such as strain, rotation, or drift, to the likelihood of specific damage occurring. Damage sustained by buildings during the 2010 Chile earthquake provided a unique opportunity to evaluate performance-based design tools. Several mid-rise buildings that sustained damage in the earthquake were studied, with a focus on evaluating the fragility functions developed from experimental data and evaluating the ASCE/SEI 31/41 standards for the seismic evaluation of existing structures. Evaluation of the ASCE standards involved the use of both linear and nonlinear models. Results of the building evaluations indicate aspects of the procedures that require improvements.
Stock Price Reaction to the Stock Splits Announcement of Listed Companies in the Colombo Stock Exchange

A stock split is a corporate event that directly impacts the number of a company’s shares and indirectly on stock prices. This study tests the effect of the stock splits on the share price of companies listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange during the periods of pre and post stock split announcement in accordance with the Efficient Market Hypothesis. The main objective of this paper is to identify the overall impact of a stock split announcement on stock prices. This study analyses 88 annual stock splits during the ten (10) year period from 2009 to 2019 by taking the listed companies in the Colombo Stock Exchange into consideration. It uses the event study methodology to test the market efficiency of the Colombo Stock Exchange, and the market model is run with the aid of abnormal returns, which are calculated based on daily closing stock prices and the All-Share Price Index. For analysing the results, the graphical analysis and t statistics have been utilized. According to the event day average abnormal return, the majority of stock splits were more negative than positive with a significant t value at 5% by indicating that investors were taking the stock split announcement as bad news just after the split announcement was released. Each day with a significant Average Abnormal Return shows more positives than negatives. Graphical results have shown both Average Abnormal Return, and Cumulative Average Abnormal Return has remained continuously negative up to 18 and 25 days, respectively, by implicating that stock splits have made a deleterious impact on stock return. This study finally concludes that the information regarding the stock splits has not been absorbed efficiently by the market because the market reactions before and after the date of the split announcement were significant at 5%, although the Average Abnormal Return got a quick reaction to the announcement. Furthermore, results had not provided evidence for Semi-Strong Form efficiency of the Colombo Stock Exchange since the significant stock price adjustments before and after the event day was noticed. By this study, the policymakers and investors are convinced that all information has not been incorporated into stock prices in making their decisions.
Ultra-Low-Voltage Low-Power Bulk-Driven Quasi-Floating-Gate Operational Transconductance Amplifier

A new ultra-low-voltage (LV) low-power (LP) bulk-driven quasi-floating-gate (BD-QFG) operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) is presented in this paper. The proposed circuit is designed using 0.18 μm CMOS technology. A supply voltage of ±0.3 V and a quiescent bias current of 5 μA are used. The PSpice simulation result shows that the power consumption of the proposed BD-QFG OTA is 13.4 μW. Thus, the circuit is suitable for low-power applications. In order to confirm that the proposed BD-QFG OTA can be used in analog signal processing, a BD-QFG OTA-based diodeless precision rectifier is designed as an example application. This rectifier employs only two BD-QFG OTAs and consumes only 26.8 μW.
Efficacy of Resveratrol Against Advanced Breast Cancer-Derived Organoids: A comparison with that of Clinically Relevant Drugs

Background: The lack of reliable drugs is a therapeutic challenge of advanced breast cancers (ABCs). Resveratrol (Res) exerts inhibitory effects on breast cancer cell lines and animal models, while its efficacy against individual breast cancer cases remain unknown. This study aims to address this issues using ABC-derived organoids (ABCOs) as the ex vivo therapeutic model. Methods: The ABCOs derived from 24 ABC patients were treated with 100 mM resveratrol for 96 hours. Paclitaxel, gemcitabine and fulvestrant were cited as the efficacy controls. Trypan blue staining and Calcein-AM/PI double staining were conducted to elucidate the cell viability, and EdU proliferation assay to evaluate ABCO growth activity. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in Res-treated ABCOs were determined by peroxide-dependent DCFH-DA oxidation assay and the statuses of pSTAT3-mediated signaling was examined by immunofluorescent and immunohistochemical labeling. Results: ABCOs were established from 6 surgical specimen, 14 needle biopsies, 3 cancerous pleural effusion and 1 cancerous ascites. Immunohischemical staining confirmed that the ABCOs maintained ER, PR, HER2 and Ki67 expression patterns of their original tumors. ABCO proliferation and viability tests showed > 50% cell death rates in 79.2% (19/24) of Res-treated, 28.6% (2/7) fulvestrant-treated, 66.7% (4/6) paclitaxel-treated and 66.7% (6/9) gemcitabine-treated ABCOs. The increased ROS levels were found in Res-sensitive ABCOs. pSTAT3 nuclear translocation were more frequent in Res-sensitive (14/19; 73.7%) than that (1/5; 20%) of Res-insensitive ABCOs, which were suppressed upon Res treatment. Statistical analysis revealed close correlation of STAT3 activation with the efficacy of Res.Conclusions: We demonstrate for the first time the effectiveness and broader range of Res against different subtypes of ABCOs in comparison with that of conventional anti-breast cancer drugs, providing an alternative approach for better management of breast cancers, especially those at advanced stage.