Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hypoglycemic Effects of Plant Flavonoids: A Review

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder with chronic high blood glucose levels, and it is associated with defects in insulin secretion, insulin resistance, or both. It is also a major public issue, affecting the world's population. This disease contributes to long-term health complications such as dysfunction and failure of multiple organs, including nerves, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and eyes. Flavonoids are phenolic compounds found in nature and usually present as secondary metabolites in plants, vegetables, and fungi. Flavonoids possess many health benefits such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, and naturally occurring flavonoids contribute to antidiabetic effects.Many studies conducted in vivo and in vitro have proven the hypoglycemic effect of plant flavonoids. A large number of studies showed that flavonoids hold positive results in controlling the blood glucose level in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats and further prevent the complications of diabetes. The future development of flavonoid-based drugs is believed to provide significant effects on diabetes mellitus and diabetes complication diseases. This review aims at summarizing the various types of flavonoids that function as hyperglycemia regulators such as inhibitors of α-glucosidase and glucose cotransporters in the body. This review article discusses the hypoglycemic effects of selected plant flavonoids namely quercetin, kaempferol, rutin, naringenin, fisetin, and morin. Four search engines, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and SciFinder, are used to collect the data.
Spanish photovoltaic learning curve

Learning by doing, or learning through market experience, reduces costs for energy production technologies. This phenomenon is modelled by using experience curves which reflect the changes in the cost of the technology as it becomes increasingly used. This article calculates the Spanish photovoltaic (PV) learning curve over the period 2001–12 by using cost data from the PV sector itself (installers, distributors and even engineers) and determines the accuracy of the obtained progress ratio by using both the coefficient of determination R2 and also the error σPR, which is directly determined from fitting the data. The results show a curve with a strong structural change in the speed of cost reduction in October 2009.
Design and implementation of an adaptive controller for torque ripple minimization in PM synchronous motors

This paper addresses the problem of torque ripple minimization in permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) and proposes an adaptive feedback structure as a solution. A model of PMSM that includes a torque ripple phenomenon is first developed and tested. While slightly different from the conventional one, our model is still compact and suitable for control. All parameters of the model have physical interpretation, and can either be measured directly or estimated in a numerically reliable procedure. An adaptive control algorithm is then described, enabling speed tracking while minimizing the torque ripple. Finally, the proposed algorithm is verified in simulations and implemented in a hardware setup. Experimental results show significant reduction of torque ripple (by 27 dB). Extensive analysis and simulations of hardware imposed limitations were performed as well, revealing and quantifying the issues that might affect practical ripple minimization performance.
FINANCIAL ADVICE, LITERACY, INCLUSION AND RISK TOLERANCE: THE MODERATING EFFECT OF UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE

The aim of this paper is to investigate the determinants of financial advice with a special focus on the cultural role in the influence of risk tolerance on seeking advice for financial issues. Financial literacy is covered by financial attitude, behaviour and knowledge. Financial inclusion is the other factor considered in the conceptual framework, as an indicator which can enhance both financial behaviour and financial advice. The research is based on primary data collected in two European nations, manifesting differences in culture, which gives the possibility to test the uncertainty avoidance role in the above relationship. This particular focus is the novelty of this work, as it sheds light on the importance of culture while designing policies with the aim to enhance individuals’ financial literacy and advice. The hypotheses are tested by using Partial Least Square- Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) method. It was found that financial behaviour improves as financial inclusion gets better, along with financial attitude and knowledge. Furthermore, financial advice is positively influenced by financial inclusion and risk tolerance and partly by financial literacy. Additionally, findings demonstrate that culture does matter in explaining differences between countries. Culture in this paper is represented by uncertainty avoidance, as one of the Hofstede’s culture dimension. Individuals from countries that manifest a very high preference for avoiding uncertainty reflect a negative relationship between risk tolerance and financial advice. The paper offers useful insights for policymakers and industry leaders in understanding the most influential factors on financial advice. This enables them to scheme policies and services aimed at equipping citizens with knowledge and skills to make the best use of their financial resources.
A method for initializing induction motors modeling during power system transient stability studies

This paper describes a steady state method for power flow programs and is one solution to the problem of initializing the dynamic models of the induction motor for transient stability studies. In the method the steady state induction motor model is included in the initial Newton Raphson power flow study, so the values of slip and reactive power of the motor are automatically adjusted. This adjustment is not arbitrary, since it takes into account the actual motor behavior.
Design of an integrated supplier selection and multi-echelon distribution inventory model in a built-to-order supply chain environment

The paper deals with the development of an integrated supplier selection and multi-echelon distribution inventory model (MEDIM) for the original equipment manufacturing company in a built-to-order supply chain environment using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and a genetic algorithm. The main objective is to design the integrated qualitative decision-making of the supplier selection model using FAHP with that of the quantitative mathematical model for the distribution inventory supply chain using a genetic algorithm to the built-to-order environment. The proposed model is validated by considering the case study in a tyre industry in Southern India. The software used for programming is C++ language.
Numerical Simulation of Magnetostriction-Induced Cavitation Flow

The magnetostriction-induced cavitation flow was numerically simulated by using a full cavitation model with the SST k-ω turbulence model and the dynamic mesh technique. The characteristics of ultrasonic cavitation flow and the cavitation erosion mechanism were revealed. The computational results show that the pressure fluctuation possesses the characteristics of pulse on the specimen. Intense pressure pluses and cavitation occur in the local flow adjacent to the specimen. As numerous bubbles collapse, intense pressure pulses form on the specimen. Cavitation intensity is serious at the center while it is slight at the edge. The pressure pulse and the vapor volumn fraction with the equal magnitude symmetrically distribute around the center, meaning that cavitatin erosion appears a symmetrical pattern around the center. The effective pressure fluctuation occurs in the local flow field within the distance of one third of the wave length to the specimen. It is validated that the wave energy dissipates very fast in the magnetostriction-induced cavitation flow.
Trend of asthma prevalence among children based on regional urbanization level in Japan; 2006–2019

Although it has been known that the prevalence of asthma tends to be higher among children in the metropolitan areas of Japan, trends of the prevalence with respect to the regional urbanization level has not been investigated in recent years. We investigated trends in the prevalence of asthma among children and air pollutant concentrations by regional urbanization levels using data from the School Health Statistics Survey in Japan from 2006 to 2019. We calculated the age-standardized prevalence of asthma for each year, gender, regional urbanization level, and annual percent change (APC). In addition, the slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality (RII) were calculated for evaluating disparity in age-standardized asthma prevalence depending on regional urbanization levels. Moreover, we calculated the mean of the annual average values by regional urbanization levels for sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), suspended particulate matter (SPM), carbon monoxide (CO), and photochemical oxidant (Ox) from 2006 to 2018. We found that the age-standardized prevalence significantly decreased in the periods in the metropolis for males and females, and the degree of the decrease was largest in the metropolis. Conversely, the age-standardized prevalence increased in towns and villages, and the APC was greater than zero. In addition, both the SII and RII showed significant decreasing trends in the study period, and the regional disparity shrank over the years. Moreover, concentrations of the air pollutants were highest in the metropolis throughout the years except for Ox, whereas the difference in the concentrations of NO2, SPM, and CO decreased between the metropolis and the other areas over the years. In conclusion, disparity in asthma prevalence depending on regional urbanization level decreased from 2006 to 2019, and there is a possibility that regional difference in trend of the air pollutants is related to the result.
Ultrafast polarisation-independent optical demultiplexer using optical carrier frequency shift through crossphase modulation

A novel polarisation-independent all-optical 1:N demultiplexer is proposed using optical carrier frequency shift induced by a strong pump pulse in Kerr media. A 1:4, 60 Gbit/s polarisation-independent demultiplexing operation at 1.307 μm is demonstrated using a 70ps broad pump pulse from an Nd:YLF laser
A single-vendor single-buyer production-inventory model with controllable lead time and service level constraint for decaying items

This paper presents a production-inventory model in a single-vendor single-buyer system for decaying items which deplete with constant decay rate. It is assumed that the lead time demand follows a normal distribution and shortages are backordered. Also, buyer's lead time can be reduced at an added cost. A model has been formulated to find the optimal order quantity, lead time and the number of shipments from the vendor to the buyer during one production cycle while minimising the total expected cost per unit time of the vendor-buyer integrated system. It is often difficult to estimate the stock-out cost in inventory systems. Therefore, instead of having a stock-out term in the objective function, a service level constraint is included in the model. Due to mathematical complexities involved, it is difficult to establish the solutions analytically. An iterative procedure is developed to find the optimal solution using LINGO 10, and a numerical example is given to illustrate the results of the proposed model. Furthermore, the effects of key parameters are also studied to provide the insight into the structure of the solution. In addition, the savings of buyer and vendor are investigated from implementation of joint optimisation model over the model in which they minimise their own cost independently.
Is Smart Growth Associated with Reductions in Carbon Dioxide Emissions?

The transportation sector is the second largest contributor to human-generated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. A key goal of the U.S. Department of Transportation is to implement environmentally sustainable policies that can reduce carbon emissions from transportation sources. Smart growth—characterized by compact, mixed use; greater network connectivity; and environments friendly to alternative modes—may encourage reductions in vehicle travel and emissions. A better understanding of travel behavior in conventional and smart growth communities is needed to inform policies. A behavioral data set is analyzed to determine whether smart growth developments are associated with lower CO2 emissions. Sample selection models are estimated from a 2009 travel behavior survey of 15,213 households to capture the conditionality of emissions on the decision to drive (or not) by household members on a given day. Results indicated that 12% of responding households used alternative modes or did not travel from home; the rest of the sample traveled in an automobile and therefore contributed to CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions were calculated from vehicle miles traveled and the fuel efficiency of the vehicle used for specific trips taken by household members. The developed framework models whether CO2 emissions are associated with land use, sociodemographics, and preferences for adopting information technology. Tailpipe CO2 emissions are lower for households that reside in mixed land use neighborhoods with good network connections (on the order of 9%). As a long-term strategy, CO2 emissions reductions from smart growth developments can be substantial.
UNTERSUCHUNGEN ZUR BILDQUALITÄT UND QUANTIFIZIERUNGSGENAUIGKEIT EINES ITERATIVEN REKONSTRUKTIONSPROGRAMMES FÜR DIE PET

Im Forschungszentrum Jülich wird seit 1997 ein neues Programm namens Marvin [1] zur iterativen Bildrekonstruktion von PET-Daten entwickelt. Ziel dieses Programmes ist es, durch eine neuartige Implementierung der Rekonstruktionsalgorithmen, neben der Rekonstruktion von 2-D-Messungen erstmals auch 3-D-Aufhahmen direkt, ohne vorausgehendes Rebinning in 2-D-Datensätze, iterativ zu rekonstruieren. Parallel hierzu soll das Programm hinsichtlich seiner benötigten Systemvoraussetzungen und seiner Bedienbarkeit optimal auf eine Anwendung im klinischen Alltag hin ausgerichtet sein. Die Arbeit basiert auf einem Entwicklungsstand von Marvin, bei dem die Implementierung der Algorithmen für die 2-D-Rekonstruktion bereits abgeschlossen ist. Ziel der Arbeit war es, die beiden Algorithmen MLEM (Maximum-Likelihood Expectation-Maximization) [2] und OSEM (Ordered-Subset MLEM) [3] des Programmes Marvin im Hinblick auf die für den klinischen Einsatz in der Diagnose relevanten Qualitätskriterien zu untersuchen und in die Reihe der bestehenden Verfahren einzugliedern. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit erfolgte hierzu eine Auswahl und Durchführung geeigneter Testverfahren.
BER analysis of collaborative dual-hop wireless transmissions

The error performance of collaborative dual-hop wireless transmissions with maximal-ratio combining diversity is presented. Specifically, using the well-known inequality between geometric and harmonic mean of positive random variables, an upper bound for the end-to-end signal-to-noise-ratio is derived, and it is used to efficiently evaluate the average error probability.
A Nanobody-Based Toolset to Monitor and Modify the Mitochondrial GTPase Miro1

The mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM)-anchored GTPase Miro1, is a central player in mitochondrial transport and homeostasis. The dysregulation of Miro1 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) suggests that Miro1 may be a potential biomarker or drug target in neuronal disorders. However, the molecular functionality of Miro1 under (patho-) physiological conditions is poorly known. For a more comprehensive understanding of the molecular functions of Miro1, we have developed Miro1-specific nanobodies (Nbs) as novel research tools. We identified seven Nbs that bind either the N- or C-terminal GTPase domain of Miro1 and demonstrate their application as research tools for proteomic and imaging approaches. To visualize the dynamics of Miro1 in real time, we selected intracellularly functional Nbs, which we reformatted into chromobodies (Cbs) for time- lapse imaging of Miro1. By genetic fusion to an Fbox domain, these Nbs were further converted into Miro1-specific degrons and applied for targeted degradation of Miro1 in live cells. In summary, this study presents a collection of novel Nbs that serve as a toolkit for advanced biochemical and intracellular studies and modulations of Miro1, thereby contributing to the understanding of the functional role of Miro1 in disease-derived model systems.
Impact Damage to Chickpea Seeds as Affected by Moisture Content and Impact Velocity

The large size and dicotyledonous structure of the chickpea seed make it prone to mechanical injuries that considerably reduce quality and limit options for mechanical harvesting and processing. This study evaluated impact damage to the chickpea with moisture contents of 7.5% to 25% wet basis and subject to impact velocities from 5 to 20 m/s using a laboratory impact damage assessment device. Increasing the impact velocity from 5 to 20 m/s caused a significant increase in the mean values of damage from 1.26% to 47.31%. Seed damage decreased by a factor of two when moisture content increased from 7.5% to 17.7%. Seed mechanical damage was a quadratic function of moisture content and of impact velocity. There was an optimum moisture level of 17.1%, at which seed damage was minimized.
Antioxidant Phenylpropanoid Glycosides from Ginkgo biloba Fruit and Identification of a New Phenylpropanoid Glycoside, Ginkgopanoside

Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgoaceae), well-known as the oldest living plant species and often referred to as a “living fossil,” is a famous medicinal plant that has been used in multiple countries to improve numerous illnesses, including anxiety, dementia, peripheral artery disease, and eye problems. We conducted a phytochemical exploration of G. biloba fruit, commonly consumed as a functional food as part of an ongoing natural product chemical research for the discovery of bioactive phytochemicals with novel structures. The natural product chemical analysis of the methanol extract of G. biloba fruit using column chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography separation under the guidance of a liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC/MS)-based analysis identified six phenylpropanoid glycosides (1–6), including one new compound, ginkgopanoside (1). The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic data and LC/MS analysis, and the absolute configuration of compound 1 was established by chemical reactions followed by the application of Snatzke’s method. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activities of the isolated compounds 1–6 and the aglycone 1a of 1 were evaluated, and we found that compounds 1–5 exhibited antioxidant activities with IC50 values in the range 32.75–48.20 μM, while the aglycone 1a exhibited greater radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 5.23 μM) comparable to that of ascorbic acid (IC50 = 2.54 μM), a positive control, implying that the present of glucose may decrease the DPPH scavenging activity. These findings provide experimental information that the active phenylpropanoid glycosides could represent natural antioxidants for use in pharmaceuticals and functional foods.
TextQ - A User Friendly Tool for Exploratory Text Analysis

As the amount of textual data available on the Internet grows substantially each year, there is a need for tools to assist with exploratory data analysis. Furthermore, to democratize the process of text analytics, tools must be usable for those with a non-technical background and those who do not have the financial resources to outsource their data analysis needs. To that end, we developed TextQ, which provides a simple, intuitive interface for exploratory analysis of textual data. We also tested the efficacy of TextQ using two case studies performed by subject matter experts—one related to a project on the detection of cyberbullying communication and another related to the user of Twitter for influence operations. TextQ was able to efficiently process over a million social media messages and provide valuable insights that directly assisted in our research efforts on these topics. TextQ is built using an open access platform and object-oriented architecture for ease of use and installation. Additional features will continue to be added to TextQ, based on the needs and interests of the installed base.
Sewage Treatment Plants: Economic Evaluation of Innovative Technologies for Energy Efficiency

Sewage Treatment Plants: Economic Evaluation of Innovative Technologies for Energy Efficiency aims to show how cost saving can be achieved in sewage treatment plants through implementation of novel, energy efficient technologies or modification of the conventional, energy demanding treatment facilities towards the concept of energy streamlining. The book brings together knowledge from Engineering, Economics, Utility Management and Practice and helps to provide a better understanding of the real economic value with methodologies and practices about innovative energy technologies and policies in sewage treatment plants. This title belongs to Integrated Environmental Technology Series ISBN: 9781780405025 (eBook) ISBN: 9781780405018 (Print)
A multi-input energy harvesting system with independent energy harvesting block and power management block

In the conventional approach widely used for multi-input energy harvesting (MIEH), energy harvesting, energy combining, and power conversion are performed integrally in an inductor sharing block through time multiplexing operations, which is not suitable for hot-pluggable systems. In the MIEH system proposed in this paper, an energy harvesting block (EHB) and a power management block (PMB) are independent of each other to increase the modularity of the system. Therefore, the EHB can be optimized to extract maximum power from energy sources, and the PMB can be focused on combining input energies and converting power effectively. This paper mainly focuses on the design and implementation of the EHB. For light, vibration, and thermal energy, the measured peak power efficiencies of the EHB implemented using a 0.35 μm CMOS process are 95.2%, 92.5%, and 95.5%, respectively. To confirm the functionality and effectiveness of the proposed MIEH system, a PMB composed of simple charge pump circuits and a power management unit has also been implemented and verified with the designed EHB.