Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of dietary saffron (Crocus sativus) petal extract on growth performance, blood biochemical indices, antioxidant balance, and immune responses of broiler chickens reared under heat stress conditions

Abstract To evaluate the alleviative effects of saffron (Crocus sativus) petal extract (SPE) on growth performance, blood biochemical indices, antioxidant status, and immunity of heat-stressed broilers, 250 newly hatched male broiler chickens were randomly allocated to control diet (basal diet, two groups), or control diet supplemented with 300, 500, or 700 mg SPE/kg diet, with five replicates and 10 birds each. The broiler chickens, except one of the control groups, were exposed to heat stress (HS, 37 ± 1 °C, 55% relative humidity) for 6 h/day from day 25 to 42. Heat stress reduced body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), and abdominal fat percentage, and increased feed conversion ratio (FCR, p < .05). It also caused decreases in the antibody production against sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and an increase in the heterophil: lymphocyte (H: L) ratio. However, SPE linearly increased the FI during the entire experimental period (p = .024) and linearly improved the BWG and FCR during the finisher and entire experimental periods (p < .05). The abdominal fat percentage decreased linearly with increasing dietary SPE levels (p < .005). Dietary SPE also caused significant reductions in the plasma concentration of cholesterol (L, p < .001), uric acid (L, p < .001), and MDA (L, p < .001; Q, p < .001) and enzyme activity of LDH (L, p = .002; Q, p = .015) and AST (L, p = .002; Q, p = .019), whereas enhanced the total protein concentration (L, p = .006), SOD and GPx (L, p < .001; Q, p = .028) activities, and TAC content (L, p < .001). Meanwhile, supplementation with dietary SPE enhanced the bursa percentage (p = .05) and improved the primary and secondary antibody production titres against SRBC and antibody response to NDV at 24 and 24 days (p < .01). The results indicate that SPE is an effective additive for broiler chickens under heat stress conditions. According to estimates of regression models, the optimum amount of extract recommended is 689.5 mg/kg. HIGHLIGHTS Saffron petal extract (SPE) enhanced the growth performance of heat-stressed broiler chickens. Dietary SPE improved the liver function in broilers reared in heat stress conditions. Supplementation of SPE improved the antioxidant status and immune responses in heat-stressed broiler chickens.
Idealized Operation of Class E Frequency Multipliers

The theoretical performance of class E frequency multipliers described by Kozyrev bears little resemblance to the observed performance of such circuits. This paper provides a new analysis of idealized class E frequency multipliers similar to that used by Raab in his description of class E amplifiers, in that the equations describing multiplier operation are obtained from Fourier series methods and the assumption of an infinite output network Q . The equations so obtained are used to determine 1) optimum operation (maximum power output capability at 100-percent efficiency) at any harmonic, and 2) design equations that yield the requisite component values for optimum operation. The equations provide an easily used design method for optimum class E multipliers but allow the implementation of nonoptimum multipliers to suit any design objective. Class E multipliers with moderate values of output network Q were constructed and tested. The measured performance of these experimental circuits shows excellent agreement to the theoretical performance predicted by the equations.
Low-cost sensing of equivalent series resistance for electrolytic capacitors

A simple equivalent series resistance (ESR) measurement technique for capacitors at high current and high frequency is presented. A low-cost square waveform voltage source coupled with a reference resistor can be used to measure the ESR of an electrolytic capacitor. By connecting a capacitor in series with a reference resistor, the ratio of the voltage magnitude across the capacitor to the voltage magnitude of the supply voltage reveals the ESR of the capacitor if the frequency of the supply source is sufficiently high. The square waveform voltage source can easily be realised using a DC voltage source and simple switching devices. An addition of a small inductor in series with the reference resistor could eliminate the effect of the equivalent series inductance and improve the measurement accuracy. A mathematical analysis is presented to demonstrate that the use of the square waveform and the addition of the small inductor are valid. Experimental results are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
On Deep Learning Assisted Self-Interference Estimation in a Full-Duplex Relay Link

We propose and evaluate two new methods for digital mitigation of the non-linear Self-Interference (SI) signal in the context of a Full-Duplex (FD) relay link. The proposed methods utilize Deep Neural Networks (DNN) for the reconstruction of the non-linear SI components. Existing DNN-based SI mitigation techniques require a large number of on-line training samples, which takes resources away from actual data communication. The proposed methods allow a significant reduction in or complete elimination of on-line training by utilizing transfer learning and decoupling the reconstruction of non-linear transmitted SI signal from the estimation of the SI propagation channel, respectively. We utilize link-level simulation to demonstrate the SI cancellation performance of the proposed approaches compared to the existing state-of-the-art DNN-based solutions. The simulation results confirm that the proposed SI mitigation techniques achieve robust Bit Error Rate (BER) performance for Signal-to-Interference-Ratio (SIR) levels as low as −20dB. We derive an upper bound and an approximation for the probability of generalization error that is caused by an insufficient training set size.
Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterisation of Clinical Isolates of Nosocomial Infections

The study focuses on identification and characterization of clinical isolates of nosocomial infections with an aim to create a Bank of model microorganisms for further study of mechanisms and prospects of clinical use of novel medicines causing a reversion susceptibility to antibiotics in drug resistant pathogens. Clinical samples of nosocomial infections were collected from phthisiological hospitals in Almaty. Clinical isolates were characterized by morpho-cultural, tinctorial, physiological and biochemical properties and also by susceptibility to antibiotics. Our studies showed that the isolates are characterized by an increased ability to form biofilms that significantly complicates the therapy and prevention of these outbreaks. Moreover, isolates were characterized by varying degrees of susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs. The strains of Citrobacter were resistant to azithromycin, which is considered as a reserve drug. This fact raises a concern about the circulation and the spread in hospitals of microorganisms resistant to the latest generation of antibiotics. Obtained genome-scale contigs were used for taxonomic affiliation of the isolates and for identification of genetic determinants of antibiotic resistance. The search for genetic determinants of drug resistance in the obtained genome sequences confirmed the resistance to some antibiotics obtained by phenotypic methods. Whole genome sequences were obtained for 4 clinical isolates identified as Citrobacter koseri SCAID URN1-2019, Citrobacter freundii SCAID PHRX1-2019, Escherichia coli SCAID URN1-2019 and Streptococcus pneumoniae SCAID PHRX1-2019. The genomes were deposited in the NCBI database under accession numbers CP052059, CP052058, CP052057, and CP052060.
Sea-Level Change Considerations for Marine Civil Works--COPRI Committee Update on Best Practices

The Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute (COPRI) within the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is developing a Manual of Best Practice to address the inclusion of sea-level change considerations during the design of marine civil works. The committee serves the needs of all stakeholders involved in a marine project and designers and engineers in particular. The manual will provide designers and engineers with systematic methods for incorporating sea-level change projections into their project designs. Studies use different methods and data for calculation and thus global mean sea-level rise estimates for 2100 range from 0.6 to 2.0 m. In addition, planning for marine civil works should consider local sea level variations. In response, this committee is developing recommendations to assist in managing design factors, uncertainty, and to a certain extent, measure implementation. This paper provides an overview of these issues the recommendations that the committee is developing.
Correlations among the helicopter pilot's head azimuth, elevation, and tilt in visual flight and their implications for incorporating roll compensation in the HMD

The literature describes the opt-kinetic cervical reflex (OKCR) as potentially contributing to episodes of spatial disorientation and dangerous control input reversal errors. The OKCR is described as a reflex tilting of a pilot’s head that occurs when an aircraft banks and turns under visual meteorological conditions. The implication is that with the aircraft’s banking turn, the horizon appears to the pilot to bank in the opposite directions. This banking of the horizon relative to the pilot is thought to cause the pilot’s head to tilt in order to be perpendicular to the horizon. This OKCR head tilting phenomenon may be important for the design of the head mounted display systems since these systems may be referenced to either the tilting head or the aircraft. The choice is particularly important for the display of aircraft attitude information, which is most commonly referenced to the horizon. The present paper describes an alternative explanation for the observed head tilting behavior of the pilot in a banking turn. This explanation is based on the analysis of an archived database containing the head movement records of four military pilots as they executed a slalom flight maneuver in an AH Mk 7 Lynx helicopter. These data had been collected for purposes unrelated to the present discussion, and previous analyses addressing these original purposed have already been reported. In addition to the description of the new model based on the archived database, the present paper used some results previously published in the literature to compare the new explanation and the tradition OKCR explanation of the observed head tilting behavior of pilots. A clarification of the mechanisms responsible for the observed head tilt phenomena is important for the design of the head mountedinformational display systems.
Hybrid Electric Power Biodevices

Hybrid electric power biodevices, a new type of electric-power-producing device, are a combination of an electrochemical capacitor and a biofuel cell. In this Minireview, we summarise existing knowledge on double-function bioelectrodes, that is, single electrodes concurrently manifesting bio-electrocatalytic and charge-storage features, and describe important historical aspects and achievements in this area. We also discuss a recently proposed method for concomitant electric power generation and storage, which is exemplified by fabricated and characterised self-charging bio-supercapacitors, also termed charge-storing biofuel cells. The electric power in these hybrid devices is uninterruptedly generated by direct transformation of chemical energy into electric energy, as occurs in biofuel cells. The power is simultaneously and directly stored within a single device, relying on different types of capacitance based on reversible charge-transfer reactions (pseudocapacitance) and/or electric double-layer capacitance, as in electrochemical capacitors. We also present some unpublished results on both dual-feature electrodes and hybrid biodevices and briefly highlight the prospects for their application.
Electroosmotic pumping within a chemical sensor system integrated on silicon

The concept of a multi-manifold flow system integrated on a silicon substrate with valveless switching of flows and electroosmotic pumping of an aqueous solvent is presented. Electroosmotic flow rates of 0.001 cm/s and 0.002 cm/s are obtained with fields of 100 and 180 V/cm, respectively, in an optimized system with thermal oxide insulation. The dielectric breakdown value of an oxide/nitride film 250 nm thick allows application of 200 V to the channels. Sample volumes on the order of 6 to 320 pL can be introduced into the sensing channel. While oxide appears to be a poor choice of insulator, a combination of oxide, nitride, and low-conductivity silicon will allow suitable voltages of 100 to 600 V to be used. <<ETX>>
Algorithm Research on Main Motion Direction Feature Extraction for Initial Rising Smoke

This paper proposes rapid extraction algorithm for identifying the main direction of smoke, according to internal small local movement feature of initial rising smoke and the overall presentation presents upward and both sides diffusion trend. The algorithm adopts Meanshift Kernel function of histogram to model movement characteristics and estimates the smoke pieces of motion vector direction by using Bhattachyarya coefficient. Smoke data block motion accumulation are analyzed statistically to estimate the proportion of each suspected smoke region in main movement to realize the identification of inside smoke moving direction. The obtained results from the thick black smoke experiment, gray smog experiment, human body movement interference experiment show that the algorithm is better able to extract the main direction features of smoke and has a strong ability to eliminate interference. It provides criterion for the further study of smoke recognition algorithm.
The Advent of Capitalism and Malay Dilemma in Money Economy: The Foundation of Business Corporation and Cooperative Societies in Colonial Malaya

Abstract: This article discusses the Malay dilemma in facing the expansion of money economy in the Malay society in early 20th century Malaya. Historically, the advent of capitalism during this period instigated the growing importance of money economy. However, in the rural economy, the Malay commoners known as â€˜rakyatâ€™ were not widely exposed to money economy. The prevalence of money economy in the Malay society was limited to the Malay upper class of royal kinsmen and nobles because of their dominance over the surplus, notably found in the form of taxation imposed on the rakyat who were mostly peasants. This situation began to change in the beginning of the 20th century when credit facilities for agricultural activities became available for the Malay commoners that eventually paved the way for the rakyat to gradually venture into small businesses and be exposed to money economy. In order to address the problem related to indebtedness, there were initiatives to establish cooperative societies for rural credits. However, these initiatives were always overshadowed by the imposition of interests on the loans. This is because such interests were perceived as ribaâ€™ or usury, which were regarded as haram or impermissible in Islam. Nevertheless, based on historical circumstances, it can be argued that the establishment of cooperative societies was regarded as the more viable means than business ventures in incorporating the Malay peasant community into money economy. Â Abstrak: Artikel ini membahas dilema Melayu dalam menghadapi ekspansi ekonomi uang dalam masyarakat Melayu di Malaya awal abad ke-20. Secara historis, munculnya kapitalisme selama periode ini mendorong semakin pentingnya ekonomi uang. Namun, dalam perekonomian pedesaan, rakyat jelata Melayu yang dikenal sebagai 'rakyat' tidak banyak terekspos pada ekonomi uang. Prevalensi ekonomi uang dalam masyarakat Melayu terbatas pada kelas atas Melayu dari kerabat dan bangsawan kerajaan karena dominasi mereka atas surplus, terutama ditemukan dalam bentuk pajak yang dikenakan pada rakyat yang sebagian besar adalah petani. Situasi ini mulai berubah pada awal abad ke-20 ketika fasilitas kredit untuk kegiatan pertanian tersedia bagi rakyat jelata Melayu yang pada akhirnya membuka jalan bagi rakyat untuk secara bertahap terjun ke bisnis kecil dan terpapar pada ekonomi uang. Untuk mengatasi permasalahan yang berkaitan dengan hutang tersebut, maka terdapat inisiatif untuk membentuk perkumpulan koperasi untuk kredit pedesaan. Namun, inisiatif ini selalu dibayangi oleh pengenaan bunga atas pinjaman. Sebab, kepentingan tersebut dianggap sebagai riba yang dianggap haram atau tidak diperbolehkan dalam Islam. Namun demikian, berdasarkan keadaan historis, dapat dikatakan bahwa pendirian koperasi dianggap sebagai cara yang lebih layak daripada usaha bisnis dalam memasukkan masyarakat petani Melayu ke dalam ekonomi uang. Â
Reducing uncertainty in European supply chains

In this paper, we show that reducing supply chain uncertainty increases responsiveness and thereby benefits bottom line performance as assessed via total cycle time reduction. We term this effect as the uncertainty reduction principle. To enable uncertainty reduction we use the uncertainty circle to focus on the sources to be eliminated. We also show that these sources of uncertainty can react and magnify in a flywheel effect caused by poor supply chain management. A supply chain audit methodology is described for identifying and codifying uncertainty. The proposition advanced herein is that smooth material flow leads to and statistically correlates with uncertainty reduction. Examples are given of good real‐world supply chain practices thus identified and subsequently improved. Transferability of the uncertainty reduction principle is assured by establishing readily assimilated “best practice” guidelines via the study of “exemplar” operating characteristics.
A Novel Variable Impedance Compact Compliant Series Elastic Actuator: Analysis of Design, Dynamics, Materials and Manufacturing

This paper presents the analysis of electro-mechanical design, selection of materials and manufacturing techniques for physical construction, dynamics, control etc. of a novel variable impedance compact compliant series elastic actuator (SEA) for human-friendly robotics applications. The electro-mechanical design consists of a servomotor, a ball screw, a torsional spring connecting the servomotor and the ball screw via a pair of spur gear, and a set of translational springs connecting the ball screw nut to the output link. The translational springs have low stiffness and these are used to handle low force operations that reduce non-linear friction, output impedance, impact etc. The torsional spring is in the high speed range, has high effective stiffness and it enhances the system bandwidth for large force operations when the translational springs are fully compressed. Suitable materials and appropriate manufacturing techniques for the construction of the actuator are discussed. Kinematics and working principle of the actuator are analyzed. The actuator model is simulated on the physical implementation for dynamics and control for different conditions. Simulation results prove satisfactory performances of the design. Then, advantages of the design over its existing counterparts are discussed, and its potential applications and future extensions are mentioned.
Employing Virtual Reality (VR) Technology with Experiential Learning Perspective to Enhance Students’ Learning Experience

The authors advocate to employ Virtual Reality (VR) with the application of experiential learning in order to enhance the students’ learning experience. In modern world with diverse platforms for innovations and solutions, technology is shaping the future of education. New digital technology is used to improve the process of teaching and learning. Digital technology opens up a new space for learning where students are immerse through various forms of technological learning platforms, devices and applications. The application of digital technology in education can assist students to cope with different learning environment and improves students’ learning efficiency. One of the innovative technologies for education is Virtual Reality (VR). VR has changed the way how students learn. VR allows us to bridge the gaps between educators and learners. VR can be used to stimulate a digital learning environment for educators and students to be together in the same room regardless of wherever they are physically and with digital representations of themselves. This paper will discuss the potential of integrating VR in education as one of the effective methods that can enhance students’ learning experience.
A New Design of a CPW Fed Triple-Band for GPS, UMTS and WiMAX Applications

This article comes with a novel study on the design of a CPW-Fed multi bands planar antenna. This structure can be integrated easily with both passive and active elements and it is suitable to operate for GPS, UMTS and WiMAX bands. Its entire area is 70.4×45mm2 and it is printed on an FR-4 substrate and fed by a 50 Ohm coplanar line. Simulations show that the antenna has a good input impedance bandwidths for, S11<=-10 dB, covering the GPS, UMTS and WiMAX bands. The electrical performances of the antenna are investigated numerically by using Momentum integrated in ADS and CST Microwave Studio. A good agreement between simulation and measurement results was achieved.
Effect of azomite on growth performance, nutrient utilization, serum biochemical index and bone mineralization of broilers fed low protein diet

Abstract The present study investigated the effect of Azomite (AZO) on the growth performance, nutrient utilisation, and bone mineralisation of broilers fed low protein diet. A total number of 180 one-day-old male chicks were randomly distributed to three treatment groups having six replicates of 10 birds each. Experimental diets included; positive control (PC) with 21.5% CP (starter) and 19.0% CP (finisher), negative control (NC) with 2% lower CP than PC in each period and treatment group (AZO-0.25) in which NC was supplemented with 0.25% AZO. Azomite significantly (p < .05) improved live body weight, average daily gain and feed conversion ratio, but not the feed intake, as compared to NC. Eviscerated, breast muscle and leg muscle percentages were significantly (p < .05) higher in the birds fed AZO-0.25 than NC, while abdominal fat (AF) percentage was significantly (p > .05) higher in NC. Azomite improved the digestibility of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), apparent metabolisable energy (AME), calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) (p < .05) compared to the NC. Trypsin activity was increased (p < .05) in birds fed diet with AZO-0.25 compared with NC. Blood creatinine, growth hormone (GH) and calcitonin (CT) was also higher (p < .05) in birds supplemented with AZO-0.25. Treatment also affected (p < .05) the tibia breaking strength (TBS), ash, Ca and P contents. Overall, AZO improved the growth performance, nutrient utilisation and tibia mineralisation in broilers fed with low CP diet, which looks an economically promising approach. HIGHLIGHTS The dietary supplementation of Azomite improved the growth and nutrient utilisation in broiler chicken. The efficiency of digestive enzymes and digestibility was enhanced by dietary Azomite. Dietary Azomite improved the tibia breaking strength and bone mineralisation in broiler chicken.