Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Infrastructure finance in Europe : insights into the history of water, transport, and telecommunications

Funding infrastructure has always been a challenging issue in any country and at any time, yet the topic is still largely unexplored. The social returns of investment in water, roads, railways, or more recently telegraph or communication satellites are often apparent in the long run, but this distant horizon poses special problems to governments and investors. This volume provides a broad overview of the main financing solutions implemented in Europe to support infrastructures from the fall of the Roman Empire up to the end of the 20th century. It explores the diverse historical paths pursued in order to solve the problem of infrastructure finance in various European countries, and draws upon the findings of an international and interdisciplinary research project. It brings together case studies by economic historians, economists, and engineers, and the clear taxonomy guides the reader through the financing solutions that have been developed to fund infrastructure over almost three thousand years. The volume is organized into four parts; after an introductory chapter by the editors, Part One offers 'horizontal' contributions that cover the history of European infrastructure finance. Parts Two, Three, and Four each focus on a single sector, namely water, transport, and telecommunications. The findings show how history can inform thinking on contemporary infrastructure problems. Contributors to this volume - Damir Agic, Bauhaus University Enrico Berbenni, Catholic University of Milan Youssef Cassis, European University Institute, Florence. Dan Carter, University of Cambridge Olivier Crespi Reghizzi, Eau de Paris and Bocconi University Giuseppe De Luca, University of Milan Simone Fari, University of Granada Massimo Florio, University of Milan Hugh Goldsmith, European Investment Bank Nico Grove, Institute for Infrastructure Economics and Management, Munich Matteo Landoni, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan Marcella Lorenzini, University of Trento Pedro Paolo Ortunez Goicolea, University of Valladolid Bjorn Wundsch, Bauhaus University
Comparative Performance Analysis of Isolated and Non-Isolated DC-DC Converters with Solar PV Array for EVs Application

Modern day’s power electronics converters are very important for each and every electronic device such as portable devices, cell phones, laptop-computers, electric vehicles, etc. For the Electric Vehicles (EVs) the dc-to-dc converters are the best-suited and essential devices on account of their lightweight, high efficiency, smaller size, and high-power density, bi-directionality, reliability, cost-effectiveness. This paper provides a comparative study on non-isolated and isolated power dc-to-dc converters for EVs in which the main power source is PV (photo-voltaic) array module, in addition, a brief idea about design and calculation of passive components of power dc-to-dc isolated and non-isolated converters both in theoretically, and practically with simulation software. Here all the simulation results are tested by MATLAB simulation software and verified that the multi-phase multi-device interleaved boost dc-dc converter (MDIBC) is the best-suited candidate for both low and high power photo-voltaic based EVs due to their compact size, low cost, reliability, multifunctionality, bi-directionality, high efficiency, etc.
Zinc-Guided 3D Graphene for Thermally Chargeable Supercapacitors to Harvest Low-Grade Heat

Low-grade heat energy recycling is the key technology of waste-heat utilization, which needs to be improved. Here, we use a zinc-assisted solid-state pyrolysis route to prepare zinc-guided 3D graphene (ZnG), a 3D porous graphene with the interconnected structure. The obtained ZnG, with a high specific surface area of 1817 m2·g−1 and abundant micropores and mesopores, gives a specific capacitance of 139 F·g−1 in a neutral electrolyte when used as electrode material for supercapacitors. At a high current density of 8 A·g−1, the capacitance retention is 93% after 10,000 cycles. When ZnG is used for thermally chargeable supercapacitors, the thermoelectric conversion of the low-grade heat energy is successfully realized. This work thus provides a demonstration for low-grade heat energy conversion.
Impacto social y académico de la implementación de proyectos robóticos en colegios públicos en Bogotá

This research study was established with the aim of analyzing the social and academic impact on the IEP will include topics related to robotics for children and youth 9-15 years of age in public schools in the town of Kennedy (Bogota) 2014. The research design used was descriptive and exploratory. He had a total population of over 2000 students from 10 public schools in the town of Kennedy, taking a sample of 80 students who have received theoretical and practical robotics workshops. The results show that 100% (80) students, 90% (72) had an excellent performance during the workshops, 10% (8) had a low yield; also 100% (80) of the students, 72.5% (58) showed better academic results in schools during the development of workshops and 27.5% (22) did not show academic improvement. The final results reflect the overall objective as it was shown that a large percentage of students who are applied the robotics workshop improved their academic standing during their development; addition to completing the project students with positive results continued academic improvement.
Neuronal GHS-R Differentially Modulates Feeding Patterns under Normal and Obesogenic Conditions

The orexigenic hormone ghrelin increases food intake and promotes obesity through its receptor, growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R). We previously reported two neuron-specific GHS-R knockout mouse lines, namely pan-neuronal deletion by Syn1-cre and hypothalamic deletion by AgRP-cre, exhibiting differential diet-dependent effects on body weight. GHS-R deficiency in neurons elicited less pronounced metabolic effects under regular diet (RD) than high fat diet (HFD). While there was no difference in total food intake of HFD in either mouse line, Syn1-cre; Ghsrf/f mice showed much greater anti-obesity effect than that of AgRP-cre; Ghsrf/f mice. Meal feeding pattern is known to have a major impact on energy homeostasis and obesity development. Here, we investigated the feeding behaviors of these two neuron-specific GHS-R knockout mice under RD and HFD feeding, by assessing meal number, meal size, meal duration, and feeding frequency. Under the normal diet, RD-fed Syn1-cre; Ghsrf/f mice showed a decreased meal size in dark phase, while RD-fed AgRP-cre; Ghsrf/f mice showed an increased meal duration in dark phase. Under the obesogenic diet, HFD-fed Syn1-cre; Ghsrf/f mice displayed reduced meal numbers in light phase and increased feeding in both light and dark phases, whereas HFD-fed AgRP-cre; Ghsrf/f mice showed a decreased meal duration in the light phase only. Consistently, the expression of neuropeptides (Neuropeptide Y and Orexin) was increased in the hypothalamus of RD-fed Syn1-cre; Ghsrf/f mice, whereas the expression of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) was increased in the hypothalamus of HFD fed Syn1-cre; Ghsrf/f mice. Overall, feeding pattern changes were more pronounced in Syn1-cre; Ghsrf/f mice than that in AgRP-cre; Ghsrf/f mice, and HFD elicited greater alteration than RD. While AgRP-cre; Ghsrf/f mice consumed HFD meals faster during the day (showing shorter meal duration), Syn1-cre; Ghsrf/f mice ate few HFD meals during the light phase and ate slowly throughout the day (showing longer meal duration in both phases). Our findings reveal that neuronal GHS-R regulates energy homeostasis by altering feeding patterns, and differentially modulates feeding patterns in a site- and diet-dependent manner. The distinctive data in these two mouse lines also suggest that eating slowly during the optimal feeding period (dark phase for mice) may be beneficial in combating obesity.
Preparation and field study of combined vaccine against Clostridium perfringens type A and bovine viral diarrhea virus in camels

Purpose The key objective of this study was to formulate a local combined inactivated gel adjuvanted vaccine containing bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV)-1, BVDV-2 viruses and Clostridium perfringens type A toxoid. The study evaluated its ability to enhance protective active immune response in camels’ calves against these infectious pathogens under field conditions. Materials and Methods The local BVDV cytopathic strains and a local strain of toxigenic C. perfringens type A were used in vaccines formulation. Vaccines A and B were monovalent vaccines against C. perfringens and both strains of BVDVs, respectively. While the vaccine C was the combined vaccine used against the three agents. All vaccines were adjuvanted with Montanide gel. Sterility, safety, and potency tests were applied on the formulated vaccines. Virus neutralization and toxin anti-toxin neutralization tests were used to evaluate the immune responses. Results Both monovalent (vaccine A) and combined vaccines (vaccine C) showed a protective level (4.5 and 3 IU/mL, respectively) against C. perfringens from the 2nd-week post-vaccination. The titer declined to 3 and 2 IU/mL, respectively at the 5th-month post-vaccination. The titer against BVDV, the monovalent vaccine (vaccine B) reached the beak (1.95 IU/mL) at the 1st-month post-vaccination and lasted till 6th-month post-vaccination (0.92 and 0.94 IU/mL) for BVDV-1a and BVDV-2, respectively. Conclusion Vaccination of camels with the combined vaccine adjuvanted by Montanide gel containing C. perfringens type A toxoid and BVDV strains with 6-month intervals is recommended to protect camels safely and efficiently against such infections in the field.
Snow Virga above the Swiss Plateau Observed by a Micro Rain Radar

Studies of snow virga precipitation are rare. In this study, we investigated data from a vertically pointing Doppler Micro Rain Radar (MRR) in Bern, Switzerland, from 2008 to 2013 for snow virga precipitation events. The MRR data were reprocessed using the radar data processing algorithm of Garcia-Benardi et al., which allows the reliable determination of the snow virga precipitation rate. We focus on a long-lasting snow virga event from 17 March 2013, supported by atmospheric reanalysis data and atmospheric back trajectories. The snow virga was associated with a wind shear carrying moist air and snow precipitation in the upper air layers and dry air in the lower air layers. The lowest altitudes reached by the precipitation varied between 300 m and 1500 m above the ground over the course of the event. The duration of the snow virga was 22 h. In disagreement with the MRR observations, ERA5 reanalysis indicated drizzle at the ground over a time segment of 4 h during the snow virga event.
At-Sea Habitat Use of Rhinoceros Auklets Breeding in the Shelf Region of Eastern Hokkaido

At-sea habitat use of breeding seabirds is strongly influenced by marine environmental features that vary over space and time. The use of bio-loggers allows researchers to track fine-scale movements of seabirds and provides opportunities to identify the primary factors affecting their area use for foraging. Using GPS loggers, we tracked chick-rearing rhinoceros auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata), which are wing-propelled divers, at Daikoku Island, eastern Hokkaido, Japan. The central phase for foraging activity on birds' trips was determined using a multiple change points model. To examine environmental factors explaining the distribution of the foraging phase, a generalized additive model was used where sea surface temperature, chlorophyll a concentration, bathymetry, and distance from the colony were explanatory variables. To obtain information supporting the behavioral tracking, prey items in the bill-loads of adult auklets were collected. We found that auklets foraged over the continental shelf shallower than the 200-m isobath and that distance from the colony was related to the area use. Adult auklets predominately brought back age-0 chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), which was abundant in coastal waters along southeast Hokkaido during the study period. Our findings indicate that rhinoceros auklets rearing chicks, hence visiting nests frequently, on Daikoku Island can find suitable feeding grounds nearby.
Optimization of Generalized Predictive Control (GPC) Tuning Parameters By Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

Response Surface Methodology(RSM) was successfully applied to a process simulator for optimization of Generalized Predictive Control(GPC) tuning parameters. Wireless experimental input/output data obtained from process simulator. GPC algorithm which is written in MATLAB is utilized to wireless temperature control experiments achieved by using MATLAB/Simulink program.The efficiency of the GPC is observed by calculating the integral of the square of the error (ISE) and the integral of the absolute value of the error (IAE) from experimental results which was optimized by the application of RSM. The three independent variables, which had been found the most effective variables on the GPC by screening experiments, were determined as NU, N2 and λ as minimum prediction horizon, maximum prediction horizon and control weighting, respectively. The quadratic models were developed through RSM in terms of related independent variables to describe the ISE and IAE as the two response. Based on statistic analysis, optimum GPC tuning parameters of NU (X1), N2 (X2) and λ (X3) for minimize the ISE were determined to be 1.7922, 1.9453 and 0.0642 and for minimize the IAE were determined to be 1.8880, 1.9752 and 0.0612, respectively. Calculated optimum points of GPC tuning parameters are close to based on ISE and IAE results. The data evaluated from the quadratic model were good agreement with those measured experimentally. The wireless temperature control is successfully applied to the process simulator and wireless control technique is proposed for various application areas.
Why Indian manufacturing SMEs are still reluctant in adopting total quality management

Total quality management (TQM) is an effective concept for improving the organisational performance of the manufacturing industries. Implementing TQM has become an essential business culture and a key survival tool for all manufacturing industries. TQM has been adopted by most of the large manufacturing industries, but small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in manufacturing sector of India are still reluctant to adopt TQM, though SMEs are the backbone of Indian economy. So, understanding the problems/difficulties of Indian manufacturing SMEs in implementing TQM has become very important. After thoroughly reviewing the literature and interviewing the management and quality teams of a number of Indian manufacturing SMEs, the authors identified their weaknesses/difficulties in adopting TQM, arranged them in order of their importance and recommended guidelines to overcome those difficulties, which will definitely contribute to successful implementation of TQM by manufacturing SMEs in India and other developing countries, for improving their organisational performance.
Development of a Composite Pain Scale in Foals: A Pilot Study

Simple Summary Recognition of pain is pivotal to its management and essential to enhance horses’ well-being and quality of life. Pain scales are important tools for this purpose. In the last years, various types of pain scales have been developed for adult horses, also considering different sources of pain. So far, only one scale based on facial expressions has been designed for foals. In this study, the first Foal Composite Pain Scale was developed and its application assessed. The scale was piloted on 35 control pain-free foals and 15 foals suffering from different pain-related conditions by multiple observers, and a preliminary analytical process of validation was performed. It was found that, despite some criticalities, the Foal Composite Pain Scale proved to be a valid tool to assess pain and quality of life in foals. Moreover, the criticalities highlighted by this pilot study are essential to refine the scale for future studies. Abstract Prompt pain management is crucial in horses; however, tools to assess pain are limited. This study aimed to develop and pilot a composite scale for pain estimation in foals. The “Foal Composite Pain Scale” (FCPS) was developed based on literature and authors’ expertise. The FCPS consisted of 11 facial expressions, 4 behavioural items, and 5 physical items. Thirty-five pain-free foals (Control Group) and 15 foals experiencing pain (Pain Group) were used. Foals were video-recorded at different time points: the Control Group only at inclusion (C), while the Pain Group at inclusion (T1), after an analgesic treatment (T2), and at recovery (T3). Physical items were also recorded at the same time points. Videos were scored twice by five trained observers, blinded to group and time points, to calculate inter- and intra-observer reliability of each scale item. Fleiss’ kappa values ranged from moderate to almost perfect for the majority of the items, while the intraclass correlation coefficient was excellent (ICC = 0.923). The consistency of FCPS was also excellent (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.842). A cut-off ≥ 7 indicated the presence of pain. The Pain Group scores were significantly higher (p < 0.001) than the Control Group and decreased over time (T1, T2 > T3; p = 0.001). Overall, FCPS seems clinically applicable to quantify pain and improve the judgment of the quality of life in foals, but it needs modifications based on these preliminary findings. Consequently, further studies on a larger sample size are needed to test the feasibility and validity of the refined FCPS.
Detection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections Using Molecular Methods

The application of molecular detection methods for bacterial pathogens has dramatically improved the outcomes of septic patients, including those with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. Molecular methods can be applied to a variety of clinical specimens including nasal swabs, growth in blood culture bottles, and wounds. While data show that the overall accuracy of molecular tests for MRSA is high, results can be confounded by the presence of multiple staphylococcal species in a specimen, insertions and deletions of DNA in and around the Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec (SCCmec) element, and point mutations in mecA. Herein, we explore the complexities of molecular approaches to MRSA detection and the instances where phenotypic methods should be pursued to resolve discrepancies between genotypic and phenotypic results.
Towards a MaaS Service for Cloud Service Interoperability

: Cloud computing is an emerging computing paradigm, which provides high service availabality, high scala-bility as well as low usage costs. This has encouraged enterprises and individual users to embrace cloud technology. However, the lack of service interoperability (also known as the vendor lock-in) issue still persists. The vendor lock-in is caused by the cloud service providers who aim to prevent the clients from switching to other clouds or providers. The solutions to overcome the vendor lock-in addressed a speciﬁc cloud actor or a speciﬁc cloud model, which makes them not generic. Thus, we present in this paper, our Cloud Interoperability Pivot Model (CIPiMo). CIPiMo is a Model-as-a-Service, which standardizes the cloud service description languages by transforming them into a Generic Cloud Service Description model (GCSD) to make them in-teroperable. We rely on MDE techniques to achieve a Model-to-Model transformation. Therefore, we deﬁne mappings between the source description languages (OWL-S and WSDL) and the target language (GCSD). Furthermore, we illustrate our proposed meta-models for each language and we implement our transformations using ATL with OCL. Eventually, we use a static analyzer (AnATLyzer IDE) to validate the correctness of our transformations. We provide use cases to demonstrate the applicability of our approach.
Nurses' and Physicians' Rationale Behind Clinical Performance and Interpretation of Routine Prefeed Gastric Aspiration in Preterm Infants

This study aims at understanding the rationale behind performing prefeed gastric aspirations in preterm infants, how nurses and physicians interpret the gastric aspiration and variations between them, and illuminating potential barriers for omitting routine prefeed aspiration. Nurses and physicians from all Danish neonatal intensive care units completed a questionnaire. Of 682 participants, the majority (94%) indicated that they routinely performed prefeed aspiration, primarily to check the feeding tube placement (nurses: 88%, physicians: 46%). Nurses feared necrotizing enterocolitis when observing a large gastric residual (GR) volume (31%) and green-stained GR (63%). Fewer nurses relative to physicians had “no worries” related to large volumes (15% vs 34%) or green-stained GR (14% vs 24%, both P < .01). More nurses than physicians intended to pause enteral feeding when observing green-stained GR (31% vs 16%, P < .01) and more nurses were concerned of completely omitting routine gastric aspirations (90% vs 46%, P < .05). The rationale behind the clinical use of GR volume and color as markers of necrotizing enterocolitis and feeding intolerance differs markedly between nurses and physicians in Denmark. If routine prefeed gastric aspiration should be omitted, special focus on information about early signs of necrotizing enterocolitis and methods to check tube placement is needed.
Progesterone Actions and Resistance in Gynecological Disorders

Estrogen and progesterone and their signaling mechanisms are tightly regulated to maintain a normal menstrual cycle and to support a successful pregnancy. The imbalance of estrogen and progesterone disrupts their complex regulatory mechanisms, leading to estrogen dominance and progesterone resistance. Gynecological diseases are heavily associated with dysregulated steroid hormones and can induce chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, heavy bleeding, and infertility, which substantially impact the quality of women’s lives. Because the menstrual cycle repeatably occurs during reproductive ages with dynamic changes and remodeling of reproductive-related tissues, these alterations can accumulate and induce chronic and recurrent conditions. This review focuses on faulty progesterone signaling mechanisms and cellular responses to progesterone in endometriosis, adenomyosis, leiomyoma (uterine fibroids), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and endometrial hyperplasia. We also summarize the association with gene mutations and steroid hormone regulation in disease progression as well as current hormonal therapies and the clinical consequences of progesterone resistance.
The Value of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCT-A) in Neurological Diseases

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) was commercially introduced in 2014. OCT-A allows a fast, non-invasive, three-dimensional analysis of the retinal vasculature from the vitreoretinal interface to the choriocapillaris. The results can be evaluated separately in automated or custom-defined retinal layers. Since its introduction, OCT-A has also been used in patients with neurological diseases in order to find and characterize retinal biomarkers. Many neurological diseases have retinal manifestations, often preceding the key symptoms of the neurological disease. Anatomically and developmentally, the retina is a part of the brain. In contrast to the brain, the retina is easily accessible for imaging methods; moreover, retinal imaging is more cost-effective than brain imaging. In this review, the current knowledge about OCT-A findings and possible OCT-A biomarkers in neurological diseases is summarized and discussed regarding the value of OCT-A as a diagnostic tool in neurological diseases.