Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigations on automatically measured feed intake amount in dairy cows during the oestrus period

Abstract. The aim of this study was to determine whether feed intake amount and feed intake behaviour could be related to oestrus in dairy cows. Furthermore, we investigated whether oestrus had an effect on daily milk yield. A total of 138 oestrus cycles, leading to conception of 100 cows, were analysed. The parameters "daily fresh matter intake amount (kg)", "daily number of visits to the feeding trough" and "time spent feeding per day (min)" were electronically measured and recorded. For a sub-quantity of all animals, daily milk yield (kg) was recorded continuously and stored in the herd management software. Special attention was given to the day of oestrus, which was defined as the day of successful insemination. All remaining days of the oestrus cycle were considered as the reference period. Among all animals and cycles, fresh matter intake amount per day, number of visits per day, and time spent feeding per day were reduced by 10.3, 9.1 and 20.8 %, respectively, on the day of oestrus. Fresh matter intake was significantly lower in primiparous cows than in multiparous cows. However, number of visits to the trough and time spent feeding per day were significantly higher in primiparous cows compared to multiparous cows. Day of oestrus did not have a significant effect on daily milk yield, as this parameter was characterized by high variation among all days of the oestrus cycle. In conclusion, if an RIC system is used, monitoring of feeding behaviour appears to be a potential auxiliary aid in oestrus detection.
A SURVEY ON ADAPTIVE EDGE DETECTION TECHNIQUES USING ANT COLONY OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES

The need to detect edges more efficiently leads to develop newer techniques and newer algorithms. The edges get more corrupt in noisy environment. So it becomes difficult to detect edges in such cases. So an approach that could develop edges with dense edge intensity needs to be developed. A review study is conducted where many techniques have been developed for the same purpose. In my proposed work, wavelets with higher order will be given as input to ACO. Then optimization algorithm ACO will be applied. Hence the smoothness of intensity of images and the density of edges will define the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Influence of diet on stable carbon isotope composition in otoliths of juvenile red drum Sciaenops ocellatus

Stable carbon isotope values of otoliths can provide long-term records of the environmen- tal conditions experienced by fish. However, because otoliths contain carbon from metabolic sources, it is necessary to determine the proportion of metabolically derived carbon to properly interpret otolith δ 13 C values. To evaluate the relative influence of dietary carbon and the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of ambient seawater on the δ 13 C isotopic composition of fish otoliths, juvenile red drum Sci- aenops ocellatus were raised for 6 and 9 mo in tanks with flow-through ambient seawater and fed diets differing by 2.1‰ (p < 0.001) in carbon isotope composition (δ 13 C). At the end of the experiment, muscle tissue from the 2 treatments reflected the isotopic composition of the diets and differed by 2.1‰ (p <0.001). Muscle tissue from both groups was enriched by 1.5‰ in 13 C relative to the respec- tive diets. The carbon isotope values of otoliths were enriched by ~16 to 17‰ relative to the respective diets, indicating that DIC was the dominant source (85 to 92%) for otolith carbon relative to carbon derived from diet. However, otoliths from the 2 treatments differed by 1.26‰ and expressed 60% of the difference in the isotope values of the diets. This result indicates that the nutritional characteristics of food may be a factor influencing the incorporation of metabolic carbon in the otolith. This is one of the first studies to provide evidence that the nutritional value of food influences otolith δ 13 C value.
The Macroeconomics of Fiscal Consolidations in a Monetary Union: The Case of Italy

We simulate the macroeconomic and welfare implications of different fiscal consolidation scenarios in Italy using a medium scale two-areas dynamic general equilibrium currency-union model. Differently from similar models, ours is rich in the terms of fiscal features. We assume distortionary taxes (on labor income, capital income and consumption) and welfare-enhancing public expenditure. We distinguish between public spending on final goods and services, public employment and transfers to households. The scenarios that we consider envisage a decreases in the public debt to GDP ratio of 10 percentage points in 5 years. Based on our simulations we find that: first, fiscal distortions are quantitatively significant; second, a consolidation strategy that reduces expenditure and simultaneously lowers tax rates has a positive effect on long-run GDP of 5% to 7% and on welfare of 4% to 7% of the initial levels, depending on the composition of the adjustment; third, consumption and investment are stable or grow on impact and along the path to the new steady state; finally, spillovers to the rest of the Euro area are expansionary and sizeable both in the long run and along the transition.
Sources of Tolerance in Wheat and Barley Against the Cereal Leafminer Syringopais temperatella Led. (Lepidoptera: Scythridaidae) under Semi-arid Climate of Southern Jordan

This study aimed at investigating sources of tolerance in wheat and barley against the cereal leafminer, Syringopais temperatella Led. (Lepidoptera: Scythrididae) under semi-arid climate of Jordan. In this study, 546 accessions of bread and durum wheat, and barley were screened. The initial screening of the accessions was performed in 2006/2007, and accessions that displayed a type of resistance to S. temperatella in the initial screening were re-evaluated in 2008/2009. The average insect damage score (based on a 1 to 6 damage scale) in the initial screening was 5.1, 5.3 and 6.0 for barley, bread wheat and durum wheat, respectively. The percentages of barley and bread wheat accessions exhibiting resistance were 12.4% and 1.0%, respectively, while 4.1% and 11.0% of the accessions were tolerant. The re-evaluation of the selected barley and bread wheat accessions in 2008/2009 revealed that all the selected accessions were moderately tolerant with damage mean score of 2.5 to 4.3. However, moderately tolerant accessions found in this study might serve as tolerance genes to be transferred to barley and wheat cultivars to control S. temperatella.
WORKING PAPER NO . 185 Slightly Altruistic Equilibria in Normal Form Games

We introduce a refinement concept for Nash equilibria (slightly altruistic equilibrium) defined by a limit process and which captures the idea of reciprocal altruism as presented in Binmore (2003). Existence is guaranteed for every finite game and for a large class of games with a continuum of strategies. Results and examples emphasize the (lack of) connections with classical refinement concepts. Finally, it is shown that under a pseudo-monotonicity assumption on a particular operator associated to the game it is possible, by selecting slightly altruistic equilibria, to eliminate those equilibria in which a player can switch to a strategy that is better for the others without leaving the set of equilibria. ♠ Part of the results in this paper has been presented at: Spain, Italy, Netherlands Meeting on Game Theory, Maastricht, 2005; Fifth International ISDG Workshop, Segovia, 2005; GATE, Universiée Lumière Lyon 2, 2005; CSEF, Università di Salerno, 2006. ♦ Università di Napoli “Parthenope”. E-mail: demarco@unina.it ♥ Università di Napoli “Federico II” and CSEF. Corresponding author: J. Morgan, Dipartimento di Matematica e Statistica, Università di Napoli Federico II, Via Cinthia, Napoli, 80126, Italia, e-mail: morgan@unina.it , tel. +39081675008.
Understanding Holocene peat accumulation pattern of continental fens in western Canada

Assessing carbon sink-source relationships in peatlands must be based on the understanding of processes responsible for long-term carbon accumulation patterns. In contrast with ombrogeneous bogs, however, the processes in geogeneous fens are poorly understood. Here, we present high-resolution Holocene peat accumulation and macrofossil data from a rich fen (Upper Pinto Fen (UPF)) in west-central Alberta, Canada. The ~8000-year chronology of a 397 cm peat core was controlled by 20 accelerator mass spectrometry 14 C dates. The paludified peatland initially con- sisted of diverse brown moss species and some Larix trees but was dominated by Scorpidium scorpioides from 6500 to 1300 calibrated years BP. The last 1300 years are characterized by the reappearance of Larix together with abundant woody materials and Cyperaceae, culminating in a sharp increase in Tomenthypnum nitens in the last several decades. During the Scorpidium-dominated period, the peat accumulation pattern derived from 15 14 C dates and 260 bulk den- sity measurements indicates declining mass accumulation rates over time (i.e., convex age-depth curve), in contrast with the standard bog growth model (i.e., concave curve). The analysis of the UPF data using an extended model incorporating variable peat addition rates (PAR) to the catotelm suggests a unidirectional sevenfold decrease in PAR from 191.8 to 26.0 g dry mass·m -2 ·year -1 during the ~5000-year "convex period". Decreasing vegetation production and (or) increasing acrotelm decomposition could have produced the convex pattern. Decreasing PAR might be owing to autogenically induced changes in local hydrology and nutrient availability, which are pronounced in the mois- ture-limited climate of the region and in peatlands that have a strong groundwater influence. The convex-pattern model, explicit to the height-induced long-term drying hypothesis, has important implications for building simulation models and for projecting future carbon dynamics of peatlands. Prior to recent human disturbance, the UPF site has a time-weighted mean carbon accumulation rate of 31.1 g C·m -2 ·year -1 , ranging from 7.2 to 182.5 g C·m -2 ·year -1 during the last 8000 years. This large variation results from the gradual decline of long-term accumulation and short-term cli- mate-induced accumulation "pulses". The results imply that in the absence of climatic change, peatlands with a convex accumulation pattern will reach their growth limit sooner and that their carbon sequestration capacity will decline faster than would be expected given the concave-pattern model.
Connection between the Linoleic Acid and Psychopathology: A Symmetry-Breaking Phenomenon in the Brain?

In this paper we discuss the role of the fatty acid composition of brain cells and in platelets in the emergence of psychiatric disorders such as major depression and the bipolar disorder. We argue that the linoleic acid concentration plays the role of a control parameter and there is a critical value of the linoleic acid concentration that determines a transition from healthy mental state to a pathological state. We draw an analogy with symmetry breaking in physical systems where at a bifurcation point on the phase diagram, infinitesimal perturbations to the state of the system result in a transition to a new global attractor state. This is in contrast to the situation away from the critical point where cause and effect are usually found in a linear or almost linear relationship. This observation may have major implications for both diagnostics and therapeutics of mental disorders when viewed as triggered by molecular causes.
Synthesis and Characterization of Magnetic Nanoparticles and Its Application in Lipase Immobilization

nanoparticles (MNPs) were prepared by simple co-precipitationmethod in aqueous medium and then subsequently modified with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and 3-aminopropyl triethylenesilane (APTES). Silanization magnetic nanoparticles (SMNP) and amino magneticnanomicrosphere (AMNP) were synthesized successfully. The morphology, structure, magnetic property andchemical composition of the synthetic MNP and its derivatives were characterized using transmission electronmicroscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis, X-ray diffraction, super-conducting quantum interference device (SQUID) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). All of these threenanoparticles exhibited good crystallization performance, apparent superparamagnetism, and the saturationmagnetization of MNP, SMNP, AMNP were 47.9 emu/g, 33.0 emu/g and 19.5 emu/g, respectively. The aminocontent was 5.66%. The AMNP was used to immobilize lipase, and the maximum adsorption capacity of theprotein was 26.3 mg/g. The maximum maintained activity (88 percent) was achieved while the amount ofimmobilized lipase was 23.7 mg g
EFFECT OF THREE MONOGLYCERIDE BASED CUBOSOMES SYSTEMS ON THE VIABILITY OF HUMAN KERATINOCYTES

Three lipid-based cubic liquid crystalline nanoparticles (or cubosomes) systems were formulated and prepared by emulsifying surfactants Brij ® 30 and Brij ® 35 with aqueous solution of poly(ethylene) glycol derivatives and glyceryl monooleate: one formulation containing Monomuls ® 90-O18 and Pluronic ® PE 10500, another one containing Monomuls ® 90-O18 and Brij ® 35, and the third one based on Pluronic ® PE 6800, Brij ® 30 and Brij ® 35. Toxicity of formulations was evaluated by measuring the effect of those cubosomes on human keratinocytes (NCTC2544) viability. Cells were seeded at densities of 15,000 and 30,000 cells per well, respectively, into a 24-well tissue culture dish. The cell viability test was performed using 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay by measuring oxidative activity of mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase enzyme. Effect on cell viability for each formulation was determined as function v(t, c) of time (24, 48 and 72 hours) and cubosomes concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20, 25 and 50 µg/mL). Viability of cells decreased with increasing the concentration of cubosomes at all three measuring times but the results were highly variable and the dependence on concentration was far from being linear. Replacement of analysis of dependence of viability at the three independent times, with analysis of areas under time viability curves (A t V) led to a much more statistically significant dependence on concentration. As a general rule, A t V dependence on concentration was linear. Decreasing of the number of cells or increasing of toxicity led to linear biphasic dependence: a rapid initial decrease followed by a slower final decline. Classification of compounds as toxic and non-toxic was undertaken using the method of classification of plasma levels curves in bioequivalence studies. Based on comparison of time integral of viability (A t V) - concentration of cubosomes curves, it was found that first formulation is not toxic; the second is at the frontier between toxic and nontoxic, the third is toxic. From comparison of formulations composition, appeared that toxicity is determined by the content of Brijs.
Chemodynamics of a simulated disc galaxy: Initial mass functions and Type Ia supernova progenitors

We trace the formation and advection of several elements within a cosmological adaptive mesh refinement simulation of an L⋆ galaxy. We use nine realizations of the same initial conditions with different stellar initial mass functions (IMFs), mass limits for Type II and Type Ia supernovae (SNII, SNIa) and stellar lifetimes to constrain these subgrid phenomena. Our code includes self-gravity, hydrodynamics, star formation, radiative cooling and feedback from multiple sources within a cosmological framework. Under our assumptions of nucleosynthesis we find that SNII with progenitor masses of up to 100 M⊙ are required to match low-metallicity gas oxygen abundances. Tardy SNIa are necessary to reproduce the classical chemical evolution ‘knee’ in [O/Fe]–[Fe/H]: more prompt SNIa delayed time distributions do not reproduce this feature. Within our framework of hydrodynamical mixing of metals and galaxy mergers we find that chemical evolution is sensitive to the shape of the IMF and that there exists a degeneracy with the mass range of SNII. We look at the abundance plane and present the properties of different regions of the plot, noting the distinct chemical properties of satellites and a series of nested discs that have greater velocity dispersions are more α-rich and metal poor with age.
A numerical study of mixing and stratification dynamics in the Ria de Arousa estuary (nw Spain) during summer

In this paper we explore the role of the river run-off, the tidal regime and the local winds in the dynamics of the Ria de Arousa estuary during the summer period, using for that purpose the numerical model Delft3D. First of all, a simulation under real hydrological and meteorological conditions is conducted in order to validate the ability of the model to reproduce measured salinity and temperature profiles. Subsequently, a series of simulations considering simplified meteorological input data and river discharge conditions are carried out in order to study the sensitivity of stratification conditions in the estuary to the various external forcings of the model. The results are analyzed using potential energy anomaly arguments, which allow quantifying and ranking the contribution of the different processes to the stratification of the estuarine system.
Adverse Effects of Withdrawal of Chronic Lithium Therapy On Liver—A Histological Study

Effects of withdrawal of chronic lithium therapy have been investigated on liver. Lithium carbonate powder (34.2 mg/kg body weight) was administered daily by oral route in the form of capsule for four weeks to 15 adult male rabbits whereas a control group of 15 rabbits was given empty capsules and normal diet. Serum lithium levels were measured at the beginning of the experiment and thereafter checked weekly. After 4 weeks of consumption of drug, serum lithium levels increased significantly. The mean serum lithium levels gradually dropped after one week and significant fall was seen after 2 weeks of sudden withdrawal but it did not touch the baseline. After four weeks, 5 rabbits in each group were sacrificed and their livers were examined to see the effect of drug on them. Two other groups of 5 rabbits each were sacrificed one and two weeks after lithium withdrawal, respectively. Cholangitis (60%) and hepatitis (40%) were observed in both withdrawal groups. Cholangiocarcinoma (40%) was observed predominantly with chronic lithium therapy. This study highlighted the effect of chronic lithium therapy and its sudden withdrawal. It is suggested that once started, lithium therapy may be withdrawn gradually.
Evaluation of Nematicidal Action of Some Botanicals on Meloidogyne incognita In Vivo and In Vitro

Eggmasses or larvae of Meloidogyne incognita were exposed to varying concentrations of neem leaf (fresh and dry), Borelia sp. , groundnut leaf and garlic bulb. Neem leaf and garlic bulb extracts inhibited hatching of eggmasses and were lethal to larva. A comparative study of neem and garlic bulb extracts prepared at 20% concentration and applied weekly at 25 ml per pot were carried out in the screenhouse. Each pot filled with 2 kg of pasturised soil was inoculated with 2000 larvae of M. incognita by introducing 500 g of infested soil from tomato culture raised in the screenhouse. These extracts significantly reduced root-knot infection indices on tomato when compared to the control. However, garlic extract demonstrated greater potential than neem leaf extract in the control of root-knot infection of tomato in vivo.
Design Modification and Performance Testing of a Bambara Groundnut Sheller

A centrifugal Bambara groundnut pod shelling machine was earlier designed and constructed to crack various sizes and varieties of Bambara groundnut. The sheller was fabricated and designed with locally available materials. The machine consists of three main units, namely the hopper, shelling unit and power transmission unit. The sheller only cracked the nuts with it product being the shell and the kernel combined. The results of the test showed that the cracking efficiency, seed breakings, partially shelled pods, unshelled pods and the machine capacity were 83.2 %, 17.4 %, 7.8 %, 9 % and 75000 seeds/hr respectively. This design was modified to incorporate a separating unit to save timeliness of operation and enhance efficient processing of Bambara groundnut. A bulk quantity of Bambara groundnut pods purchased from a local market. The moisture content of the Bambara groundnut pods was varied at five different levels; 5.2, 8.9, 12.9, 17.2 and 21.4% (d.b). One hundred pods were selected for each pod sample and introduced into the centrifugal cracker. Result showed that 5.2% moisture content gave the best performance of 87.5% shelling efficiency, 2.8% breakage 4.5% unshelled pods, 5.2% partially shelled pods and winnowing efficiency of 86.7%. The blower speed was varied at three different levels (1800, 1450, 1000 rpm) respectively. Results showed that blower speed of 1800rpm gave the best performance of winnowing efficiency of 86.7%.
Exploring Factors Influencing Users' Continuance Intention in Social Networking Sites

사회네트워킹 사이트(SNS)의 성공은 많은 요소에 의존한다. SNS의 지속적인 이용은 그 중 하나이다. 특히, 이용자가 손쉽게 다른 서비스로 전환할 수 있는 웹 환경에서는 기존 이용자들을 관리하는데 많은 시간과 노력이 소요된다. 이런 점에서, SNS의 지속적인 이용 없이는 SNS를 기반으로 하는 서비스는 가치창출에 실패하게 될 것이다. 본 연구는 SNS 이용자 지속의도에 영향을 미치는 요인들을 발굴하는데 목적이 있다. 초기단계로서, 관련 문헌연구를 통해서 여섯 개의 영향요인을 발굴하였다. 이들은 평판도, 관계적 가치, 지식품질, 적합성, 개인화, 만족도 이다. 미국 대학 및 대학원생을 대상으로 웹 설문조사를 수행하여 총 325개의 활용 가능한 데이터를 수집하였다. 신뢰도 검사와 두 차례의 탐험적 요인분석을 수행하여 다섯 개의 최종 영향요인을 발굴하였다. 영향요인들과 지속의도의 관계를 밝히기 위해서 회귀분석을 또한 수행하였다. 만족도가 가장 유효한 요인이었으며 지식품질과 관계적 가치도 유효한 요인이었다. 그러나 평판도와 개인화는 지속의도에 유효한 영향을 미치지 않았다. 대신에 이들의 만족도에 대한 영향은 유효하였다. 【The success of social networking sites (SNSs) may depend on many factors. Continuance use of SNSs is one of these. Especially, in the Web environment where users can leave one service with a single mouse click, maintaining existing members cost much time and efforts. Without continuance use of SNSs, SNS-based service would not create any value. This study focused on identifying factors influencing users' continuance intention in SNSs. Based on relevant literature review, six influencing factors were initially identified. They were reputation, relational capital, knowledge quality, compatibility, personalization, and satisfaction. Web-based questionnaire survey was conducted and a total of 325 usable responses were collected. Reliability test and two rounds of exploratory factor analyses resulted in identifying five factors. The relationship between the factors and the continuance intention was tested by using multiple regression analyses. The analyses revealed that satisfaction was the most significant factor. Knowledge quality and relational capital also had significant effects while reputation and personalization did not have significant effect on continuance intention. Instead, reputation and personalization showed significance in influencing satisfaction. 】