Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ASSESSMENT OF THE ADEQUACY OF HUMAN RESOURCE IN UNIVERSITIES IN THE SOUTH EAST STATES OF NIGERIA

This study assessed the adequacy of human resource in universities in the South East States of Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive survey design and the population comprised 567 Deans of Faculties and Heads of Departments. Two objectives two research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. The instrument for data collection was a 16-item researcher developed questionnaire titled ‘Adequacy of University Personnel Questionnaire (AUPQ) with modified four point Likert-type scale. It was validated by experts in Educational Management and planning and educational measurement and evaluation. A reliability coefficient of 0.78 was obtained by Pearson-Product Moment correlation statistic. Mean score was used in answering the research questions while Z-test was used for testing the hypothesis. The result revealed that the number and quality of academic and non teaching (support) staff in Universities in the SouthEast States of Nigeria is inadequate. And there is no significant difference between the opinions of Deans and Heads of Department on this inadequacy of personnel. Based on these findings, it was recommended that more qualified personnel should be employed and the existing ones that are not qualified should be retrained or sponsored to acquire higher certificates. The paper also concluded that the inadequacy of personnel has negative consequence on the service delivery in these universities. And so, urgent steps be taken to remedy the problems.
GROWTH AND YIELD RESPONSE OF RED ONION ( ALLIUM ASCALONICUM L . ) GROWN IN DIFFERENT POTTING MEDIA

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the growth and yield response of red onion (Allium ascalonicum L.) grown in different potting media. Potting materials were sandy soil, cattle manure, coir dust and paddy husk ash. The media such as medium 1 used as control (sandy soil: cattle manure at ratio (v/v) of 6:2), medium 2 (sandy soil: cattle manure: coir dust at ratio of 6:2:1), medium 3 (sandy soil: cattle manure: paddy husk ash at ratio of 6:2:1) and medium 4 (sandy soil: cattle manure: coir dust : paddy husk ash at ratio of 12:4:1:1) were prepared two weeks before planting. Bulbs were planted in each pot and other agronomic practices were done as recommended by Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka. Plant height and number of leaves per plant were recorded at two week intervals. At the time of harvesting, fresh and air dry weights of plant, number of bulbs per plant, bulb diameter, bulb length, weight of bulbs per plant and nutrient (P and K) contents were measured and data were analyzed. The results indicated that potting materials have significant (p<0.01) effect on the growth, yield and nutrient contents of red onion grown in different potting media. Maximum number of leaves per plant, maximum bulb diameter, high number of bulbs per plant, high weight (50.15 g) of bulbs per plant and also high P (74 g) and K (1080 g) contents of 100 g bulbs harvested were recorded in medium 3 among tested media. It was also noted that the weight of bulbs per plant increased more than two fold in medium 3 over control (medium 1). Usage of paddy husk ash as a potting material in medium preparation would improve the growth and yield performances of red onion grown in pot culture technique.
Agriculture, Agronomy, and Political Economy: Some Missing Links

The founding years of political economy coincided with the birth and the golden age of modern agronomy. In the century that separated Jethro Tull from Justus Liebig and Jean-Baptiste Boussingault—after whom agronomy became applied chemistry—political economy underwent fundamental changes, for this was also the period that separated Richard Cantillon from John Stuart Mill—in short, almost the entire period of the development of the classical school of political economy. This parallelism has not received the attention it deserves. Recent appraisals have included science as a factor in the making of political economy (Mirowski 1989) or have sought to link the two fields (Schabas 1992), but few studies consider the applied sciences and their techniques or, to use Mill’s more precise definition applied to agronomy, their arts. Perhaps one reason is that agronomy is difficult to place: it is not exactly science, nor is it economics; it is, as one commentator has described it, “between reasoned practice and effective science” (Sigaut 1998, 197). And although some historians of science have analyzed agronomy in relation to certain sciences such as botany or medicine, no general vision
European Monetary Union and Fiscal Policy Sustainability Focus on : Stability and Growth Pact Presentation at the Ecomod 2004 in Paris

One of the most illustrating example in history of the EUROPEAN COMMUNITY are the growing interactions between sovereign countries -each retaining a large degree of fiscal autonomyand the single monetary authority, which managing European monetary policy, since 1999. Additionally some regulations as the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP; 1997) introduce new conflicts and pushes so ’sustainable policy’ to one of the mainstays in the European framework. Now sustainable policies are common in nearly all policy fields in Europe. But what is the real meaning of sustainable (fiscal) policy? The first sections of my paper try to answer this. Afterwards in the tradition of Barro/Gordon, I explore the role of monetary-fiscal policy interaction from a public finance perspective. My paper draws on this literature to investigate sustainable fiscal policy in EMU and analysis what are the influences of the current SGP. The new modelling focus is now the effect of ’sustainability’ in fiscal policy. I think this is an interesting research object for the future of ’European policy modelling’. The existing literature in that field is very rare and unapplicable for policy-makers. More realistic modelling is necessary to take sustainable policy targets into consideration. A final section of this paper try to establish a simple stylized model for policy-makers, which analysis interactions between sustainable variables and other related targets. The novel part in that section is to find an answer to: How should the European fiscal framework reformed in future especially the SGP? So the paper concludes with a short reform discussion about the Stability and Growth Pact and an own proposal for an alternative to an ’independent’ Ecofin-council. New findings in that research show us how we can solve the interaction between the ’European’ and ’National’ interests efficient. JEL classification: E61, E62, E66, F33, F36
Appendix 1 How to measure the prevalence of microalbuminuria in relation to age and gender ?

Obesity is a risk marker for progressive renal function loss in patients with known renal disease. There is however increasing evidence that obesity may also damage the kidney in otherwise healthy subjects. There appears to be an intriguing parallel between the renal effects of obesity and those of diabetes. First, an increased renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate has been described in obesity and second, microalbuminuria is found to be related to obesity. These two events are known to predict future loss of renal function in diabetes. The mechanism responsible for the renal damage in obesity has not been established but there is evidence suggesting that this might be related to both hormonal changes as well as low-grade inflammation.
Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Contaminants in Food Chain on a request from the Commission related to fumonisins as undesirable substances in animal feed: Request No EFSA-Q-2003-040

Fumonisins are a distinct group of mycotoxins produced by several field fungi, including Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium proliferatum. Fumonisins are occurring particularly in maize and maize-based products. Co-occurrence with other Fusarium toxins, such as zearalenone and deoxynivalenol, is regularly observed. Fumonisin B1 is considered to be the most prevalent and most toxic derivative within the group of fumonisins. It is a prototypic inhibitor of cellular sphingosine (sphinganine) N-acetyltransferase. Inhibition of this enzyme is followed by an accumulation of sphinganine (Sa) and sometimes also sphingosine (So) and a depletion of complex sphingolipids in eukaryotic cells, which in turn results in impairment of cell cycle regulation and cellular differentiation, and in oxidative stress as well as apoptosis and necrosis. Fumonisin B1 is carcinogenic in rodents, but it is devoid of significant genotoxic activity. In vivo rodent experiments suggest that fumonisins are tumour promoters. The increased Sa:So ratio in body fluids and tissues serves as a sensitive biomarker of exposure to fumonisins. Equidae and porcine species are considered to be the most sensitive animal species to fumonisins, developing species-specific clinical syndromes such as equine leukoencephalomalacia and porcine pulmonary oedema. Ruminants and poultry show a low responsiveness to fumonisins. Few data are available on the effects of fumonisins on farmed fish and on minor species, such as rabbits, goats and minks. The available data on animal exposure via feedingstuffs are limited and monitoring of feed materials is needed to improve exposure assessment. Available data on carry-over of fumonisins from animal feeds into edible tissues, including milk and eggs, indicate that transfer is limited, and thus residues in animal tissues contribute insignificantly to total human exposure.
PARTIAL BLV RNAs ARE PRESENT IN PLASMA EXOSOMES OF BLV INFECTED ANIMALS

Ruminant Science December 2016 /133 Exosomes play an important role in cell-to-cell communication and influence both physiological and pathological processes together with the whole process of pathological tumor metastasis (An et al, 2015; Lin et al, 2015). Exosomes are small (50-90 nm) cup shaped membrane nano-vesicles of endocytic origin that are released into the extracellular environment through the fusion of multi-vesicular bodies (MVB) with the plasma membrane (Van Niel et al, 2006; Conde-Vancells et al, 2008; Zomer et al, 2010). They are released by almost all cell types and have been confirmed in all biological fluids such as bronchoalveolar fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, blood, urine and saliva etc. (Zech et al, 2012; Sharma et al, 2016).
A 26 dBm 39 GHz Power Amplifier with 26.6% PAE for 5G Applications in 28nm bulk CMOS

Continued demand for 5G cellular connectivity in mobile handheld devices, where antenna real-estate is at a premium, necessitates high output power from individual transmitter elements. While more expensive heterogeneous and SOI CMOS process based power amplifiers (PAs) provide high Pout at good efficiencies, deep sub-μm bulk CMOS still remains the technology of choice for cost and integration benefits. This paper presents a 5G mm-Wave PA at 39 GHz that generates a saturated Pout of 26 dBm with a peak power-added efficiency (PAE) of 26.6% and a saturated power gain of 28.6 dB. The output stage utilizes compact layout & triple-well transistors to enable efficient yet reliable device stacking and a compact, 4-way, low-loss, series-parallel power combiner further enhances Pout. High average power measurements have been demonstrated during single-carrier as well as 5G NR OFDM modulations at competitive efficiencies. Long term reliability measurements using aging acceleration techniques demonstrate the robustness of the implemented PA. This PA achieves one of the highest ITRS figure-of-merit among reported 5G mm-Wave works in CMOS and also the highest output power among deep sub-μm (<90nm) 5G bulk CMOS PAs.
Avatar Selection for Live Performance in Virtual Reality: A Case Study

With the increasing number of commercial and open-source platforms for networked, multiplayer virtual reality, it is easier than ever to set up a virtual space where people from any geographic location can come together for shared immersive experiences, including live performance events. Very little UX research has been done on the specific needs of performers for such events. In this case study we explore how different types of avatars affect actors’ experience of their own performance in VR. We observed that, counter-intuitively, more abstract avatars may make it easier for actors to connect with their character, although we also found that, with sufficient rehearsal, actors can learn to perform fluently through a wide variety of different kinds of avatars.
Phenotypic Selection of Sugarcane ( Saccharum spp . ) Genotypes Using Best Linear Unbiased Predictors

Varietal improvement program at the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Field Station at Canal Point, Florida consists of 4 stages. Stages I and II consist of unreplicated sugarcane (Saccharum Spp.) genotypes advanced from seedlings while Stages III and IV consist of replicated highly selected genotypes. Although new genotypes are unreplicated in Stage II, checks are replicated in an augmented design. Best Linear Unbiased Predictors (BLUPs), primarily used in animal breeding, could be used in the breeding program to select genotypes having improved characters. The present study was conducted to determine whether selection indices incorporating BLUPs would improve the Stage II selection program. Basic statistics and frequency distributions showed the presence of variability in brix, sucrose, purity, recovery, stalk weight, stalks per plot, commercial recoverable sucrose (CRS), and tons of cane per ha (TCH). However, analysis of variance showed significant differences only for stalk weight and the contrast of checks versus new genotypes. Path analysis revealed highest direct effects for stalk weight and stalks per plot. The selection index comprised of stalk weight, stalks per plot, and CRS. The results showed that although selection indices estimated using Estimated BLUPs (EBLUPs) improved means of the individual genotype selection, values were lower than the means obtained using the selection method used at the USDA-ARS Field Station at Canal Point. However, selection indices calculated using raw data gave lower mean values when compared to EBLUPs. The present study shows promising results with regard to use of BLUPs in the selection index method. Index selection screened genotypes based on multiple characters and were better in performance than the rest of the genotypes. These results could be improved by including an equal number of checks across all blocks for Stage II experiments. Furthermore, culling on the basis of disease ratings should precede the index selection procedure.
Screening of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] genotypes against shootfly [Atherigona soccata (Rondani)] in correlation with physico-chemical traits

Field screening of 20 sorghum genotypes against shoot fly resistance was carried out at Agricultural Research Station (ARS), Kovilpatti during Rabi 2016 - 2017. Based on six parameters viz., Trichome density, glossiness, seedling vigour, number of eggs per seedling, seedling with eggs and dead hearts, four entries viz., IS 2205, IS 2660, IS 2952 and IS 18551 were found to be highly resistant to shoot fly. Susceptibility to shoot fly was associated with high soluble sugars and fat composition while highest leaf glossiness, trichome density, seedling vigour and tannin content were associated with resistance to shoot fly.
An 82.2-to-89.3 GHz CMOS VCO with DC-to-RF Efficiency of 14.8%

In this paper, we present a 90-GHz CMOS voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) that operates from 82.2 to 89.3 GHz. The proposed VCO utilizes a device-centric method to achieve a high-efficiency oscillator with DC-to-RF efficiency closer to the efficiency limits of the employed transistors. Using the swing-independent bias condition for the CMOS transistors at the frequency of interest, we incorporate an active feedback network with minimal power overhead to provide the maximum achievable swing at the gate terminal of the core transistor, thereby increasing the power added efficiency. Utilizing this method, a high-efficiency VCO with center frequency of 85.75 GHz is designed and implemented in a 65-nm CMOS process. In this VCO, the trade-offs among efficiency and tuning range are also considered and the VCO achieves a peak DC-to-RF efficiency of 14.8% at 89.3 GHz and a wide tuning range of more than 8.3% while consuming only 8.5 mW of dc power from a 1.2-V supply. Compared to the prior art, the proposed VCO demonstrates a DC-to-RF efficiency of more than 14% at frequencies up to 100 GHz. The fabricated circuit occupies a silicon area of less than 0.25 mm2 including the pads.
Energy utilization, nutrient digestibility and bone quality of broiler chickens fed Tanzania-type diets in different forms with enzymes

Abstract A study was conducted to determine the influence of feed form and microbial enzyme supplementation on energy utilization, bone quality, and amino acid and mineral digestibility of broiler chickens. Four hundred and eighty Ross 308, day-old broiler chickens were randomly assigned to eight diets formulated from commonly used ingredients in Tanzania. A 2 (pellet or mash) × 4 (control, Axtra XB, Quantum Blue (QB) and Axtra XB + QB enzyme) factorial array in a completely randomized design having six replicates per treatment (10 birds per replicate) was used. Birds were raised in climate-controlled rooms in a 3-phase; starter (0–10 days), grower (11–24 days) and finisher (25–35 days). Apparent metabolizable energy (AME), metabolizable energy intake, net energy of production, energy retained as protein (REp), and efficiency of metabolizable energy use for energy and protein retention were higher (p < 0.05) in birds fed pelleted diets. The AME and REp was higher (p < 0.05) with enzyme supplementation. Ash content, weight, length, width and breaking strength of tibia bones were highest (p < 0.05) in birds on pelleted diets. Tibia bone traits were improved (p < 0.05) when enzymes were included, particularly in a combination of QB and Axtra XB. However, potassium, magnesium, and zinc contents were highest (p < 0.05) when QB was supplemented. Digestibility of all amino acids was higher (p < 0.05) in birds supplied with pellets and with enzyme supplementation for most amino acids, except for serine. There was a positive interaction (p < 0.05) between feed form and enzymes on lysine and phenylalanine digestibility. Digestibility of Ca, P, K, S, Zn, and Fe was higher (p < 0.05) in birds fed pelleted diets, while those on mashed diets had higher (p < 0.05) digestibility of Cu and B. The digestibility of P, K, and Zn was highest (p < 0.001) when QB was added, while Ca, P, S, and B digestibility was highest when a combination of Axtra XB + QB was applied. Pelleted diets with or without enzymes improved energy utilization, digestibility of amino acids, and minerals, and increased bone strength in broiler chickens.
A 16-Element Phased-Array CMOS Transmitter with Variable Gain Controlled Linear Power Amplifier for 5G New Radio

This paper presents a 28-GHz 16-element phased-array transmitter for the fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) applications, focusing on the power amplifier (PA). The IC was fabricated using a 28-nm bulk CMOS technology with a flip-chip package, and evaluated with 5G NR signal having an 800-MHz total bandwidth. Each channel of the 16 phased-array transmitter has a 16 dBm output at 1-dB compression point and a large gain range from 24 to 63 dB. The full 16-element array achieves an average output power of 18 dBm with a record-level system error vector magnitude (EVM) of less than -33.5 dB (<2.1%) at a total power consumption of 1.63 W (102 mW of per channel) including all biases, digital control, and power-management-unit (PMU) blocks, over the frequency band from 26.5 to 29.5 GHz.
Performance of Sugarcane Genotypes Under Different Nitrogen Levels in Sub-Tropical Region of Nepal

A field experiment was conducted during consecutive years of 2014-16 to study the effect of different nutrient levels on performance of sugarcane genotypes on sandy loam soils at National Sugarcane Research Program, Jitpur, Bara, Nepal. The experiment was laid out in split plot design of four nitrogen levels 75%, 100%, 125%, 150% of recommended dose (RD) i.e 112.5, 150, 187.5, 225 kg N/ha for plant crop and 150, 200, 250, 300 kg N/ha for ratoon respectively and four varieties viz. CoLk 94184, BO 147, Co 0233 and BO 141 replicated thrice. The experimental results revealed that significantly increased in number of millable cane and cane yield with increasing nitrogen levels. Application of 150% nitrogen RD (225 and 300 kg N/ha) significantly counted higher number millable canes (115548.43/ha and 100700/ha) in both plant and ratoon crop respectively. High nitrogen levels i.e. 187.5 and 225 kg N/ha showed significant higher cane yield over 150 kg N/ha by 7.22 and 9.36% in plant crop respectively. Reducing nitrogen levels by 25% of RD resulted significantly low yield of 59.78 mt/ha, shortest stalk length (1.87 m) and low single cane weight of 0.65 kg in ratoon crop but not significantly difference in stalk length, cane diameter and single cane weight in plant crop. The data indicated that significantly higher number of millable cane was counted in genotypes CoLk 94184 of 124831.06/ha and 107400/ha in both plant and ratoon crop respectively followed by BO 141 and Co 0233. Higher cane yield was produced by genotypes BO 141 (94.01 and 75.89 mt/ha) and Co 0233 (93.18 and 81.72 mt/ha) in plant crop as well as in ratoon crop respectively. The ratoon performance index (RPI) of genotypes Co 0233 (89.21), CoLk 94181 (84.01) and BO 141 (81.59) were identified as better as compared to BO 147.
Solution-processed transparent ferroelectric nylon thin films

We have developed a method to solution process strongly hydrogen-bonded odd nylons into ferroelectric thin films. Ferroelectricity, a bistable ordering of electrical dipoles in a material, is widely used in sensors, actuators, nonlinear optics, and data storage. Traditional ferroelectrics are ceramic based. Ferroelectric polymers are inexpensive lead-free materials that offer unique features such as the freedom of design enabled by chemistry, the facile solution-based low-temperature processing, and mechanical flexibility. Among engineering polymers, odd nylons are ferroelectric. Since the discovery of ferroelectricity in polymers, nearly half a century ago, a solution-processed ferroelectric nylon thin film has not been demonstrated because of the strong tendency of nylon chains to form hydrogen bonds. We show the solution processing of transparent ferroelectric thin film capacitors of odd nylons. The demonstration of ferroelectricity, as well as the way to obtain thin films, makes odd nylons attractive for applications in flexible devices, soft robotics, biomedical devices, and electronic textiles.