Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling Renewable Energy Consumption for a Greener Global Economy

Climate change, resource depletion, and energy security are powerful forces helping to stimulate interest in renewable energy consumption. Renewable energy (defined broadly as energy generated from geothermal, wind, solar, tide and wave, wood, waste, and biomass) can help to address carbon dioxide related climate change, is not depletable, and is not susceptible to energy security issues the way that oil is. In response to these forces, it is widely expected that renewable energy will play an increasingly greater role in the overall share of energy consumed. This has helped to generate an increased interest into the relationship between renewable energy consumption and economic growth. Climate change is now recognized as one of the biggest threats to society (Stern 2007, 2009). Climate changes such as rising temperatures, rising sea levels, acidification of the world’s oceans, altered rain fall patterns, and greater variability in weather patterns, have the potential to seriously disrupt business activity. In particular, climate change can affect business activity through industry specific risks like regulatory and physical risks and company specific risks like reputation, litigation and competitive risks (Labatt & White, 2007). According to the World Resources Institute, 61.4% of global GHG emissions come from the energy sector1 which means that any serious attempt to control greenhouse gas emissions will have to reduce fossil fuel consumption and increase renewable energy consumption. Effectively reducing fossil fuel consumption will require putting a price on carbon (either through taxes on carbon intensive products or a cap and trade emissions trading system) with the result that carbon based energy products like oil will increase in price. Pricing carbon will raise the price of carbon intensive energy products and help to encourage a substitution to low carbon energy sources. Resource depletion and in particular, peak oil concerns stem from Hubbert (1956) who, in one of the scenarios he considered, forecast that US domestic oil production would peak in 1970. According to data provided by BP (2010), US domestic oil production did peak in 1970 at 11 million barrels of oil per day. Hubbert (1971) went on to predict that global oil production would peak in 2000. To date, global oil production has not yet peaked, but the general consensus is that it will soon (Verbruggen & Marchohi, 2010; Almeida & Silva, 2009). While there are lots of different authors predicting the year for peak global oil
Novel hybrid sliding-mode controller for direct torque control induction motor drives

Classic direct torque control (DTC) is well known to produce fast dynamic response and robust control. However, notable torque and stator flux ripples occur in steady-state operation. A novel hybrid sliding-mode controller for direct torque and stator flux control (DTC) of an induction motor is presented. The newly developed hybrid sliding-mode control law consists of proportional-integral (PI) control at steady state, sliding-mode control at transient state, and a simple adaptive switching mechanism between steady state and transient state, to achieve satisfied performance under steady and transient conditions. A modified model of an induction motor, in which the stator currents and the stator fluxes act as state variables, is founded. Proportional-integral sliding-surfaces are proposed. And the parameters of sliding-mode variable structure controller are designed by Lyapunov's stability theory. The proposed control scheme not only preserves the transient merits and robustness of the sliding-mode controller, but also improves the steady-state behavior by PI controller. Comparative results of simulations with the proposed control scheme, versus classic DTC, are conducted
Nitric Oxide Regulates the Phosphorylation of the Threonine-Glutamine-Tyrosine Motif in Proteins of Human Spermatozoa During Capacitation1

Abstract Reactive oxygen species (superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide) are involved in human sperm capacitation and associated tyrosine (Tyr) phosphorylation through a cAMP- and protein kinase A-mediated pathway. Recently, we evidenced the double phosphorylation of the threonine-glutamine-Tyr motif (P-Thr-Glu-Tyr-P) in human sperm proteins of 80 and 105 kDa during capacitation. The objective of the present study was to investigate the role of reactive oxygen species in the regulation of this process and to immunolocalize the P-Thr-Glu-Tyr-P motif in human spermatozoa. Superoxide dismutase and catalase did not prevent, and exogenous addition of superoxide anion or hydrogen peroxide did not trigger, the increase in P-Thr-Glu-Tyr-P related to sperm capacitation. However, l-NAME (a competitive inhibitor of l-arginine for nitric oxide synthase) prevented, and a nitric oxide donor promoted, the increase in P-Thr-Glu-Tyr-P related to sperm capacitation. In addition, l-arginine reversed the inhibitory effect of l-NAME on capacitation and the associated increase of P-Thr-Glu-Tyr-P. Therefore, the regulation of P-Thr-Glu-Tyr-P is specific to nitric oxide and not to superoxide anion or hydrogen peroxide. The nitric oxide-mediated increase of P-Thr-Glu-Tyr-P involved protein Tyr kinase, MEK or MEK-like kinase, and protein kinase C but not protein kinase A. The P-Thr-Glu-Tyr-P motif was immunolocalized to the principal piece region of spermatozoa. In conclusion, nitric oxide regulates the level of P-Thr-Glu-Tyr-P in sperm proteins of 80 and 105 kDa during capacitation. These data evidence, to our knowledge for the first time, a specific role for nitric oxide in signal transduction events leading to sperm capacitation.
Ticks of donkeys in central Oromia regional state, Ethiopia.

Une etude a ete conduite dans 6 associations de paysans des regions d'Ada et d'Adaki sur la periode de novembre 2008 a mars 2009 . L'objectif etait de determiner la prevalence des tiques infestant les ânes et les facteurs de risque associes. Des animaux de tous ages et sexes ont ete examines pour la presence de tiques. Au total, 32 % des animaux etaient infestes avec au moins un genre de tique et 22 % de ces animaux presentaient des lesions cutanees. La prevalence de l'infestation etait superieur dans la region d'Ada que dans le district d'Akaki. Une analyse des facteurs de risque a montre l'influence de la localissation geographique, le type d'association professionnelle, le sexe de l'animal, l'etat d'entretien. Sur les 579 tiques collectes, les genres observes etaient, par ordre de frequence decroissante: Amblyomma (72.5 % ; 420/579), Rhipicephalus (22.8 % ; 132/579), Boophilus (4.5 % ; 26/579) and Hyalomma (0.2 % ; 1/ 579). Compte tenu de l'impact possible de l'infestation des ânes par les tiques sur leur bien etre et leur productivite, il est important que les eleveurs et les veterinaires soient conscients de ce probleme.
Impairment of Assets

Italian Abstract: Il lavoro offre una rappresentazione completa delle problematiche di implementazione dello IAS 36. Particolare attenzione e dedicata al calcolo del Recoverable amount sia con riferimento ai singoli Asset che alle Cash Generating unit. Il lavoro e completato da esempi numerici e riferimenti alle prassi di alcune tra le principali aziende quotate italiane. English Abstract: The paper offers on outline of IAS 36 implementation. All main issues are tackled, from the identification of the assets that maybe impaired to the actual performance of the impairment test and the determination of any possible reversal. Particular attention is devoted to impairment test for Cash Generating Units and for acquired goodwill. The outline is enriched with numerical examples and illustrations of IFRS based financial reports of Italian listed companies.
Systemic and Renal Haemodynamics, Body Fluids and Renin in Benign Essential Hypertension with Special Reference to Natural History

Abstract. Forty patients with uncomplicated essential hypertension were investigated with respect to diurnal variability of arterial pressure (indirect recordings), intra‐arterial pressure, cardiac output, plasma volume, renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration rate. Extracellular volume was estimated in 17, plasma renin concentration in 33 and vector‐cardiograms were recorded in 27 patients. Treatment was discontinued at least a fortnight before and sodium intake was standardized. —Blood pressure varied across a wide range. Variability (lability) of blood pressure was quantified by expressing the difference between highest and lowest automatic blood pressure readings as a percentage of the highest reading. Cardiac output correlated with variability of blood pressure, blood volume and renal blood flow. —Plasma renin concentration was correlated with renal vascular resistance and filtration fraction. —QRS magnitude appeared to be related with the level of arterial pressure. —Haemodynamic variables exhibited a definite relationship with age, deviating in part from distribution according to age in normal populations.
The development of a composite bone model for training on placement of dental implants.

OBJECTIVES It takes a lot of training on patients for both undergraduate to develop clinical sense as regards to the placement of dental implants in the jaw bones, also, the models provided by the dental implant companies for training are usually made of strengthened synthetic foams, which are far from the composition, and tactile sense provided by natural bone during drilling for clinical placement of dental implants. METHODOLOGY This is an in-vitro experimental study which utilized bovine femur bone, where the shaft of the femur provided the surface compact layer, and the head provided the cancellous bone layer, to provide a training model similar to jaw bones macroscopic anatomy. Both the compact and cancellous bone samples were characterized using mechanical compressive testing. RESULTS The elastic moduli of the cancellous and cortical femur bone were comparable to those of the human mandible, and the prepared training model provided a more lifelike condition during the drilling and placement of dental implants. CONCLUSION The composite bone model developed simulated the macroscopic anatomy of the jaw bones having a surface layer of compact bone, and a core of cancellous bone, and provided a better and a more natural hands-on experience for placement of dental implants as compared to plastic models made of polyurethane.
Interventions for bone disease in children with chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND Bone disease is common in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and when untreated may result in bone deformities, bone pain, fractures and reduced growth rates. OBJECTIVES To investigate the benefits and harms of interventions for preventing and treating bone disease in children with CKD. SEARCH STRATEGY The Cochrane Renal Group's specialised register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, reference lists and abstracts were searched without language restriction. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing different interventions used to prevent or treat bone disease in children with CKD stages 2-5D compared with placebo, no treatment or other agents were included. Studies examining different routes or frequency of treatment were also included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Data were extracted by two authors. The random-effects model was used and results were reported as risk ratios or risk differences for dichotomous outcomes and mean differences for continuous outcomes with 95% confidence intervals. MAIN RESULTS Fifteen RCTs (369 children) were identified. Compared with oral calcitriol, intraperitoneal calcitriol significantly reduced the level of serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) but there were no significant differences in bone histology or other biochemical measures (2 RCTs). There were no significant differences detected in growth, PTH, serum calcium or phosphorus between daily versus intermittent calcitriol (3 RCTs). Vitamin D therapy significantly reduced PTH levels compared with placebo or no treatment. The number of children with hypercalcaemia did not differ significantly between groups (4 RCTs). No significant differences were detected in growth rates, bone histology or biochemical parameters between calcitriol and either dihydrotachysterol or ergocalciferol (2 RCTs). Though fewer episodes of hypercalcaemia were reported with sevelamer, no significant differences were detected in serum calcium, phosphorus and PTH levels between calcium-containing phosphate binders and either aluminium hydroxide or sevelamer (4 RCTs). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Bone disease, assessed by changes in PTH levels, is improved by all vitamin D preparations. However no consistent differences between routes of administration, frequencies of dosing or vitamin D preparations have been demonstrated. Though fewer episodes of high calcium levels occurred with the non calcium-containing binder, sevelamer, compared with calcium-containing binders, there were no differences in serum phosphorus and calcium overall and phosphorus values were reduced to similar extents. All RCTs were small with few data available on patient-centred outcomes (growth, bone deformities) and limited data on biochemical parameters resulting in considerable imprecision of results thus limiting the applicability to care of children with CKD.
Intergenerational Family Support following Infant Death

The death of a child is a traumatic, nonnormative family life event. Although parental bereavement has received substantial attention, little research has focused on extended family members affected by a child's death, and still less on how multiple family members perceive and respond to one another following the loss. Guided by a life course perspective, this article examines social support between grandparents and their adult children in the aftermath of infant death. Through structured, open-ended interviews, 21 grandparents and 19 parents from 10 families described how they provided support to and received support from their intergenerational partners. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Six categories of support were identified: being present, acknowledgment, performing immediate tasks, information, unskilled support, and no support. Most support was provided by grandparents to adult children rather than from adult children to grandparents. All families reported significant support from at least one grandparent and nearly all families described ambivalent relationships that complicated support. Gender, family lineage, and family history were major influences. Multiple family perspectives about a significant life event contribute to our understanding about the intersection between individual and family life.
Common Global and Local Drivers of RevPAR in Asian Cities

This study examines the common global and local factors that drive changes in revenue per available room (RevPAR) in eight major Asian cities. We find that RevPARs for these cities tended to move together until about 2009, after which the RevPARs began diverging significantly. The study tests economic variables that capture both local and global factors and which explain most of the changes in RevPAR in each city. One factor, the number of tourist arrivals, is always positively associated with RevPAR changes in the eight cities. Other factors that drive RevPAR in most of the eight cities are inflation, Chinese consumer confidence, U.S. consumer confidence, and Chinese real-estate development (as a proxy for China’s GDP). Most of these gateway cities are more heavily influenced by global factors than local factors. At one extreme, global factors explain over 90 percent of the changes in RevPAR in Seoul. At the other extreme, local factors explain 66 percent of the changes in RevPAR in Bangkok. These similarities and differences give hoteliers and investors a window into the factors that drive their properties’ revenues and allow a more accurate risk assessment.
Molecular forms of rat-liver arginase. Isolation and characterization.

Debate continues over the physical characteristics and even the existence of arginase isoenzymes. This paper gives additional support for such multiplicity and reports differences in physical characteristics among the various forms. After 2500–5000-fold purification of rat liver arginase, three molecular forms were separated on carboxymethyl-cellulose columns and were purified 2500–5000-fold, 800–1000-fold and 600–1000-fold, respectively. The molecular forms have also been identified by chromatography in the supernatant of tissue extracts. The isolation of these molecular forms by affinity chromatography, using Sepharose-lysine as a competitive inhibitor of arginase, shows only one main form, however. Kinetic studies were done for two of the molecular forms isolated, specifically the activation energy (Ea) the energy of denaturatization (Ed), Km, pH and the effect of divalent cations were determined. Significant differences were found for the Ea, between the two molecular forms. The isolated isoenzymes are cationic at pH 5.5 and pH 8.8. However, they show different mobilities in electrophoresis. The molecular weight determination by gel filtration yields a value of 110000 to 115000 for both forms. The use of thin-layer immunochromatography plates, a combination of molecular weight and immunodiffusion technique, gave only one peak with the same molecular weight as that determined by gel filtration. The immunological studies showed that the isoenzymes have similar antigenic determinants.
Does Governance Quality Mitigate Horizon Effects? Investment Patterns Surrounding CEO Departures

The recent spate of corporate scandals worldwide has again raised serious concerns about the quality of corporate governance. This paper investigates the role of the board and stock compensation in constraining discretionary reductions in capital expenditure at the year of CEO retirement. Based on a sample of the 460 largest UK listed companies during 1990-1998, we find that board size or leadership structure (separating the posts of CEO and chairman) does not influence investment in fixed capital during the CEO's final year. But, opportunistic cutbacks in fixed asset spending at the time of CEO departure are eliminated in firms with executive-dominated boards. Finally, there is some evidence that stock compensation of outside directors is associated with increased capital expenditure when the CEO retires.
The dynamics of neurobehavioural recovery following sleep loss

Rate of recovery of daytime performance and sleepiness following moderate and severe sleep deprivation (SD) was examined when recovery opportunity was either augmented or restricted. Thirty healthy non‐smokers, aged 18–33 years, participated in one of three conditions: moderate SD with augmented (9‐h) recovery opportunities, moderate SD with restricted (6‐h) recovery opportunities, or severe SD with augmented recovery opportunities. Each participant attended the laboratory for 8–9 consecutive nights: an adaptation and baseline night (23:00–08:00 hours), one or two night(s) of wakefulness, and five consecutive recovery sleep opportunities (23:00–08:00 hours or 02:00–08:00 hours). On each experimental day, psychomotor vigilance performance (PVT) and subjective sleepiness (SSS) were assessed at two‐hourly intervals, and MSLTs were performed at 1000h. PSG data was collected for each sleep period. For all groups, PVT performance significantly deteriorated during the period of wakefulness, and sleepiness significantly increased. Significant differences were observed between the groups during the recovery phase. Following moderate SD, response speed, lapses and SSS returned to baseline after one 9‐h sleep opportunity, while sleep latencies required two 9‐h opportunities. When the recovery opportunity was restricted to six hours, neither PVT performance nor sleepiness recovered, but stabilised at below‐baseline levels. Following severe SD, sleepiness recovered after one (SSS) or two (physiological) 9‐h sleep opportunities, however PVT performance remained significantly below baseline for the entire recovery period. These results suggest that the mechanisms underlying the recovery process may be more complicated than previously thought, and that we may have underestimated the impact of sleep loss and/or the restorative value of subsequent sleep.
Dividend Determinants in Denmark

Based on a total sample largely uncontaminated by share repurchases we find that the characteristics of dividend payers are: Positive earnings, high ROE (net earnings to book equity), low volatility in ROE, high retained earnings, large firm size, and whether the firm paid out dividends in the previous year. MV/BV, leverage and owner structure play no role in whether a firm pays dividends or not. Among the dividend payers the generosity of the payments (relative to market value of equity measured in fixed prices) is positively related to ROE and previous year's generosity with respect to dividend payments, and negatively related to concentrated owner structure and firm size. That is, the payer characteristics differ from the generous payer characteristics. In Denmark share repurchasers are also dividend payers. Compared to pure dividend payers these firms are larger, have higher ROE, lower growth and a more concentrated owner structure. Finally, the share repurchasers are also among the most generous dividend payers.
Senior Executives, IT Reputation Building & Implications for Market Valuation

The objective of this study is to identify factors that help build an IT reputation, and to evaluate whether markets value a firm’s ability to develop and sustain its IT reputation. Building on IT strategic leadership and IT business value literature, we argue that a similarity in the background and hierarchical proximity between CEO and senior IT executive increases the likelihood that the firm will develop an IT reputation, and this similarity/proximity is more important for product differentiating companies. Building on signaling theory, we argue that IT reputation matters to investors because it reduces information asymmetry. Investors interpret a firm’s sustainable IT reputation as a signal of its superior past IT strategy and future IT investment prospects thus raising its market value. The predicted relationships are validated by results from over 1300 US firms that have appeared in the Information Week 500 lists in the period from 1997 to 2009.
A Comparative Analysis of the Impact of Features on Human Activity Recognition with Smartphone Sensors

The recognition of users' physical activities through data analysis of smartphone inertial sensors has aided the development of several solutions in different domains such as transportation and healthcare. Mostly of these solutions have been supported by the cloud communication technologies due to the need of using accurate classification models. In an attempt to solve problems related to the smartphone orientation (e.g. landscape) in the user's body, new types of features classified as orientation independent have arisen in the last years. In this context, this paper presents an extensive comparative study between all the features mapped in literature derived from inertial sensors. A number of experiments were carried out using two databases containing data from 30 users. Results showed that the new orientation independent features proposed in literature cannot discriminate properly between the users' activities using the inertial sensors. In addition, this paper provides an extensive analysis of these type of features and a tool that implements all methodological process of human activity recognition based on smartphones.