Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RENEWABLE POLICIES AND CHALLENGES BY 2020 IN GREECE: A QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY

In a notable change from the position in the past, the Greek government is committed to greening the economy and has assumed determined policies and actions to boost the utilization of renewable energy. The aim of the paper is, firstly, to present the latest developments of the renewable energy policy in Greece, the current achievements and impediments in the implementation of planned reforms in the accomplishment of its 2020 targets, and the specific policy measures introduced; second, to discuss the pace of respective developments in other EU-28 member countries; and, third, through a questionnaire survey and stratified interviews with market participants, to verify the achievements of the government towards reversing previous bureaucratic and prone to corruption procedures. Respectively, research survey results from our survey and interviews conducted in the second semester of 2014 are presented. The majority of respondents expect that the targets set in the National Renewable Energy Action Plan will be reached by 2020. The paper and the questionnaire survey have been conducted under the auspices of the European research program THALES, which intends to measure various aspects of the shadow economy in Greece, also including the areas of renewable energy trade and finance.
Comparison of the Effect of Bovine Platelet Lysate and Platelet Rich Plasma as Growth Promoters on Growth Rate and Viability of Different Cell Lines

Background: Cell therapy and cell culture have received much attention in recent decades. Suitable cell growth requires growth supplements such as fetal bovine serum (FBS). FBS is component rich in nutrients, growth factors and supplementary compounds. However, FBS utilization has some limitations including mass production. Therefore, finding alternatives with the same growth promoting effects is inevitable. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to compare the effect of bovine platelet lysate (PL) and PRP on different cell lines as a cost effective and available alternative for FBS. METHODS: Three conventional cell lines were investigated. Protein pattern of PL and platelet rich plasma (PRP) in comparison to FBS was determined using SDS page electrophoresis, and MTT and plating efficiency of cell lines in presence of PL and PRP were evaluated. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that platelet rich plasma and platelet lysate could increase cells’ viability similar to FBS. These results were significant in comparison with control group. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that platelet lysate could be a valuable candidate to replace FBS in cell culture techniques, however, more studies should be done to understand its exact efficacy.
Unraveling the New England orocline, east Gondwana accretionary margin

The New England orocline lies within the Eastern Australian segment of the Terra Australis accretionary orogen and developed during the late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic Gondwanide Orogeny (310–230 Ma) that extended along the Pacific margin of the Gondwana supercontinent. The orocline deformed a pre‐Permian arc assemblage consisting of a western magmatic arc, an adjoining forearc basin and an eastern subduction complex. The orocline is doubly vergent with the southern and northern segments displaying counter‐clockwise and clockwise rotation, respectively, and this has led to contrasting models of formation. We resolve these conflicting models with one that involves buckling of the arc system about a vertical axis during progressive northward translation of the southern segment of the arc system against the northern segment, which is pinned relative to cratonic Gondwana. Paleomagnetic data are consistent with this model and show that an alternative model involving southward motion of the northern segment relative to the southern segment and cratonic Gondwana is not permissible. The timing of the final stage of orocline formation (∼270–265 Ma) overlaps with a major gap in magmatic activity along this segment of the Gondwana margin, suggesting that northward motion and orocline formation were driven by a change from orthogonal to oblique convergence and coupling between the Gondwana and Pacific plates.
Resource selection by tuatara following translocation: a comparison of wild-caught and captive-reared juveniles

Animal reintroduction is an important tool for species conservation, but success rates can be low. Comparative studies can be used to identify factors that influence success during translocations. We studied the reintroduction of captive-reared and wild-caught juveniles of an iconic reptile, the tuatara Sphenodon punctatus, on the South Island of New Zealand. We followed juveniles from three treatment groups (wild-caught and from two outdoor head-start facilities, all of the same genetic stock) during the initial five months of the establishment phase. We compared resource selection at three scales: landscape, high-use areas, and retreat-sites. At the landscape scale, juvenile tuatara from all groups remained in forest habitats similar to those where they were released, which also had the highest night-time operative temperatures (theoretically equilibrated body temperatures); in high-use areas they chose to be close to cover; and for retreat-sites they selected burrows. Our results demonstrate that juvenile tuatara, irrespective of group, used similar resources, and suggest that either wild-caught or captive-reared juveniles could be used as founders for future translocations.
Analysis of Relationship between Production and Reproduction Traits of Holstein Cattle Population in the Slovak Republic

Is generally known there is antagonistic relationship between production and reproduction traits. We observed this relationship in dataset of 1 197 478 daily milk records of Holstein cows on the first lactation only, first time calved during years 2003-2009. We found increased milk production and prolonged calving interval during this period. We observed highest milk production (7604 kg) on standardized 1 st lactation for cows with longest calving interval in compare to cows with shortest calving interval (7079 kg). Positive significant correlation (0.56775, P<0.0001 ) was found between standardized milk production and calving interval. It means that cows with higher milk production have a prolonged calving interval, which confirms antagonist relationship between production and reproduction traits. Significant negative correlation (-0.27695, P<0. 0001) observed between percent of protein production on standardized lactation and calving interval suggests that prolonged calving interval has negative effect on daily protein production (%) in milk. Coefficient of determination between breeding values for milk production and length of calving interval was 0.6434. Following these results we should accept relationship between production and reproduction and include it in process of genetic evaluation of cattle.
Microcell parasites of oysters: Recent insights and future trends

Our understanding of the microcell oyster parasites of the genera Bonamia and Mikrocytos has expanded in recent years with the application of ultrastructural and especially molecular biological research approaches. Molec- ular phylogenetic analyses of SSU rRNA genes have united three species, Bonamia ostreae, Bonamia exitiosa ,a nd Mikrocytos (now Bonamia) roughleyi, in a microcell clade within the Haplosporidia, supporting both early and recent ultrastructural observations. Ultrastructural and molecular phylogenetic evidence has emerged that Mikrocytos mackini, on the other hand, is a unique protist with unusual adaptations for a parasitic existence. DNA probes and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays promise new insights into the life cycles, transmission, and diversity of these organisms. The development of Ostrea edulis lines selected for B. ostreae resistance will increase the viability of aquaculture in- dustries for this species and, combined with rapidly developing biotechnological approaches for studying host defenses and host-parasite interactions, will allow greater insight into the nature of phenomena such as resistance and tolerance to disease in oysters.
Work-related stress dimensions among a subsidiary company workers of Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company

Background : Work-related stress and its causes are among the most important issues which can seriously challenge organizational efficiency and employees' health. Different occupational environments and groups have different levels of job stress. The present study aimed to investigate relationships between job stress and its dimensions with three occupational groups ( administrative , administrative -operational, and operational) among a subsidiary company workers of Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company. Methods : The present study had descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional type and was conducted among 468 out of 503 employees (with entry condition of a year of work experience as well as an official and contractual membership) volunteered to participate in research. Data collection tools included demographic questions and job stress questionnaire as well as human resource department information to determine occupational group of employees. Descriptive statistics, statistical tests, Independent test, and one-way ANOVA in addition to SPSS 21 software were used for data analysis. Results: There were significant relationships between age, education levels, work experience and smoking with mean score of job stress (P-value 0.05). Conclusion: Exposure to different occupational harmful agents , facing with different safety risks, being far from family, heavy workload, and uncertain employee roles have significantly increased job stress in both operational and executive occupation groups compared to other two occupational groups; hence, there is a positive correlation between high job stress and operational jobs.
Modeling the exchange rate volatility, using generalized autoregressive conditionally heteroscedastic (GARCH) type models: Evidence from Pakistan

Increasing role of foreign exchange (FOREX) rate in corporate decision making is becoming famous in the developing economies, where FOREX rate volatility occupied a central position all over the world in investment decision. In a scenario, where FOREX rate volatility is equally helpful in many micro as well as macro economic decision-making (remembering historical roots of some of the financial crises were traced in the FOREX rate volatility). In this study, an attempt is made to examine the performance of GARCH family models (including symmetric GARCH-M, asymmetric EGARCH and TARCH models) in forecasting the volatility behavior of Pakistani FOREX market. Daily FOREX rates data, ranging from January, 2001 to December, 2009 was put to statistical manipulation to examine the FOREX volatility behavior in Pakistan. Theoretically, the first order autoregressive behavior of the FOREX rate was evidenced in GARCH-M and E-GARCH models while the GARCH-M model supports that previous day FOREX rate affected the current day exchange rate. The EGARCH-based evaluation of FOREX rates showed asymmetric behavior of volatility, where TARCH model showed insignificance but detailed exploratory analysis of the FOREX rate behavior requires prolonged study by applying advance models. Key words: Exchange rate, GARCH-M, TARCH, EGARCH, volatility, Pakistan.
“THE POTENTIAL ATTRACTIVENESS OF UZBEKISTAN. DESIGNING STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE THE CENTRAL ASIAN REPUBLIC BY ANALYSING OFFICIAL TOURISM IMAGE AND CONDUCTING AT- DESTINATION SURVEYS” “EL ATRACTIVO POTENCIAL DE UZBEKISTÁN. DISEÑO DE ESTRATEGIAS PARA PROMOCIONAR LA REPÚBLICA CENTROASIÁTICA MEDIANTE E

Republic of Uzbekistan is a budding tourist destination offering huge potential. The country lies on the famous Silk Road and boasts a wealth of heritage sites, making it a hugely attractive prospect for the global market. Somewhat surprisingly, there appears to be a huge shortage of existing scientific reading on tourism and virtually no studies based on intensive field work carried out on site in Uzbekistan. To resolve this problem to some extent, this article intends to review official promotional material for the country and then analyze the results of a survey with tourists within the country and individuals working within the tourism industry within the country. The conclusions of our study reveal a gap between what the Government is relying on to promote the country’s image and the experiencie of the travellers.
LABORATORY GENERATION OF WAVES OF CONSTANT FORM

The paper reports measurements of waves generated by a piston type wave generator. The experiments show that for 0.10 < h/L < 0.65 the waves produced by a sinusoidal piston motion can be described as a second order Stokes wave superimposed by a free second harmonic wave. Results are presented for the height and phase velocity of the free second harmonic wave and compared with theories by Fontanet (1961) and others. Finally, the height of the free second harmonic wave is successfully reduced by a non-sinusoidal time variation of the piston motion, whereas addition of a rotation to the flap motion appears to yield only minor improvements.
Acute coronary syndromes in high risk groups: patients with diabetes, the elderly, and women

Among patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), patients with diabetes, elderly patients and women represent groups at high risk for adverse outcomes. Higher risk patients sustain a high proportion of the mortality and morbidity that accompanies ACS, yet also potentially derive greater absolute benefit from effective management strategies and interventions. This review focuses on information regarding the increased risk, as well as select aspects of management of ACS, for patients with diabetes, the elderly, and women. Special attention is given to aspects of prognosis or management that may differ from general patients with ACS.
Movement patterns of African elephants ( ) in different habitat types

In this paper we analyse the daytime movements of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in different habitats in the Pongola Game Reserve, South Africa. On average adult males moved faster than females in all habitat types except when grouped together (then females moved at the faster male pace). Elephants demonstrated distinct movement patterns in different habitat types. All the movement parameters indicate that the elephants turned less the further they were from a large permanent body of water (Jozini Dam) and for males with increasing distance to the females. Male and female elephants turned more in habitat types that had favourable resources such as forage and shade, than they did in unfavourable habitats. Thus, the elephants used a direct movement strategy - turning less - when needing to get to a destination more quickly (e.g. toward water or mates), rather than significantly increasing their speed. It is hypothesized that these elephants are optimizing energy efficiency while still varying their foraging approach and search intensity. Patterns of movement through a habitat will affect ecological impacts in that habitat and so habitat-related movement pattern studies of this type could assist landscape planning (e.g. waterhole design and distribution) and large herbivore conservation.
Developing and testing a method for deformations measurements of structures

Dynamic monitoring of structures is an important task in civil engineering that aims to determine the stability and safety of a structure by using information about its deformations. This paper describes the development of a method for the determination of structures deformations. The proposed method is developed to add a new solution to traditional methods of angle intersection and trigonometric leveling. It is designed to provide a simultaneous solution to all observations in one step using least squares solution to improve the expected accuracy and to generate the necessary data for statistical analysis. A practical experiment was made, where the observations of 7 deformation points on a simply supported steel beam with concentrated load were measured using the proposed method, total station and linear variable displacement transducers (LVDTs). Deflections measured directly from LVDTs were used as a reference for assessment of the serviceability of the beam. The results show that for the maximum deflection at mid-span of the beam, the differences between the measured deflections from LVDTs and proposed method are less than 0.87 mm corresponding to an error of 4.3%, while they are less than 1.32 mm causing an error of 12.5% for the case of total station measurements. Based on root mean square error values, the accuracy of point displacements determination using the proposed method is much better than total station measurements. The proposed method is suitable for the accurate determination of horizontal and vertical displacements and provides a realistic solution for monitoring structures at both entire structure and member levels.
Nurseries and emotional well‐being: evaluating an emotionally containing model of professional development

Despite official endorsement of attachment principles in nursery work, these are often not translated into nursery practice. One possible reason for this is that staff training does not sufficiently address the personal implications and anxieties that children's attachments may entail for practitioners. Working from a psychoanalytic perspective on organisational functioning and group learning, this paper describes action research with a group of nursery heads who participated in a professional development programme designed specifically to explore emotional experience in professional work. The positive evaluations of the programme by heads and their staff are described including examples of experiential learning and of increased staff awareness about, and responsiveness to, the emotional experience of children. However, the research also concluded that sustained effectiveness of the model is likely to be dependent on an ongoing culture of attention to the emotional experience of nursery staff within nursery umbrella organisations.
Effect of Diets With Protein From Different Sources On The Growth Of Goldfish, Carassius Auratus

s Four isoproteinous (40% crude protein) feeds (based on chicken liver, lean shrimp meal, mus- sel meal or squid meal) were fed to goldfish, Carassius auratus, of 4.61±0.427 g for 30 days at 10% of their body weight. The effect of the feeds on growth performance were compared with two commercial feeds, Brine Shrimp Flake and Tubifex Worm (59% crude protein each). There were no significant differences in food conversion ratio or specific growth rate between the treat- ments. The protein efficiency ratios (PER) of all the formulated feeds were significantly better than that of the Brine Shrimp Flake and the PER of the diets based on mussel and squid meal were also significantly better than Tubifex Worm. The weight increment with Tubifex Worm was significantly highest of all the treatments. Considering the nutritional parameters and cost of pro- ducing one kilogram of fish, the diet based on lean shrimp meal was the best. The cost of pro- ducing one kilogram fish using the formulated feeds ranged Rs. 93.75-231.30. Using Brine Shrimp Flake and Tubifex Worm, the costs were Rs. 1150 and Rs. 3500 per kg, respectively. The cost of goldfish rearing can be appreciably reduced by using feeds prepared with locally available protein sources. The crude protein level of 40% was sufficient for the goldfish, as the PER of the fish fed the formulated feeds was better than that of the fish fed the commercial feeds.
Hedonic Estimation Applied to the Farmland Market in Georgia

Abstract Farmland offered for its productive or consumptive value may be viewed as a class of goods characteristic of product differentiation. Using the generalized Box-Cox transformation, an unrestricted hedonic model was employed to derive implicit valuations of parcel attributes. Results suggest that the significance and level of importance of attributes on land pricing depends on the spatial extent of markets in Georgia. Differences in the productive or consumptive use of farmland may imply that different factors and functional forms are appropriate to different farmland markets.
Four-sided lid-driven cavity flow using time splitting method of Adams-Bashforth scheme

In this paper, a second order Adams-Bashforth method is proposed to simulate four-sided square lid-driven cavity flow. The convective term and diffusive term in Navier-Stokes equations are solved using a finite central difference scheme and the unsteady term is solved using the Adams-Bashforth method. All of the flow is simulated at below critical Reynolds numbers in a square cavity with an isothermal condition and the same speed for all walls. In this study, the flow structure for a four-sided lid-driven cavity with its four vortices and a graph of the velocity profile along the center of the cavity are presented. In addition, we also study the effect of the Reynolds number on the development of vortices in the cavity. We find that the Reynolds number has a dominant effect on the flow structure in the cavity. The computed results also show good agreement with the published data.
Influence of Students Characteristics on Academic Performance in Secondary Agriculture, in Rachuonyo North Sub County, Kenya

Over the years, students in Rachuonyo North Sub County have continued to perform poorly in the national examination, Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examinations (KCSE). This worrying trend is manifested particularly in the Agriculture Subject. It has been documented that many interacting factors may cause the poor performance of students in Rachuonyo, students characteristics such as students age, student career choice, gender, study times and class attendance being among the factors. In this study, these factors were referred to as students’ characteristics. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of students’ characteristics (student career choice, gender, study times and class attendance) on the students’ academic performance in Agriculture Subject. Co-relational design was used during the study and stratified sampling was used to select schools for the study. The target population was 754 students taking Agriculture Subject at Form Four. Stratified random sampling was used to select the sample for the study. The sample size was 254 students registered in Agriculture Subject. The items of the questionnaire were developed based on the objectives of the study and the items were discussed with other experts and then pilot tested to ascertain their reliability. The reliability coefficient α was 0.72. The instrument was self-administered. Data was analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods where descriptive statistics including frequencies, percentages, means, as well as, standard deviation were used, while inferential statistics included Pearson correlation and T-test were used to test the hypothesis, with levels of significance set at 0.05. Statistical Package for Social Sciences software was used for data analysis.The study observed that students’ age, career choice, gender, study times and class attendance positively influenced students’ performance in secondary school agriculture. However, tests for statistical significance concluded that students’ characteristics considered did not have significant influence on students’ academic performance in Agriculture Subject.