Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retraction Retracted : Differential Evolution Algorithm with Diversified Vicinity Operator for Optimal Routing and Clustering of Energy Efficient Wireless Sensor Networks

The Scientific World Journal has retracted the article titled “Differential Evolution Algorithm with Diversified Vicinity Operator for Optimal Routing and Clustering of Energy Efficient Wireless Sensor Networks” [1]. After conducting a thorough investigation, we have strong reason to believe that the peer review process was compromised. This article was originally submitted to a Special Issue titled “Recent Advances in Metaheuristics and Its Hybrids. ” In late 2015, Dr. Xavier Delorme, the lead guest editor on the Special Issue, alerted us that his identity had been compromised. After further investigation, we discovered that several peer review reports in this issue had been submitted from similarly compromised email accounts. We are retracting the articles in keeping with the “COPE statement on inappropriate manipulation of the peer review process. ” There is no evidence that any of the authors or editors, including Dr. Delorme, were aware of this misconduct.
Reducing Stress in Youth: A Pilot-Study on the Effects of a University-Based Intervention Program for University Students in Pune, India

Mental health problems among youth have become important public health concern for many low & middle- income countries. As part of a research program to improve mental wellbeing in Pune, India, a university-based intervention was developed for students of two educational institutes. In one month, 33 students (age 18-22) participated in a series of 2-hour sessions in which they were stimulated to learn better coping skills to deal with stress and anxiety. The interactive sessions were facilitated by a psychologist and volunteers of a suicide prevention NGO. Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) approaches were used to help students identify stressors and find alternative thought patterns towards the stressor. Playful exercises, such as theatre, dance and poetry, were used to develop self-esteem, self-expression and a better sense of control in students. Throughout the program, relaxation methods, such as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), were practiced to help reduce stress in students. To study the impact of the intervention, data were collected, before- and after the intervention and in an eight month follow-up with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), in combination with open questionnaires and field notes. Preliminary results show a significant decrease in average stress scores in students after the program in comparison to before the intervention (p-value is 0.044 < 0.05). Students reflect upon the program as helpful and specifically emphasize the role of poetry, dance & EFT as main contributors. In follow-up tests perceived stress scores remained lower than at base-line, although not significant. Booster sessions are suggested to sustain the benefits. Overall, the results of this pilot study show that low threshold, university-based interventions, could be useful in stimulating psychosocial well-being in youth.
Artistic representations of faces : How averaging affects attractiveness ratings of portraits

In the scientific research of facial attractiveness, one factor that turned out to be related with attractiveness ratings in most of the studies was averageness. When comparing composite faces to the original faces, the more average face was preferred nearly every time, and the attractiveness ratings increased, as the number of faces included in the composite face increased. By applying morphing techniques to two different representation forms of faces (photographs and artistic portraits) this study should proof, if these two depictions of faces underlie the same regularities. The results support previous findings: averaged faces are perceived as more attractive and the attractiveness increases as the number of faces included in the composite face increases. This was true for both representation forms of faces. Although portraits and photographs show the same effects when morphing techniques are applied to the images, photographs show a higher preference when compared to portraits. Possible explanations for this effect could be the higher familiarity of natural faces and the fact that portraits and photographs differ significantly in their average widthand height-ratios. Eva-Maria Karesch (0500247)
Correlation of Moisture Content to Selected Mechanical Properties of Rice Grain Sample

The correlation between different levels of moisture content on rupture force at different grain orientation was determined for rice grain. Rupture forces of MR 220 CL2 variety rice grains under vertical and horizontal orientations were conducted in a compression test with an Instron 5500 Universal Testing Machine. It was found that the rupture force of rice at the horizontal orientation was higher than those at the vertical orientation for the entire range of moisture content. The correlation level of rice moisture content to rupture force of the grain were r = 0.933 and r = 0.924 for horizontal orientation and vertical orientation, respectively.
Agricultural water management in water-starved countries : challenges and opportunities

Agriculture commands more water than any other activity on this planet. Although the total amount of water made available by the hydrologic cycle is enough to provide the world’s current population with adequate freshwater, most of this water is concentrated in specific regions, leaving other areas water-deficient. Because of the uneven distribution of water resources and population densities worldwide, water demands already exceed supplies in nearly 80 countries with more than 40% population of the world. Consequent to future population increase in these countries, supplies of good-quality irrigation water will further decrease due to increased municipal–industrial–agricultural competition. These facts reveal that the time has come for the sustainable management of available water resources based on global, regional, and site-specific strategic options: (1) understanding the concept of ‘virtual water’ and potential use of this water as a global solution to regional deficits, i.e. the water-short countries may import a portion of food crops or other commodities that require more water and export those that need less water in production; (2) improvement in current efficiencies of agricultural water use and conservation, both in the rain-fed and irrigated agriculture, i.e. to produce more with the existing resources with minimum deterioration of land and water resources; (3) use of efficient, economic, and environmentally acceptable methods for the amelioration of polluted waters and degraded soils, and (4) re-use of saline and/or sodic drainage waters via cyclic, blended, or sequential strategies for crop production systems, wherever possible and practical. We believe that these strategies will serve as the four pillars of integrated agricultural water management and their suitable combinations will be the key to future agricultural and economic growth and social wealth, particularly ∗ Corresponding author. Tel. : +49-641-993-9164; fax: +49-641-993-9169. E-mail address: manzoor.qadir@ernaehrung.uni-giessen.de (M. Qadir). 0378-3774/$ – see front matter © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0378-3774(03)00146-X 166 M. Qadir et al. / Agricultural Water Management 62 (2003) 165–185 in regions that are deficient in freshwater supplies and are expected to become more deficient in future. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Profiling strategy use of upper elementary vs. junior secondary minority school children learning English as a second language

The present study, which is the first largescale (N=1584) study with a sample of Minority Schools in Greece, reports on the descriptive statistics of the data collected within the frame of Thales project 379335 entitled “ADJUSTMENT OF S.I. L.L IN GREEK AND TURKISH AND STRATEGIC PROFILING OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL LEARNERS AND TEACHERS-S.I. L.L. G.T” by using the validated for school-aged children (Petrogiannis & Gavriilidou 2015) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) version 7 (Oxford 1990), the most widely used instrument for measuring the frequency of language learning strategies (LLS). In the present study the instrument was implemented in order to identify and define individual LLS used by students of upper elementary and junior secondary Greek schools who learn English as a foreign language. It was found that both upper elementary and junior secondary students use more metacognitive strategies while they rarely employ cognitive strategies. However, the individual strategies used are different among the two age groups. The findings of this study suggest a number of implications for classroom activities promoting language learning strategy use.
Effect of Azolla (Azolla pinnata) feed on the growth of broiler chicken

Poultry and in particular ducks and chickens can be raised on a diet including fresh Azolla. the nutrient digestibility of crude protein, crude fat, and crude fiber were not affected by the level of Azolla in the ration, and that broilers can readily digest the crude fiber in Azolla, but not that in rice bran, so that digestibility is not a limiting factor when Azolla is used. Nutritive value of Azolla is well documented which shows that it is a good source of protein with almost all essential amino acid required for animal nutrition (notably lysine). Furthermore, it also provides macronutrients like calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamins like vitamin A (precursor beta-carotene) and B12. All these facts suggested that Azolla can be used as unconventional feed with protein supplement for many species including ruminants, poultry, pigs and fish.
Testing and assessing the effects of Family-Aggression Replacement Training (Family ART)

English) Family Aggression Replacement Training (Family ART) is an expansion of Aggression Replacement Training (ART). The purpose of Family ART is to further enhance social skills and reduce problem behaviour. This is to happen by increasing application of what is learnt in the training sessions, to settings outside that of the training, by actively involving children’s significant persons in the ART programme. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a Family ART intervention on six families. The assessment was based on preand posttest scores on the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS), and qualitative data obtained through semistructured interviews. The secondary objective of the SSRS and interviews was to determine how any effect may have come about. In addition to this, the interviews were employed to investigate whether the parents experienced personal development. The SSRS results indicated that Family ART was associated with an increase in social skills and a reduction in problem behaviour. Additional support for the effect of Family ART was found in the interview transcripts: Both parents and children expressed that the intervention had benefitted them somehow. Given the low number of participants and the lack of proper control group comparison, the present study was considered explorative and no conclusion was drawn. The findings do indicate that the intervention works as intended, but more rigorous research must be conducted in order to conclude whether or not this is the case.
Mobile Technologies for Enhancing Distance Learning in Tanzania : An Exploratory Study

This exploratory study on m-learning was designed for two purposes. The first purpose was to identify the extent to which the Open University of Tanzania uses mobile phone to communicate with the distance learners on administrative and academic matters. The second purpose was to identify the distance learners’ capacity to afford mobile phones, their level of mobile phone usage and the learners’ envisaged opportunities and challenges in mobile phones use for enhancing learning. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used in data collection and analysis. Results showed that (a) The Open University of Tanzania rarely uses mobile phone to contact students; (b) while mobile phones are affordable and hence are accessible to majority of learners the type and capacity of the mobile phones owned cannot accommodate extensive pedagogical use; (c) running costs for large scale use of mobile technology may prove unsustainable for the majority of learners whose disposable income is low and this constitute a hurdle for large scale pedagogical use; and (d) the student-student and student-tutor mobile communication for academic and administrative issues is relatively low. The efficacy of mobile technologies for pedagogical purposes is discussed in relation to the need for blending teaching and learning strategies in ODL and further research.
Methanolic Leaf Extract of Ipomoea Pes-caprae Possesses In Vitro Sun Screen Activity

Abstract: Currently, there is an unprecedented demand for safe, cheap and efficacious topical herbal sunscreen formulations. With this in mind, we investigated the sun screen potential of the leaves of a common beach creeper, Ipomoea pes-caprae (Family:Convolulaceae) in vitro using a well recognized UV spectroscopic technique and Mansur equation. Sun Protection Factor (SPF) was evaluated (which is an index of sun protection activity) in a methanolic extract of the leaves (concentration: 2.0 mg/mL) and also of methanol soluble fraction of Dermatone® (reference drug concentration; 2.0 mg/mL), which is a well known sun screen cream. The results showed that leaf extract exhibited three absorbance peaks between 200 – 320nm wave lengths: 3.0 at UV C region, 1.67 at UV B region and 1.2 at UV A region. SPF value of the leaf extract was 15.39 0.89 [mean SEM] whilst the corresponding value for Dermatone® was 25.05 0.33. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins and phenolics and diterpenes. It is concluded that methanolic leaf extract of Ipomoea pes- caprae possesses marked sun screen activity which is possibly mediated via antioxidant activity. Strong possibility exists to develop a safe, effective and affordable sun screen from leaves of this plant Key words : Ipomoea pes-coprae, sunscreen, sun protection factor, photoprotection, antioxidant
Making abundant natural resources work for developing economies: The role of financial institutions

Can financial development play a role in abating the natural resource curse? What are the channels via which financial development may negate the potential detrimental effects of natural resources on economic growth? To attempt to answer these questions, the paper employs panel unit root, cointegration and error correction models to fourteen natural resource abundant economies. The empirical results suggest a long run cointegrating relationship between finance, growth and ancillary variables. A fully modified OLS (FMOLS) is then used to estimate the long run relationship. A panel error correction model favors a unidirectional long run causal relationship from financial development to growth. The results do indeed imply that development of financial institutions may help in abating the natural resource curse.
An 11,000-Year German Oak and Pine Dendrochronology for Radiocarbon Calibration

Sequences of dendrodated tree rings provide ideal sources for radiocarbon calibration. The wood structure of trees consists of continuous series of annual growth layers, the carbon content of which can be 14C-dated and calibrated to calendar yr. The cellulose and lignin of trees deposited in river gravels or peat-bog sediments below the water table are often very well preserved, even after several millennia. Such tree-trunk deposits are well protected from contamination by younger or older organic materials. Further, the physical and chemical structure of wood allows a strong chemical pretreatment of samples for 14C analysis.
Algorithms and Models For Combinatorial Optimization Problems

In this thesis we present some combinatorial optimization problems, suggest models and algorithms for their effective solution. For each problem, we give its description, followed by a short literature review, provide methods to solve it and, finally, present computational results and comparisons with previous works to show the effectiviness of the proposed approaches. The considered problems are: the Generalized Traveling Salesman Problem (GTSP), the Bin Packing Problem with Conflicts(BPPC) and the Fair Layout Problem (FLOP). Dedicatória/Dedicatory: Dedico esta tese aos mes pais, Fernando e Eliane, pelo apoio e ensinamentos que me fizeram dar os passos que eles não tiveram a oportunidade de dar. Aos meus irmãos, Lavoisier e Gladson que sempre me ajudaram e a minha esposa, Cristiane, que sempre esteve ao meu lados nesses longos anos de doutorado. Também dedico esta tese ao querido professor Negreiros, que sempre acreditou na minha capacidade e me propossionou esta oportunidade de estudar na universidade mais antigas do mundo e referência em nossa área. I dedicate this thesis also to my friends who I’ve met in Bologna, Manuel Iori, Enrico Malaguti, Valentina Cacchiani, Federico Mascagne, Rosa Medina, Victor Veras Valdes, André Gustavo dos Santos, Fabio Furini and Alfredo Persiani for make me feel at home in Italy. Moreover, I dedicate this thesis to the professor Paolo Toth, who has helped me making much more than his duty as adviser.
Population abundance and spatial distribution of Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphididae) and coccinellids on chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) (Kelimpahan populasi dan sebaran spatial Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphididae) dan kumbang kura-kura pada cili (Capsicum annuum L.))

The population abundance and spatial distribution of the aphids, Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphididae) and its predator coccinellids (adult) on chilli var. MC 11 (Capsicum annuum L.) were studied at MARDI Station Jalan Kebun, Klang, Selangor from February to July 2003. The mean number of aphids and adult coccinellids per plant at each sampling date were significantly different between the plant strata (lower, middle and upper) and sampling dates (p 1) at all sampling dates throughout the entire cropping period. Similarly, the spatial distribution of adult coccinellids was aggregated (ID ranged from 2.69 to 11.82>1). The possible reasons of the abundance and distribution of aphids and adult coccinellids within chilli plants are discussed.
Comparison of three data-driven techniques in modelling the evapotranspiration process.

Evapotranspiration is one of the main components of the hydrological cycle as it accounts for more than two-thirds of the precipitation losses at the global scale. Reliable estimates of actual evapotranspiration are crucial for effective watershed modelling and water resource management, yet direct measurements of the evapotranspiration losses are difficult and expensive. This research explores the utility and effectiveness of data-driven techniques in modelling actual evapotranspiration measured by an eddy covariance system. The authors compare the Evolutionary Polynomial Regression (EPR) performance to Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and Genetic Programming (GP). Furthermore, this research investigates the effect of previous states (time lags) of the meteorological input variables on characterizing actual evapotranspiration. The models developed using the EPR, based on the two case studies at the Mildred Lake mine, AB, Canada provided comparable performance to the models of GP and ANNs. Moreover, the EPR provided simpler models than those developed by the other data-driven techniques, particularly in one of the case studies. The inclusion of the previous states of the input variables slightly enhanced the performance of the developed model, which in turn indicates the dynamic nature of the evapotranspiration process.
Influence of Moderate High-Pressure Homogenization on Quality of Bioactive Compounds of Functional Food Supplements

Current interest in health has led to an increase in demand for functional food supplements as well as in industry concern for maintaining the bioactive compounds of such foods via the application of new technologies. In this study, we evaluated the effect of moderate high-pressure homogenization (HPH) treatments (80 and 120 MPa) versus thermal treatment (80°C, atmospheric pressure) on the functional bioactive compounds from four different functional supplements stored under accelerated conditions (40°C ± 2°C and 75% ± 5% relative humidity) for 6 months. HPH proved to be a better alternative than thermal treatment for functional supplements containing heat-sensitive compounds such as vitamin C, vitamin A, and unsaturated fatty acids (10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid). The proanthocyanidin, cynarin, chlorogenic, and iron contents, however, were not initially affected by HPH treatments. The storage time caused important reductions in the majority of the compounds studied (mainly in vitamins C, B12, and A), although the lowest decrease was found in the HPH samples. The food matrix had an important effect on the final functional composition and required the optimization of HPH treatments for each functional food supplement. HPH is a recommended alternative to thermal treatment for functional food supplements, in particular when they are rich in thermolabile bioactive compounds.
Gender Differences in Investment Decision Making Among the Working Class of Mauritius

This research attempts to find differences in working women and men in their decision to make an investment in Mauritius, with an objective to find whether gender differences exist in investment decision making. The literature review elaborates on the three variables which contribute to investment decision making have been chosen, namely, risk tolerance, financial literacy and types of investment. The methodology consisted of the planning process in which this research is going to collect data through questionnaires among the working class of Mauritians in the capital city Port Louis, to analyze those data and finally to test the data. The independent samples t-test was chosen as the test of difference to prove the hypotheses of this research. The results obtained revealed that there is a significant difference between gender and risk tolerance while there is no significant difference between gender and financial literacy and also types of investment. The findings of this research were helpful in finding out possible causes which generated such results. Finally, the limitations were discussed and recommendations were given on the research topic.
Quantifying Receptor Annoyance From Low Frequency Industrial Noise In The Environment

Two new measurement techniques using C-weighted along side the A-weighted scale was explored. The first technique was tested using two sets of comprehensive survey data. The first survey analyzed was from data collected at Residence "A" at a survey conducted on July 13-14, 1999. The second data was gathered on the night of June 15-16, 2000 at the Residence "B". An analysis using the second technique was performed for a survey conducted on the night of June 6-7, 2000 at Residence "C". Residence "D" was also assessed using the second technique. It was found that among the two techniques, the first one should be considered in the next review of the Noise Control Directive as a means of addressing low frequency noise.