Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF LIQUID AND LOW ANALYSIS FERTILISERS ON PASTURE AND ANIMAL PRODUCTION

The effects on pasture production of 4 liquid fertilisera Maxicrops, N-Fix? ‘, Responsea. and Plant Plasma* and two proprietary solid fertilisers Naturn? and Wright’s MixO were examined in a series of 3 trials over a *-year period near the Ruakura Agriculture Centre. None of the liquid materials significantly affected total pasture production over the trial periods This is consistent with international summaries of trials with seaweed and fish extracts which concluded that such materials have no consistent effect of practical benefit on pasture and crop production. Plant Plasma applied at 10 times the recommended rate, boosted pasture production in the first harvest after each application, as did Plant Plasma at the normal rate after one of the applications. The proprietary fertilisers performed as could be predicted from their nutrient contents. In a grazing trial near Te Kuiti. Response Extra* had no significant effects on any of 8 measures of animal performance, or on pasture production in that trial or in an associated small-plot trial. None of the liquid or proprietary solid fertilisera applied at recommended rates, had consistent effects on pasture botanical and chemical composition or soil test levels.
Observed characteristics of tropical cyclone vertical wind profiles

Over the last decade substantial improvements have been made in our ability to observe the tropical cyclone boundary layer. Low-level wind speed maxima have been frequently observed in Global Positioning System dropwindsonde (GPS sonde) profiles. Data from GPS sondes and coastal Doppler radars were employed to evaluate the characteristics of tropical cyclone vertical wind profiles in open ocean conditions and at landfall. Changes to the mean vertical wind profile were observed azimuthally and with decreasing radial distance toward the cyclone center. Wind profiles within the hurricane boundary layer exhibited a logarithmic increase with height up to the depth of the wind maximum.
Empirical investigation of risk management practices

In risk management research, dealing with known risks and helping companies foresee new risks are areas for subject matter experts. In practice, risk management is often perceived as a set of formal tools and procedures that must be delegated to the professionals. Despite this overall perception of risk, general managers, department managers, and other senior or line managers in organizations deal with questions associated with risk on a daily basis. They are, therefore, sometimes—even without consciously realizing it—involved in risk management practices. This article aims to analyze 'managers' involvement in risk management by empirically exploring how managers identify, assess, and respond to risks. Based on thematic analysis of observational and interview data, management practices used to manage risks were identified, and risk management as a non-linear process that is anchored on the strategic and operational levels and supported by learning from failures was defined. Two different ways of risk management can co-exist in an organization as a result of formal Enterprise Risk Management implementation.
A TECHNIQUE FOR ESTIMATINGTHE BONE MARROW CELLULARITYIN VIVO USING59Fe

Thisisa preliminary noteon an attempt to develop atechnique forestimating thebonemarrow cellularity inman.Atpresent there isnomeansof makingsuchanestimate, anddiscussions ofthe probably mitotic interval andbonemarrowlife span ofthedifferent stages oferythrocyte precursors are based oncalculations oftheknownaverage redcell life, thetotal numbers ofredcells andreticulocytes intheperipheral blood, andtherelative numbers and mitotic indices ofthedifferent erythrocyte precursors. Principle oftheMethod Themethodisbasedon theassumption that essentially allofthe"9Fewhichappears inthe peripheral erythrocytes after injection oftheisotope hascomefromthebonemarrow, except forthat taken updirectly bythereticulocytes intheperipheral blood. Radioactive iron(59Fe), after an intravenous injection, israpidly cleared fromtheplasma (half clearance timeis90-120minutes), mainly bythe bonemarrow(Huff, Hennessy, Austin, Garcia, Roberts, andLawrence, 1950). By12or24hours after theinjection only a small percentage ofthe injected '9Feisintheperipheral erythrocytes, and there isessentially noneintheplasma; theradioactivity foundinabonemarrowsample collected at thattimeisduelargely tothe59Fe intheerythrocyte precursors ofthemarrowsample. Fromanucleated cell count, a differential count, andradioactivity assay ofthemarrowsample, theratio oferythrocyte precursors toradioactivity canbeestablished. The appearance ofthe59Fe intheperipheral bloodis followed indaily bloodsamples; after eight days there isusually nosignificant further increase. The proportion oftheinjected doseappearing inthe peripheral bloodbytheeighth dayistaken tobe thesameasthattakenupdirectly bythemarrow * Thisworkispartofaproject supported byafull grant fromthe
Numerical analysis of ship–bridge collision's influences on the running safety of moving rail train

This paper investigates the ship–bridge collision process and its influences on the running safety of the moving light rail train. Taking a long span cable-stayed bridge across the Huangpu River as example, the 3-D dynamic model of train-bridge coupled system subjected to ship impact was studied with the aid of the finite element analysis (FEA) code LS-DYNA 971. The bridge model and the coupled rigid–flexible multi-body train model were coupled through non-linear wheel–rail interface, and the coupled dynamic model was solved using mixed time explicit integration approach. By studying the effects of train speed and the momentum of impacting ship on the running safety of the rail train, the relationship between the maximum safety speed of the train and the momentum of the impacting ship is predicted, that is, the maximum allowable train speed decreases with the increase of the momentum of the impacting ship. The mixed time integration method could speed up the calculation process for crashworthiness analysis with great differences in element sizes at different parts of model.
COVID-19 fatality in Germany: Demographic determinants of variation in case-fatality rates across and within German federal states during the first and second waves

BACKGROUND Germany experienced one of the lowest COVID-19 case-fatality rates (CFRs) in Western Europe in the first pandemic wave, and further CFR decreases in the spring and summer of 2020. However, Germany's CFR increased markedly during the second wave, becoming one of the highest in Western Europe. Furthermore, CFRs varied considerably across German federal states. The drivers of this CFR time trend and the state differences remain unclear. OBJECTIVE We aim to identify the contribution to the CFR differences across and within German states of (1) the population age structure, (2) the age structure of confirmed infection rates, and (3) the age-specific fatality. METHODS We use data documenting COVID-19 cases and deaths from the COVerAGE-DB, applying demographic decomposition methods proposed by Kitagawa and Horiuchi. RESULTS The CFR decrease between spring and autumn 2020 in Germany resulted from a shift toward younger ages in confirmed infection rates and decreasing age-specific fatality. The CFR increase that followed was predominantly driven by a shift toward older ages in the age composition of confirmed infection rates. Although most of the CFR variation across German states resulted from differences in the population age distribution, differences in the age structure of detected infection rates contributed substantially to this variation. CONCLUSIONS Differences in German CFRs depended mainly on the age structure of the population and the confirmed infection rates. Age-specific fatality played a noteworthy role only in CFR changes over time. CONTRIBUTION We provide previously undocumented information for Germany on the factors modulating differences in the COVID-19 fatality across states and over time.
DNA metabarcoding reveals introduced species predominate in the diet of a threatened endemic omnivore, Telfair’s skink (Leiolopisma telfairii)

Abstract Introduced species can exert disproportionately negative effects on island ecosystems, but their potential role as food for native consumers is poorly studied. Telfair's skinks are endemic omnivores living on Round Island, Mauritius, a globally significant site of biodiversity conservation. We aimed to determine the dietary diversity and key trophic interactions of Telfair's skinks, whether introduced species are frequently consumed, and if diet composition changes seasonally between male and female skinks. We used DNA metabarcoding of skink fecal samples to identify animals (COI) and plants (ITS2) consumed by skinks. There were 389 dietary presence counts belonging to 77 dietary taxa found across the 73 Telfair's skink fecal samples. Introduced taxa were cumulatively consumed more frequently than other categories, accounting for 49.4% of all detections, compared to cryptogenic (20.6%), native (20.6%), and endemic taxa (9.5%). The most frequently consumed introduced species was the ant, Pheidole megacephala, present in 40% of samples. Blue latan palm, Latania loddigesii, was the most frequently consumed endemic species, present in 33% of samples but was only detected in the dry season, when fruits are produced. We found a strong seasonal difference in diet composition explained by the presence of certain plant species solely or primarily in one season and a marked increase in the consumption of animal prey in the dry season. Male and female skinks consumed several taxa at different frequencies. These results present a valuable perspective on the role of introduced species in the trophic network of their invaded ecosystem. Both native and introduced species provide nutritional resources for skinks, and this may have management implications in the context of species conservation and island restoration.
Chronic Pelvic Osteomyelitis: Case Report of a Rare Complication of Bone Marrow Biopsy

Osteomyelitis commonly involves the long bones, with pelvic involvement uncommon. We report the case of a 50-year-old male who, following a bone marrow biopsy that diagnosed him with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, had persistent complaints of fever, swelling, and pain over the biopsy site. Pus cultures revealed growth of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the pelvis revealing features of osteomyelitis of the right ilium. He was managed conservatively with antibiotics. On the last follow-up, he had just recovered from another flare of the infection. Bone marrow biopsy is a common tool in the hematologist's inventory. It is quite safe, with complications reported in less than 0.1% of all cases. Osteomyelitis of the pelvis following this is exceedingly rare; to our knowledge, only two prior such cases have been reported. Pelvic osteomyelitis is characterized by poorly defined hip pain, limited range of motion, and difficulty with ambulation. In case of intractable hip or buttock pain following a bone marrow biopsy, osteomyelitis of the pelvis must be considered in the differential diagnosis, and appropriate management must be begun. A multidisciplinary approach is required, with surgical debridement and appropriate antibiotics.
Measured Comparison of Leakage and Rotordynamic Characteristics for a Slanted-Tooth and a Straight-Tooth Labyrinth Seal

Measured results are presented to compare rotordynamic coefficients and leakage of a slanted-tooth labyrinth seal and a straight-tooth labyrinth seal. Both seals had identical pitch, depth, and number of teeth. The teeth inclination angle of the teeth on the slanted-tooth labyrinth was 65° from the normal axis. Experiments were carried out at an inlet pressure of 70 bar-a (1015 psi-a), pressure ratios of 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6, rotor speeds of 10.2, 15.35, and 20.2 krpm, and a radial clearance of 0.2 mm (8 mils). One zero and two positive inlet preswirl ratios were used.The results show only minute difference in the rotordynamic coefficients between the two seals. The slanted-tooth labyrinth seal consistently leaked approximately 10% less at all conditions. Predictions were made using a one control volume bulk-flow model (1CVM) which was developed for a straight-tooth labyrinth seal design. 1CVM under-predicted the rotordynamic coefficients and the leakage.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Agency Costs and the Power of “Apply and Explain” from South Africa

This paper examines whether corporate governance mechanisms and the presence of institutional investors in South African publicly listed firms impact agency costs. Our findings show that large board size has harmful effects on agency costs; board independence allays agency costs. It is vital to distinguish institutional investors by investment objective and their monitoring ability to reduce agency costs. Results show that while institutional investors have taken as a homogenous group appeared to play an important governance role in allaying agency problems, pressure-insensitive investors can exert more influence in agency-related issues. Results have policy implications on the monitoring abilities of Independent Non-Executive Directors and institutional investors in South Africa.
Economic and Sociodemographic Influences on Autolessness: Are Missing Variables Skewing Results?

The factors that influence whether a household will be without a vehicle, termed herein as “autolessness,” are examined. First, national survey data in logistic regression models are used to examine the strength of three variables identified in the literature as key influences on autolessness: income, transit access, and urban residence. In a second model, however, the inclusion of social and demographic variables representing race, sex, and age of the household head and life-cycle status of the household reveals that they, too, exert substantial influence on the likelihood of a household being without a car. Furthermore, inclusion of these variables reduces the magnitude of the influence of the key variables. They exert influence along sociodemographic lines; for instance, female-headed households are more likely to be without a car than maleheaded households, controlling for the three key variables referred to above. However, these sociodemographic variables do not directly influence autolessness. It is hypothesized that they measure influences, such as savings, wealth, and access to credit, that are differentiated on sociodemographic lines. Inclusion of these variables in subsequent modeling efforts would explain many of the differences in autolessness attributed to sociodemographic variables in this model.
Improving design quality through briefing automation

Briefing and the strategic support of decision-making through the life of a building project is an important factor for successful project outcomes. The automation of design briefs might allow enhanced linking of client/user requirements to design, construction, operation and post-occupancy review. It has the potential for improved collection of requirements, project integration, as well as feedback and feedforward for clients and designers. Current US research on briefing practices is reviewed in relation to improving design quality by using design performance measures. A Web-based tool under development is described. This tool is one example of how automation of the briefing process can assist design firms to analyse and assess a client's needs, shorten the product delivery cycle and provide an end product with greater customer satisfaction. L'information et le soutien stratégique apporté au processus décisionnel tout au long de la vie d'un projet de construction sont des atouts importants pour la réussite de ce projet. L'automatisation de l'information relative à la conception permet d'améliorer la relation entre les exigences du client/utilisateur et la conception, la construction, l'exploitation puis l'occupation. L'automatisation pourrait permettre d'améliorer la collecte des exigences, l'intégration au projet ainsi que l'information en aval et en amont des clients et des concepteurs. L'article passe en revue les recherches actuellement en cours aux Etats Unis sur les méthodes d'information, l'objectif étant d'améliorer la qualité de la conception en la mesurant. Les auteurs décrivent ensuite un outil internet en cours de développement. Cet outil n'est qu'un exemple de l'aide que l'automatisation de l'information pourrait apporter aux architectes pour analyser et évaluer les besoins d'un client, raccourcir le cycle de production et fournir un produit final correspondant au mieux aux exigences du client.
Genetic Algorithm Optimization of Log-Periodic Dipole Array

Th is paper presents Genetic A lgorith m (GA) optimization of Log-Periodic Dipole Array (LPDA). Considering the fact that, an LPDA can effectively be used for different wireless communication systems such as WiMAX, GSM-I, GSM-II and WiFi, respectively. GA optimization is applied to the physical size of the antenna and on its gain. The proposed design is compared with the conventional LPDA design in terms of length, diameter and spacing between the dipole elements. Presented results show that, the proposed optimization approach can significantly imp rove the antenna gain and reduced its size. The size of the antenna is reduced up to 12% as compared to the conventional design. Also, the gain is imp roved fro m 9.1, 9.5, 9.2 and 8.5 d B to 10.7, 11.2, 9.9 and 9.1 d B for the desired co mmun ication bands. The reduction in size and increment in gain make LPDA an attractive choice for wireless applications.
Conditional Generative Adversarial Network-based Image Denoising for Defending Against Adversarial Attack

Deep learning has become one of the most popular research topics today. Researchers have developed cutting-edge learning algorithms and frameworks around deep learning, applying them to a wide range of fields to solve real-world problems. However, we are more concerned about the security risks associated with deep learning models themselves—such as adversarial attacks, which will be discussed in this article. Attackers can use the deep learning model to create the conditions for an attack, maliciously manipulating the input images to deceive the classification model and produce false positives. This paper proposes a method of pre-denoising all input images to prevent adversarial attacks by adding a purification layer before the classification model. The method in this paper is proposed based on the basic architecture of Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks. It adds the image perception loss to the original algorithm Pix2pix to achieve more efficient image recovery. Our method can recover noise-attacked images to a level close to the actual image to ensure the correctness of the classification results. Experimental results show that our approach can quickly recover noisy images, and the recovery accuracy is 20.22% higher than the previous state-of-the-art.
Comparison of injuries among motorcycle, moped and bicycle traffic accident victims

ABSTRACT Objective Motorcycles, moped scooters and bicycles are commonly involved in traffic accidents and riders often suffer significant morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to compare and categorize the different injury patterns and fractures suffered by riders of each vehicle type after a traffic accident. Methods Data from a level 1 trauma center in Las Vegas, Nevada were analyzed. Traffic accident victims riding a motorcycle, moped, or bicycle from 2013 to 2017 were included. Injury location and fracture location were assigned to six and sixteen categorical locations, respectively. Descriptive statistics, including frequency counts for categorical data and mean for continuous data, were calculated for the full sample and for each of the vehicle types. Logistic regression was performed on race, categorized age, vehicle type and helmet use to calculate adjusted odds ratios for injury type between the three groups. Results Of the 2115 patients, 1372 were motorcyclists, 356 were moped scooter riders and 387 were bicyclists. Overall the vast majority of injuries reported were of the extremities or pelvic girdle (62.2%), and this was true regardless of vehicle type. Head and neck injuries were significantly more common in bicyclists (39.5%) and moped riders (34.6%), than in motorcyclists (22.7%). Helmet use was substantially lower in the moped (34%) and bicycle (20%) groups compared to the motorcycle group (85%). The most common fractures regardless of vehicle type were of the skull/face, rib, vertebral, and tibia/fibula with slight variations between vehicle groups. Conclusion Similarities were seen in the most common fracture and injury patterns between the three groups. Head and neck injuries were much more common in moped and bicycle riders compared to motorcyclists. This is most likely due to the significantly higher percentage of motorcycle riders who wore a helmet. Counseling regarding helmet and protective equipment use, especially among moped and bicycle riders is essential to reduce head injuries.
Characterisation of silicon oxynitride thin films and their response to swift heavy-ion irradiation

Silicon oxynitrides (a-SiO x N y ) are materials whose composition ranges between two binary materials: a-SiO2 and a-Si3N4. In this work, we present a systematic study of the fine structure of the damaged regions produced by swift heavy-ions (SHIs), or ‘ion-tracks’ and quantify the density variation profiles with respect to composition. Thin films were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD), where thickness, density, stoichiometry and bond configuration were initially determined. The fine structure and radial size of the ion tracks was determined using small angle x-ray scattering. The tracks exhibit a core–shell cylindrical geometry, with an under-dense core surrounded by an over-dense shell with a smooth transition between the two regions. We observed two trends with composition: a constant increasing ion track radius is observed when the O/Si ratio is below one ( 0≤x≤1) . And saturation of the radial dimensions above this value, being similar to a-SiO2. The IR spectra allowed to quantify the bond configuration and its evolution with fluence. After irradiation, the energy deposited by the SHI irradiation leads to a preferential damage of Si–N bonds. IR spectroscopy also showed the formation of new Si–H bonds with increasing fluences and resulting in a rather complex ion-induced structural modification of the a-SiO x N y network.