Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motion Planning of a Second-Order Nonholonomic Chained Form System Based on Holonomy Extraction

This paper proposes a motion planning algorithm for dynamic nonholonomic systems represented in a second-order chained form. The proposed approach focuses on the so-called holonomy resulting from a kind of motion that traverses a closed path in a reduced configuration space of the system. According to the author’s literature survey, control approaches that make explicit use of holonomy exist for kinematic nonholonomic systems but does not exist for dynamic nonholonomic systems. However, the second-order chained form system is controllable. Also, the structure of the second-order chained form system analogizes with the one of the first-order chained form for kinematic nonholonomic systems. These survey and perspectives brought a hypothesis that there exists a specific control strategy for extracting holonomy of the second-order chained form system to the author. To verify this hypothesis, this paper shows that the holonomy of the second-order chained form system can be extracted by combining two appropriate pairs of sinusoidal inputs. Then, based on such holonomy extraction, a motion planning algorithm is constructed. Furthermore, the effectiveness is demonstrated through some simulations including an application to an underactuated manipulator.
Vibration Performance of a Flow Energy Converter behind Two Side-by-Side Cylinders

Flow-induced vibrations of a flexible cantilever plate, placed in various positions behind two side-by-side cylinders, were computationally investigated to determine optimal location for wake-excited energy harvesters. In the present study, the cylinders of equal diameter D were fixed at center-to-center gap ratio of T / D = 1 . 7 and immersed in sub-critical flow of Reynold number R e D = 10 , 000 . A three-dimensional Navier–Stokes flow solver in an Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) description was closely coupled to a non-linear finite element structural solver that was used to model the dynamics of a composite piezoelectric plate. The cantilever plate was fixed at several positions between 0 . 5 < x / D < 1 . 5 and - 0 . 85 < y / D < 0 . 85 measured from the center gap between cylinders, and their flow-induced oscillations were compiled and analyzed. The results indicate that flexible plates located at the centerline between the cylinder pairs experience the lowest mean amplitude of oscillation. Maximum overall amplitude in oscillation is predicted when flexible plates are located in the intermediate off-center region downstream of both cylinders. Present findings indicate potential to further maximize wake-induced energy harvesting plates by exploiting their favorable positioning in the wake region behind two side-by-side cylinders.
ROLE OF PHYTOHORMONES IN RETARDATION OF DARK INCUBATION INDUCED ALTERATIONS IN THE PRIMARY PROCESSES OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN MAIZE (ZEA

Phytohormones (Auxins, gibberillins and cytokinins) play a major role in regulating various physiological processes and alleviating the senescence in plants. To prove this, in this investigation an attempt has been made to compare the action of above phytohormones (25μM) individually in delaying the dark incubation (72h) induced alterations in photosynthetic electron transport and spectral properties of photosynthesis in maize plants. Among these phytohormones, cytokinin (25 μM) is able to provide more protection in terms of loss of chlorophyll (Chl) (60%), protein content (80%) and regaining of various electron transport activities (62%). Thus among phytohormones, cytokinins (25μM) is able to protect the thylakoids of maize in terms of photochemistry from dark incubation induced damage (72h).
Testing equality of mean vectors based on three-step monotone missing data

In this paper, we consider the problem of testing equality of two mean vectors when the data have three-step monotone pattern missing observations. We propose an approximate upper percentile of the Hotelling’s T 2 type statistic where each of the data set has a three-step monotone missing data and the population covariance matrices are equal. This result is an extension of one sample problem given in Yagi and Seo (2014). Further, we consider multivariate multiple comparisons procedure of pairwise differences of mean vectors with three-step monotone missing data. Approximate simultaneous confidence intervals for pairwise multiple comparisons among mean vectors are obtained by using Bonferroni’s approximate upper percentiles of T 2 max type statistic. Finally, the accuracy of the approximation is investigated by Monte Carlo simulation.
Identification of Phenotypic and Physiological Markers of Salt Stress Tolerance in Durum Wheat (Triticum Durum Desf.) through Integrated Analyses

Salinity is one of the most important stresses that reduces plant growth and productivity in several parts of the world. Nine Tunisian durum wheat genotypes grown under hydroponic conditions were subjected to two levels of salt stress (100 and 170 mM NaCl) for 21 days. An integrative analysis revealing the impact of salinity on key phenotypic and physiological marker traits was then conducted. Principal component analysis grouped these traits into three different clusters corresponding to the absence of salt stress and the two levels of salt stress. This analysis also allowed the identification of genotypes exhibiting various levels of tolerance to NaCl. Among the nine genotypes of Triticum durum Desf. , cultivar Om Rabiaa was the most tolerant whereas cultivar Mahmoudi genotype was the most sensitive. Following the multivariate analysis of the examined phenotypic and physiological traits, we found that shoot length, shoot fresh weight, leaf area, the whole-plant stable isotope ratios of nitrogen (δ15N), shoot ammonium and proline contents, and shoot glutamine synthetase activity could be used as markers for the selection of salt-tolerant wheat genotypes.
Resveratrol Attenuates Malathion Induced Damage in Some Reproductive Parameters by Decreasing Oxidative Stress and Lipid Peroxidation in Male Rats

Objective: Malathion is the most organophosphates which capable to produce free radicals and induce disturbance on some of male reproductive parameter. Resveratrol is an herbal polyphenol and it has been beneficial antioxidant effects during short-term administration. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of Resveratrol against damage induced by Malathion to the reproductive parameter of male rats. Materials and methods: In this experimental study, 48 male rats were randomly assigned to 8 groups: normal control (saline) and Malathion control (250 mg/kg) groups; Resveratrol groups (2, 8, 20 mg/kg) and Malathion + Resveratrol (2, 8, 20 mg/kg). Treatments were administered intraperitoneally and gavage daily for 65 days. The sperm parameters, testis malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), testosterone level and germinal layer height were evaluated and statistically analyzed. Results: The results displayed that the values of all parameters except MDA level (which increased) reduced significantly in the Malathion control group compared to the normal control group (p < 0.001). The Resveratrol and Resveratrol + Malathion treatments at all doses increased significantly all parameters except MDA level (which decreased) compared to the Malathion control group (p < 0.001). No significant modifications were observed in all Resveratrol groups compared to the normal control group (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Resveratrol attenuates toxic effect of Malathion on some of male reproductive parameters.
Regional Evaluation of the Doig Formation Thickness, Organic Richness and Maturity

The Doig Formation, which has been historically viewed as a source-rock for conventional reservoirs in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, has become the focus of industry attention due to its potential as unconventional gas and natural-gas-liquids reservoir. In this study, nearly 1500 pyrolysis data points from 200 wells, were generated, compiled and reviewed. Continuous TOC logs were calculated from well logs, using published methods with locally adjusted coefficients. Structural maps were created from almost 900 wells, and a gross isochore map was calculated. The TOC from well logs was used to generate average TOC maps for the entire Doig interval and thermal maturity maps were created from thoroughly reviewed Tmax values. The 80% confidence interval for TOC lies between 0.8 and 4.8 wt. %. Kerogen type ranges from II, through II-III, to III. Thickness increases from the northeast to southwest, with an average gross thickness of 84 m. Areas of anomalous thickness in excess of 240 m are located in the central western portion of the basin and immediately southwest of a structural trough coincident with the Fort St. John Graben complex. Immediately adjacent to this trough, there exists a structural low where TOC values higher than the background values occur. Thermal maturity ranges from early oil window in the eastern and southwestern portions of the basin, through condensate/wet gas, and peak dry gas in the western edge against the deformation front. Approximately one third of the total gross rock volume of the Doig is within the condensate/wet gas window. With this preliminary assessment of the hydrocarbon potential of the Doig Formation, we hope to provide insights for evaluating the additional potential of currently developed areas and new prospects, as well as lay the groundwork for an ongoing petroleum system analysis which will incorporate a study of lithological and reservoir properties, production data and a reconstruction of thermal history through basin modeling.
Gender Wage Differences in Czech Public Healthcare: Results from the Selected Hospital

The aim of the study is to estimate the unexplained gender pay gap in the individual departments of the selected hospital, to find out whether these vary between the individual departments and if so, to identify the possible causes of these differences. We systematically examined the gender wage differences within one occupation. To estimate the unexplained part of the gender pay gap, we used the average treatment effect on the treated (ATT) and to identify the causes of the possible differences in the unexplained gender pay gap, we used the linear regression model. We found that the ATT varies significantly between the individual departments. To explain these differences, we used the selected characteristics of the departments: department size, proportion of women and gender of the department head. We came to the conclusion that the wages of women increase relatively to the male wage with a growth in the proportion of female orderlies together with a female head of department. Separately, it has not been proven that the unexplained gender wage gap tends to be lower in departments of smaller size.
Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation of the Slipstream and Trackside
 Pressure of Trains with Different Horizontal Profiles

The slipstream caused by high-speed trains may harm pedestrians and workers trackside. In general, the characteristics of the slipstream are influenced mainly by the nose shape of the train. The present study explores the slipstream caused by high-speed trains with three different horizontal nose profiles based on the results of three-dimensional, improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) with an unsteady turbulence model and a set of 1/8th scaled train models. The results obtained using this numerical methodology are in good agreement with those obtained from corresponding wind tunnel tests. The trackside pressure changes around the train models are also captured and analyzed. The analysis reveals that the width of the nose can significantly influence the magnitude and arrival time of slipstream velocity and pressure peaks. The results and proposed numerical methodology can be used as guidelines for the design of high-speed train nose shapes.
Seasonal Variations and Chemical Predictors of Oxidative Potential (OP) of Particulate Matter (PM), for Seven Urban French Sites

Epidemiological studies suggest that the main part of chronic effects from air pollution is likely to be linked with particulate matter (PM). Oxidative potential (OP) of PM is gaining strong interest as a promising health exposure metric. This study combined atmospheric detailed composition results obtained for seven different urban background environments over France to examine any possible common feature in OP seasonal variations obtained using two assays (acid ascorbic (AA) and dithiothreitol (DTT)) along a large set of samples ( N > 700 ). A remarkable homogeneity in annual cycles was observed with a higher OP activity in wintertime at all investigated sites. Univariate correlations were used to link the concentrations of some major chemical components of PM and their OP. Four PM components were identified as OP predictors: OC, EC, monosaccharides and Cu. These species are notably emitted by road transport and biomass burning, targeting main sources probably responsible for the measured OP activity. The results obtained confirm that the relationship between OP and atmospheric pollutants is assay- and location-dependent and, thus, the strong need for a standardized test, or set of tests, for further regulation purposes.
Relief Aid Dependency Syndromes: A Case for Disaster-Prone Moroto District in Uganda

Relief Aid Dependency Syndromes: A Case for Disaster-Prone Moroto District in Uganda by Richard Acaye MSc, Development Management, The Open University in London, 2004 BSc, Agricultural Economics, Makerere University Kampala, 1996 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration
Prevalence and pattern of abnormal cervical smear among women infected with HIV in Abakaliki, Nigeria

Background: Carcinoma of the cervix is the most common female genital tract malignancy in Nigeria. Immunosuppression has been linked with acquisition and persistence of human papilloma virus infection, which is known to trigger changes in the cervical epithelium resulting in cancer of the cervix. Objectives: The objective was to determine the prevalence of cervical squamous intraepithelial lesion in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive women receiving care at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki in Nigeria, as well as the pattern of abnormal cervical smear in HIV-positive women. Materials and Methods: The study was a prospective cross-sectional study of 206 HIV-positive women attending the HIV clinic at the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki. Papanicolaou smear was collected. Statistical analysis of the results was performed using the SPSS version 16 software package. Results: The prevalence of squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) was 6.3% in HIV-positive patient. Of those with abnormal cervical cytology, 35/206 (17%) had inflammatory smear, 16/206 (6.3%) had low-grade SIL, and 4/206 (1.9%) women had Trichomonas vaginalis. Conclusion: The prevalence of low-grade SIL among women infected with HIV in this study was high. The abnormal cervical smear were inflammatory smears, low-grade cervical SILs, and Trichomonas vaginalis infection.
Care practices in complementary and alternative medicine in Thai breast cancer survivors

Purpose and Background: Although use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) alone or simultaneously with Western medicine is commonplace for Thai breast cancer survivors, only a few studies of this topic were found in the literature. Hampered by this lack of scientific knowledge, nurses are lacking information necessary to meet the care needs of Thai breast cancer survivors. The purpose of the study was to explore perspectives of Thai breast cancer survivors and Thai nurses about care practices in CAM. The theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality was used as a framework for the study. Methods: The study used an ethnonursing method. The purposive sample included seventeen Thai breast cancer survivors and fifteen Thai nurses. The interview guide served as a conversational framework. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using the ethnonursing analysis method. Results: Care practices in CAM were seen as: (1) an additional beneficial choice for health (including: a sense of fulfillment of patients’ needs and the way of returning to
Uncovering a visuospatial network at rest

Introduction The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) is a crucial region for visuospatial memory and is one of the main connector hubs in the brain, playing a pivotal role in the coordination of information flow [1]. With fMRI, the PCC can be reliably activated using the Roland Hometown Walking Task (RHWT) [2], [3]. Other sites are also routinely activated during RHWT, namely those within bilateral parahippocampal gyrus (PH), middle occipital gyrus (MOG), BA29/30 (PCC), precuneus (BA7) and middle frontal gyrus (BA6). This is referred to as a “visuospatial” network (VSN) [2] and is very useful for pre-surgical mapping given its widespread activation profile. However, eliciting the VSN depends on the subject’s participation which can be difficult in patient populations. Our goal was thus two-fold: (1) To investigate whether resting-state (RS) fMRI can be used to recover the VSN and (2) identify which of the 5 bilateral sites acts as the main connector hub.
The loading characteristics of landing in cats with different body weights

Nowadays, quadrupedal locomotion information is well established for dogs, horses, and pigs, and kinetic systems have been widely used for sensitive and reliable gait analysis. However, few studies have investigated cat locomotion and the data available are confusing and restricted, especially in relation to jumping. In addition, it has been suggested that several factors, including the influence of the body weight (BW), may be associated with the collection of the kinetic data measurements in dogs. This raises the question of whether the BW would influence the kinetic data measurements in cats. Therefore, this study was aimed at comparing the kinetic parameters of the landing during the jumping in cats with different BWs and to determine the associations between the BW and the kinetic parameters. Twelve client-owned cats were sub-divided into two groups based on the BW and were categorised as a thin group and a heavy group. Each cat was encouraged to jump from a table (1.0 m) onto a force plate several times. The trials were considered to be valid if the cat jumped normally onto the plate and then continued to walk forward. The kinetic parameters including the peak vertical force (PVF) and the vertical impulse (VI) were obtained for each limb. In addition, correlations between the PVF, VI, and BW and the symmetry index (SI) of the forelimbs and hindlimbs were also determined. Most of the kinetic parameters of the thin cats were significantly smaller than the heavy cats during the landing and these values increased as the BW increased, while the normalised PVF and VI of the forelimbs were significantly smaller in the heavy cats than in the thin cats. In addition, for both groups, the non-normalised or normalised PVF and VI were significantly larger in the forelimbs than the hindlimbs, and the SI of the PVF was significantly smaller at the forelimbs than in the hindlimbs. In conclusion, the results of this study showed substantial similarities and differences during the landing between thin and heavy cats. These findings should provide more reference data for the biomechanical motion analysis related to jumping in clinically intact cats.
Evaluation of physicochemical, rheological and sensory properties of wafer cream by replacing cocoa powder with carob pod and chicory root powders.

Wafer is a kind of wire-cut sandwich biscuit with soft, crisp and fragile texture that consists of two parts; bread wafer and cream. Wafer cream is a mixture of edible material like oil, sugar, milk powder, cocoa powder, flavour and lecithin. In the present work, the combination of carob pods powder and chicory root powder, as a substitute for cocoa powder in wafer cream, was investigated. Wafer cream was prepared in different amounts of carob powder and chicory root (0, 3.33, 6.67, 10, 13.33 and 20%) instead of cocoa powder. Physicochemical analysis (caffeine, total sugar, total fat, peroxide value, antioxidant activity, and colour), rheological properties (viscosity, torque and shear stress) and sensory evaluation (colour, odour, flavour, texture and total acceptability) were performed in different storage intervals (1, 30 and 60 days). Results were analysed by using design expert software and response surface method (RSM). The amount of caffeine significantly decreased in sample with 100% cocoa powder to sample with 100% carob pod powder and chicory root powder, while the amount of colour, sugar, and antioxidant activity increased. Other factors like peroxide value decreased in wafer cream samples with carob pod powder and chicory roots. Measurement of wafer cream rheological properties in different formulations were statistically significant. The colour, odour, flavour, texture and total acceptability of the formulated product were measured by the multiple comparison methods.
A Support Group for Home-Quarantined College Students Exposed to SARS: Learning from Practice

ABSTRACT This article is an initial description of a meaningful and valuable clinical experience in interacting with SARS home-quarantined college students in a support group in Taiwan. Information about SARS and home quarantine, the tasks of the Counseling Centers and group work after the SARS outbreak, the support group for home-quarantined members, the observation of support group processes, the therapeutic factors for the SARS home-quarantined support group, and limitations and further recommendations are discussed.
Audit of Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality at Neonatal Unit of Sir Gangaram Hospital Lahore

Abstract Objective: To know the disease pattern and causes of mortality of patients admitted to the neonatal unit of Sir Gangaram Hospital Lahore and to compare it re-gionally. Design and Duration of Study: It was a descriptive study conducted from 1 st Jan 2007 to 31 st Dec 2007. Patients and Methods: Data of all the patients admit-ted to the neonatal unit during study period was ana-lyzed for weight, age, sex, gestational age, place and mode of delivery and duration of stay and their out-come. Results: Total of 1391 patients were admitted during study period. 945 (67.9%) were admitted at the age of less than 24 hours. 595 (42.8%) were preterm babies. 686 (49.3%) were low birth weight. 1124 (80.8%) were delivered in Sir Gangaram Hospital. Main causes of admission were prematurity 327 (23.5%), sepsis 305 (21.9%), and birth asphyxia 250 (18%), JNN 157 (11.3%). Neonatal mortality was 430 (30.9%). The main causes of neonatal mortality were prematurity 159 (11.4%), birth asphyxia 97 (7%) and sepsis 58 (4.2%). Key Words: Neonates, morbidity, mortality, low birth weight.