Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
System-Level Analysis of a Self-Fronthauling and Millimeter-Wave Cloud-RAN

In this work, we analytically study the performance of an in-band and self-fronthauling millimeter-wave Cloud-Radio Access Network (C-RAN). By considering a stochastic-geometry approach for the modeling of the position and number of Baseband Units (BBUs), Remote Radio Heads (RRHs), and mobile terminals (MTs), we provide the following three-fold contribution: i) We derive an analytical framework for the MT rate distribution for two types of wireless RRHs, namely half-duplex (HD) and full-duplex (FD); ii) Based on the derived framework, we prove that the maximum performance gain of the FD network over its HD counterpart is achieved for a substantially higher density of the wireless RRHs compared to the fiber-connected ones and an adequately small self-interference power level; iii) Finally, we compute an analytical expression of the total cost required to increase the density of the fiber-connected RRHs in a city that showcases the tradeoff between their density increase and the incurred cost. The aforementioned system-level trends are validated by means of Monte Carlo simulations.
Unisexual Broods of Asphondylia Species1 in New Floral Bud Galls on Mesquite in New Mexico

Abstract. Monogeny is a phenomenon where a female gall midge produces unisexual broods within galls. Although it has been reported in other cecidomyiid gall midges, it has not been described in the genus Asphondylia. We report that not only do female Asphondylia prosopidis Cockerell induce a new floral bud gall type on mesquites (Prosopis spp.), but also predominantly produce unisexual galls (89%) on mesquites in Arizona and New Mexico. Among mixed galls (11%), the sex ratio was approximately 2:1 between females and males. When considering the use of Asphondylia spp. and other gall midges as biological control agents against invasive plants, it is critical to identify and release both male and female-galled racemes during initial gall establishment.
Lesion size induced by Chrysoporthe fungal pathogens varies between Eucalyptus species and geographic locations in Zambia

Chrysoporthe canker disease is one of the serious threats facing planted Eucalyptus in southern Africa. In order to manage this disease, planting of less susceptible species of Eucalyptus has been promoted in many countries but it is not clear which species are less susceptible for Zambian environments. The purpose of this study was to test the response of different Eucalyptus species to Chrysoporthe fungal pathogens under field conditions to identify the least susceptible species to the disease. Two-year-old Eucalyptus trees (E. grandis, E. camaldulensis, E. cloeziana and E. tereticornis) growing in low- and high-rainfall locations were inoculated separately with three Chrysoporthe fungal species (C. austroafricana, C. syzygiicola and C. zambiensis) and the induced lesion size was measured six months after inoculation. Analysis of variance revealed that lesion size differed significantly between Eucalyptus species (F3,948 = 1 978.8, p < 0.001). Lesion size on Eucalyptus species increased in the order E. camaldulensis < E. teriticornis < E. cloeziana < E. grandis. On average, trees growing in the higher-rainfall site produced significantly larger lesions than trees growing in the low-rainfall site (F1,948 = 565, p < 0.001), suggesting that location influences disease severity. Smaller lesions on E. camaldulensis indicate lower susceptibility to Chrysoporthe canker disease, providing an opportunity to use this species in the selection and breeding for resistant Eucalyptus genotypes for plantation development in high disease-risk sites in Zambia.
Instance-Dependent ℓ∞-Bounds for Policy Evaluation in Tabular Reinforcement Learning

Markov reward processes (MRPs) are used to model stochastic phenomena arising in operations research, control engineering, robotics, and artificial intelligence, as well as communication and transportation networks. In many of these cases, such as in the policy evaluation problem encountered in reinforcement learning, the goal is to estimate the long-term value function of such a process without access to the underlying population transition and reward functions. Working with samples generated under the synchronous model, we study the problem of estimating the value function of an infinite-horizon discounted MRP with finite state space in the $\ell _{\infty }$ -norm. We analyze both the standard plug-in approach to this problem and a more robust variant, and establish non-asymptotic bounds that depend on the (unknown) problem instance, as well as data-dependent bounds that can be evaluated based on the observations of state-transitions and rewards. We show that these approaches are minimax-optimal up to constant factors over natural sub-classes of MRPs. Our analysis makes use of a leave-one-out decoupling argument tailored to the policy evaluation problem, one which may be of independent interest.
Measuring the effects of bivalve mariculture on water quality in northern New Zealand using 15 years of MODIS-Aqua satellite observations

This study demonstrates that satellite information can be used to quantify the effect of a large coastal mussel farm on water quality. Our study focussed on a 1400 ha area of maricultured green-lipped mussels Perna canaliculus in the Firth of Thames in northern New Zealand. Observations by NASA’s MODIS-Aqua sensor were used to estimate the concentration of chlorophyll a (chl a, as a proxy for phytoplankton), turbidity and sea surface temperature at 500 m resolution. We used approximately 890 single-pass satellite images, each with <50% cloud cover, spanning 2002 to 2017. For each image, the area over the mussel farm was removed and then filled in using kriging with parameters derived from semivariogram analysis of each individual image using linear and exponential models. Three control areas were used to test whether the differences between the kriged data and the observed data in the farm area were significant. We found that, over the 15 yr of the observation, the farm had a significant effect on chl a of −1.6% (reduction) averaged over an area of 1.5 times the area of the farm itself. No significant effect of the farm on turbidity was detected. The farm caused a seasonal pattern of winter warming (+0.03°C) and summer cooling (−0.11°C). The method described here could potentially be applied to other satellite data and other large (multi-kilometre) mariculture facilities to observe their effects on water quality.
Field Enactment of Taxus wallichiana Zucc. (Himalayan yew) Stem Cuttings Inoculated with Selected and Beneficial Bio-inoculants under Nursery Conditions

The unrelenting demand for the production of trees in forests with a substantial decline in the consumption of manmade chemical fertilizers and pesticides is an immense task at the moment. Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) and fungi being the useful microbes which are extensively considered by microbiologists and agronomists as of their impending in growing crop production and offer innumerable methods to replace man-made chemical fertilizers, pesticides, etc., and therefore has significantly managed to their augmented demand. Throughout the present investigation, the microbial inoculants (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus safensis, Penicillium griseoroseum and Trichoderma harzianum) were inoculated in various treatments to determine the impact on vegetative growth of Taxus wallichiana Zucc. (Himalayan yew) stem cuttings under nursery conditions. The pot experiment with 10 treatments including control and 3 replications with plot size comprising of 30 pots was arranged in Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Several growth characteristics viz., plant height, collar diameter, root length, fresh and dry biomass (shoot, root and total plant biomass) after the interlude of two months responded significantly to all the different treatments of microbial inoculants as compared to control. The combined treatment of the microbial inoculants showed the best results for all the growth characteristics as compared to isolated treatments and an increasing trend in all the growth characteristics was noticed up to December of the study period and in February it remains same as no growth was observed. Thus, our outcomes revealed that the application of microbial inoculants enhanced the growth traits of Himalayan yew stem cuttings under nursery conditions.
Effects of chitosan edible coatings enriched with sumac on the quality and the shelf life of rainbow trout (
 Oncorhynchus mykiss
 , Walbaum, 1792) fillets

Effects of chitosan coating combined with sumac on the quality of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fillets stored in refrigerated condition (4°C) for 12 days were evaluated. The treatments in this study were—T1, control; T2, chitosan: 2% w/v; T3, chitosan: 2% w/v and sumac: 1% w/v; and T4, chitosan: 2% w/v and sumac: 2% w/v. The shelf life of the samples were determined periodically using physicochemical (pH, peroxide value [PV], thiobarbituric acid [TBA], and total volatile basic nitrogen [TVB‐N]), microbiological (total viable counts [TVCs] and psychrotrophic bacteria), and sensory analyzes. During the storage period, T3 and T4 groups showed lower pH, PV, TBA, and TVB‐N values than T1 and T2 groups. The sensory results are in line with chemical and microbiological results. Treatment with 2% chitosan + 1% sumac and 2% chitosan + 2% sumac increased the shelf life of rainbow trout fillets by 6 days as compared to the control samples. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: To avoid the adverse effects of chemical preservatives and to answer natural and reliable product demands of the consumers, plant extracts and edible coatings are applied to increase the shelf life and to prevent the spoilage of fresh fish. The results of this study reported the efficacy of chitosan edible coating combined with sumac as a new natural preservative for improving the shelf life of rainbow trout fillets. The findings revealed that sumac extract combined with chitosan coating can be an alternative method to extend the shelf life, to preserve the quality and safety of fish, as a result of their good antioxidant and antimicrobial activity.
Studies of the Electrohydrodynamic Force Produced in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge for Flow Control. Report no. 2, Phase 3

Abstract : The mechanisms of ion wind generation in surface dielectric barrier discharges (SDBDs) is identical to the one in corona discharges. The electrohydrodynamic force (EHD) generated in SDBDs for moderate increase rates of the applied voltage is, as in corona discharges, due to the development of a unipolar region above the dielectric surface, where ion space charge is dominant and ions transfer momentum to the neutral gas. For very fast rise (few ns) of the applied voltage, ion wind is no longer important and the action of the discharge on the flow is different. SDBDs are more interesting for applications than DC corona because high current breakdown and transition to the arc regime are prevented by the use of a dielectric layer. There is no evidence that SDBDs can generate larger ion wind than DC corona discharges. For a given power dissipated in the discharge, the EHD force decreases when the frequency increases. This trend is also valid for other voltage waveforms. The nanosecond discharge regime has been simulated and its possible aerodynamic effects have been studied by coupling the discharge model with Navier Stokes equations. The results confirm that the EHD force generated in the nanosecond regime is negligible and show that the fast heating of the gas in the vicinity of the exposed electrode can lead to a large temperature increase in a short time, giving rise to the development of micro shockwaves. These pressure waves may be responsible for the observed aerodynamic effects.
Length-weight relationship, condition factor and length-frequency analysis of tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon fabricius, 1798)

The tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon (Fabricius, 1798) were collected from the Government shrimp farm, Coastal Salt salinity Research Station (CSSRS), Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, India during the year 2009-2010. The morphometric measurements including length and weight of 321 male, 317 female and 638 pooled population that shows 8.0-19.4 (15.257±0.070) cm, 8.0-18.5 (15.019±0.098) cm and 9.0-19.4 (15.426±0.100) cm range of length with 8.0-52.0 (30.546±.0498), 8.0-58.0 (32.760±0.541) and 8.0-58.0 (31.663±0.369) gm range of weight respectively. The regression coefficient (r2) 0.788, 0.772 & 0.780, intercept (a) -1.451, -1.620 & -1.536 and slope or regression coefficient (b) 2.478, 2.624 & 2.552 was observed for male, female and pooled population samples. The value of regression coefficient (b) was < 3.0 that shows negative allometric growth of studied population. The values of condition factor (K) was 0.537 - 1.646 (0.875±0.009) for male, 0.455 - 1.646 (0.875±0.009) for female and 0.455 - 1.646 (0.876±0.007) for pooled population which revealed that condition of studied shrimp population was almost uniform during the study period.
Multimodal Imaging and Analysis of the Neuroanatomical Organization of the Primary Olfactory Inputs in the Brownbanded Bamboo Shark, Chiloscyllium punctatum

There is currently a limited understanding of the morphological and functional organization of the olfactory system in cartilaginous fishes, particularly when compared to bony fishes and terrestrial vertebrates. In this fish group, there is a clear paucity of information on the characterization, density, and distribution of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) within the sensory olfactory epithelium lining the paired olfactory rosettes, and their functional implications with respect to the hydrodynamics of incurrent water flow into the nares. This imaging study examines the brownbanded bamboo shark Chiloscyllium punctatum (Elasmobranchii) and combines immunohistochemical labeling using antisera raised against five G-protein α-subunits (Gαs/olf, Gαq/11/14, Gαi–1/2/3, Gαi–3, Gαo) with light and electron microscopy, to characterize the morphological ORN types present. Three main ORNs (“long”, “microvillous” and “crypt-like”) are confirmed and up to three additional microvilli-bearing types are also described; “Kappe-like” (potential or homologous “Kappe” as in teleosts), “pear-shaped” and “teardrop-shaped” cells. These morphotypes will need to be confirmed molecularly in the future. Using X-ray diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography (diceCT), high-resolution scans of the olfactory rosettes, olfactory bulbs (OBs), peduncles, and telencephalon reveal a lateral segregation of primary olfactory inputs within the OBs, with distinct medial and lateral clusters of glomeruli, suggesting a potential somatotopic organization. However, most ORN morphotypes are found to be ubiquitously distributed within the medial and lateral regions of the olfactory rosette, with at least three microvilli-bearing ORNs labeled with anti-Gαo found in significantly higher densities in lateral lamellae [in lateral lamellae] and on the anterior portion of lamellae (facing the olfactory cavity). These microvilli-bearing ORN morphotypes (microvillous, “Kappe-like,” “pear-shaped,” and “teardrop-shaped”) are the most abundant across the olfactory rosette of this species, while ciliated ORNs are less common and crypt cells are rare. Spatial simulations of the fluid dynamics of the incurrent water flow into the nares and within the olfactory cavities indicate that the high densities of microvilli-bearing ORNs located within the lateral region of the rosette are important for sampling incoming odorants during swimming and may determine subsequent tracking behavior.
Study of Lipid Profile in Different grades of Non- Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Background: The prevalence of NAFLD (non- alcoholic fatty liver disease) is increasing as it exceed (31.79%) in Middle East and the metabolic syndrome prevalence in patients with NAFLD ranges from 18% to 67%, according to the body weight. Imaging or histology is very important tools in diagnosis of NAFLD. Early detection of NAFLD is very important especially if there is a non-invasive method. The clinicians in the primary, secondary and tertiary care are in need for specific and sensitive diagnostic tool that can be used easily. Aim: To study and analyze serum lipid changes in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease of different grades. Patients and methods: 100 patients diagnosed by ultrasonography as NAFLD, whose age was more than 18 years, were included in the study. History taking, full clinical examination and anthropometric measurement of weight, height and body mass index (BMI) were done for all patients. Serum lipid profiles including total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, ALT, AST. CBC, fasting and 2hpp blood glucose and TSH were measured. Results: The largest group of patients (38%) was in the fifth decade of life. followed by 30% in the sixth decade of life. As the grade of NAFLD increased, there was associated significant increase in levels of serum total cholesterol (P-value 0.005), TG (P-value 0.002) LDL (P-value 0.001) and VLDL (P-value 0.003) and associated significant decrease in HDL (P-value 0.001). Conclusions: abdominal ultrasonography and increased lipid profile values can be used to detect NAFLD early
Analysis of human thermal comfort in Central European City during summer of 2015: A case of Novi Sad (Serbia)

Urban meteorological network (UMN) was established in the Central European City of Novi Sad (Serbia) based on "local climate zones" (LCZs) system. Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) index was used for the assessment of outdoor thermal comfort in the "built" and "land cover" LCZ classes of Novi Sad. The index was calculated in the RayMan software based on the meteorological, physiological as well as building and vegetation data. Temporal analysis was performed for extreme heat stress days (PETmax ? 41 ? C), extreme heat stress hours (PETav ? 41 ? C) and days with occurrence of "tropical nights" (Tmin > 20 ? C) during exceptionally hot summer of 2015. Our results show that extreme heat stress hours are the least frequent in compact midrise LCZ 2, followed by dense trees LCZ A. On the contrary, countryside (low plants - LCZ D) showed to be the most uncomfortable area during daytime followed by compact low-rise areas (LCZ 3). Tropical nights are the most frequent in midrise LCZs 5 and 2 (40-46 nights) and decreasing towards open, sparsely built and natural LCZs (6-8 tropical nights in LCZs A and D). This is almost 800% decrease and it has implications for health and recreation of urban population and emphasizes the need for UMN development based on LCZ system.
Effects of Videotaped Instructional Method on Students Academic Achievement in Basic Technology in Secondary Schools in Anambra State

The study determined the effects of videotaped instructional method on students’ academic achievement in basic technology in secondary schools in the State. Two research questions guided the study while two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a non-randomized quasi experimental research design. The population was 11,129 students offering basic technology out which 102 constituted the sample size. Purposive sampling technique was used to select two intact classes. The instrument for data collection was Basic Technology Achievement Test (BTAT) which contained 10 objective questions. The instrument was validated by three experts, and yielded the reliability coefficient 0.84 which was established using Cronbach Alpha. Mean was used to analyze data relating to research questions while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses. Findings revealed among others that students taught Basic Technology using videotaped instructional method performed better with higher post-test scores than those taught with conventional method. Sequel to the findings, the researchers concluded that videotaped instructional method could improve st udents’ academic achievement in Basic Technology. It was therefore recommended among others that basic technology teachers should use videotaped instructional method to enable students effectively learn and assimilate what they leant in order to improve on their academic achievements.
Effect of environmental conditions and genotype on nectar secretion in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

The sunflower crop provides an important honey flow for beekeepers. In France, beekeepers observed a decrease in honey yield from this crop these past years compared to the 1980s–1990s. They suspect the new cultivars to be less productive in nectar compared to the older ones, but no data is available to support this, and it is known that climate conditions have a strong impact on nectar secretion. This study aimed to explore the effect of abiotic environmental conditions on nectar secretion in sunflower, as well the range of variation of this secretion in a sample of current cultivars. Thirty-four current sunflower hybrid cultivars were sampled in test plots for their nectar secretion under varying conditions of temperature, air humidity and soil moisture. Air humidity controlled the sugar concentration of nectar, and thus its volume. To study nectar secretion independently from this effect, analyses subsequently focused on nectar sugar mass per floret. The nectar sugar mass increased with temperature up to an optimum of 32 °C, while the variation range of soil water tension was not sufficient to detect an effect on nectar sugar mass. This varied by up to 100% among the 34 cultivars (from 101 to 216 μg sugar per staminate floret in average), with a similar range to those reported in the literature for older cultivars. Likewise, oleic cultivars, a new type introduced since the early 2000s, were found to secrete the same amounts of nectar as linoleic cultivars, an older conventional type. The more self-fertile cultivars also showed no reduction in nectar secretion. Finally, we tested the method that measures the nectar gross secretion rate in one hybrid, and we observed that this hybrid secreted in average 28 μg sugar per hour per staminate floret. The potential benefits of this method were discussed.
Determining of agricultural credit impact on agricultural production value in Turkey

ABSTRACT: Agriculture is an indispensable activity for all countries. Depending on the increasing population, food needs can be met by increasing agricultural production. In this respect, it is of great importance to investigate the value of agricultural production and the factors affecting agricultural production. This study aimed to examine the impact on the agricultural production value of agricultural bank credit in Turkey. In the study, with the aim of examining the relationship between agricultural credit and agricultural production value in Turkey, 1998-2016 real agricultural loans and agricultural real gross domestic product annual data covering the period given above were used. The statistical analysis tool is ordinary least squares (OLS) techniques. According to OLS regression, the purposed model explains 83.94% of total variance. Regression coefficients show that effect of term is higher than effect of agricultural credits. The reason for this difference may be explained as dependency of credits on macroeconomic indicators and political structure of the country. This study proposes that agricultural credit mechanism in the country needs to be developed to increase the financing opportunities for the realization of technology and modernization investments by farmers.