Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Civil Society and Democratization in Nigeria : A Historical Perspective

This paper focused on examining the historical struggles of popular civil society organizations in the movement for democratization in Nigeria. This in many ways is a prelude to its contemporary phase, which coincides with the era of the third wave of democracy. The central argument of this paper which is in congruence with historical studies is that past struggles that are linked to democratization are historical phenomena rooted in colonial/postcolonial unpopular policies of the Nigerian state. In doing this, the paper also attempted albeit in brief a theoretical examination of the literature on civil societyfocusing on the liberal and Marxian schools of thought and the relevance of civil society to democratization discourses. The paper contends that the Marxian perspective more generally reflects the approach and interpretation of civil society in Nigeria’s history of democratization. Overall, the study underlined not only the significance of history in shaping knowledge and enhancing understanding of contemporary struggles/movement of popular forces in Nigeria’s political development but also the consistency and resilience of civil society in constructing that history especially that of democratization.
Information Detection and Energy Harvesting Trade-off in Multi-User Secure Communication

We study the secrecy rate region of wiretap interference channels with a multi-antenna passive eavesdropper under receiver energy harvesting constraints. To stay operational in the network, the legitimate receivers demand energy alongside information, which is fulfilled by power transmission and exploiting a power splitting (PS) receiver. Simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) results in a reduction in the secrecy rates due to the legitimate receivers PS for simultaneous information detection and energy harvesting. For this setup, lower-bounds for secure communication rate are derived without imposing any limitation on the eavesdropper processing. It turns out that in order to obtain the Pareto boundary of the secrecy rate region, smart tuning of the transmit power and receiver PS coefficient is required. Notice that, granting both, i.e., secrecy in communication as well as enabling energy harvesting, result in shrinkages in the reliable communication rate region, which is captured by this optimal tune. Hence, it is of crucial importance to investigate, which of these two services shrinks the rate region more. Interestingly, we observe that by enabling SWIPT, the convexity of the reliable rate region is preserved. However, granting secrecy for the communication results in a non-convex rate region as the interference power increases.
Use of flow cytometry to monitor cell damage and predict fermentation activity of dried yeasts

Viable dried yeast is used as an inoculum for many fermentations in the baking and wine industries. The fermentative activity of yeast in bread dough or grape must is a critical parameter of process efficiency. Here, it is shown that fluorescent stains and flow cytometry can be used in concert to predict the abilities of populations of dried bakers' and wine yeasts to ferment after rehydration. Fluorescent dyes that stain cells only if they have damaged membrane potential (oxonol) or have increased membrane permeability (propidium iodide) were used to analyse, by flow cytometry, populations of rehydrated yeasts. A strong relationship (r2 = 0·99) was found between the percentages of populations staining with the oxonol and the degree of cell membrane damage as measured by the more traditional method of leakage of intracellular compounds. There were also were good negative relationships (r2 ≥ 0·83) between fermentation by rehydrated bakers' or wine dry yeasts and percentage of populations staining with either oxonol or propidium iodide. Fluorescent staining with flow cytometry confirmed that factors such as vigour of dried yeast mixing in water, soaking before stirring, rehydration in water or fermentation medium and temperature of rehydration have profound effects on subsequent yeast vitality. These experiments indicate the potential of flow cytometry as a rapid means of predicting the fermentation performance of dried bakers' and wine yeasts.
Impact of demand response contracts on short-term load forecasting in smart grid using SVR optimized by GA

In a Smart Grid environment the performance measure of the grid is calculated by considering the fact that how accurately and precisely a load forecasting (LF) is done. A true Load Forecasting is vital to make a current grid smarter and more reliable when it comes to its performance. Demand Response (DR) contracts is a type of program in smart grid where the customer is free to select a type of contract which is given by the utility and is one of the growing factor which affects the load forecasting results in the Smart Grid, therefore in order to do a complete evaluation of smart grid performance and to accomplish an accurate load forecasting results the different types of contracts should also be studied. The purpose of this study is to accomplish two goals. The first one is to develop a suitable model which can incorporate various factors that can affect the load forecasting results. The subsequent goal is to identify the impact of the demand response contracts on the load forecasting results. In the proposed study, Support Vector Machine-Regression (SVR) is selected as the base methodology to perform a Short — Term Load Forecasting (STLF) under smart grid environment.
Specification of a Bounded Exhaustive Testing Study for a Software-based Embedded Digital Device

Under the Department of Energy’s Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program, within the Plant Modernization research pathway, the Digital Instrumentation and Control (I&C) Qualification Project is identifying new methods that would be beneficial in qualifying digital I&C systems and devices for safety-related usage. One such method that would be useful in qualifying field components such as sensors and actuators is the concept of testability. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) considers testability to be one of two design attributes sufficient to eliminate consideration of software-based or software logic-based common cause failure (the other being diversity). The NRC defines acceptable “testability” as follows:
Mobile edge computing applications for connectivity management

Connectivity management is the ability to connect and manage mobile devices in Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications. Resilient and scalable connectivity management, which is fundamental to M2M solutions, may be achieved by using Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) technology. MEC enables applications to timely response to dynamic changes in radio conditions and thus to improve effectiveness of connectivity management. In this paper, we present models of device connectivity management that may be supported by MEC applications. We suggest a method for automatic detection of undesired interaction between applications using standard reasoning over description logic.
Evaluation of Fluidized Bed Reactor in treating Dyeing effluent

Textile dyeing industries one of the complicated industries which use many chemicals like dyes, starch, acids, alkalis, surfactants and refractory organics for their process. As it is a wet process it requires more amount of water ranging 65-104 L/Kg of product and it discharges 52-95 L/Kg of product as wastewater. The COD, BOD, TDS, Colour and SS are the major pollutants from these industries to the receiving streams. Biological treatment is employed mostly when compared to the physicochemical treatment. More sludge, toxic bye products and cost for the treatment are the reasons for not employing the physiochemical treatment processes. Biological treatments like aerobic and anaerobic processes overcome the disadvantages of physicochemical treatment. The present study evaluates the Aerobic Fluidized bed Reactor for the treatment of Dyeing effluent. It has been observed through this study that 89% colour removal and 83.3% COD removal were achieved.
Optically Upconverted, Spatially Coherent Phased-Array-Antenna Feed Networks for Beam-Space MIMO in 5G Cellular Communications

The densification of cellular networks and their soon-to-increase operational frequency is forcing new topological considerations in 5G networks. In particular, networks that enable extreme spatial discrimination are being considered as a means to significantly increase data capacity by realizing spatial-spectral channels that offer frequency reuse without co-channel or adjacent-channel interference. In this paper, we present a new approach to realizing such a capability based on optically upconverted, spatially coherent phased-array feed networks. The details of our approach, presented herein, include the design and initial demonstration of both transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) array systems that are used in tandem to form a down-/up-link for the purpose of characterizing both array and link performance. Design parameters and initial link characterization results are presented.
CONSTRUCTION OF PROCEDURE OF STRONG GROUND MOTION PREDICTION FOR INTRASLAB EARTHQUAKES BASED ON CHARACTERIZED SOURCE MODEL

We proposed a prototype of the procedure to construct source models for strong motion prediction during intraslab earthquakes. The key is the characterized source model which is based on the empirical scaling relationships for intraslab earthquakes and involve the correspondence between the SMGA (strong motion generation area, Miyake et al., 2003) and the asperity (large slip area). Iwata and Asano [2011] obtained the empirical relationships of the rupture area (S) and the total asperity area (Sa) to the seismic moment (M0) as follows, with assuming power of 2/3 dependency of S and Sa on M0, S (km) = 6.57×10×M0 (Nm) (1) Sa (km) = 1.04 ×10×M0 (Nm) (2) Iwata and Asano [2011] also found that the SMGA approximately corresponds to the asperity area for several events. Based on the empirical relationships obtained above, we gave a procedure for constructing source models of intraslab earthquakes for strong motion prediction. [1] Give the seismic moment, M0. [2] Obtain the total rupture area and the total asperity area according to the empirical scaling relationships between S, Sa, and M0 given by Iwata and Asano [2011]. [3] Square rupture area and asperities are assumed. [4] The source mechanism is assumed to be the same as that of small events in the source region. [5] Plural scenarios including variety of the number of asperities and rupture starting points are prepared. We are testing this procedure by simulating strong ground motions for several observed events.
Gain and Bandwidth Enhancement Techniques in Microstrip Patch Antennas - A Review

Today antenna designers are paying more focus on microstrip patch antennas, because of its numerous advantages in field of communication, such as high reliability, light weight, ease of fabrication etc. But despite of its bountiful advantages, patch antennas also experience some drawbacks viz low gain and narrow bandwidth. These drawbacks can be overcome by taking care of some parameters in the design of antennas. There are numerous designing factors affecting the radiating characteristics of antenna such as patch height, feeding techniques, substrate used in manufacturing of antenna etc. The paper is focused on various bandwidth enhancement techniques. The paper comprises of a brief study in feeding techniques, parasitic patch elements, introduction of slots, dual feed, shorting pin, air gap and recently introduced concept of defective ground structure that enhances the gain and bandwidth of antenna without increasing its height.
AN EXPECTED OUTCOME FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING BATTING AND PITCHING PERFORMANCE IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WITH APPLICATIONS TO THE " JUICED BALL " AND THE " FLY BALL REVOLUTION " by TAYLOR SMITH ( Under the Direction of L

PITCHING PERFORMANCE IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WITH APPLICATIONS TO THE "JUICED BALL" AND THE "FLY BALL REVOLUTION" by TAYLOR SMITH (Under the Direction of L. Jason Anastasopoulos) ABSTRACT I utilize Major League Baseball Statcast data from 2015-2017 to build batted ball classifiers using state-of-the-art gradient boosting trees in conjunction with hyperparameter optimization techniques. Visual and numeric summaries of the model results are used to glean insights into batted balls in MLB. Further, the model framework is used to create new batting and pitching metrics with demonstrated advantages over previously used metrics. Using the batted ball classifiers and the introduced metrics, I investigate the "Juiced Ball" and "Fly Ball Revolution" phenomena in MLB, quantify the respective impacts of both phenomena, and present a manner for evaluating batter and pitcher performance across different ball environments.
Morphometric methods for applied ostracology: Tools for outline analysis of nonmarine ostracodes

Morphometric techniques for the analysis of shape change in organisms have experienced a noteworthy development in the last decade. But despite the significant contributions that ostracodologists made to the field, their use in standard ostracode research is far from common. This contribution stresses the usefulness of morphometric methods to describe ostracode valve outlines and to summarize shape changes cued by environmental factors. Focus is on nonmarine ostracodes which are generally poorly ornamented so that their carapaces offer few landmarks for characterization of morphological change. Out of several alternatives three techniques for shape analysis are applied here: the B-splines method for approximative description of ostracode contours, Elliptic Fourier Analysis (EFA) and a Generalized (Resistant Fit) Procrustes Analysis. B-splines method is presented here for the first time within a biological framework and both its mathematical basis and practical usage are discussed. Additionally a computer program, Morphomatica, developed for performing Bsplines analyses of ostracod outlines is briefly documented. Three case studies exemplify here how morphometric analysis might help either to detect environmental influences in ostracode shape or to show how morphological diversity of ostracode valve reflects environmental change. First, morphological variability within a clonal lineage of Heterocypris barbara (Gauthier and Brehm) is shown to be related to environmental variables (mainly temperature) when raised under controlled conditions in the lab. Second, carapace variability at the population level is explored in a widely distributed species (Limnocythere inopinata Baird) sampled from distant localities. Morphometric analyses illustrate how such variability is not related to geographic distance but to environmental conditions. Finally, patterns of temporal change in morphological diversity of a widely distributed ostracode group, the Candoninae, are elucidated by using the B-splines method combined with multivariate statistical analysis. It is concluded that morphometric methods deserve to be included in the methodological toolbox of practicing ostracodologists as they can provide useful information in ecological and paleoecological research.
SODA: a security model for object-oriented database management systems

A security model for a multilevel secure object-oriented database (SODA) is described. The author demonstrates that the model satisfies the simple security condition and the *-property. Data classification is based on inheritance with the enforcement of data classification rules assured by the TCB. SODA allows the use of polyinstantiation or rigid classification as a solution to the multiparty update conflict problem with the selection being made on a class by class basis. The SODA model is compatible with a property called modifiability. This property insures that every object which is reachable within the database can be modified by some subject. <<ETX>>
Shared Representations: You Move, I Watch, It Matters: Aesthetic Communication in Dance

In this chapter we will introduce a new theory of aesthetics in the performing arts that is based on communication via movement. With a specific focus on dance performances, we propose that movement messages are communicated from performer to spectator. We suggest that the aesthetic impact of dance (and perhaps all performing arts) is a result of successful message-passing between performer and spectator. We show how Grice’s four maxims of successful conversation can be applied to the performance situation. We propose that communication during a performance is interactive and bidirectional. Information being passed from performer to audience is primarily communicated through observed movement kinematics and choreographic structure: We will distinguish between the processing of syntactic information of postures, movements and movement sequences on the one hand, and processing of semantics of movement intentions on the other hand. Aesthetic processing of the movement message will further depend on the spectator’s visual and motor expertise. In a dimensional model of aesthetic appreciation of dance we distinguish between processing fluency and novelty/complexity of information as two distinct sources of movement aesthetics that relate to specific brain mechanisms. Aesthetic judgements of preference and interest will reflect a combination of both implicit processing fluency and explicit aesthetic strategy of the observer. Our theory differs from existing accounts of aesthetic experience in that it emphasises successful communication as the primary source of aesthetic experience. Appreciation of dance in this context is neither just a function of dance movement features (as an objectivist aesthetics suggests) nor of the spectator’s processing fluency (as a subjectivist aesthetics suggests). Instead, our emphasis on communication implies some level of experience-sharing between dancer and spectator.
Systematic derivation of percolation thresholds in continuum systems.

Analytic expressions for the critical percolation density in the continuum are derived using the direct-connectedness expansion method. Demonstrating a systematic application of this method for systems of permeable cubes or spheres, it is concluded that the present expansion is quite practical for the derivation of critical parameters of continuum systems. Correspondingly we also utilize the method to find the percolation threshold of the so-far unstudied continuum systems of oriented hypercubes. The results obtained are in excellent agreement with Monte Carlo simulations.
Plasma Prostaglandin Levels in Rats with Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetic Ketoacidosis

We studied by radioimmunoassay the plasma levels of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin (PG)E2 (the stable metabolite of PGE2), 6-keto-PGFUt[the stable breakdown product of prostacyclin (PGI2)], and thromboxane (TX) B2 (the stable breakdown product of TXA2) in normal rats and rats with nonketotic diabetes mellitus (DM) or diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). The plasma levels of the PGE2, PGI2, and TXA2 derivatives were markedly elevated in rats with DKA. The level of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGE2 (0.298 ± 0.056 ng/ml, N = 34) was sixfold higher, the level of 6-keto-PGF1α (0.378 ± 0.049 ng/ml, n = 33) was twofold higher, and that of TXB2 (0.346 ± 0.046 ng/ml, n = 34) was 50% higher in rats with DKA than in normal rats. The plasma level of the PGI2 derivative was also elevated in rats with DM. The level of 6-keto-PGF1α (0.310 ± 0.050 ng/ml) was nearly as high in animals with DM as in those with DKA. The level of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGE2 was not elevated and that of TXB2 was reduced in animals with DM. In response to insulin and to 5-methylpyrazole-3-carboxylic acid, two potent antilipolytic agents, the levels of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGE2 and 6-keto-PGF1α, decreased significantly in rats with DKA. Adipocytes produce large quantities of PGE2 and PGI2 during norepinephrine-induced lipolysis. DKA is a situation par excellence of high catecholamine and low insulin levels, just the circumstances required for accelerated lipolysis and maximal production of PGE2 and PGI2 by the adipocyte. The adipocyte may be an important source of the high plasma levels of the PGE2 and PGI2 derivatives present in rats with DKA and of the elevated levels of the PGI2 derivative present in animals with DM. The ability of both insulin and 5-methylpyrazole-3-carboxylic acid to decrease the levels of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGE2 and 6-keto-PGF1α supports this view. The high plasma levels of the PGE2, PGI2, and TXA2 derivatives in DKA and of the PGI2 derivative in DM raise the possibility that high levels of all three parent compounds may circulate in DKA and high levels of PGI2 may circulate in DM. The suppression of the elevated levels of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGE2 and 6-keto-PGF1α in DKA by two structurally unrelated antilipolytic agents suggests that the adipocyte may be a major source of the high plasma levels of both derivatives in this disorder.
Histological and 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging analysis of quinolinic acid‐induced damage to the rat striatum

NAA has been described as a neuron‐specific compound. NAA levels as determined by magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) have been used to determine degree of neuronal loss in several neurological diseases, but there has been limited work to document the accuracy and reliability of this technique. This study addresses this question quantitatively with histological analysis of cell viability and tissue shrinkage in quinolinic acid (QA)‐induced damage of the rat striatum compared with 1H MRSI measurement of N‐acetyl aspartate (NAA) as a noninvasive measure of neuronal loss. Both 'H MRSI and histology detect damage to the lesioned striatum; however, there are differences in the degree of damage as assessed by the two methods. Although partial‐volume effects and tissue shrinkage may decrease the sensitivity of MR to such damage, the sparing of axons by QA may be another important factor in the differences in assessment. These results indicate that further studies of NAA metabolism and its distribution within neurons are warranted.
LET for Legacy and Model-based Applications

The Logical Execution Time (LET) paradigm has recently been recognized as a promising candidate to facilitate the migration to multi-core architectures in automotive realtime software systems. We outline several findings regarding the application of the LET paradigm that corroborate this perception. Our work in this respect deals with LET for legacy systems and LET in the context of model-based development (e.g., in MATLAB/Simulink). Furthermore, we present open issues and highlight implications on the development process when using LET as a synchronization mechanism.