Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Selection Indices for cane yield in mid-late maturing clones of sugarcane ( Saccharum officinarum L . )

The selection indices through discriminant function analysis provides better avenue for simultaneous improvement of several cane tonnage attributing traits which is of prime goal in sugarcane breeding. Thirty five clones of sugarcane were evaluated under RBD with two replications for cane yield and its component characters. Among the seven characters considered to construct indices, higher relative efficiency of 223.89 per cent coupled with high genetic advance (57.84) was exhibited by index with seven character combination of number of tillers (X 1 ), number of millable canes (X 2 ), millable cane length (X 3 ), single cane weight (X 4 ), pol per cent juice (X 5 ) and CCS (X 6 ) and cane yield (X 7 ) itself. Though the selection index comprising five yield component characters had a greater relative efficiency over direct selection, relatively better efficiency (209.20%) was also exhibited by three (X 1 +X 2 +X 3 ) character combinations with a genetic gain of 54.05. However, a practical breeder would prefer to use an index which would lead to maximum possible genetic gain by using a minimum number of characters. Therefore, it is suggested that combination of three characters viz., number of tillers, number of millable canes and millable cane length could be advantageously exploited in the sugarcane breeding programme. Thus, selecting plants based on this combination of characters would be more appropriate and effective in this population to get maximum improvement in cane yield.
An approach to comparative research on water resources management

research for developing typologies of qualitatively different structural configurations, and showing how these differentially shape the phenomena, situations and processes under investigation, and subsequently embedding the structured diversity maps into more encompassing theory. From the standpoint of comparative research, the third type of work is theorisation through comparative analysis proper, and the first two necessary conditions for it. Without concepts and frameworks able to capture complex configurations, the analytical work under 2 and 3 will be severely handicapped; without rich primary cases to refer and go back to, the comparative analysis under 3 is not feasible or risks losing touch with reality.
1 Trade Liberalization , Firm Heterogeneity , and the Optimal Emission Taxes

Abstract In this paper, we consider a Melitz-type firm heterogeneity model with trade and environmental externality. Using this model, we derive an optimal emission tax that maximizes the social welfare of the country concerned. We then show the impact of trade liberalization on the emissions level via changes in the optimal tax. Our main findings are as follows: (1) in an open economy with firm heterogeneity, the optimal emission tax level becomes positive. Then, if the government implements the optimal tax, (2) trade liberalization decreases the tax level, and both aggregate output and total amount of emissions increase. The social welfare of the country is improved by the liberalization. On the other hand, under the optimal emission tax, (3) the improvement of emission intensity in production activities increases the optimal tax level, and as a result, both aggregate output and total amount of emissions decrease. Although this improvement has the opposite effect on the economy from trade liberalization, improved emission intensity may still increase social welfare.
Tracking ADC for Digitally Controlled DC-DC Converters

The objective of this master thesis work is to design an analog to digital converter to be implemented in a digitally controlled DC-DC. Emergent markets of portable devices push the demand for very low power, high efficiency DCDC converters, with a digital control that requires an ADC. However, the design of an ADC where the trade-off between speed and energy consumption is well balanced is very challenging. The proposed solution is an asynchronous tracking ADC, where power is minimized by following the input voltage using a window with 5mV steps. This means that the output word is processed only if the input voltage becomes higher or lower than the limits of the sliding voltage window. With the purpose of optimizing the ADC, different comparator architectures were analyzed, and a digital calibration circuit was also proposed. This digital calibration is required in order to limit mismatch while using minimum size transistors, with the purpose of maximizing speed and reducing power consumption. The ADC operation also requires a robust DAC, with considerable area in order to limit the impact of process and mismatch variations. The proposed tracking ADC is able to operate at 8MHz, with a continuous time differential amplifier chosen after the evaluation of the comparators, as well as a binary weighted DAC. The obtained results for the ADC comply with its specifications, in normal operation the power consumption is 30. 20μW with a response time of 154ns, and in ultra-low-power a 10. 23μW power consumption is achieved with a response time of 1. 29μs. The design was implemented in UMC130nm technology and it was validated with Monte Carlo, process, temperature and power supply corner analysis.
Reading about Reading: Addressing the Challenges of College Readers through an Understanding of the Politics of P-12 Literacy

This chapter reviews and analyzes current and competing trends in P-12 literacy research and assessment in comparison to efforts to develop and establish reading instruction at the college level. The authors argue that the current push towards “evidence-based” practices in P-12 education privileges instructional methods that produce measurable, short-term gains in student achievement but conflict with efforts to improve students’ college readiness in reading at both the P-12 and college levels. Specifically, this trend contradicts the student-centered approach that will be needed at the P-12 level to enable students to do the complex reading activities required by the “career and college ready” standards of the Common Core. Further, the chapter explores ways that the drive towards producing measurable student improvement via methods such as direct instruction conflicts sharply with concepts of critical literacy that are essential to college reading. The chapter will provide instructional strategies, including metacognitive approaches (i.e., “reading about reading”), for helping students move from a literacy environment focused on short-term gains to a college environment that demands deep understanding and conversation with texts across the disciplines.
Studies of Forest Fire Induced Changes in Atmosphere over Uttarakhand, India, Using Space Based Observations and Model Simulations

The northern Indian state of Uttarakhand had witnessed an episode of intense forest fire during April– May 2016. The present study analyses the changes in trace gas and other atmospheric constituents induced by the forest fire using satellite data. The study reveals elevated levels of CO, NO2, ozone and aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the affected region. Higher levels of CO are observed at altitudes of 2–3 km. The column amount of CO has almost doubled from mean background values, whereas NO2 has increased by almost three times to values normally seen over highly polluted cities. Increase in ozone is only moderate and AOD has risen towards the end of the main phase of the fire episode. Weather research and forecasting simulations of wind and planetary boundary layer height are also performed and the results discussed. The study shows the potential of Earth-Observation Satellites to track and monitor such environmental impacts effectively.
Relationship between Parenting Style , PsyCap and Coping among College Students

In Indian culture, parenting plays a significant role in an individual‟s life. It is evident as there is an extensive literature focusing on the importance of parenting. These researches are mainly focused on the relationship of parenting style with different variables like development, personality, self-esteem, etc. In the present scenario, it has become necessary to focus on parenting style in relation to other variables which would help an individual to lead a more meaningful and fulfilling life to cultivate what is best within themselves and enhance their experiences. Based on this premise, the present paper attempts to study the relationship between parenting style, PsyCap (Optimism, Hope, Self Esteem, and Resilience) and Coping. 200 college students (young adults within the age-range of 1824 years, 100 boys and 100 girls) were selected from different universities in Jaipur. All the participants were then administered Parenting Style Inventory-II (Darling, 1997), BRIEF Coping Scale (Carver, 1997), and PsyCap Questionnaire (PCQ) (Luthans et al., 2006). The results presents glimpses of importance of parenting style in enhancing well-being in an individual‟s life.
Fuel Exports , Aid and

This study employs interactive quantile regressions to assess the conditional role of foreign aid in reducing the potentially negative effect of terrorism on fuel exports in 78 developing countries for the period 1984-2008. Bilateral and multilateral aid indicators are used whereas terrorism includes: domestic, transnational, unclear and total terrorism dynamics. Interactive quantile regressions are used. The following findings are established. First, the effects of terrorism are both positive and negative across quantiles and specifications, with the impact most apparent in the highest and lowest quantiles. Second, while bilateral aid consistently decreases (increases) fuel exports at the top (bottom) quantiles, multilateral aid regularly decreases fuel exports in the top quantiles. Third, for negative thresholds in the 50 th quartile and 90 th decile, interaction effects between bilateral aid and terrorism dynamics are overwhelmingly not significant. Conversely, for transnational terrorism, the interaction effects between multilateral aid and terrorism dynamics significantly have negative thresholds. The hypothesis of a positive threshold is only confirmed for transnational terrorism and multilateral aid at the 90 th decile. Justifications for unexpected signs and implications for fuel export policy and the management of multinational companies are discussed. This study contributes to the literature on the role of external flows in reducing the negative externalities of terrorism on development outcomes. JEL Classification: F40; F23; F35;Q34 ; O40
Towards an Ontology-Based Information System for Smart City Ecosystems Emergent Research Forum ( ERF )

Smart city ecosystems concepts comprising firms, public authorities, and other stakeholders demonstrate innovative characteristics and high dynamics, thus enforcing both the integration between ontology management and information systems to be adaptable in short iteration periods in modern enterprises. In this paper, we describe the challenges of integrating ontology services in information systems in the context of Smart City Ecosystems. From a design science research cycle, we derive a holistic approach to integrate the ontology management process and its use in the collaborative information systems. Additionally, we describe the reference architecture for such ontology-based information systems, which allows multiple roles to create and modify the mobility ecosystem model in an agile process.
Skill Assessment via Cross Validation and Monte Carlo 1 Simulation : An Application to Georges Bank Plankton

1 Better methods are required to assess the skill or uncertainty of plankton model 2 predictions. A new method is presented which combines cross-validation with sim3 ulated repeat samplings of the data (Monte Carlo simulation), in order to robustly 4 estimate uncertainty in predictions beyond the calibration data (‘extra-sample’). The 5 method is applied to compare two bulk models of chlorophyll on Georges Bank using the 6 GLOBEC data set, accounting for data and forcing errors as well as prior uncertainty 7 in all model parameters and initial conditions. The first model is a simple interpolation 8 of chlorophyll data (‘inductive’ model), and serves as a baseline of predictive skill. The 9 second is a simple process model forced by interannually-variable nutrient and meso10 zooplankton mean fields. Uncertainty in the process model forcings severely increases 11 the extra-sample variance (over repeat experiments). Although the process model can 12 reproduce some of the interannual chlorophyll variability via top-down control by meso13 zooplankton, other predictions are strongly biased, possibly due to neglected boundary 14 fluxes of chlorophyll. As a result, the new skill metrics attribute equal or greater skill 15 to the inductive model. By contrast, standard skill estimates based on calibration data 16 misfit incorrectly favour the process model, mainly due to the neglect of extra-sample 17 variance. 18
The effectiveness of automatic laparoscopic diagnostics of liver pathology using different methods of digital images classification

Materials and methods. The development of CAD was based on training of HAAR features cascade and AdaBoost classifiers with images/frames, which have been cropped out from video gained in the course of laparoscopic diagnostics. RGB frames which were gamma-corrected and converted into HSV have been used for training. Also descriptors were extracted from images with the modified method of Local Binary Pattern (LBT), which includes data on color characteristics (”modified color LBT” – MCLBT) and textural ones for AdaBoost classifier training. 1000 positive images along with 500 negative ones of both types of pathology were used for training. After cessation of training the tests were performed with the aim of the estimation of effectiveness of recognition. Test session images were different from those ones which have been used for training of the classifier. Test control sessions were performed with trained classifiers with 319 frames containing cirrhotic and 253 frames with metastatic deteriorations in liver tissue. 365 frames with the absence of mentioned pathology were used as a control group – practically healthy liver state.
Security Analytics: Using Deep Learning to Detect Cyber Attacks

Security attacks are becoming more prevalent as cyber attackers exploit system vulnerabilities for financial gain. The resulting loss of revenue and reputation can have deleterious effects on governments and businesses alike. Signature recognition and anomaly detection are the most common security detection techniques in use today. These techniques provide a strong defense. However, they fall short of detecting complicated or sophisticated attacks. Recent literature suggests using security analytics to differentiate between normal and malicious user activities. The goal of this research is to develop a repeatable process to detect cyber attacks that is fast, accurate, comprehensive, and scalable. A model was developed and evaluated using several production log files provided by the University of North Florida Information Technology Security department. This model uses security analytics to complement existing security controls to detect suspicious user activity occurring in real time by applying machine learning algorithms to multiple heterogeneous server-side log files. The process is linearly scalable and comprehensive; as such it can be applied to any enterprise environment. The process is composed of three steps. The first step is data collection and transformation which involves identifying the source log files and selecting a feature set from those files. The resulting feature set is then transformed into a time series dataset using a sliding time window representation. Each instance of the dataset is labeled as green, yellow, or red using three different unsupervised learning
Synthesis of New 6-( 1 H-1 , 2 , 3-Triazol-4-yl )-5-( 1-( thiazol-2-yl )-4 , 5-dihydro-1 H-pyrazol-5-yl ) imidazo [ 2 , 1-b ] thiazoles

A series of new pyrazolinyl thiazoles containing 1,2,3-triazole and imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole moieties have been synthesized using 6-(5-methyl-1-(4-tolyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)imidazo[2,1-b] thiazole-5-carbaldehyde (1) as precursor. The procedures are simple and efficient and provided high yields of the synthesized heterocycles. The structures of the products were elucidated by the spectroscopic data (infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance) along with the elemental analyses.
The Impact Role-Playing Sessions have on Undergraduate Dietetic Students ’ Counseling Abilities : A Qualitative Study

Objective: Dietitians need to properly communicate both verbally and non-verbally for clients to change their dietary behaviors. Educators can teach dietetic students these communication skills via an active learning approach, specifically through role-playing. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess undergraduate dietetic students’ counseling skills through role-playing sessions via a qualitative counseling tool. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted at a Mid-Western University in Fall 2016 in a nutrition therapy class. Each student (2 males, 6 females) counseled a graduate student (i.e. the patient) for a total of 5 sessions. These case studies were based on a chronic condition. Students were informed how to counsel at the beginning of the course, but not guided throughout the course on how to fine-tune their counseling abilities. Sessions (n=40) were tape recorded and verbatim transcripts of each session were coded following a content analysis methodology. Counseling abilities were identified as positive, neutral, or negative based on the 9-item qualitative counseling tool. Results: Students improved on rapport building, prioritizing information, and reducing the use of nutrition jargon and remained positively consistent on eye contact, body language, relevant scope of questions, and preparedness. Students did not improve on empathy or crosscultural communication. Conclusions: The evidence supports that students who are exposed to live, interactive counseling sessions will improve their counseling abilities. Although, emphasis on empathy and cultural competency is needed.
Chemical pro fi ling of the street cocktail drug ‘ nyaope ’ in South Africa using GC – MS I : Stability studies of components of ‘ nyaope ’ in organic solvents

Nyaope, a street drug commonly found in South Africa, is a mixture of low grade heroin, cannabis products, antiretroviral drugs and other materials added as cutting agents. It is a highly physiologically addictive substance which is smoked by users. Little work has been published on the chemical analysis and profiling of nyaope. Sample preparation prior to chromatographic or spectrometric analysis normally involves dissolution of the sample in an organic solvent. This study determined the most suitable organic solvent in which the common components of nyaope, namely D-tetrahydrocannabinol, diamorphine, caffeine, dextromethorphan, phenacetin and the antiretrovirals efavirenz and nevirapine, which have different chemical characteristics, are stable during extraction and prior to analysis of nyaope samples i.e. autosampler stability. Street samples of cannabis (D-tetrahydrocannabinol), heroin (diamorphine) and antiretrovirals were mixed to mimic a nyaope sample and dissolved in the organic solvents dichloromethane, ethanol, ethyl acetate, hexane, isopropanol and tertiary butyl alcohol. Analysis was performed after intervals of 0, 1, 6, 8, 24, 48 and 72 h, prior to analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Tertiary butyl alcohol resulted in the most stable extracts of the main nyaope components after 72 h of storage. The analysis was also repeated on actual street samples of nyaope. These results show that tertiary butyl alcohol is a suitable solvent for sample preparation for the identification, comparison and profiling of nyaope samples. © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Loughborough University Institutional Repository Efficiency measures and computational approaches for data envelopment analysis models with ratio inputs and outputs

In a recent paper to this journal, the authors developed a methodology that allows the incorporation of ratio inputs and outputs in the variable and constant returns-to-scale DEA models. Practical evaluation of efficiency of decision making units (DMUs) in such models generally goes beyond the application of standard linear programming techniques. In this paper we discuss how the DEA models with ratio measures can be solved. We also introduce a new type of potential ratio (PR) inefficiency. It characterizes DMUs that are strongly efficient in the model of technology with ratio measures but become inefficient if the volume data used to calculate ratio measures become available. Potential ratio inefficiency can be tested by the programming approaches developed in this paper.
Time Synchronization Protocol using Lighting Control for Wireless Sensor Network

Wireless sensor networks use a large number of collaborating sensors with a built-in wireless device to enable the collection of information in real space. Their wireless sensor nodes require time-synchronization in order to achieve a high degree of sensing accuracy, which is imposed upon them by wireless sensor network applications. A number of researchers have proposed time-synchronization protocols, since these protocols require packet transmissions, they consume excessive energy and impose additional traffic load on the network. Therefore, it is important to implement a time-synchronization technique that does not require packet transmission or reception. This paper proposes time synchronization protocol based lighting control, which is a time synchronization technique that uses light-controllable lighting fixtures and wireless sensor nodes equipped with an illuminance sensor without packet transmission or reception. This paper also examines synchronization errors with the proposed method and verifies time-synchronization wireless sensor nodes.
Thermochronological Time – Temperature Constraints of 40 Ar / 39 Ar Hornblende Reference Material HB 3 gr

Hornblende from the Lone Grove Pluton, Llano Uplift, Texas, has served as an irradiation reference material in Ar/Ar studies for decades. In order to evaluate the apparent age bias that currently exists between the U-Pb and Ar/Ar systems, zircon and titanite were dated by isotope dilution-thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) from the same rock from which the hornblende Ar/Ar reference material HB3gr is derived. Zircon U-Pb data indicate initial crystallisation at 1090.10 ± 0.16 Ma (2s), a date that is 1.7% older than the accepted K-Ar date (1072 ± 14 Ma, 2s) for HB3gr; an offset that exceeds the typical 0.5–1% bias between the two systems, though remaining within uncertainty due to the large uncertainties in the K decay constant. Zircon data are presented using both EARTHTIME tracers ET535 and ET2535 and are statistically indistinguishable. Single grain titanite analyses range between 1082 ± 0.75 and 1086 ± 0.81 Ma (2s) and are interpreted to record the subsequent cooling following crystallisation at rates between 30 and 50 °C Ma. This is supported by the observation that hornblende Ar/Ar dates corrected for decay constant bias are resolvably younger than the zircon U-Pb date and in good agreement with titanite U-Pb dates, permitting the conclusion that both titanite U-Pb and hornblende Ar/Ar systems provide a record of cooling.