Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Habitat biophysical and spatial patterns assessment within Oti-Keran-Mandouri protected area network in Togo

Oti-Keran-Mandouri (OKM) is part of the elephant historical range and one of the priority corridors proposed for elephant conservation in West Africa. However, its potentialities to be a functional corridor are yet to be evaluated in a context of increasing anthropogenic pressure. This study aims at assessing habitat biophysical patterns and fragmentation level. A multicriteria evaluation using fuzzy logic was performed to model elephant habitat suitability and vegetation sampling conducted in 123 plots to describe the habitat. In each plot, the physical parameters of woody plants species were recorded. Biodiversity indices, dendrometric parameters, and diameter structure were computed for each habitat type and compared using Jaccard Index and Kruskal-Wallis test. Habitat fragmentation was assessed using the hypsometric method. Apart from a core area located in the south-east, the remnant good habitat is in small patches. Four habitats were distinguished based on their level of degradation. There is a steady increase in habitat diversity from degraded habitat (Habitat 1) to primary habitat (Habitat 4) with the Shannon index increasing from 0.83 to 1.43 bit. In all the habitats, trees are evenly distributed with an evenness higher than 0.7. Dendrometric parameters are significantly different from one habitat to another (P-value < 0.05) apart from the mean diameter and the average regeneration rate. The suitable habitat for elephant constitutes only 31.5% of the area of OKM. The overall habitat fragmentation is 84.74%. Regeneration rates make an eventual restoration possible but further assessment of the socio-ecological system is needed. Key words: Elephant, habitat suitability, habitat, fragmentation, conservation.
Enterprise systems for innovation in products and processes : beyond operational efficiency

It has been widely accepted now in industry and academia that Enterprise Systems (ES) can create value for adopting organizations by enabling operational efficiency. However, given the enormous investments they warrant, the potential of such systems to deliver more than improving operations is emerging as a popular area of investigation. This paper reports a research-in-progress that proposes innovation as a means of creating business value with Enterprise Systems. The primary contribution of this paper is a process model that proposes that Enterprise Systems can enable innovation - in products and processes, and supports it with empirical evidence using three case studies. The intention is to test this model further with more case studies and a survey.
The Effect of Relative Humidity on Continental Average Aerosols

In this paper, the authors extracted and investigated the effect of relative humidity (RH) on some microphysical and optical properties of continental polluted aerosols from OPAC (Optical Properties of Aerosols and Clouds) at the spectral range of 0.25 μm to 2.5 μm and eight relative humidities (0%, 50%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 98%, and 99%). The microphysical properties extracted were radii, volume, number and mass mix ratios as functions of RH while the optical properties were optical depth, extinction, scattering and absorption coefficients single scattering albedo, refractive indices and asymmetric parameters also at eight RHs. Using the microphysical properties, effective hygroscopic growth factors and effective radii of the mixtures were determined while using optical properties we determined the enhancement parameters, effective refractive indices and angstrom coefficients. Using the effective hygroscopic growth, we determined the dependence of the effective hygroscopicity parameter as a function of RH, while using enhancement parameters; we determined the effect of humidification factor on RH and wavelengths. The effective hygroscopic growth and enhancement parameters were then parameterized using some models to determine the effective hygroscopicity parameter, bulk hygroscopicity and humidification factors. We observed that the data fitted the models very well. The effective radii decrease with the increase in RH while the effective hygroscopic growth increases with the increase in RH, and this is in line with the increase in angstrom parameters, and this shows increase in mode size with the increase in RH. The angstrom coefficients show that the mixture has a bimodal type of distribution with the dominance of fine mode particles.
Characterization of carotenoid pigment production from yeast Sporobolomyces sp. and their application in food products

Carotenoid Pigment producing yeasts like Rhodotorula sp, Phaffia rhodozyma and Sporobolomyces sp, represent a group of valuable molecules for the pharmaceutical, chemical, food and feed industries, not only because they can act as vitamin A precursors, but also for their colouring, antioxidant and possible tumor-inhibiting activity. The carotenoid pigment producing yeast isolated from philosopher surface of rice plant was identified as Sporobolomyces sp. In the present study carotenoid pigment extracted from Sporobolomyces sp. was separated by thin layer chromatography (TLC) yielding three major fractions, viz., yellow, orange and red. These fractions were further purified through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) before subjecting to FT-IR spectral analysis for their structural elucidation. The carotenoid pigment from Sporobolomyces sp. resulted in three peaks at retention time of 3.35, 4.20 and 5.77 min respectively. Carotenoid pigment was incorporated in different concentrations in the development of few food products viz., ice cream, Indian milk ice cream, popcorn, almond milk and
Effect of Descriptive Parameters of Slub Yarn on Strength and Elongation Properties

Strength and elongation have a great effect on slub yarn performance in production and usage. The main aim of this study is to determine the statistically significant descriptive parameters that have an effect on the breaking force and elongation of slub yarn using the full factorial design method. In addition, the effects of the significant parameters on the breaking force and elongation were investigated. Slub yarn samples were produced by using a ring spinning frame on which an original slub attachment was designed and mounted. After the samples were produced, dimensional measurements and image analysis were made. Then quality tests were applied to all samples and the results analysed. As a result, the parameters that have an effect on the breaking force of the slub yarn samples were obtained as the slub length, slub distance and base yarn count. The parameters affecting the breaking elongation of the slub yarn samples were obtained as the slub multiplier, base yarn count and twist coefficient. The relationship between the breaking force and elongation and the parameters selected have been explained by statistically significant regression equations. It is concluded that slub pattern parameters should also be considered for slub yarn performance.
Apsu: a wireless multichannel receiver system for surface-NMRgroundwater investigations

Abstract. Surface nuclear magnetic resonance (surface-NMR) has the potential to be an important geophysical method for groundwater investigations, but the technique suffers from poor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and long measurement times. We present a new wireless, multichannel surface-NMR receiver system (called Apsu) designed to improve SNR, field deployability and minimize instrument dead time. It is a distributed wireless system consisting of a central unit and independently operated data acquisition boxes each with three channels that measure either the NMR signal or noise for reference noise cancellation. Communication between the central unit and the data acquisition boxes is done through long distance WiFi and recordings are retrieved in real time. The receiver system employs differential coils with low-noise pre-amplifiers and high-resolution wide dynamic range acquisition boards. Each channel contains multi-stage amplifiers, short settling-time filters and two 24-bit analog-to-digital converters in dual-gain mode sampling at 31.25 kHz. The system timing is controlled by GPS clock and sample jitter between channels is less than 12 ns. Separated transmitter/receiver coils and continuous acquisition allow NMR signals to be measured with zero instrument dead time. In processed data, analog and digital filters causes an effective dead time of 4 ms. Synchronization with an independently operated transmitter system is done with a current probe monitoring the NMR excitation pulses. The noise density measured in a shorted-input test is 1.8 nV/√(Hz). We verify the accuracy of the receiver system with measurements of a magnetic dipole source and by comparing our NMR data with data obtained using an existing commercial instrument. The applicability of the system for reference noise cancellation is validated with field data.
Arbitrage Opportunities and Feedback Trading in Emissions and Energy Markets

This paper extends Sentana and Wadhwani (SW 1992) model to study the presence of feedback trading in emissions and energy markets and the extent to which such behaviour is linked to the level of arbitrage opportunities. Applying our augmented models to the carbon emission and major energy markets in Europe, we find evidence of feedback trading in coal and electricity markets, but not in carbon market where the institutional investors dominate. This finding is consistent with the notion that institutional investors are less susceptible to pursuing feedback-style investment strategies. In further analysis, our results show that the intensity of feedback trading is significantly related to the level of arbitrage opportunities, and that the significance of such relationship depends on the market regimes.
Potential permafrost distribution and ground temperatures based on surface state obtained from microwave satellite data

A threshold of half a year frozen conditions has been previously suggested for the determination of potential permafrost extent from a passive microwave sensor using 37 GHz (SSM/I). We argue that this value should be higher and needs to be refined. Further on, data using lower frequencies such as from Metop ASCAT (5.3 GHz) might be more suitable. We used borehole temperature records from across the Arctic for the assessment. The comparison to mean annual ground temperature (MAGT) at coldest sensor depth revealed that temperature can be directly obtained from ASCAT surface state with a residual error of 2.5 °C compared to 3 °C in case of SSM/I. The optimum threshold of frozen days to estimate permafrost extent is 190 days for SSM/I, as determined in comparison to borehole data (Kendall's τ test), and 196 days from modelled MAGT. Thresholds for Metop ASCAT are 204 and 212 frozen days per year respectively. Data sets are comparably coarse (12.5 km–25 km nominal resolution) and the accuracy of the modelled MAGT varies regionally but the approach does not require gap filling or spatial interpolation as in the case of conventional frozen ground modelling from temperature measurements.
Analysis of Transient Thermal Choking Processes in a Model Scramjet Engine

Shadowgraph flow visualisation and floor static pressure measurements have been used to examine the transient behaviour of a thermally choked combusting flow. Experiments were performed to examine the effect of varying inlet Mach number and fuel-air equivalence ratio on the nature and extent of the interaction. In all cases a sudden increase in static pressure was measured, followed by a highly turbulent region of sonic flow which was seen to propagate upstream along the duct. The nature of the dominant processes causing this pressure discontinuity are still not certain. Some mechanisms which may contribute to this phenomenon are presented. These include separation of the boundary layer in the duct, formation of a detonation and formation of a near-normal shock wave by the region of thermally choked flow.
Efficient learning of decomposable models with a bounded clique size

The learning of probability distributions from data is a ubiquitous problem in the fields of Statistics and Artificial Intelligence. During the last decades several learning algorithms have been proposed to learn probability distributions based on decomposable models due to their advantageous theoretical properties. Some of these algorithms can be used to search for a maximum likelihood decomposable model with a given maximum clique size, k, which controls the complexity of the model. Unfortunately, the problem of learning a maximum likelihood decomposable model given a maximum clique size is NP-hard for k > 2. In this work, we propose a family of algorithms which approximates this problem with a computational complexity of O(k · n log n) in the worst case, where n is the number of implied random variables. The structures of the decomposable models that solve the maximum likelihood problem are called maximal k-order decomposable graphs. Our proposals, called fractal trees, construct a sequence of maximal i-order decomposable graphs, for i = 2, . , k, in k − 1 steps. At each step, the algorithms follow a divide-and-conquer strategy based on the particular features of this type of structures. Additionally, we propose a prune-and-graft procedure which transforms a maximal k-order decomposable graph into another one, increasing its likelihood. We have implemented two particular fractal tree algorithms called parallel fractal tree and sequential fractal tree. These algorithms can be considered a natural extension of Chow and Liu’s algorithm, from k = 2 to arbitrary values of k. Both algorithms have been compared against other efficient approaches in artificial and real domains, and they have
Scene Adaptive Shadow Detection Algorithm

— Robustn e ss is on e of th e primary p e rformanc e crit e ria for an Int e llig e nt Vid e o Surv e illanc e (IVS) syst e m. On e of th e k e y factors in e nhancing th e robustn e ss of dynamic vid e o analysis is, providing accurat e and r e liabl e m e ans for shadow d e t e ction. If l e ft und e t e ct e d, shadow pix e ls may r e sult in incorr e ct obj e ct tracking and classification, as it t e nds to distort locali z ation and m e asur e m e nt information. Most of th e algorithms propos e d in lit e ratur e ar e computationally e xp e nsiv e ; som e to th e e xt e nt of e qualling computational r e quir e m e nt of motion d e t e ction. In this pap e r, th e homog e n e ity prop e rty of shadows is e xplor e d in a nov e l way for shadow d e t e ction. An adaptiv e division imag e (which highlights homog e n e ity prop e rty of shadows) analysis follow e d by a r e lativ e ly simpl e r proj e ction histogram analysis for p e numbra suppr e ssion is th e k e y nov e lty in our approach.
THE EXPRESSION OF HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN 70 KDA IN THE RAT BRAIN AS SINGLE-DOSE EFFECT OF CYTOKINES

Department of Neurochemistry and Neuropathology, Chair of Neurology, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland Neuroimmunological Unit, Medical Research Center, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznań, Poland Zakład Neurochemii i Neuropatologii, Katedra Neurologii, Akademia Medyczna im. Karola Marcinkowskiego w Poznaniu p.o. kierownika: dr med. Sławomir Michalak Zespół Badawczo-Leczniczy Chorób Neuroimmunologicznych, Centrum Medycyny Doświadczalnej i Klinicznej im. M. Mossakowskiego PAN
Competitive Advantages of the Beira Interior (Portugal): A TOWS Approach

The formulation of a competitive strategy implies an extended understanding, in terms of the industrial structures, of the mains fields where the nations compete and those structures evolve. The environmental conditions of a region, and of its industries, determine both the generic strategies, and the alternative strategies, which are already implemented. One of the instruments for strategic analysis, which combines external variables and internal variables, is the TOWS Matrix. This instrument allows the analysis of the present strategies, and the relationship between the variables, and also the presentation of proposals for alternative strategies, in order to identify or to reinforce the competitive advantages of the unit of analysis. Considering as unit of analysis the region of Beira Interior (Portugal), this article aims to provide a TOWS Matrix application. Several strategic alternatives for the region are, also, presented, taking into consideration the opportunities and the forces, previously, detected, in order to assure the transition for the ideal strategic quadrant. Finally, the conclusions and the guidelines for future research are presented.
Critical Realism as a Meta-Framework for Understanding the Relationships between Complexity and Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Abstract Many methods are used in research on complexity. One of these is qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). Although many authors allude to the relationships between complexity and QCA, these links are rarely made explicit. We propose that one way of doing so is by using critical realism as a meta-framework. This article discusses the viability of this approach by examining the extent to which QCA is a complexity-informed method. This question is answered in three steps. First, we discuss the nature of complexity and its epistemological implications. Second, we focus on Bhaskar’s perspective on critical realism and show how it can be used as a framework for understanding social complexity. Third, we examine the ontological and epistemological assumptions underlying QCA and synthesize these with our critical realist approach to complexity. We argue that complex reality is non-decomposable, contingent, non-compressible and time-asymmetric. We conclude that, although QCA is inevitably reductive (i.e. it compresses reality) and partial (i.e. it decomposes reality), its core premises are built upon the notions of contingency and time-asymmetry. Therefore, it is not only a powerful method for doing complexity-informed research, but is also a complexity-informed method by itself.
PREDICTION OF DIAMETRAL CREEP FOR PRESSURE TUBES OF A PRESSURIZED HEAVY WATER REACTOR USING DATA BASED MODELING

The aim of this study was to develop a bundle position-wise linear model (BPLM) to predict Pressure Tube (PT) diametral creep employing the previously measured PT diameters and operating conditions. There are twelve bundles in a fuel channel, and for each bundle a linear model was developed by using the dependent variables, such as the fast neutron fluences and the bundle coolant temperatures. The training data set was selected using the subtractive clustering method. The data of 39 channels that consist of 80 percent of a total of 49 measured channels from Units 2, 3, and 4 of the Wolsung nuclear plant in Korea were used to develop the BPLM. The data from the remaining 10 channels were used to test the developed BPLM. The BPLM was optimized by the maximum likelihood estimation method. The developed BPLM to predict PT diametral creep was verified using the operating data gathered from Units 2, 3, and 4. Two error components for the BPLM, which are the epistemic error and the aleatory error, were generated. The diametral creep prediction and two error components will be used for the generation of the regional overpower trip setpoint at the corresponding effective full power days. The root mean square (RMS) errors were also generated and compared to those from the current prediction method. The RMS errors were found to be less than the previous errors.
Impacts of Restructurings on Manufacturing Productive Efficiency: Evidence from China

This paper studies the effects of privatization and non-ownership-change reforms on firms’ productivity in China. As one of the most prominent empirical challenges in China privatization studies, endogeneity problems are addressed with a first-difference instrumental variable GMM estimation. We find that privatization does not improve firms’ productivity immediately. Instead, its effects become significantly positive in the year after conversion. In addition, partial privatization fails to lead to improved efficiency whereas insider privatization boosts firms’ productivity shortly after the first year of privatization but the effects quickly fade after two years of privatization. Lastly, all non-ownership-change reforms, except leasing, are proved to be ineffective even when issues like social burdens, worker redundancy, management incentives and soft-budget constraint are tackled before the restructuring.
Novel Approach for Estimating Monthly Sunshine Duration Using Artificial Neural Networks: A Case Study

This work deals with the potential application of artificial neural networks to model sunshine duration in three cities in Algeria using ten input parameters. These latter are: year and month, longitude, latitude and altitude of the site, minimum, mean and maximum air temperature, wind speed and relative humidity. They were selected according to their availability in meteorological stations and based on the fact that they are considered as the most used parameters by researchers to model sunshine duration using artificial neural networks. Several network architectures were tested to choose the most accurate and simple scheme. The optimum number of layers and neurons was determined by trial and error method. The optimized network was obtained using Levenberg-Marquardt back-propagation algorithm, one hidden layer including 25 neurons with Tan-sigmoid transfer function. The model developed in this study has the ability to estimate sunshine duration with a mean absolute percentage error value equals to 2.015%, a percentage root mean square error of 2.741% and a determination coefficient of 0.9993 during test stage.
Willing and Able

Existing justice theory explains why fair procedures motivate employees to adopt cooperative goals, but it fails to explain how employees strive toward these goals. We study self-regulatory abilities that underlie goal striving, abilities that should thus affect employees’ display of cooperative behavior in response to procedural justice. Building on action control theory, we argue that employees who display effective self-regulatory strategies (action-oriented employees) display relatively strong cooperative behavioral responses to fair procedures. A multisource field study and a laboratory experiment support this prediction. A subsequent experiment addresses the process underlying this effect by explicitly showing that action orientation facilitates attainment of the cooperative goals that people adopt in response to fair procedures, thus facilitating the display of actual cooperative behavior. This goal striving approach better integrates research on the relationship between procedural justice and employee cooperation in the self-regulation and the work motivation literature. It also offers organizations a new perspective on making procedural justice effective in stimulating employee cooperation by suggesting factors that help employees reach their adopted goals.
The emergence of new technology-based industries: the case of fuel cells and its technological relatedness to regional knowledge bases

Evolutionary economic geographers propose that regional diversification is a path-dependent process whereby industries grow out of pre-existing industrial structures through technologically related localised knowledge spillovers and learning. This article examines whether this also applies to emerging radical technologies that create the foundation for new industries. The article develops a new measure for technological relatedness between the knowledge base of a region and that of a radical technology based on patent classes. It demonstrates that emerging fuel cell technology develops where the regional knowledge base is technologically related to that of fuel cells and consequently confirms the evolutionary thesis.