Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice: The Agile Research Network

We report an action research-oriented approach to investigating agile project management methods which aims to bridge the gap between academic research and agile practice. We have set up a research network of academics from two universities, through which we run focussed project-based research into agile methods. Organisations are invited to suggest an ‘agile challenge’ and we work closely with them to investigate how challenge affects them. Our approach is both academic and practical. We use appropriate research methods such as interviews, observation and discussion to clarify and explore the nature of the challenge. We then undertake a detailed literature review to identify practical approaches that may be appropriate for adoption, and report our findings. If the organisation introduces new practices or approaches as a result of our work, we conduct an academic evaluation. Alternatively, if we uncover an under-researched area, we propose undertaking some basic research. As befits the topic, we work iteratively and incrementally and produce regular outputs. In this paper we introduce our approach, overview research methods used in the agile research literature, describe our research model, outline a case study, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of our approach. We discuss the importance of producing outputs that are accessible to practitioners as well as researchers. Findings suggest that by investigating the challenges that organisations propose, we uncover problems that are of real relevance to the agile community and obtain rich insights into the facilitators and barriers that organisations face when using agile methods. Additionally, we find that practitioners are interested in research results as long as publications are relevant to their needs and are written accessibly. We are satisfied with the basic structure of our approach, but we anticipate that the method will evolve as we continue to work with collaborators.
Abiotic alterations caused by forest fragmentation affect tree regeneration: a shade and drought tolerance gradient in the remnants of Coastal Maulino Forest.

La regeneracion en plantas esta determinada por las diferencias de luz y humedad del suelo entre habitats, ambas variables son modificadas por la fragmentacion de bosques a gran escala. Varios estudios consideran esas alteraciones como parte del mecanismo involucrado en el cambio comunitario en bosques tropicales. Sin embargo, en bosques mediterraneos y deciduos esa tendencia podria ser mas severa, debido a que las plantas presentan un "trade off" entre la tolerancia a la sombra y a la sequia. Nuestro estudio fue realizado en el Bosque Maulino Costero: Reserva Nacional Los Queules (RNLQ) y fragmentos aledanos de bosque. Hipotetizamos que Aristotelia chilensis (sombra intolerante pero tolerante a la sequia) deberia aumentar su regeneracion en fragmentos pequenos de bosque, como consecuencia del cambio en la idoneidad del habitat (i.e. mas luminoso y seco), mientras que, Cryptocarya alba (sombra tolerante pero sequia intolerante) deberia reducir su regeneracion en fragmentos pequenos de bosque. Nosotros ademas esperamos que Nothofagus glauca y N. obliqua, ambas con tolerancias a la sombra y a la sequia intermedias entre A. chilensis y C. alba, deberian responder en menor medida a la fragmentacion del bosque. En este estudio utilizamos dos evaluaciones: (i) la abundancia de plantulas y juveniles a traves de observaciones de campo y (ii) la germinacion y establecimiento de plantulas via un experimento de campo. Los patrones de regeneracion natural de C. alba indican una reduccion en la regeneracion dentro de los fragmentos pequenos de bosque comparado con la RNLQ, a pesar de que en el experimento de campo, la proporcion de semillas germinadas, de plantulas establecidas y reclutadas no variaron entre habitats. Por el contrario, la regeneracion de A. chilensis y de N. glauca fueron favorecidas por la fragmentacion del bosque, con un aumento en las densidades de plantulas y juveniles y de la proporcion de semillas germinadas en los fragmentos pequenos de bosque. Por otro lado, la regeneracion de N. obliqua es limitada en ambos habitats, y la fragmentacion del bosque no afectaria diferencialmente su germinacion. Este estudio llama la atencion sobre la relevancia de estudiar los cambios en los factores abioticos como consecuencias de actividades humanas, y de considerar los "sitios seguros" (definidos por los atributos del nicho regeneracional) en la implementacion de acciones de conservacion y de restauracion ecologica.
HIV infected people from rural and urban communities in the North West Province of South Africa

Volunteers (n=1 999) who regarded themselves as healthy enrolled in the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology (PURE-SA) study in the North West Province, of South Africa (SA) after giving 5 ' ' counselled and referred to the local health clinics or hospitals with a referral letter from the principal researcher. The aim of the research was to explore the health care seeking behaviour of the newly diagnosed HIV people, after having been referred to a health care facility a year earlier, and after having received preand post-test counselling. Purposive voluntary sampling was conducted. Data were collected by means of a survey, fol, of HIV infected persons in the North West Province. Each researcher wrote verbatim responses ' ' G after each interview. For the quantitative data in the survey, frequency and cross tabulations technique of content analysis. Of the 1 999 participants in the PURE-SA baseline study 16.6% (332) who considered themselves to be healthy were diagnosed with HIV. Only 27.7% (n=92) of these 332 participants had actually sought medical care after post-test counselling and referral by a health professional. G 2 © ISSN 1682-5055 Africa Journal of Nursing and Midwifery 11 (2) 2009 pp. 30–47 /B58 / 5! B 4BB 0<9 &B/510@F! @C <B78= 059<@4B /01 0<CB B AB@A8B C! @ ! F! 58 5< F! &5< @ F<0 0B4 29 H H G access to health care services. Recommendations enhanced focus on stigma reduction, understanding of HIV, and factors to enhance access to health care facilities.
Developed MPPT Algorithm for Photovoltaic Systems without a Voltage Sensor

This paper presents a study of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for photovoltaic arrays with only one current sensor. Initially, a review of MPPT methods with only a current sensor is performed with extension for a variety of dc/dc converters. Furthermore, the same topology is developed to achieve better performance in the presence of sensor offset and environmental noise. The proposed method is robust, cost effective, and behaves well dynamically and in the steady state. After a theoretical analysis of presented approach, its validity and effectiveness are verified by simulation and experimental results.
Imitation-based learning of bipedal walking using locally weighted learning

Walking is an extremely challenging problem due to its dynamically unstable nature. It is further complicated by the high dimensional continuous state and action spaces. We use locally weighted projection regression (LWPR) as a locally structurally adaptive nonlinear function approximator as the basis for learned control policies. Empirical evidence suggests that control policies for high dimensional problems exist on low dimensional manifolds. The LWPR algorithm models this manifold in a computationally efficient manner as it only models those states which are visited using a local dimensionality reduction technique based on partial least squares regression. We show that local models are capable of learning control policies for physicsbased simulations of planar bipedal walking. Locally structured control policies are learned from observation of a variety of different inputs including observation of human control and existing parametrized control policies. We extend the pose control graph to the concept of policy control graph and show that this representation allows for the learning of transition points between different control policies.
Vacuum-ultraviolet resonant photoabsorption imaging of laser produced plasmas

We present results from a vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) “photoabsorption imaging” technique based on the measurement of the time and space resolved absorption of a quasimonochromatic VUV beam from a laser plasma light source. The use of VUV radiation as a probe beam permits direct access to resonance lines of (singly and more highly charged) ions and also to the resonant and nonresonant continua of atoms and ions. In this experiment we have confined ourselves to measurements using the 3p–3d resonances of Ca, Ca+, and Ca2+ as markers of the temporal and spatial distribution of ground state atoms and ions in an expanding laser plasma plume. We show how time resolved column density maps may be extracted from such images. In addition we have extracted plasma plume velocities from the data, which compare well with an analytical laser ablation model.
Landowners’ Participation Behavior on the Payment for Environmental Service (PES)

Since private landowners have their rights to determine whether to go afforestation, the government intends to achieve the purposes on ecological conservation of land, soil and water conservation, as well as environmental greening. Because it takes a long time to harvest the forests, such long-term investments make private landowners difficult to raise funds. Therefore, it is common to see that each country in the world agrees on the loan and subsidy schemes for afforestation, and related incentive policies include the free supply of seeds, preferential loans on afforestation, preferential taxes, afforestation subsidies, and so on1. Taiwan has introduced many afforestation incentive policies to raise people’s intention to go afforestation from 1951 to 2002. Since 1951, in order to reward the afforestation in the ecological conservation land that falls into disuse, the Taiwan Provincial Government has announced the “Detailed Rules and Regulations of Rewarding Afforestation of Ecological Conservation Land in Taiwan Province” to reward the people to invest in the afforestation in ecological conservation land, with the offerings of no payment for rents and the adoption of major/side products without price. At that time, in order to promote local people to go afforestation, the government agreed on “Regulations of Private Forests”, “Rules and Regulations of Rewarding Afforestation in Private Forest Land”, and so on. In 1974, the government agreed on “Regulations of Revenue and Expenditure, Safekeeping and Manipulation of Afforestation Loan Funds of Taiwan Province”. In 1983, in order to foster forest resources and enhance the guidance and assistance of private afforestation, the government agreed on “Regulations of Rewarding Private Afforestation in Taiwan Province”, in which the subsidy for afforestation was NT$ 1,200 per hectare.
INTERNET ACCESS FOR VEHICULAR COMMUNICATION - A TWO-STAGE APPROACH WITH PUBLIC HOT-SPOTS AND DEDICATED ROAD-SIDE UNITS

Communication capabilities in future vehicles and a road-side infrastructure, deploying wireless LAN IEEE 802.11 technology, are expected to provide internet access for drivers and passengers. This paper analyzes two approaches for internet access with respect to its technical deployability in vehicular scenarios: With increasing proliferation of WIFI hot spots, access points at public places can be reused in scenarios with low mobility. Alternatively, road-side units mainly dedicated to road safety, can be enhanced to provide internet connectivity as an additional service. Judging the merits of public hot spots and dedicated road-side units, an integrated solution is proposed and technical issues for their deployment are discussed. Experiments in a real-world environment demonstrate the feasibility ofvehicular internet access. For the covering abstract see E134653.
- 01 Parametric and Non-Parametric Tests for RIP Among the G 7 Nations

This paper provides a bivariate and multivariate analysis of real interest rate parity on monthly data for the period 1970.1 to 1997.12. This period was selected to conform with the time span of existing studies of the G7. The analysis extends from the existing literature by providing both parametric and non-parametric tests for real interest parity. This approach accommodates the non-normality of real interest rate data and the low power of tests for cointegration in small samples. The parametric analysis indicates a long run relationship between real interest rates in the G7. The non-parametric Persaran-Timmermann test for statistical independence given non-normality of the residuals reveal a uniform North American capital market; and strong links between the US-Germany and the German -UK; an integrated Europe with the notable exception of the UK market. There are also important links between the major markets US-Japan and Japan-UK. There remain, however, several instances of non-integration which would allow these independent countries a degree of policy independence and provide a conduit for risk diversification for international transactions. A most significant finding is that the non-normality of the distributions governing real interest rate time series can distort tests for real interest parity and all such studies should accommodate the non-normality of the data.
Effect of various level of treated barley on small intestinal content viscosity, litter moisture, uric acid and broiler chickens performance

Barley is one of the energy sources for broiler chicken nutrition but the presence of non Starch Polysaccharide (NSP), particularly high viscosity β-glucan, can decrease nutrient digestibility. Eight hundred day-old unsexed Arbor Acres chickens were allocated to one of four replicates of the 8 treatments employed at 10 days of age following feeding of a common pre-starter diet. Experimental design was 4(×) 2 factorial arrangement with four levels barley (0, 10, 20 and 30%), and 2 levels Grind enzyme (0, 0.5 kg/ton). Viscosity for 30% barley at 21 and 42 days of age were significantly higher (P < 0.05). Viscosity was decreased by enzyme inclusion at 42 days of age. Increased litter moisture (44.98%) was observed by 30% barley in comparison to other treatments; in contrast, this parameter was significantly reduced by enzyme supplementation. Similar trend was observed in litter uric acid. Bird's growth rate was significantly lower in 30% barley at 21 and 42 d of age. The inclusion of 0.5 kg/ton enzyme in the chicken’s diet resulted in a significant increase in the growth rate at 10-21 days of age. Feed to gain ratio of birds fed 30% barley diet was inferior than birds fed other treatments during experiment.
A Study of Integration of Robotics in the Hospitality Sector and Its Emulation in the Pharmaceutical Sector

Objective: The main objective of the study is to highlight the integration of humanoid robots in the pharmaceutical industry at the medical dispensing stores by emulating robotic integration successes of the hospitality sector and ultimately developing strategies for its use in small, medium and large medical store provider’s i.e., pharmacies. Method: The research is based on desk research data, so as to investigate the most current and prospective applicability of robotics in healthcare, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector. The desk research data for this study has been obtained from diverse books on the topic of this research, different public portals, web portals of related departments for data and statistics, numerous journals, webpages of preferred healthcare centers and in addition to this, print materials like brochers etc. were collected from selected healthcare providers. Result: Researchers unveiled that thus far no significant study has been done to emulate the successful robotic integration of the hospitality sector with the healthcare industry especially the pharmaceutical sector. Inevitably productivity and proficiency advancements by the implementation of automation will become more evident which in turn would result in the integration of robotics gaining thrust and shall play an ever increasing role in helping the pharmacists at the medical stores i.e., pharmacies, to complete their day to day duties, subsequently assisting in providing improved customer services. Conclusion: The article concludes with a concise glance at some of the current progress of robotics in pharmaceutical sector and its useful employment in the areas that are anticipated to play significant roles in the times to come.
Determine the Optimal Extent of Thyroidectomy and Lymphadenectomy for Patients With Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma

Background: The optimal extent of surgery, including lymph node dissection, remains controversial in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). Determining risk factors of central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) may help surgeons determine individualized surgery. Methods: A total of 353 patients with PTMC were retrospectively analyzed, including 263 with overt PTMC and 90 with incidental PTMC. The recurrence rates between different extents of thyroidectomy were compared. The relationship between CLNM and clinicopathologic factors was analyzed. The Cox regression model was used to determine the risk factors for RFS. Results: Lobectomy/total thyroidectomy (TT) with central neck dissection (CND) was performed in 263 overt PTMC patients, and lobectomy/partial thyroidectomy was performed in 90 incidental PTMC patients. In 263 overt PTMC patients, 93 (26.3%) had CLNM only and 13 (3.7%) had both CLNM and lateral lymph node metastases (LLNM). Multifocal PTMC patients who underwent lobectomy had a higher rate of thyroid bed and lymph node recurrence than patients who underwent TT (P < 0.05). Independent predictors for CLNM were age <45 years, tumor size >5 mm and presence of extrathyroidal extension (ETE). Tumor size >5 mm, multifocality, presence of ETE, presence of CLNM, and presence of LLNM were the significant factors related to the RFS. Conclusion: Fine-needle aspiration biopsy is advised to distinguish incidental PTMC from the benign nodules. For multifocal PTMC patients, TT should be performed to reduce recurrence. Routine prophylactic CND can be recommended in PTMC patients with independent risk factors of CLNM. Aggressive surgery and close follow-up are essential for patients with risk factors of RFS.
Metre, rhythm, and verse form

1. Metre and Rhythm 2. Blank Verse 3. The Heroic Couplet 4. Rhyme and Pararhyme 5. Sprung Verse 6. Quantity and Syllabics 7. Free Verse 8. Verse Forms (i) 9. Verse Forms (ii) Selective Bibliography.
A Study on a Carrier Based PWM having Constant Common Mode Voltage and Minimized Switching Frequency in Three-level Inverter

In this paper, a carrier-based pulse with modulation (PWM) strategy for three-phase three- level inverter is dealt with, which can keep the common mode voltage constant with minimized switching frequency. The voltage gain and the switching frequency in overall operating ranges including overmodulation are investigated and the analytic equations are presented. Finally, the leakage current reduction effect is confirmed by carrying out simulation and experiment. It will be pointed out that the leakage current cannot be perfectly eliminated because of the dead time.
Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Stroke Prevention is Safe and Effective in Selected Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

The left atrial appendage (LAA) is implicated as a source of thrombus in the majority of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and embolic stroke. Therapeutic anticoagulation (AC) is the mainstay of treatment for stroke prophylaxis in AF. Despite adherence to AC, a significant number of patients are still subtherapeutic. In addition to this, several patients are ineligible for AC because of various reasons, including but not limited to high bleeding risk, ongoing bleeding, and non-compliance. These challenges associated with AC led to efforts looking at mechanical isolation of the LAA. Various endocardial and epicardial devices have been tried for mechanical isolation of the LAA, with variable success. The WATCHMANt (Boston Scientific, Maple Grove, MN) is the first endocardial device that received FDA approval as an alternative for warfarin for stroke prophylaxis in AF. The WATCHMANt (Boston Scientific) is not approved for AC-ineligible patients. The LARIAT (SentreHEART, Inc., Redwood City, CA) is an epicardially deployed device that has been proposed for AC-ineligible patients. Although not FDA approved, its safety and efficacy had been established in large prospective registries. The current review examines the current literature on AC and LAA exclusion devices in a comparative fashion. The protean effects of LARIAT (SentreHEART, Inc.) on rhythm and neurohormonal control are also reviewed. We conclude that LAA exclusion devices are an excellent alternative to AC for stroke prophylaxis in AC-eligible (WATCHMANt, Boston Scientific) and ineligible patients (LARIAT, SentreHEART).
Evaluation of Effectiveness of Biologically Synthesized SilverNanoparticles of Eucalyptus globules Leaf Extract against Pathogenic andAcne-inducing Bacteria

The present research was aimed to investigate the antimicrobial potential of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles from leaf extract of Eucalyptus globules against certified pathogenic microorganisms Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus and also acne inducing bacteria, using agar well diffusion method. Highest antimicrobial activity (20 mm) against Staphylococcus aureus was recorded with methanolic extract of Eucalyptus globules leaves in comparison to other extracts. Phytochemical analysis of crude extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, soluble starch, terpenoids and tannins. The silver nanoparticles synthesized from the methanolic extract using silver nitrate showed peak at 375 nm. The characterization of nanoparticles for size, shape and nature using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) revealed that the particle size ranged between 15-71 nm. The efficacy of synthesized nanoparticles was checked against four acne inducing isolates and also other certified pathogenic strains. It was found that the overall effectiveness of AgNp’s was much higher than crude extract and also exceptionally high in some cases (i.e. higher than positive control). The AgNp’s were quite effective against the pathogenic strains even at very low concentration (0.0097 μg/100 ml). The results indicated a marked improvement in effectiveness of plant extracts at nanoscale. Further Eucalyptus leaf extract has potential to be used as alternate to synthetic medicines as they are relatively cheaper and safer to use with less or no side effects but only after intensive R&D and clinical trials.
Exploiting genotype x environment interaction in soybean breeding in Nigeria

Twenty early maturing soybean genotypes were evaluated in five locations in Nigeria to determine the influence of Genotype X Environment as it affect the selection of high yielding and stable varieties of soybean. In each location the trials were laid out in randomised complete block design with three replications. Out of the three models of GXE used, AMMI model proofed superior in explaining the interaction of the GXE. Four soybean genotypes (TGx1990-37, TGx1987-10F, TGx1989-19F and TGx199052F) were identified by the three analysis tools that were overall best in performance in relation to yield and stability. Th is suggests that for reliability and optimum result it is better to combine the result of the two or three analytical tools for yield and stability in the recommendation of genotypes to farmers. Of the five environments, Mokwa produced the least interaction effec t followed by Yandev and may be most appropriate environments for soybean production and evaluation. Selection in these environments will be effective as the relative performance of these genotypes would be fairly stable.