Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cetacean distribution and relative abundance in offshore Gabonese waters

Information on cetaceans off Gabon in tropical West Africa is summarized from boat-based surveys carried out between 7 March and 7 August 2009. Thirteen cetacean species were positively identified comprising two baleen whale species, one sperm whale species and ten species of delphinid. Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei) and humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) were the most frequently encountered species. Cetaceans were found throughout a range of sea surface temperature between 20.5°C and 27.5°C and a wide range of depths with the majority of effort and sightings occurring seaward of the shelf break. Of particular interest from the study were the following: (1) Gabonese waters have a broad cetacean diversity, especially with a large and diversified delphinid community in the northern part of the study area; (2) the variations in oceanographic conditions within Gabonese waters are likely to result in a temporal variation in species composition; (3) the sightings of Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) are the first at-sea sightings confirmed for these waters, although not unexpected given their distribution and abundant presence in surrounding waters; and (4) the poorly known Clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene) was sighted on four occasions in deep oceanic waters and was the most abundant cetacean. These are the first confirmed records of Clymene dolphins in Gabonese waters.
Energizing Livelihoods: The Impact of the Biofuel Act in the Philippines

As petroleum supplies remain in constant limbo, alternative sources are needed to meet energy demands. Biofuels have the potential to mitigate environmental impact, improve balance of payments though foreign exchange savings while providing countries with greater energy security. Considering that biofuels are expected to gain a larger share of the automotive fuel market, biofuels are pertinent to both developed and developing countries. It is necessary to conduct an economic analysis on a biofuel mandate since other countries are contemplating mandates and are moving towards a biofuel economy. This paper finds that coconut farm gate prices are higher but coconut workers’ wages decreased and farmers experienced an increase in volatility in their farm gate price during the time the Biofuel Act was in effect.
DIETS OF SYMPATRIC BOBCATS AND COYOTES DURING YEARS OF VARYING RAINFALL IN CENTRAL ARIZONA

Abstract We collected fecal samples (scats) of sympatric bobcats (Lynx rufus) and coyotes (Canis latrans) between 2000 and 2003 in a 53,600-ha area of the Upper Sonoran Desert in central Arizona. Our objective was to investigate composition, diversity, and overlap of diets of bobcats and coyotes in relation to varying rainfall in the Sonoran Desert of central Arizona. In general, bobcats ate more rodents than did coyotes, and coyotes ate more lagomorphs, large prey, and fruit/seeds than did bobcats. Composition of bobcat diets was independent of differences among years in annual rainfall and seasonal rainfall during summer–autumn (May–October) and winter–spring (November–April). Composition of coyote diets also was independent of drought conditions among years during summer–autumn, but coyotes ate more large prey and fewer rodents during years with winter–spring drought. Seasonally, bobcats ate more rodents than did coyotes in summer–autumn and winter–spring, whereas coyotes ate more lagomorphs than did bobcats during winter–spring, and more large prey and fruit/seeds in both seasons. Coyotes ate more large prey and lagomorphs during winter–spring, when seasonal rainfall was higher, and more fruit/seeds in summer–autumn, when seasonal rainfall was lower. Diversity of diets was consistently higher for coyotes than for bobcats, and increased for bobcats but not for coyotes during winter–spring drought and during higher seasonal rainfall in winter–spring. Overlap of diets between predators was independent of rainfall levels. We suggest that bobcats in the Sonoran Desert are more selective, specialized predators and that coyotes are more generalist, opportunistic predators. We hypothesize that, although diversity of bobcat food items and composition of coyote diets differ with varying rainfall in the Sonoran Desert, patterns of feeding strategy are independent of seasonal differences in precipitation and effects of drought, and bobcats and coyotes partition food resources independently of varying rainfall.
Printed Heaters Printed Heater on LTCC Substrate

In this bachelor thesis different kinds of printed heaters are discussed, with main attention put on low temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) based ones. Other types of printed heaters structures include thick-film, thin-film and micro heaters. LTCC is found to have very good electrical and mechanical properties, high reliability and stability, and furthermore the possibility of making three dimensioal (3D) microstructures. In this study heaters were fabricated onto LTCC substrate with screen printing method and two basic structures were made, buried and suspended one.
Multipactor discharge on metals and dielectrics: Historical review and recent theories

This paper reviews the history of multipactor discharge theory, focusing on recent models of multipactor accessibility and saturation. Two cases are treated in detail: That of a first-order, two-surface multipactor, and that of a single-surface multipactor on a dielectric. In both cases, susceptibility curves are constructed to indicate the regions of external parameter space where multipactor is likely to occur, taking into account the dependence on surface materials, and the effects of space charge and cavity loading. In the case of a dielectric, multipactor is found to deliver about 1% of the rf power to the surface. The two cases are contrasted in light of experimental observations.
ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSES TO INSTITUTIONAL PRESSURES IN INTERNATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS: A TRANSNATIONAL PIPELINE PROJECT CASE STUDY

International infrastructure projects that are implemented in highly complex environments and involve collaboration among participants from multiple countries often face a variety of institutional pressures. Organizations involved in the execution of international infrastructure projects enact different strategic responses to institutional pressures and respond in a patterned way. The research explores how organizations respond strategically to institutional pressures in international infrastructure projects and how the interconnectedness between the organization under pressure and other organizations in the project influences the response strategy. A case study centred on a pipeline project in Central Asia that organizations are from China, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan has been conducted to analyse organizations' practical strategic responses, and 4 vignettes were developed, each describing an event in this pipeline project how an organization responded to institutional pressures. Each vignette was carefully analysed by making event list with two dimensions, the organizations involved and the time line. Different vignettes were compared to find the generic narrative model or typical story. The results indicate that the high degree of interdependence and convergence of interest among the organizations lead other organizations in the project to collaborate with the organization under institutional pressures, and take an active response strategy. Besides, local stakeholder relationships can be utilized in response to institutional pressures and it is important to create relationally embedded relationships with local stakeholders. This research contributes to the knowledge of international project management by drawing upon institutional theory and using a strategic perspective to institutional pressures.
Folksonomy-based User-centric Information Organization Systems

After the rise of Web 2.0 technologies, Folksonomy emerged as one of the most popular user-centric information organization techniques in the newly reforming digital world. In the context of the rising popularity of folksonomies, this paper conceptually investigates - how can folksonomies be integrated with other ways of organizing information for building systems that could serve information users better in the future? A set of experimentation ideas of integrating folksonomy with controlled vocabularies, bibliometric maps, thesaurus-based systems, ontologies, and semantic web could inform and catalyze the design and development of folksonomy-based user-centric information organization systems in the future.
Questioning the utility of self‐efficacy measurements for Indians

This study examined the influence of academic self‐efficacy and social support on the academic success of Indian‐American and Caucasian‐American undergraduate students. 200 Indian‐American and Caucasian‐American students completed a demographic form and five surveys. The data showed that academic self‐efficacy had a significant effect on college grade point averages (GPA) for Caucasians, but not for Indians. Regarding social support, the quality of mentoring relationships was found to be twice as high for Indians than Caucasians. The total number of mentors, however, was significantly higher for Caucasians. The results of this study support theories that highlight the importance of social support on Indians’ academic success, and of academic self‐efficacy on Caucasians’ academic success. This study also provides support of the existing literature that the construct of self‐efficacy is culturally biased, and questions the utility of self‐efficacy measurements for the Indian ethnicity.
Strong Snow White Requires Stronger Marriageable Huntsman : Exploring Gender in a Media Discussion Group for Women

In this article, we discuss a media discussion group for female students with disabilities, which we created and facilitated using fairy tales to discuss and critique gender norms. Disability was not the primary focus for our media sessions; however, participants occasionally extended dialogue to include intersections between disability and gender. In this article, we discuss literature related to gender, disability, popular culture, and fairy tales. We detail our case study methodology and explain our findings regarding participants’ views of gender representations in fairy tales, the character of Snow White as portrayed in the film Snow White and the Huntsman, and the concept of happily‐ever‐after endings. Finally, we discuss benefits experienced by the participants in the context of forming a community of learners and building relationships with each other.
Enhancement of Photocurrent in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Using Bismuth Doped TiO2- Graphene as a Hot Carrier Transport

Enhancement of Photocurrent in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Using Bismuth Doped TiO2- Graphene as a Hot Carrier Transport Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are of tremendous current interest, but they suffer from a lack of ability to harness the majority of visible light, or require heavy metal addition such as Pb or Cd which are not considered environmentally friendly. By decorating doped metal oxides such as titania with earth abundant and friendly metals on functionalized graphene sheets (FGSs), functional mats are enabled for enhanced light harvesting. In this work, novel highly crystalline bismuth doped TiO2 nanocrystals were prepared successfully by a facile sol-gel hydrothermal process and attached to FGS’s to make functional catalyst mats.
Melatonin and Alpha Lipoic Acid: Possible Mitigants for Lopinavir/Ritonavir- Induced Renal Toxicity in Male Albino Rats

Introduction: This study evaluated the effects of pretreatments with melatonin (MT), and Alpha Lipoic acid (ALA) on lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) -induced serum levels of creatinine (Cr), urea (U), uric acid (Ua) and kidney levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT) in male albino rats. Effects of treatments with MT and ALA were also evaluated on baseline levels of the above parameters. Materials and Methods: Adult male albino rats were orally administered MT (10mg/kg), ALA (10mg/kg) and LPV/r (22.9/5.71, 45.6/11.4 and 91.4/22.9mg/kg) for 60 days. At the end of drug treatment animals were sacrificed, serum was extracted and evaluated for Cr, U, and Ua. Kidney was harvested and evaluated for MDA, SOD, CAT and GSH. Results: Treatment with MT and ALA significantly (p<0.05) decreased baseline serum levels of Cr, U, Ua and kidney MDA level while kidney levels of SOD, CAT and GSH were increased when compared to the control. On the contrary, treatment with LPV/r significantly (p<0.05) and dose -dependently increased serum Cr, U, Ua levels and kidney MDA level while kidney levels of SOD, CAT and GSH were decreased when compared to the control. But pretreatments with MT and ALA mitigated LPV/r induced changes in all evaluated parameters. Pronounced mitigation was observed with pretreatment using a combination of MT and ALA. Conclusion: Observations in this study may be due to the oxidant effect of LPV/r and the antioxidant effects of MT and ALA. This study, therefore recommends MT and ALA as treatment or prevention for LPV/r induced renal toxicity. Conclusion: Observations in this study may be due to the oxidant effect of LPV/r and the antioxidant effects of MT and ALA. This study, therefore recommends MT and ALA as treatment or prevention for LPV/r induced renal toxicity.
Pesticide detoxifying mechanism in field population of Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: noctuidae) from South India

Thearmy worm Spodoptera litura(fabricius) is one of the most damaging pests of ground nut and castor in India. Wedetermine the susceptibility of S. litura reared on a castor leaves, tothree insecticides (Temephos, Dichlorvos, and lambda-cyhalothrin) underlaboratory conditions, associated withthe enzyme activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), carboxylesterase (CarE),glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione S- reductase (GSH) in thislarvae. Among treatments Dichlorvos showed high mortality then lambdacyhalothrin and Temephos in whole body of the insect. The AChE activities of Spodoptera litura treated with lambdacyhalothrin, Temephos at 10ppm were almost 1.5 fold high. The CarE activity at10ppm was almost 3 fold high. The GSH and GST activity were low then control(0.2 ± 0.4, 1.5 µM mg protein-1 min-1). The present studysuggests that esterase and acetylcholine esterase may play a role in detoxificationof synthetic pyrethroid and organophosphates in Spodoptera litura from South India.
Root growth, water uptake, and sap flow of winter wheat in response to different soil water availability

How much and where water is taken up by roots from the soil profile are important questions that need to be answered to close the soil water balance equation and to describe water fluxes in the soil–plant–atmosphere system. Physically-based root water uptake (RWU) models that relate RWU to transpiration, root density, and water potential distributions have been developed but far less used or tested. This study aims at evaluating the simulated RWU of winter wheat by the empirical Feddes–Jarvis (FJ) model and the physically-based Couvreur (C) model for different soil water conditions and soil textures against sap flow measurements. Soil water content (SWC), water potential, and root development were monitored non-invasively at six soil depths in two rhizotron facilities that were constructed in two soil textures: stony vs. silty with each three water treatments: sheltered, rainfed, and irrigated. Soil and root parameters of the two models were derived from inverse modeling and simulated RWU was compared with sap flow measurements for validation. The different soil types and water treatments resulted in different crop biomass, root densities and root distributions with depth. The two models simulated the lowest RWU in the sheltered plot of the stony soil where RWU was also lower than the potential RWU. In the silty soil, simulated RWU was equal to the potential uptake for all treatments. The variation of simulated RWU among the different plots agreed well with measured sap flow but the C model predicted the ratios of the transpiration fluxes in the two soil types slightly better than the FJ model. The root hydraulic parameters of the C model could be constrained by the field data but not the water stress parameters of the FJ model. This was attributed to differences in root densities between the different soils and treatments which are accounted for by the C model whereas the FJ model only considers normalized root densities. The impact of differences in root density on RWU could be accounted for directly by the physically-based RWU model but not by empirical models that use normalized root density functions.
Genetic relationships among Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper and its close wild relatives using microsatellite markers

Genetic relationships of two wild Vigna species, Vigna mungo var. silvestris andVigna hainiana, with accessions of a cultivated species, V. mungo known as urdbean or blackgram was studied with a view of using them as a donor of alien stress resistance genes in future breeding. POPGENE analysis conducted on a total of 375 individuals of 25 accessions using sequence tag microsatellite markers (STMS) revealed effective number of alleles varying from 3.0 to 1.7. The mean values of observed and expected heterozygosity were 0.084 and 0.335, respectively. Average Wright’s fixation indices were: FIT = 0.710, FST = 0.840 and FIS = -0.84, indicating high level of outcrossing and genetic differentiation with limited gene flow between and within the three taxa studied. The Nm value for the accessions was found to be negligible, suggesting no gene flow within populations. For the groups, Nm value for V. mungo was 0.464, which was more than that of both V. radiata var. silvestris and V. hainiana. Since V. mungo is a cultivated species, it showed the highest within-species gene flow. Ewens-Watterson test for neutrality was done using 1000 simulated samples. All the loci were neutral to selection pressure as their observed F value was between lower and upper 95% limit. Key words: Species relationships, Vigna mungo, microsatellite marker, blackgram.
Bevacizumab Trough Concentration in Recurrent Glioblastoma Patients

Purpose: Predictive marker of bevacizumab activity is an unmet medical need. Our objective was to evaluate the trough concentration of bevacizumab in patients with recurrent glioblastoma and to analyze its potential association with patient characteristics and outcome. Methods: We retrospectively included patients with recurrent glioblastoma treated with bevacizumab and chemotherapy with available plasma collected before the second bevacizumab administration (residual time). Trough bevacizumab concentrations and antibodies against bevacizumab were quantified by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: We included 21 patients with a median age of 63.4 years at bevacizumab initiation. Occurrence of antibody against bevacizumab was not observed. Median pre-cycle 2 trough concentration of bevacizumab was 87.1 μg/mL (range, 21.7 μg/mL -151.8 μg/mL). Trough concentration of bevacizumab was not correlated to patient age (p=.529), gender (p=.622), weight (p=.403), size (p=.871), Body Mass Index (p=.439), Karnofsky Performans Status (p=.988) and steroid intake (p=0.403). No correlation was found between trough bevacizumab concentration and response rate (p=.856). The highest tertile of trough bevacizumab concentration tended to be associated with poor progression-free survival (p=0.152), while no correlation was observed for overall survival. Conclusion: Evaluation of the trough concentration of bevacizumab during treatment for patients with glioblastoma is feasible and highly variable. Its prognostic value should be explored in prospective trial.
Socio-economic aspects of goat farming enterprise in Teso region, Uganda

A study was conducted to document the socio-economic aspects of goat production in Teso subregion of Uganda. Data were collected by using a questionnaire administered to 114 purposively selected goat owners in five districts. Majority (87%) of de fecto household heads were male. About 41.2% of the farmers were aged 51 years and more. The average number of goats per household was 9.2 ± 6.38. Most farmers (63.2%) owned five or less acres of land. Indigenous goats were mainly acquired by buying (85%) while exotic goats and their crosses were acquired from government programs (34%). Goats have a number of roles, though mainly kept as a source of regular cash income (98.2%), followed by socio-cultural values (69.3%). A large percentage of farmers (67%) earned UShs 150,000 or less from goat production. The biggest problem in marketing of goats was high taxation. Majority of goat owners were men (84.86%) but a few cases (average 15.14%) of women that owned goats independently were also reported. Women and children participated less in decision making, although they were responsible for many goat production related activities. In conclusion, goat production plays an important role in improving the livelihoods of the Teso communities. There is need to encourage and develop the participation of women and youths in the goat production and marketing sector, and promote commercialisation so that farmers can increase their present holdings for improved profitability. Key words : Benefits, farming system, goat production, Uganda
Fertility and Reproductive Health Implications of Targeted Therapeutics for Cystic Fibrosis

Aim: To explore knowledge of fertility and knowledge of the impact of cystic fibrosis (CF) on reproduction and fertility among women of childbearing age with homozygous F508del mutation, and explore these women's perceptions on fertility changes secondary to lumacaftor/ivacaftor. Methods: This pilot had a sample of 20 women. Ten women with CF, ages 19-35 with homozygous F508del mutation, stable lung function, and English proficient were included, as well as a non-CF comparison group. Three questionnaires were administered: demographics form, Knowledge of Fertility (KF), and Knowledge of Impact of CF on Reproduction and Fertility (KICFRF). A semi-structured interview was conducted with the CF group. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: On the KF scale, participants in both groups reported a lot of knowledge about the effect of age on fertility. Seven participants in the CF group and eight in the non-CF group reported little knowledge about the infertility work up. On the KICFRF, seven reported a lot of knowledge on the role of cervical mucus viscosity on fertility. Only three reported a lot of knowledge on the role of cervical mucus pH. Half of the CF group correctly identified CF's genetic transmission. Three main themes emerged from the qualitative data: (1) "Positive, negative, and unknown effects of lumacaftor/ivacaftor"; (2) "Needing comprehensive reproductive and sexual health education and counseling by the CF care team"; and (3) "Wanting to have a child despite knowing or suspecting impaired fertility". Discussion: Women with CF are knowledgeable about general fertility concepts. Areas of less knowledge (i.e., infertility work-up, genetic transmission, and role of cervical mucus pH) require future research. They desire comprehensive clinical care that includes discussions about fertility and reproductive health. They want to become mothers and are hopeful that targeted therapeutics will make their dream of motherhood a reality.