Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Singing synthesis and the Vocal Tract Organ

Vocal synthesis has been the subject of investigation since the late 18th century when von Kempelen produced his mechanical ‘speaking machine’. The advert of electronics has enabled a number of different methods of voice synthesis to be realized in practice. Recently with the advent of 3-D printing and magnetic resonance imaging of human vocal tracts, it has been possible to create synthetic vocal sounds that combine both mechanical (3-D printed tracts) and electronic (synthesized larynx sound source) to enable the effects of various parts of the vocal tract on the acoustic output to be investigated. Given that the 3-D tracts look rather like organ pipes, the author (an organist) has developed a new musical instrument based on this technology, which is called the Vocal Tract Organ. This paper reviews voice synthesis techniques and describes the structure and operation of the Vocal Tract Organ.
Periphyton-Based Jaraqui ( Semaprochilodus insignis ) Culture with Two Types of Substrates at Different Densities

Influences of two types of substrates, natural (macrophyte, Pistia stratiotes) and artificial (plastic screen) were evaluated at 3 differrent densities (10, 20, 30%) on periphyton development, water quality and growth performance of jaraqui (Semaprochilodus insignis). Fish of average initial weight 1.46-1.69 g and length 4.15-4.26 cm stocked at 1/m in 46 m masonry tanks were grown for 120 days. The tanks were fertilized with urea, triple superphosphate and wheat bran. The types and densities of substrates tested did not drastically influence water quality. Natural substrate harboured higher periphyton biomass (1.48±0.09 mg/cm) as well as species diversity (28 genera) than the artificial substrate (0.84±0.12 mg/cm, 20 genera). Fish in 10% and 20% artificial substrate and 20% natural substrate treatments showed better mean values of body weight (24.64, 23.86, 29.26 g respectively) on termination of the experiment. Fish survival was the lowest in 30% natural substrate (84.1%) and highest in 10% artificial substrate (94.2%). Higher fish biomass was recorded in 20% natural and 10% artificial substrate treatments (25.05 and 21.71 g/m), which amounts to a four-month yield of 250 and 217 kg/ha in the two
Effects of foam rolling on ankle joint ROM and hamstring flexibility

Foam rolling is a popular tool among athletes and recreationally active individuals. The manufacturer's promises athletic improvements but little is known what benefits the foam roller gives. In this intervention study, we will explore self-myofascial release with foam rolling. 17 recreationally active subject foam rolled the hamstring muscle, calf muscles, and plantar fascia for 60 seconds with one leg, the other leg was used as the control group. The ROM and flexibility in the ankle and hip joint were measured with the mobee device, before and after the intervention. SPSS was then used to calculate the differences achieved after rolling. Influencing factors such as gender and activity type were also looked at to find variables that influence the result. No significant results were found when comparing the foam rolling group to the control group, responses to the rolling vary greatly, much like previous research. More research is required to understand why the individual responses differ, research should focus on what effect foam rolling has on muscle and surrounding tissue. Sammanfattning Foam rolling är ett populärt verktyg bland idrottare och fritidsaktivister. Tillverkarens löften är atletiska förbättringar men vilka fördelar som foam rolling ger är inte klarlagt. I denna interventionsstudie utforskar vi self-myofascial release med foam rolling. 17 rekreationsaktiva deltagare foam rollade hamstringsmuskeln, vadmuskeln och plantar fascia i 60 sekunder med ett ben, det andra benet användes som kontrollgrupp. Rörelseförmågan i fotleden och höftleden mättes med mobee-enheten före och efter interventionen. SPSS användes för att beräkna skillnaderna efter foam rolling passet. Påverkande faktorer som kön och aktivitetstyp betraktades också för att hitta variabler som kan påverka resultatet. Inga signifikanta resultat hittades när man jämförde foam rolling gruppen med kontrollgruppen, resultaten varierar kraftigt likt tidigare forskning. Mer forskning krävs för att förstå varför de individuella resultaten skiljer sig, forskning bör fokusera på vilken effekt foam rolling har på muskel och omgivande vävnad.
Effect of breeding system and farm hygiene on performances of growing rabbits and lactating does over two reproductive cycles

The aim of this paper was to study the effect of the intensive breeding system (IBS: insemination 4 d postpartum and weaning age at 25 d) vs. the semi-intensive breeding system (SIBS: insemination 11 d post-partum and weaning age at 35 d) on lactating does performance and the combined effect of the type of farm hygiene (cleaned and disinfected or not) on the performance of growing rabbits from weaning until 56 d of age. A total of 58 New Zealand×Californian rabbit does (29/reproductive rhythm) and 168 young rabbits per combination weaning age×type of farm were selected at random over two consecutive reproductive cycles. Mortality during lactation presented higher values (P=0.067) in young rabbits weaned at 35 d than in those weaned at 25 (19.1 vs. 9.60%). In the first cycle, the number of kits weaned per litter was similar for both reproductive rhythms (7.89 and 8.01 for IBS and SIBS, respectively), whereas in the second cycle, the number of rabbits weaned was lower in rabbit does that weaned their litters later (6.90 vs. 9.06; P=0.049). Weight at parturition and at weaning, fertility, parturition interval, numerical productivity and the number of young rabbits born dead and weaned were not affected by treatments. The fattening mortality was higher in the second cycle than in the first (20.2 vs. 14.5 %, P=0.051), in the farm without cleaning and disinfection between cycles (20.0 vs. 14.2%, P=0.032) and in the animals weaned at 35 d than at 25 d (20.0 vs. 14.7 %, P=0.063). Animals weaned at 25 and 35 d of age both had a peak of mortality around two weeks after weaning. The average weight of rabbits at 56 d was not significantly different between the animals weaned at 25 or 35 d (1805 vs. 1787 g, respectively; P=0.64). However, the feed efficiency in the whole fattening period was higher in young rabbits weaned at 25 d than in those weaned at 35 d (0.392 vs. 0.298 g/g; P<0.001).
New modes of governance of cooperative arrangements in agricultural markets: The case of Polish producer groups

The cooperative movement in Poland has a long but difficult history. The socialistic regime introduced a command and control system into cooperatives which was destructive to their self-governing functions and eventually led to a lack of member involvement. There was a mass neglecting and abandonment after the transformation in particular of rural cooperatives. Nonetheless, in the early 1990s the first farmers’ cooperative marketing organizations, called agricultural producer groups, appeared on the market. They are bottom-up, voluntary organizations whose main purpose is to jointly sell their members’ output Although producer groups functions similarly to marketing cooperatives, farmers establishing producer groups have been choosing other legal forms than cooperatives. In the paper we investigate why the new forms of governance of cooperative arrangements are chosen and what are the implication of these choices for the success of the groups on the market. We discuss the impact of invested capital, the impact of advisors, and the impact of institutional environment on this choice. The empirical data was collected on 62 producer groups functioning in one province of Poland.
Hydrogen generation via steam reforming of biodiesel : Process optimization and heat 1 integration 2 3

The present study investigates the distributed generation of hydrogen (50 Nm/h) by steam 15 reforming of biodiesel. The system comprises a steam reformer, a water gas shift stage, a 16 pressure swing adsorption unit and a dual fuel burner. Sensitivity analysis with Aspen Plus 17 shows a positive effect on overall system efficiency for high pressure and a low steam-to18 carbon ratio. A theoretical maximum efficiency (based on lower heating value) of 78.2 % can 19 be obtained requiring a complex and costly heat exchanger network. Consequently, a system 20 simplification is proposed resulting in a novel fuel processor concept for steam reforming of 21 biodiesel based on a fully heat integrated system. A thermal system efficiency of 75.6 % is 22 obtained at S/C=2.53, p=13 bara and TRef=825 °C. The techno-economic evaluation reveals 23 hydrogen production costs ranging from 7.25 €/kg to 10.58 €/kg. 24
Effects of Ovarian Varicose Vein on Mitochondrial Structure, Malondialdehyde and Prooxidants: Antioxidants Balance in Rat Ovaries

El estres oxidativo aumenta en las venas varicosas. Diversas investigaciones han implicado al estres oxidativo en la patogenesis de las enfermedades que causan la infertilidad del tracto reproductivo femenino. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar si el varicocele puede provocar niveles de especies reactivas del oxigeno y la desnaturalizacion de la estructura mitocondriales en los ovarios de ratas. En cada estudio experimental, cinco ratas hembras en edad de destete se dividieron por igual en 3 grupos: Varices unilateral (A), simulado (B) y control (C). La estructura mitocondrial y los niveles de malondialdehido como un producto de la peroxidacion lipidica y el balance pro-oxidantes-antioxidantes (BPA) se evaluaron 60 dias despues de la intervencion en la etapa proestro. Las comparaciones entre grupos se realizaron mediante la prueba de medicion. Despues de 2 meses, observamos que la estructura mitocondrial se desnaturalizo ultraestructuralmente, los niveles malondialdehido y el balance prooxidantes-antioxidantes de los ovarios izquierdos aumentaron significativamente en el grupo A en comparacion con los grupos B y C (P0.05). En el lado derecho, los niveles de malondialdehido aumentaron significativamente, pero el BPA, no mostro diferencias significativas entre los grupos. Los datos de los grupos B y C eran los mismos. Estos hallazgos pueden apoyar el concepto de que el aumento de niveles de malondialdehido y BPA en presencia de varicocele, puede causar efectos negativos sobre la fertilidad, por tanto el uso de antioxidantes puede resultar util.
The value of intellectual property rights to firms and society

Economists view intellectual property rights (IPRs) as policy tools for encouraging innovation, but they recognize that they can also inhibit competition. There are many types of IPRs and institutions concerned with their administration. We begin by outlining how these complex and varied rights are supposed to work and how they interact with other characteristics of firms and markets. We then survey the available literature on patents, trade marks, and copyright to assess the value of these IPRs to firms and the costs to firms of acquiring and defending their rights. The paper concludes with suggestions for topics requiring further research to inform public policy better.
Web Ontology Building Methodology for Semantic Web Application

Success of a semantic web application, currently base on web technology, depend on web ontology construction that provided rule and inference function about knowledge. For, this study compared the ontology construction methods that were already proposed, and analyzed, and investigated characteristics of semantic web and web ontology, investigated characteristics of semantic web and web ontology, and defined characteristics of web ontology as-based technology of a semantic web application and knowledge representation steps, and studied a technical element that related currently web technology, and proposed a web ontology construction method for a semantic web application with bases to these. Established web ontologies of various knowledge fields as applied the construction method that proposed. Also evaluate performance of web ontology through inference verification of web ontologies established, web ontologies evaluated performance of web ontology as used inference verification. According to this, we confirmed that proposed construction method that can establish the ontology suitable for semantic web application.
Canine echinococcosis screening in foxhound hunts in England and Wales using coproantigen ELISA and coproPCR

A total of eight foxhound packs in England and Wales were screened for Echinococcus species using a genus-specific coproantigen ELISA and for Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato and Echinococcus equinus by coproPCR. Main screening ( n = 364 hounds) occurred during 2010–2011 wherein a quarter (25.6%) of the foxhound fecal samples tested were Echinococcus coproantigen-positive (93/364). In total, five of eight (62.5%) hunts screened had coproantigen-positive hounds; coproantigen prevalence for individual foxhound packs ranged from 0 to 61.2% and was shown to be >30% in three hunts (in counties of Powys, Wales and Northumberland, England). Foxhound fecal samples from six of the eight tested hunts (four Welsh and two English hunts) were positive by coproPCR for E. granulosus s.l (including one sequence confirmation of E. granulosus sensu stricto) and E. equinus DNA. Analysis of hunt questionnaire data suggested that there was an association between poor foxhound husbandry, especially feeding practices and Echinococcus coproantigen prevalence. Clearer guidelines regarding the risk of canine echinococcosis are required for safe management of foxhound hunts in England and Wales.
Meaning making in rural Appalachia: Age and gender patterns in seven measures of meaning

People derive meaning in life from a wide variety of sources, but little is known about how patterns of meaning making vary across individuals. The current study examined age and gender patterns in seven measures of meaning: sense of purpose, optimism, religious or spiritual involvement, family care, morals and ethical standards, self-oriented, and relationship-oriented meaning making. As far as we are aware, this study is one of the largest studies ever conducted on this topic, allowing us to explore curvilinear age patterns and interactions between age and gender. The sample comprised 2565 participants (63.9% females), including adolescents and adults, who were recruited from rural communities of 3 Southern U.S. states. Participants completed self-report measures assessing meaning-making strengths. Overall, analyses indicated that most meaning-making strengths increase across the lifespan, from adolescence to middle adulthood, except for self-oriented activities, which were highest during adolescence and then declined. Females reported higher scores in several types of meaning-making strengths than males, but males reported more optimism. Some curvilinear patterns in age were noted, suggesting turning points or plateaus in meaning making, which have not been previously identified. Prevention and intervention programs may benefit from consideration of turning points and other age and gender patterns in meaning making. For example, recognizing whether a population is likely to be more involved in identity development or family roles could help guide programming. Future research could continue to expand the types of meaning studied.
A Survey on Object Detect, Track and Identify Using Video Surveillance

– Network video surveillance has been a popular security application for many years. Target tracking in a cluttered environment remains one of the challenging problems of video surveillance. The task of target tracking is a key component of video surveillance and monitoring systems. It provides input to high-level processing such as recognition, access control or re-identification or is used to initialize the analysis and classification of human activities. Intelligent and automated security surveillance systems have become an active research area in recent time due to an increasing demand for such systems in public areas such as airports, underground stations and mass events. In this context, tracking of stationary foreground regions is one of the most critical requirements for surveillance systems based on the tracking of abandoned or stolen objects or parked vehicles. Object tracking based techniques are the most popular choice to detect stationary foreground objects because they work reasonably well when the camera is stationary and the change in ambient lighting is gradual, and they also represent the most popular choice to separate foreground objects from the current frame. In this paper, we did the literature survey on different technique and finally carried out our methodology for the same situation.
Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence and turbulent dynamo in partially ionized plasma

Astrophysical fluids are turbulent, magnetized, and frequently partially ionized. As an example of astrophysical turbulence, the interstellar turbulence extends over a remarkably large range of spatial scales and participates in key astrophysical processes happening on different ranges of scales. Significant progress has been achieved in the understanding of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence since the turn of the century, and this enables us to better describe turbulence in magnetized and partially ionized plasmas. In fact, the modern revolutionized picture of MHD turbulence physics facilitates the development of various theoretical domains, including the damping process for dissipating MHD turbulence and the dynamo process for generating MHD turbulence with many important astrophysical implications. In this paper, we review some important findings from our recent theoretical works to demonstrate the interconnection between the properties of MHD turbulence and those of turbulent dynamo in a partially ionized gas. We also briefly exemplify some new tentative studies on how the revised basic processes influence the associated outstanding astrophysical problems in areas such as magnetic reconnection, cosmic ray scattering, and magnetic field amplification in both the early and present-day universe.
OF CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION POWERTRAIN SYSTEM FOR HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES

In this paper, a review of the state-of-the-art of various CVT powertrain systems now used or being planned for future use in HEVs is presented. These CVT powertrain systems are classified into three main categories: mechanical CVT, electromechanical CVT(ECVT) and pure electrical CVT(EVT). The research development, system architecture, operation characteristics and the merits and drawbacks of each type are discussed.
Characterizing the nature of the rigidity transition

Particulate matter, such as foams, emulsions, and granular materials, attain rigidity in a dense regime: the rigid phase can yield when a threshold force is applied. The rigidity transition in particulate matter exhibits {\it bona fide} scaling behavior near the transition point. However, a precise determination of exponents describing the rigidity transition has raised much controversy. Here, we pinpoint the causes of the controversies. We then establish a conceptual framework to quantify the critical nature of the yielding transition. Our results demonstrate that there is a spectrum of possible values for the critical exponents for which, without a robust framework, one cannot distinguish the genuine values of the exponents. Our approach is two-fold: ({\it i}) a precise determination of the transition density using rheological measurements and ({\it ii}) a matching rule that selects the critical exponents and rules out all other possibilities from the spectrum. This enables us to determine exponents with unprecedented accuracy and resolve the long-standing controversy over exponents of jamming. The generality of the approach paves the way to quantify the critical nature of many other types of rheological phase transitions such as those in oscillatory shearing.
The Compact Clause and the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact

Despite previous historical failed attempts to abolish the Electoral College at the federal level, in the months following the 2000 election, several lawyers, politicians, and academics concocted a novel plan to abolish the College at the State level. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would be enacted State by State and require each enacting State to give its electoral votes to the winner of a plurality of the national popular vote. This Article does not attempt to address the merits or drawbacks of the system as a matter of policy. Instead, Part I begins with a brief history of the Electoral College, how the Compact works, and the current state of affairs regarding the Interstate Compact. In Part II, the Article analyzes the Compact Clause in Article I section 10 clause 3 of the United States Constitution. It first explores the history of the Clause, with roots that can be found in the Articles of Confederation. It then looks to three different theories of interpretation of the Clause: the Boundary Compact Clause, the Non-Political Compact Clause, and the Political Consent Compact Clause, which are progressively more permissive and have been adopted sequentially in some fashion by the Court, most recently accepting the most expansive interpretation. In adopting the Political Consent Compact Clause theory, the Supreme Court has acknowledged that Congress must consent to a Compact that increases State political power at the expense of federal supremacy, but the Court and commentators have been less forthright when addressing the need for consent when a compact implicates the interests of non-compacting sister States. This Article concludes that non-compacting States are a fundamental concern of the Compact Clause alongside concerns of federal supremacy. In Part III, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is examined and found constitutionally deficient. The Compact is actually a compact under the Compact Clause of the Constitution, because the Court has broadly construed what makes a compact. In particular, because the Compact is not effective until a critical mass of States have enacted it, and because States are constrained from withdrawing from the Compact too close to a presidential election, the Compact falls under constitutional scrutiny. Additionally, the Compact addresses a political matter that affects the interests of non-compacting sister States, and the compacting States enhance their political power at the expense of other States. The Article examines the various defenses of the Compact but finds that none of them overcome the political interests of sister States. Therefore, barring congressional consent, the Interstate Compact would fail.
Bakanae of rice - an emerging disease in Asia.

Bakanae or foot rot disease caused by Fusarium fujikuroi Nirenberg is an important emerging disease of rice across the world. It is responsible for high yield losses ranging from 3.0-95.4% and its incidence varies with regions and cultivars grown. It is one of the emerging problems in rice, particularly in basmati/scented rice in India during recent years and becoming more serious threat to sustainable rice production in other parts of the rice growing world. Currently, seed treatment with fungicides is the most important disease management strategy used worldwide after the use of resistant varieties. Various aspects of the disease covering history, significance, pathogen survival, variability to genomics and management issues that will be useful for researchers and other stakeholders to bring fruitful research on yield loss assessment, epidemiology, host-pathogen interaction, racial profiling, decision support system and integrated sustainable disease management practices which are still lacking about the disease have been discussed in greater detail.