Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Error variance of short duration sieving Mining Mineração

In this study, the variance of ordinary sieving test error was determined concerning the specification limit of sized iron ore product by subtracting the fundamental error (described by the Gy’s formalism for sampling), from the global error (recoverable from database of historical values). The results allowed the calculation of the confidence interval for the percentage of material finer than the upper screen specification limit. Thereafter, a method to estimate the so-called effectiveness coefficient of the screening operation was developed, which is the ratio between number of particle presentations to passage and the number of oscillations during the material shaking on the screen surface. This estimation was based on the probability statements and particle size distribution of the feed. Considering the size distribution of the products tested in this study, the results have shown that the sieving time could be reduced when determining the percentage of material finer than the upper specification mesh.
A case of abscess after BCG vaccine in an immunocompetent child without other clinical signs

Introduction: Bacille Calmette–Guerin (BCG), an attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis, is a rare cause of infection, with few published cases in immunocompetent individuals. Case presentation: We present the case of a cutaneous abscess in an immunocompetent infant returning from Morocco, where he received a BCG vaccination. The abscess developed at the site of inoculation in the forearm (a non-recommended site) in the absence of lymphadenopathy or systemic signs. The lesion did not recur after aspiration of the abscess and further treatment was not required. Conclusion: Infections caused by M. bovis BCG may be difficult to diagnose without systemic signs or lymphadenopathy but should be suspected in children returning from regions where BCG vaccination is widely applied. The present report suggests that abscess formation after BCG vaccination is a continuing problem, particularly in tuberculosis-endemic areas and when recommendations concerning dosage or injection techniques are not followed. Moreover, we highlight here the importance of combining phenotypic and genotypic methods for quick identification of Mycobacterium bovis BCG in abscess drainage fluids.
Price Discovery and Asymmetric Volatility Spillovers in Indian Spot-Futures Gold Markets

This study attempts to examine the price discovery process and volatility spillovers in Gold futures and spot markets of National Commodity Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) by employing Johansen’s Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) and the Bivariate ECM-EGARCH(1,1) model. The empirical result confirms that the spot market of Gold plays a dominant role and serves as effective price discovery vehicle. Besides the study results show that the spillovers of certain information take place from spot market to futures market and the spot market of gold have the capability to expose the all new information through the channel of its new innovation.
Using contingent valuation in the design of payments for environmental services mechanisms: a review and assessment

As the use of payments for environmental services (PES) programs for conservation has grown in developing countries, the use of stated preference methods, particularly contingent valuation (CV) surveys, to estimate the maximum amount that users of environmental services (buyers) would be willing to pay has also increased. This paper reviews 25 CV studies conducted in the context of PES programs (CV-PES) and assesses their quality and usefulness for designing PES programs. Almost all these studies attempt to estimate the demand of downstream water users for up-stream watershed protection and, more generally, for improved water services. Most studies were methodologically uninspired and generally low-quality applications of stated preference methods, with limited policy relevance. The quality and usefulness of CV-PES studies could be substantially improved at only a modest increase in costs.
Factoring out ordered sections to expose thread-level parallelism

With the rise of multi-core processors, researchers are taking a new look at extending the applicability auto-parallelization techniques. In this paper, we identify a dependence pattern on which autoparallelization currently fails. This dependence pattern occurs for ordered sections, i.e. code fragments in a loop that must be executed atomically and in original program order. We discuss why these ordered sections prohibit current auto-parallelizers from working and we present a technique to deal with them. We experimentally demonstrate the efficacy of the technique, yielding significant overall program speedups.
Formalizing Logic Based Rules for Skills Classification and Recommendation of Learning Materials

First-order logic based data structure have knowledge representations in Prolog-like syntax. In an agent based system where beliefs or knowledge are in FOL ground fact notation, such representation can form the basis of agent beliefs and inter-agent communication. This paper presents a formal model of classification rules in first-order logic syntax. In the paper, we show how the conjunction of boolean [Passed, Failed] decision predicates are modelled as Passed(N) or Failed(N) formulas as well as their implementation as knowledge in agent oriented programming for the classification of students’ skills and recommendation of learning materials. The paper emphasizes logic based contextual reasoning for accurate diagnosis of students’ skills after a number of prior skills assessment. The essence is to ensure that students attain requisite skill competences before progressing to a higher level of learning.
The contextual interference effect on the performance of fundamental motor skills in adults

Purpose. the aim of the study was to analyse the effect of contextual interference on acquisition and retention for jump and throw in adults. Methods. the participants (n = 50) were randomly assigned to 3 groups: blocked practice (bP), random practice (RP), and control group (CG). During each practice session, the bP group performed 20 trials of one skill, followed by 20 trials of the second skill, while the RP group performed 20 trials for each skill in a random order. the CG participated in physical activities that did not include any of these two skills. the intervention consisted of 7 sessions. Skill performance was assessed with the test of Fundamental Motor Skills for Adults – for pretest, acquisition, and retention. the test has content validity established by logical validity, as well as documented intra-class reliability (calculated via test-retest) and inter-rater reliability. Results. A two-way ANOVA [group (3) × measurement (3)] with repeated measures in the last factor revealed a significant interaction in throw (F = 5.81; p = 0.001) and jump (F = 10.92; p = 0.001). Post-hoc analyses indicated that the bP and RP groups improved from pretest to acquisition. the CG was statistically significantly different from the experimental groups in the acquisition and retention phase. the RP and bP groups were not statistically different in any phase, both of the skills being assessed. Conclusion. No contextual interference effect on fundamental motor skills in adults was found. Nonetheless, the results suggest that RP and bP improved performance for both skills.
PFT: the new selection index for the Italian Holstein

At the beginning of 2002 the Italian Holstein selection index has been changed. The new index, called PFT, has substituted the old ILQM, which has been the selection index of the Italian Holstein breeders since 1993. The introduction of a new selection tool was due to the larger costs caused by the increase of health problems, a high concern for somatic cells level and a lower feet & legs functionality. All these factors have reduced cow longevity and increased involuntary culling, reducing the breeder’s profit. The PFT (Production, Functionality and Type) is an index that allows breeders to select bulls and dams for simultaneous improvement of both production and functional traits. In order to achieve this goal the 80:20 relative emphasis between production and udder health placed in the ILQM, was move to a ratio of 60 to 40 in the PFT. The production component of the PFT includes fat yield (12%), protein yield (42%), fat % (2%) and protein % (3%). Functional components include udder traits(13%), somatic cell score (8%), functional feet & legs (6%), combined longevity (10%) and type (4%). The relative emphasis for each trait was based on the achieved rates of genetic progress. The correlation between aggregate genotype of the old ILQM and the new PFT is 0.94 and a certain re-ranking occurred among bulls and cows. Nevertheless when selecting on PFT, milk, fat and protein yields are, respectively, 10, 5 and 2 % higher compared to old ILQM. Selection for yield has a negative effect on components and udder traits (ICM), but response on functional traits are straightforward. Type improves by 6%, Functional feet and legs (IAP) by 32 %, combined longevity by 52 % and SCS by 112 %. The results obtained support the idea that the PFT will help the Italian breeders to have in their herds high producing and healthy cows.
Foreign Exchange Strategies Performance

El objetivo de esta investigacion es evaluar el desempeno y la eficiencia de cuatro estrategias comunes de intercambio de divisas: Carry Trade, Momentum, Reversal y Value. Para los analisis se tiene en cuenta el costo de transaccion y las cotizaciones de 52 monedas desde 1983. El enfoque es similar a Barroso y Santa Clara (2012), sin embargo como valor agregado se incluye una restriccion en el apalancamiento y los retornos de la cartera permitiendo la herencia de la posicion en una moneda de un periodo al siguiente. Para el calculo de los retornos se propone el uso de un algoritmo genetico que aunque es computacionalmente mas caro que otros metodos numericos produjo resultados consistentes. Los resultados sugieren que las estrategias cambiarias contienen informacion relevante para la optimizacion de portafolios en particular el Carry Trade y el Momentum aunque el modelo podria mejorarse si se consideran otras caracteristicas como pueden ser la razon de Sharp o Sortino que incorporan el nivel de volatilidad para mejorar el desempeno del portafolio en episodios de volatilidad elevada.
Origanum majorana Extracts as Mild Steel Corrosion Green Inhibitors in Aqueous Chloride Medium

We optimized Origanum majorana (OM) extraction for mild steel corrosion inhibition in neutral 0.5 M chloride medium. The inhibition mechanism evolved in presence of the optimal extract was discussed when calculating the activation energy (Ea), the activation enthalpy (ΔaH) as well as the activation entropy (ΔaS). The OM extract molecules were investigated using the density functional theory (DFT) at B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) basis set level. 1-methyl-4-propan-2-ylcyclohexa-1,3-diene alpha-terpinene was predicted exhibiting the most inhibition capabilities.
Modeling of Resilient Modulus of Asphalt Concrete Containing Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement using Feed-Forward and Generalized Regression Neural Networks

Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is one of the waste materials that highway agencies promote to use in new construction or rehabilitation of highways pavement. Since the use of RAP can affect the resilient modulus and other structural properties of flexible pavement layers, this paper aims to employ two different artificial neural network (ANN) models for modeling and evaluating the effects of different percentages of RAP on resilient modulus of hot-mix asphalt (HMA). In this research, 216 resilient modulus tests were conducted for establishing the experimental dataset. Input variables for predicting resilient modulus were temperature, penetration grade of asphalt binder, loading frequency, change of asphalt binder content compared to optimum asphalt binder content and percentage of RAP. Results of modeling using feed-forward neural network (FFNN) and generalized regression neural network (GRNN) model were compared with the measured resilient modulus using two statistical indicators. Results showed that for FFNN model, the coefficient of determination between observed and predicted values of resilient modulus for training and testing sets were 0.993 and 0.981, respectively. These two values were 0.999 and 0.967 in case of GRNN. So, according to comparison of R2 for testing set, the accuracy of FFNN method was superior to GRNN method. Tests results and artificial neural network analysis showed that the temperature was the most effective parameter on the resilient modulus of HMA containing RAP materials. In addition by increasing RAP content, the resilient modulus of HMA increased.
Efficacy of Glass ' s Effect Size

Null hypothesis significance testing alone is not sufficient for program evaluation. To adequately assess program impact, effect sizes should be reported and interpreted in the context of similar or alternate programs. A popular effect size for the treatment-control group design has been the standardized mean difference, 8. Several estimators of 8 (e.g., Cohen's d) are known and their efficacy under specific data conditions have been studied. In evaluation studies, the Glass estimator of 8 has been recommend, but its efficacy is known only under ideal data conditions. Using simulated data, this study assessed the efficacy of Glass's effect size when population variances were unequal, distributions were nonnormal, and group sizes were unequal. Implications for using Glass's effect size when conducting an impact analysis are highlighted.
Three components of individualism

In this article, following an assumption that individualism and collectivism are separate factors, we have further established that three central components of individualism can be distinguished. In the first part of the article we examined whether the three proposed components of individualism—autonomy, mature self‐responsibility, and uniqueness—can be distinguished from each other in one cultural context, Estonia. A new scale was developed to measure the three aspects of individualism which demonstrated both the reasonable internal‐consistency reliability as well as convergent and divergent validity with several other measures of individualism and collectivism and related constructs. In the second part of the article we studied whether individualism generalizes across specific contexts or domains of social relationships, namely, across relations with family and close others; friends and peers; state and nation. The results of the three‐mode principal component analysis showed that the individualistic tendencies of the respondents did not differ much while measured toward the three types of social relation. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The implementation of performance appraisal system: perceived fairness, employee satisfaction and organizational commitment

Performance appraisal (PA) system are the most applied organization management technique used and was intended to enhance competency and productivity of employee in organization.The exercise and practice of employee performance evaluation is one of the important aspects in the Human Resources Management. However, the poor implementation of performance appraisal can give impact towards the organization’s performance as it was considered one of the bureaucratic practices and might having the destructive effect on employee and manager relationship.Therefore, this study intended to focus on the main problems that often discussed in the literature which are perceived fairness and employee’s satisfaction and its effect on organizational commitment.
Spatial and seasonal patterns of ground beetle activity SPATIAL AND SEASONAL PATTERNS OF GROUND BEETLE ( COLEOPTERA : CARABIDAE ) ACTIVITY ACROSS HABITATS AT THE MONT ST . HILAIRE BIOSPHERE RESERVE , QUEBEC

J. ent. Soc. Ont. 148: 23–38 We investigated the seasonal variation and habitat preference of carabid beetles in mixed and hardwood stands, forest edge and meadow habitats at mont St-Hilaire, southern Quebec, using pitfall traps from late may until the end of October 2007. We caught 1193 individuals belonging to 53 species of carabids. Among the 16 most abundant species, 5 were caught predominantly in early summer, 5 in mid-summer, and 5 showed a bimodal pattern of activity. interestingly, there was no notable difference in terms of species composition between hardwood and mixed forests. However, ground beetle assemblages significantly differed between wet and mesic areas, and between forested and open or ecotonal areas. Fifteen indicator species were identified for different habitat types. Our results have implications for the conservation of carabid diversity, highlighting the importance of maintaining variation in canopy cover and dispersed hydric habitats in managed landscapes, but downplaying the importance of canopy species composition.
Modelling of Output Statistics of Single and ℳ-Mode Straight and Curved Er+:Ti:LiNbO Waveguide Amplifiers

A theoretical analysis of some statistical parameters which characterize the E r 3 + -doped Ti:LiNbO 3 single and ℳ -mode straight and curved waveguides is presented in this paper. In the derivation and the evaluation of the spectral optical quality factor, the power spectral density, the Fano factor, the statistical fluctuation, and the spontaneous emission factor we used the small gain approximation, and the photon statistics master equation of the linear amplifier (considering that the photon number distribution is determined by the normalized mode intensity profiles which are not uniform in the transversal section of the waveguide), transposed to the case of straight and curved amplifiers. The simulation results show the evolution of the above-mentioned parameters under various pump regimes and waveguide lengths.
Anticancer activity of 2’-hydroxyflavanone towards lung cancer

In previous studies, we found that 2'-hydroxyflavonone (2HF), a citrus flavonoid, inhibits the growth of renal cell carcinoma in a VHL-dependent manner. This was associated with the inhibition of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), the first step enzyme of the mercapturic acid pathway that catalyzes formation of glutathione-electrophile conjugates (GS-E). We studied 2HF in small cell (SCLC) and non-small cell (NSCLC) lung cancer cell lines for sensitivity to 2HF antineoplastic activity and to determine the role of the GS-E transporter Rlip (Ral-interacting protein; RLIP76; RALBP1) in the mechanism of action of 2HF. Our results show that 2HF induced apoptosis in both histological types of lung cancer and inhibited proliferation and growth through suppression of CDK4, CCNB1, PIK3CA, AKT and RPS6KB1 (P70S6K) signaling. Increased E-cadherin and reduced fibronectin and vimentin indicated inhibition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Additionally, 2HF inhibited efflux of doxorubicin and increased its accumulation in the cells, but did not add to the transport inhibitory effect of anti-Rlip antibodies alone. Binding of Rlip to 2HF was evident from successful purification of Rlip by 2HF affinity chromatography. Consistent with increased drug accumulation, combined treatment with 1-chloro-2, 4-dinitrobenzene, reduced the GI50 of 2HF by an order of magnitude. Results of in-vivo nude mouse xenograft studies of SCLC and NSCLC, which showed that orally administered 2HF inhibited growth of both histological types of lung cancer, confirmed in-vitro study results. Our result suggest that Rlip inhibition is likely a mechanism of action. Our findings are basis of proposing 2HF as therapeutic or preventative drug for lung cancer.
Biochemical changes in the toad , Bufo melanostictus as a function of methyl parathion : ascorbic acid as a biomarker of oxidative stress

Amphibians may signal environmental stress earlier than most organisms and may serve as critical bio-indicators of the health of ecosystem. Amphibians provide an extremely visible indicator of pollution and hence are called the “sentinels of the environment”. The liver and muscle glycogen of the toad B. melanostictus decreases significantly in 48 and 72 hrs following the treatment by methyl parathion, whereas the liver and muscle proteins decrease significantly in 24, 48 and 72 hrs indicating proteolysis. Increase in plasma glutamate pyruvate transaminase is indicative of liver damage and increase in glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase is indicative of heart and skeletal muscle dysfunction. There is a significant increase in glutamate pyruvate transaminase in 48 hrs but the increase in glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase is not significant following the treatment. It is interesting to note that liver ascorbate decreases significantly in 24, 48 and 72 hrs whereas muscle ascorbate decreases significantly in 48 & 72 hrs following the treatment. The triglycerides and cholesterol increase though not significantly following the treatment. Lactic dehydrogenase activity in the muscle increases significantly in 48 hrs whereas succinic dehydrogenase activity in the liver decreases significantly in 24 hrs following the treatment. The physiological significance of these observations is discussed herein.
Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of Indonesian Fusarium Isolates from Different Lifestyles, based on ITS Sequence Data

Fusarium species are pathogens, endophytes, and saprobes. Until recently, Fusarium species from Indonesia were mainly determined using morphology. In this study, molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Fusarium species complex in Indonesia, based on ITS rDNA sequence data, was carried out in order to analyze relationships among the Fusarium strains from different lifestyles. Strains isolated from plants, soil, litter, and other sources were used. Species belonging to six Fusarium species complexes, namely, F. oxysporum, F. solani, F. decemcellulare, F. graminearum, F. fujikuroi, and F. tricinctum were found. Fusarium oxysporum and F. solani are common species from Indonesia, found as saprobes, endophytes, and pathogens.
Multivariate Analyses of Selected Mechanical Properties of Dry Bean Grain

Abstract The direct shear test are widely used to measure the bulk material properties for economical design of bulk handling equipment and to estimate wall pressure inside storage structures, namely their bulk density, the angle of internal friction, shear strength, Poisson ratio, and lateral pressure ratios are required. Tests were conducted at thirty six different shear speeds (between 0.30-1.00 mm min-1) and three different normal stresses were applied (60, 120 and 180 kPa). The angle of internal friction, Poisson ratio, and lateral pressure ratios demonstrated fluctuations depending on the shear speeds. The results of the principal component analysis indicated that the first three principal components accounted for 97.40% of the total variability among the thirty six different shear speeds for all the traits investigated. The first principal component was the most important. In the result of principal component analysis, the shear speeds were divided into seven clusters. The pressures were decreased and increased with the change of the angle of internal friction and the lateral pressure ratio. The data obtained from the study will be useful in the structural design of dry bean bins to calculate loads on bins from the stored material and grain handling equipment.