Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Barley Grain Yield and Protein Content Response to Deficit Irrigation and Sowing Dates in Semi-Arid Region

The present study was conducted to investigate the relational effects of various sowing dates and deficit irrigation on grain yield, protein and yield components of barley, in a semi-arid region (southern part of Iran) during growing seasons 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. A Split plot layout within a randomized complete block design with three replications was used. Main plots were selected as Irrigation treatments with varying water irrigation levels consisting of: (1) full irrigation, FI, (2) 0.75 FI, (3) 0.5 FI and (4) Dry land (rain-fed) during both growing seasons. Sub plots were the sowing dates consisted of: (1) 23 th October (T1), (2) 6 th and (3) 22 th November (T2 and T3) and (4) 6 th December (T4). The interaction of different irrigation levels and sowing dates had a significant impact (p<0.05) on grain yield, grain and straw protein, 1000-grain weight, plant height, biomass, water use efficiency (WUE), and crop evapotranspiration. Results revealed that the largest amount of protein was obtained in the latest sowing date (T4) at dry land treatment in two consecutive years. Full irrigation treatment showed the largestrate of dry matter accumulation (14.72 and 15.25 Mg.h -1 for the first and second years, respectively), while the smallest rate was seen in the rain fed treatment (4.22 and 7.43 Mg.h -1 for the first and second years, respectively). The largest yield was obtained with the 23 th October (T1) sowing date in full irrigation treatments (FI). The largest water use efficiency was achieved with 0.5FI and the earliest sowing date (T1).
Cross-cultural adaptations of the Oxford-12 HIP score to the French speaking population

a Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, clinique Yvette, 67—71, route de Corbeil, 91160 Longjumeau, France b Clinique médicochirurgicale, 200, rue d’Auvergne, 62700 Bruay-Labuissière, France c Oxford Centre for Health Care Research and Development, Oxford Brookes University, 44, London Road, Headington, Oxford, UK d Nuffield Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LD, UK e Service de chirurgie orthopédique et traumatologie de l’appareil moteur, département de l’appareil locomoteur, centre hospitalier universitaire Vaudois, université de Lausanne, 4, avenue Pierre-Decker, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
Creating and Reusing Metric Graphs for Evaluating Agent Performance in the Supply Chain Management Domain

The overwhelming demand for efficient agent performance in Supply Chain Management systems, as exemplified by numerous international competitions, raises the issue of defining and using generalized methods for performance evaluation. Up until now, most researchers test their findings in an ad-hoc manner, often having to re-invent existing evaluationspecific knowledge. In this position paper, we tackle the key issue of defining and using metrics within the context of evaluating agent performance in the SCM domain. We propose the Metrics Representation Graph, a structure that organizes performance metrics in hierarchical manner, and perform a preliminary assessment by instantiating an MRG for the TAC SCM competition, one of the most demanding SCM competitions currently established. We envision the automated generation of the MRG, as well as appropriate contribution from the TAC community towards the finalization of the MRG, so that it will be readily available for future performance evaluations.
Silencing HCV Replication in Its Reservoir

BACKGROUND: HCV infection and its complications are among the leading public health challenges; the emergence of drug-resistant variants are expected to be a major problem. A novel combinatorial small interfering RNA (siRNA) could be a novel triple therapy that could be suitable for genotype 4. Although HCV is a hepatotropic virus, there is reliable evidence about its replication in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of chronically infected patients; these cells act as an extra-hepatic reservoir for viral recurrence and persistence. The patients with HCV-RNA in PBMC showed a significantly lower response to therapy that supports to be one of the factors influencing therapeutic response. Almost all regions of HCV show potential for siRNA target with relative efficiencies of individual siRNA sequences. AIM: This study aims to test the efficacy of siRNA against HCV-4 replication in PBMC in vitro, to introduce an alternative therapeutic option for HCV-4 suitable to eradicate it from both hepatic and extra-hepatic reservoirs. METHODS: Efficacy of synthesised siRNA molecule that targets 5/UTR of domain IIIC within IRES of HCV RNA to eradicate HCV intra-PBMC in vitro was tested and compared with IFN/RBV in vitro, by using both qRT-PCR and western blot. Sixty genotype-4 chronic HCV patients who are naïve for any HCV treatment were enrolled and tested for the presence of HCV intra-PBMC using qRT-PCR before and after siRNA treatment in vitro. RESULTS: Real-time PCR analysis showed a significant reduction of HCV RNA levels after 24hr post-HCV-positive-PBMCs treatment by siRNA with cell vitality reached up to 98%. Besides a complete inhibition of NS5A viral protein expression, that is functionally essential for viral assembly, replication and egress. CONCLUSION: So, Targeting HCV infection using RNA interference technology might be a reliable therapeutic option for chronic HCV patients with HCV minus strand within PBMCs.
Applying Downscaled Global Climate Model Data to a Hydrodynamic Surface-Water and Groundwater Model

Precipitation data from Global Climate Models have been downscaled to smaller regions. Adapting this downscaled precipitation data to a coupled hydrodynamic surface-water/groundwater model of southern Florida allows an examination of future conditions and their effect on groundwater levels, inundation patterns, surface-water stage and flows, and salinity. The downscaled rainfall data include the 1996-2001 time series from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting ERA-40 simulation and both the 1996-1999 and 2038-2057 time series from two global climate models: the Community Climate System Model (CCSM) and the Geophysical Fluid Dynamic Laboratory (GFDL). Synthesized surface-water inflow datasets were developed for the 2038-2057 simulations. The resulting hydrologic simulations, with and without a 30-cm sea-level rise, were compared with each other and field data to analyze a range of projected conditions. Simulations predicted generally higher future stage and groundwater levels and surface-water flows, with sea-level rise inducing higher coastal salinities. A coincident rise in sea level, precipitation and surface-water flows resulted in a narrower inland saline/fresh transition zone. The inland areas were affected more by the rainfall difference than the sea-level rise, and the rainfall differences make little difference in coastal inundation, but a larger difference in coastal salinities.
The impact of negative affectivity, job satisfaction and interpersonal justice on workplace deviance in the private organizations

Workplace deviance has become pervasive in most organizations today. Researchers conceptualized workplace deviance based on whether the offence is directed towards organizational or interpersonal deviances. This study examined the contributions of individual and situational factors towards workplace deviance in the private organizations. Workplace deviance was conceptualized as interpersonal deviance and organizational deviance. Self-administered survey was conducted on 160 employees who worked full-time. The findings of the study indicated that negative affectivity and interpersonal justice were positively and significantly correlated with both types of workplace deviance, and the correlations were low. However, job satisfaction was not correlated with organizational deviance and interpersonal deviance. Implications and suggestions for future research are also discussed.
LUNAR CAVES IN MARE DEPOSITS IMAGED BY THE LROC NARROW ANGLE CAMERAS

J. W. Ashley, M.S. Robinson, B. Ray Hawke, A. K. Boyd, R. V. Wagner, E. J. Speyerer, H. Hiesinger, C. H. van der Bogert; Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-3603 (james.ashley@asu.edu); Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI; Institut fur Planetologie, Westfalische Wilhelms-Universitat, Munster, Germany; Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
A New Macro Model Considering the Average Speed of Preceding Vehicles Group in CPS Environment

A new car following model considering the effect of average speed information of preceding vehicles group in real traffic is presented. Based on the new car following model, a new macro model for traffic flow is proposed employing the relationship between the micro and macro variables. The linear stability condition of the macro model is obtained by using the linear stability theory. The numerical tests show that the new model can not only simulate the dynamic process of shock, rarefaction wave, and small perturbation, but also can further stabilize the traffic flow.
Research collaboration in the social sciences: What factors are associated with disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration?

Attention is increasingly directed toward better understanding the factors driving collaborations among researchers, particularly between researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds. This study investigates factors associated with disciplinary and interdisciplinary research collaboration in the social sciences. We utilize data from a survey of Australian-based social scientists. Interdisciplinary collaboration constitutes a considerable proportion of social scientists’ collaboration activity. Factors linked to the duration and diversity of research careers are positively associated with participation in collaborations. Job experience in Australian and foreign universities also boosts total collaboration, while holding an international citizenship increases interdisciplinary collaboration. Interdisciplinary collaborations are also associated with researcher orientation toward applied research activity. Investment in social science research is important for maintaining existing interdisciplinary and applied collaborations, although better information on these collaborations is desirable. Measures to expand such collaborations should take career stage into account. Broad-based population policies may also be an important underlying factor supporting international collaboration.
Application of the electrodiffusion method for near-wall flow diagnostics

The electrodiffusion method is presented as a measuring technique suitable for the flow measurement done in close proximity of the wall, thus in the region difficultly accessible by standard anemometric techniques (e.g. PIV, LDA). The experimental results obtained in different flow configurations (backward-facing step flow, wavy film flow, turbulent channel flow, rising Taylor bubbles) document application capabilities of this technique, e.g. for mapping of wall shear stresses, delimitation of stable flow- recirculation zones, detection of short-time reversal of the near-wall flow, investigation of the near-wall turbulence, or detection of moving fluid particles. A new technology of sensor fabrication based on photolithography is introduced and possible applications of microsensors in microfluidic devices discussed.
Global Dynamics of the Subsonic Plate with Large Deflection and Subjected to Transverse Uniform Load

The subharmonic bifurcation and chaotic motions of a fully simply supported plate with large deflection, subjected to subsonic flow and transverse distributed uniform load are investigated in this paper. The chaotic motions of the system arising from the intersection of the stable and unstable manifolds of the homoclinic orbit are studied by means of the Melnikov method, and the threshold of the chaotic motion is given. The subharmonic bifurcation of the system is studied with the subharmonic Melnikov method; the parameter condition of the subharmonic bifurcation is obtained. It is proved that the system can be in chaotically excited through infinite subharmonic bifurcations. Numerical simulations are given, which verify the analytical results.
Robust Control for Autonomous Spacecraft Evacuation with Model Uncertainty and Upper Bound of Performance with Constraints

This paper studies the problem of guaranteed cost control for spacecraft evacuation. The relative dynamic model is established based on Clohessy-Wiltshire (C-W) equations. The paper has taken parameter uncertainty, output tracking, disturbance attenuation, and fuel cost into consideration. The paper introduces a new Lyapunov approach, so the controller design problem can be transferred into a convex optimization problem subject to linear matrix inequality (LMI) constraints. By using the controller, the spacecraft evacuation can be completed in a safe extent. Meanwhile, the fuel cost also has an upper bound. Then the paper analyzes the approach of evacuation and discusses possible initial states of the spacecraft for the controller design. An illustrative example is applied to show the effectiveness of the proposed control design method, and different performances caused by different initial states of spacecraft (-V-bar, -R-bar, and
On UAV Robust Nonlinear Control in Presence of Parametric Uncertainties

We examine a new robust nonlinear flight control technology that employs an array of synthetic-jet micro-actuators embedded in UAV wing design in order to completely eliminate moving parts (such as ailerons) thus greatly enhancing maneuverability required for small fixed-wing air vehicles operating, e.g., in tight urban environments. Estimated fast response times are critical in mitigating gust effects while greatly improving flight stability and control. The new controller design is particularly advantageous for high levels of uncertainty and nonlinearity present both in the unsteady flowpath environment and in the embedded actuator’s response. The current work focuses on a benchmark case of flutter control of 2DOF elastically-mounted airfoil entering limitcycle oscillations (LCO) due to impinging upstream flow disturbance. Preliminary parametric studies conducted for various SJA excitation amplitudes and frequencies examine the thresholds of the actuator’s control authority to produce a desirable impact.
Phenotypic Parameter Extraction System for Crops Based on Supervoxel Segmentation

Obtaining crop structural parameter information is an important way to study crop's growth, development status, and accumulation biomass. Currently, the measurement of vegetable crop's phenotypic parameters is time-consuming and can cause damage to crops. Thus there is a demand for rapid non-destructive measurement of crop phenotypic parameters. In this paper, we design a system to extract the two main parameters (leaf area and average leaf angle). The initial point cloud obtained from an RGB-D camera is segmented by employing Locally Convex Connected Patches based on supervoxel clustering. After comparing with other reconstruction algorithms, we choose Greedy Projection Triangulation to reconstruct the segmented leaves. In addition, random sample consensus is used to extract phenotypic parameters from the constructed mesh. More than one hundred sets of RGB-D data are collected to verify the feasibility of the system. Experiments show that the system is able to segment most of the leaves effectively and the extracted phenotypic parameters achieve acceptable accuracy.
Formulation of anti-halitosis mouthwash using aqueous extract of Mangifera indica L. kernel based on the evaluation of its antioxidant, antibacterial, and hemolytic activity

Aim: To formulation anti-halitosis mouthwash using aqueous extract of Mangifera indica L. kernel based on the antioxidant, antibacterial, and hemolytic activity of the kernel. Materials and Methods: Methanolic and aqueous extract of M. indica L. kernel were studied for their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and hemolytic properties by hydroxyl free radical scavenging assay, well diffusion method and blood lysis method. Based on the results, mouthwash was formulated from aqueous extract and its antimicrobial and antihalitotic activity was determined by well diffusion method. Results and Discussions: The aqueous extract contains the more protein and free phenols than the methanolic extract. Moreover, the aqueous extract showed the higher hydroxyl scavenging activity than the methanolic extract. In antibacterial assay against selected pathogens, it showed following results. Water extract gave better zones for Bacillus cereus, Neisseria meningitides, Pseudomonas fluorescence, and Bacillus subtilis than methanolic extract. For anti-halitosis activity study, mouth swabs of five patients suffering from halitosis plated on Muller-Hinton agar and inhibition of growth were examined by measuring the zones. The formulated mouthwash showed good results Conclusion: Based on our study, we found that water extract of the kernel possess excellent antioxidant and antibacterial activity, based on which we have formulated and evaluated mouthwash which showed good activity against buccal microflora obtained from halitosis affected patients. Mango kernel can be used as a potent antihalitotic agent in the upcoming days.
Biochemical and Molecular Studies on Bone Marrow Derived Stromal Stem Cells on Liver Injuries in Rats

Liver is a remarkable vital organ, it is responsible for metabolizing the different food elements, filtering and detoxifying poisons in the blood to remove numerous toxic compounds. Liver affections are essentially caused by harmful chemicals (certain anti-infection, paracetamol, carbon tetrachloride, aflatoxins, per oxidized oil and so on.), overabundance utilization of liquor, immune system issue and disease. Up till now, orthotropic liver transplantation is the most powerful treatment of liver infections. Because of the deficiency of donors, high costs, the number of patients who can profit by this methodology is extremely constrained. Recently, cell based treatments have been explored as other option to entire liver transplantation. Thirty rats were separated into three equivalent groups (n=10, each). Group 1: control; Group 2: was infused peritoneally with acetaminophen (300 mg/kg); Group 3: was injected intra peritoneal with acetaminophen (300 mg/kg), then injected intra-venous with mesenchymal stromal stem cells (1 million BM-MSCs/kg). Blood samples for estimation of liver functions, and liver samples for detection of homing labeled MSCs with red fluorescent cell linker dye (PKH26), gene expression of matrix metalopeptidase (MMP2), tissue inhibitor metalopeptidase (TIMP) and histopathological examination were collected . The infusion of BM-MSCs enhanced liver capacities test, MMP2 and TIMP. Histopathological examination of liver tissue demonstrated critical antifibrotic impact, improvement in the hepatic structure as compared to the second group. It could be concluded that BM-MSC is effective in treatment of liver damage by upgrading hepatocyte recovery through enhancing the liver stress and inflammatory signaling by improving MMP2 and TIMP, besides it has a significant antifibrotic effect. The MSCs stem cell is an attractive cell source for regenerative medicine.
Performance based design of reinforced concrete beams under impact

Abstract. The purpose of this research is to collect fundamental data and to establish a performance-based design method for reinforced concrete beams under perpendicular impact load. Series of low speed impact experiments using reinforced concrete beams were performed varying span length, cross section and main reinforcement. The experimental results are evaluated focusing on the impact load characteristics and the impact behaviours of reinforced concrete beams. Various characteristic values and their relationships are investigated such as the collision energy, the impact force duration, the energy absorbed by the beams and the beam response values. Also the bending performance of the reinforced concrete beams against perpendicular impact is evaluated. An equation is proposed to estimate the maximum displacement of the beam based on the collision energy and the static ultimate bending strength. The validity of the proposed equation is confirmed by comparison with experimental results obtained by other researchers as well as numerical results obtained by FEM simulations. The proposed equation allows for a performance based design of the structure accounting for the actual deformation due to the expected impact action.
Etude aux petites échelles des effets de la mouillabilité des matériaux sur la dynamique des fluides à l'interface par simulation numérique VOF

The shape of a drop or a liquid bridge onto a wall is studied by direct numerical simulation. A method is exposed to model the wettability, allowing to simulate the contact angle between gas, liquid and solid. These models are validated. Within use of this model, we are able to simulate the impact of a droplet of water on a plate or the move of a liquid bridge onto inclined walls, especially the move of the contact ligne (pressure, velocity.) in time and at equilibrium. Mots clefs : Mouillage, VOF, micro-échelle
Facultative parthenogenesis in the burrowing mayfly, Ephoron eophilum (Ephemeroptera: Polymitarcyidae) with an extremely short alate stage

Facultative parthenogenesis is important for mayflies with short alate stages because females are able to reproduce without mating. We studied facultative parthenogenesis in Ephoron eophilum, a mayfly with an extremely short alate stage. We examined the survival rates of embryos from unfertilized eggs, in addition to investigating the number of chromosomes in parthenogenetic offspring and the mode of inheritance by nuclear genetic analyses using Exon-Primed Intron-Crossing markers. The survival rate of thelytokous embryos was 0-70.2% (16.7 ± 26.7%, mean ± S.D.). Sixteen chromosomes were present throughout most of the mitotic metaphase in parthenogenetic offspring, which was similar to the number recorded in diploid females. All parthenogenetic offspring were homozygous in nuclear genetic analyses, despite the presence of heterozygous mothers. These results indicate that E. eophilum has the ability to reproduce via facultative parthenogenesis, producing mostly diploid thelytokous offspring. The restoration of ploidy level occurs by automixis via terminal fusion or gamete duplication, and causes rapid reduction of heterozygosity. However, despite this, significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was not observed in the studied populations. This is because facultative parthenogenesis in these circumstances normally has little influence on population genetic structuring, even though parthenogenetic embryos exhibit a high survival rate. The lack of influence of parthenogenesis on the population structure of the natural population strongly suggests that parthenogenesis rarely occurs under natural circumstances.
Conditional Return Policy Search for TI-MMDPs with Sparse Interactions

Citation for published version (APA): Scharpff, J., Roijers, D. M. , Oliehoek, F. A. , Spaan, M. T. J., & de Weerdt, M. (2016). Conditional Return Policy Search for TI-MMDPs with Sparse Interactions. In T. Bosse, & B. Bredeweg (Eds.), BNAIC 2016 : Benelux Conference on Artificial Intelligence: proceedings of the Twenty-Eight Benelux Conference on Artificial Intelligence : Amsterdam, November 10-11, 2016 (pp. 216-217). (BNAIC; Vol. 28). Amsterdam: Vrije Universiteit, Department of Computer Sciences.