Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Participatory Assessment of Promising Rice Lines in Senegal

The objective of this study is to improve dissemination of improved varieties in Senegal. The involvement of small farmers from the beginning of development of a new variety of processes and taking account of their selection criteria, have contributed greatly to the success of participatory research method. It can promote greater ownership of technological innovation by targeted stakeholders and facilitates its widespread dissemination. A total of 44 promising lines and 2 controls were tested under irrigated conditions in two locations in the Senegal River Valley at Ndiaye and Fanaye, during the rainy season. Around 68 small farmers leaders from 26 villages participated in this study. Farmers were particularly interested to factors of production, and to a lesser extent, to constraints of the environment. Of the 44 lines tested, eight 8 were selected by small farmers, including 5 intraspecific hybrids and 3 interspecific hybrids. The best grain yields obtained on the two sites combined are around 6 t.ha-1. The sociological study highlighted the typology of farms with a variety of ethnic groups. Most farmers are of advanced age, between 40 and 60 years. The distribution of the harvested products varies according to the location with a strong option for the marketing of products harvested at Ndiaye, where only 1/3 of the harvest is consumed, the vast majority of production is intended for Sale. At Fanaye by against, commercial dynamics is less pronounced with a distribution into two equitable shares of production, one of which is intended for self-consumption and the other for sale.
Overview of the GEWEX Atmospheric Boundary Layer Study (GABLS)

In 2001 the steering group of GEWEX (formally known as the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment) initiated the GEWEX Atmospheric Boundary Layer Study (GABLS). The objective of GABLS is to improve the representation of the atmospheric boundary layer in regional and large-scale atmospheric models. As such, GABLS provides a platform for model inter-comparison and development to benefit studies of Climate, Weather, Air Quality, Wind Energy and other applications. The focus of GABLS has so far been on stable boundary layers (SBLs) over land and on the representation of the diurnal cycle under clear skies. Three inter-comparison studies have been organised and below a summary of some of the results and achievements is given. Here we primarily focus on the performance of single column versions of several state-of-the-art atmospheric models.
Muscovite breakdown and corundum growth at anomalously low fH2o : a study of contact metamorphism and convective fluid movement around the Omey granite, Connemara, Ireland

Abstract In the aureole of the late Caledonian Omey granite corundum develops in the Dalradian country rocks in a zone up to 250 m from the granite contact. The distribution of andalusite and K-feldspar in pelites and calcite+wollastonite+grossularite in marbles is consistent with inner-aureole metamorphic conditions of 615±25°C at 2.5±0.25 kbar, and ⋍ 0.85. Corundum develops from the reaction muscovite → corundum + K-feldspar+H2O and first appears over 100 m further from the granite than the assemblage wollastonite + grossularite + anorthite. Experimentally determined equilibria can be satisfied only if for the corundum-producing reaction was less than 0.6 and perhaps as low as 0.4. Corundum always grows within large muscovite crystals;f H2O within the crystal lattice is unrelated to that in the grain-boundary fluid of the surrounding rock. Although whole-rock oxidation ratios are irregularly distributed within the aureole they are uniformly low in corundum-bearing rocks. Reducing conditions probably resulted from localized flow of H2O-rich fluid away from the granite in a diffuse channelway that contains most of the corundum localities and also a distinctive skarn. Although corundum growth within muscovite is sealed off from the external water vapour conditions, it is suggested that movement of H2O down a thermal gradient (and hence down an f H2O gradient at constant pressure) promotes the escape of (OH)− from the muscovite lattice and so allows the corundum reaction to proceed.
Concentration and Influence Factors of Organochlorine Pesticides in Atmospheric Particles in a Coastal Island in Fujian, Southeast China

Atmospheric particulate samples collected from Pingtan Island in Fujian province were analyzed for 20 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) with the aims of elucidating the contamination levels and their influence factors, and providing more comprehensive and fundamental data for the risk assessment of OCPs in this coastal area. The concentration of total OCPs ranged from ND (not detected) to 27.25 pg m–3 (an average of 4.30 ± 4.07 pg m–3) and ND to 13.16 pg m–3 (an average of 3.11 ± 2.54 pg m–3) in 2006 and 2007 respectively, and the level are obviously lower than urban, industrial, suburban, and the similar research areas in the coastal areas of Europe. HCH (Hexachlorocyclohexane) and DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) were the predominant contaminants, followed by Methoxychlor and Endrin, while the levels of Chlordane, Endosulfan, Aldrin and Dieldrin was relatively lower. Obvious seasonal variations in OCP levels correlate significantly with total particulate levels; higher concentrations of most OCP compounds appeared in winter, whereas lower concentrations appeared in summer. The distribution pattern of the level of most OCP compounds might be directly or indirectly influenced by meteorological conditions, and TOC (total organic carbon) is an important factor influencing the persistence of these OCPs in atmospheric particulates. The source of atmospheric particulates was traced by stable carbon isotopes, which indicate that the increased levels of OCPs in winter and spring influenced by the source of polluted air mass during the “heating season” of Northern China. The cancer risk probability was evaluated based on the residual levels of OCPs, and the results show that dermal contact was the primary pathway affecting human health, and the effect of OCP residuals in atmospheric particulates of the coastal area could not be neglected.
How Do Compensation Incentives Affect Managerial Decisions? Evidence from Internal Capital Markets

This paper examines how incentives from the level of CEO compensation affect firms' internal capital allocation decisions. ┬aI first document that multi-segment firms invest more in segments associated with higher levels of executive compensation, and that the effect is more pronounced in restructuring firms that have undergone changes in their segments. Furthermore, I present evidence that following restructuring activities, CEOs enjoy both a higher level of compensation and a faster growth rate in that compensation.
Modelling Regime-Specific Stock Price Volatility

Single-state generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) models identify only one mechanism governing the response of volatility to market shocks, and the conditional higher moments are constant, unless modelled explicitly. So they neither capture state-dependent behaviour of volatility nor explain why the equity index skew persists into long-dated options. Markov switching (MS) GARCH models specify several volatility states with endogenous conditional skewness and kurtosis; of these the simplest to estimate is normal mixture (NM) GARCH, which has constant state probabilities. We introduce a state-dependent leverage effect to NM-GARCH and thereby explain the observed characteristics of equity index returns and implied volatility skews, without resorting to time-varying volatility risk premia. An empirical study on European equity indices identifies two-state asymmetric NM-GARCH as the best fit of the 15 models considered. During stable markets volatility behaviour is broadly similar across all indices, but the crash probability and the behaviour of returns and volatility during a crash depends on the index. The volatility mean-reversion and leverage effects during crash markets are quite different from those in the stable regime.
Energy Conservation Analysis and Control of Hybrid Active Semiactive Suspension with Three Regulating Damping Levels

Active suspension has not been popularized for high energy consumption. To address this issue, this paper introduces the concept of a new kind of suspension. The linear motor is considered to be integrated into an adjustable shock absorber to form the hybrid active semiactive suspension (HASAS). To realize the superiority of HASAS, its energy consumption and regeneration mechanisms are revealed. And the system controller which is composed of linear quadratic regulator (LQR) controller, mode decision and switch controller, and the sliding mode control based thrust controller is developed. LQR controller is designed to maintain the suspension control objectives, while mode decision and switch controller decides the optimal damping level to tune motor thrust. The thrust controller ensures motor thrust tracking. An adjustable shock absorber with three regulating levels to be used in HASAS is trial produced and tested to obtain its working characteristics. Finally, simulation analysis is made with the experimental three damping characteristics. The impacts of adjustable damping on the motor force and energy consumption are investigated. Simulation results demonstrate the advantages of HASAS in energy conservation with various suspension control objectives. Even self-powered active control and energy regenerated to the power source can be realized.
High Efficiency and Broadband Microstrip Leaky-Wave Antenna

A novel layout of leaky-wave antennas based on tapered design has been proposed and investigated. The new tapered leaky-wave antenna (LWA) was designed running a simple procedure which uses an FDTD code, and using a suitable metal walls down the centerline along the length of the antenna connecting the conductor strip and the ground plane, which allows to use only half of the structure, the adoption of a simple feeding, and the reduction of sidelobes. The good performance of this new tapered microstrip LWA, with reference to conventional uniform microstrip LWAs, is mainly the wider band of 33% for VSWR , higher gain (12 dBi), and higher efficiency (up to 85%). Furthermore, from the theoretical analysis we can see that, decreasing the relative dielectric constant of the substrate, the bandwidth of the leaky-wave antenna becomes much wider, improving its performance.
The effect of different levels of vitamins premix in the diet of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fingerlings

The present study was conducted to determine the growth and survival of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fingerlings fed diets with various levels of vitamin premix. The fingerlings (mean weight, 1.55 to 2.12 g) were stocked in circular concrete tanks measuring 1.5 m x 17 cm at a density of 50 fish/tank. Fish were fed 42% protein diets containing of 0, 1,2 and 3% vitamin premix (commercially blended). The fingerlings were fed at a rate of 10 % of the total body weight. Feeding was done three times daily at 0800, 1200, and 1600h. Feeding rates were adjusted based on the average weight of the fish every after sampling period. The fish were given the experimental diets for a period of 8 weeks. Results showed no significant differences in the weight gain and survival rate of the catfish. Water quality parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH and temperature were not affected by the addition of vitamin premix at the level of up to 3 percent in the diet of African catfish fingerlings.
Antifungal and antispasmodic activities of the extracts of Euphorbia granulata

The dichloromethane and methanolic extracts of the plant Euphorbia granulata were investigated for their antifungal, antibacterial, phytotoxic, brine-shrimp cytotoxic, antioxidant, spasmolytic (antispasmodic) and acetylcholinestrase inhibitory activities. The dichloromethane extract showed strong inhibition against Microsporum canis (90%) and against Aspergillus flavus (50%). Both the extracts inhibited the spontaneous contractions in rabbit jejunum preparations with EC50 value of 0.17 and 1.3 mg/mL, respectively and also relaxed the K + -induced contractions with EC50 0.2 and 2.8 mg/mL, respectively, suggesting a calcium channel blocking activity. However, the extracts did not show antibacterial, phytotoxic, brine-shrimp cytotoxic, antioxidant and acetylcholinestrase inhibitory activities.
Mobile phones in project management: The pendulum of professionalism

Instant electronic communication has become a regular feature on many construction projects in recent years. However, the use of the mobile telephone for instant vocal communication, as opposed to more structured strategies for mobile computing, may produce problems. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there is concern about the instantaneous nature of this form of communication, its affect on behaviour and what constitutes "professional" practice in its use. The opportunity has been taken here, through the use of a questionnaire survey of project managers mainly from the construction process industry, to discover something about the use of mobile telephones in projects and the opinion of those who use them. Initial research suggested that the use of mobile phones did not have the planning, financial investment and in-use training support which are given to mobile computing tools. Some people in the construction team appear to have different approaches to mobile phone use and this may be age related. Positive and negative issues are identified which are associated with aspects of mobile phone use classified as professional [more formal and organised where high levels of understanding are generated and issues are clarified if necessary] and unprofessional [a more relaxed approach where understanding is not fully generated and issues are not fully clarified]. Further research on a longitudinal basis is strongly recommended to investigate these issues.
A Survey on Hybrid Cloud withDe-Duplication

A survey on industry trends is been noted where the usage of hybrid cloud architecture can be used which supports, the upcoming industry challenges by providing the efficient way of storing their data in the cloud environment by using the combination of both public and private clouds, So that it provides the facility to store sensitive data in private cloud and less critical data on to the public cloud where huge savings can be made. Since the demand for data storage is increasing day by day and by the industry analysis we can say that digital data is increasing day by day, but the storage of redundant data is excess which results in most of the storage used unnecessary to keep identical copies. So the technology de-duplication is introduced to efficiently utilize the cloud storage system.
Bubble Motion under Gravity through Lattice Boltzmann Method

The motion of two bubbles under gravity is numerically studied through the lattice Boltzmann method for the Eotvos number ranging from 1 to 12. The effects of Eotvos number on the bubble coalescence and rising velocity are investigated. It has been found that the uppermost bubble deforms the most because of the maximum drag.In addition, the averaged rising velocity of the bubbles is also studied in this work. Keywords-lattice Boltzmann method; bubble; coalescence
Stress regime in the Philippine Sea slab beneath Kanto, Japan

We determine the focal mechanisms of earthquakes within the Philippine Sea slab beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area, and perform stress tensor inversions to investigate the detailed stress field within the slab. The results show a characteristic spatial variation in earthquake‐generating stress. Slab stress in northeastern part of the PHS slab is characterized by down‐dip tension (DDT), except for the uppermost tip of the seismic portion of the slab where down‐dip compression (DDC) stress is dominant. We interpret that DDT is caused by the net slab pull and DDC is attributable to local resistance to subduction at the tip of the slab. In southwestern part of the PHS slab, σ1 and σ3 are generally rotated oblique to the dip of the slab, suggesting that earthquakes occur under stress conditions of neither DDC nor DDT. The rotations in σ1 and σ3 may be related to stress accumulation by the slip deficit along the asperity of the 1923 Kanto earthquake (M7.9).
A Simple Recurrent Neural Network Equalizer Structure

This paper describes a one-processing-neuron recurrent neural network for application in channel equalization using variations on the RTRL (Real Time Recurrent Learning ) algorithm for training the neural network. The structure is very simple and its computational demand is very low due to the use of only one processing neuron in its architecture. Simulation results are presented including several cases involving BPSK, 8PSK and 16PSK modulation schemes in additive Gaussian noise.
Generating Facial Expressions with Deep Belief Nets

Realistic facial expression animation requires a powerful “animator” (or graphics program) that can represent the kinds of variations in facial appearance that are both possible and likely to occur in a given context. If the goal is fully determined as in character animation for film, knowledge can be provided in the form of human higher-level descriptions. However, for generating facial expressions for interactive interfaces, such as animated avatars, correct expressions for a given context must be generated on the fly. A simple solution is to rely on a set of prototypical expressions or basis shapes that are linearly combined to create every facial expression in an animated sequence (Kleiser, 1989; Parke, 1972). An innovative algorithm for fitting basis shapes to images was proposed by Blanz and Vetter (1999). The main problem with the basis shape approach is that the full range of appearance variation required for convincing expressive behavior is far beyond the capacity of what a small set of basis shapes can accommodate. Moreover, even if many expression components are used to create a repertoire of basis shapes (Joshi et al., 2007; Lewis et al., 2000), the interface may need to render different identities or mixtures of facial expressions not captured by the learned basis shapes. A representation of facial appearance for animation must be powerful enough to capture the right constraints for realistic expression generation yet flexible enough to accommodate different identities and behaviors. Besides the obvious utility of such a representation to animated facial interfaces, a good model of facial expression generation would be useful for computer vision tasks because the model’s representation would likely be much richer and more informative than the original pixel data. For example, inferring the model’s representation corresponding to a given image might even allow transferring an expression extracted from an image of a face onto a different character as illustrated by the method of expression cloning (Noh & Neumann, 2001). In this chapter we introduce a novel approach to learning to generate facial expressions that uses a deep belief net (Hinton et al., 2006). The model can easily accommodate different constraints on generation. We demonstrate this by restricting it to generate expressions with a given identity and with elementary facial expressions such as “raised eyebrows. ” The deep
Parametric Architectural Design with Point-clouds - Volvox

This paper investigates the efforts and benefits of the implementation of point clouds into architectural design processes and tools. Based on a study on the principal work processes of designers with point clouds the prototypical plugin/library - Volvox - was developed for the parametric modelling environment Grasshopper in Rhino. The prototype allows us to discuss the necessary technical layer for the task, benchmark the tool, and finally to evaluate the benefits, that this approach has for architectural practice, through a series of use cases.
Experience from large scale use of the EuroGenomics custom SNP chip in cattle

This article presents the strategy to evaluate candidate mutations underlying QTL or responsible for genetic defects, based upon the design and large-scale use of the Eurogenomics custom SNP chip set up for bovine genomic selection. Some variants under study originated from mapping genetic defects, embryonic lethals, or QTL by GWAS. Other variants originated from a reverse genetics approach and were selected according to their annotation. Because of the limitation in chip size, these variants were severely selected. For instance, structural variants were required to affect a gene. Loss-of-function variants were preferred to deleterious non synonymous variants. An incremental process was used, with one or two chip versions each year, the less informative variants being replaced by new candidates. Many examples are presented. Expected results are: confirmation of effects in large independent populations; estimation of allelic frequencies in different breeds; accumulation of individual genotypes. When confirmed, a variant can be used in a straightforward way by the industry in breeding programs by switching its status on the chip.
Sunflower Stalk Pith Fibre: Investigation on Oil Holding Capacity, Oil-Fibre Interaction, and Related Application in Food

SUNFLOWER STALK PITH FIBRE: INVESTIGATION ON OIL HOLDING CAPACITY, OIL–FIBRE INTERACTION, AND RELATED APPLICATION IN FOOD Mingyue Qi Advisors: Dr. H. Douglas Goff University of Guelph, 2017 Dr. Steve W. Cui Water holding capacity (WHC) and oil holding capacity (OHC) of ground sunflower pith fibre (SPF) were studied, as well as its application in food industry. Both WHC and OHC increased with particle size of the SPF, reaching up to over 40 g liquid/ g fibre at particle size of 30 mesh (0.595 mm). However, the oil-SPF mixtures showed oil loss after staying on the filter paper for 24 and 48 h and the oil loss increased along the time with SPF particle size decrease. Both the whole sunflower pith and ground pith powder contain porous microstructures. FT-IR indicated that the two primary components of SPF are cellulose and pectin. From NMR T2 relaxation profiles, all the mixtures of oil and SPF at particle size of 30, 50, 100 and 200 mesh showed stronger oil-SPF interactions with less free oil. The in-vitro oil digestion was not affected with 4% SPF addition. Showing the best OHC, 30 mesh SPF reduced 74% oil loss in peanut butter with 2.2% addition. These findings could explain the reason of SPF’s high OHC and contribute to new applications for SPF, especially as oil stabilizer.
Unpacking the Relationship Between Value and Empowering Behaviours of Leaders

For improving product quality and shifting from manufacturing to a service based economy, many organizations are undergoing organization structure transformation from hierarchy to decentralization in order to facing the increasingly fierce global competition. In the new and more flat form of organization structure, the practice of empowerment is regarded as an effective mechanism benefiting both employees and organizations and has attracted lots of researchers’ attention. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the value of founders in startups and their empowerment behaviors. This study generated a comprehensive empowerment behavior questionnaire with 9 dimensions. Based on context analysis on the interviews of startup founders, their values were coded according to the definition system of the value studies by Schwartz. And the primary relations between empowerment behavior and personal value is explored. The results showed that the growth and anxiety-free part of a circular motivational continuum with 19 values are more positively related to empowerment behavior and the other part, self-protection and anxiety avoidance is less positively related to their empowerment behavior. Future research is also discussed in the paper.