Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Topographic mapping in the National Spatial Data Infrastructure in Ukraine

The article proposes a new development concept of topographic mapping in Ukraine. It is based on the implementation of a new system model that responds to the geoinformation approach to topographic mapping in the development of national geospatial data infrastructure (NSDI) and provides the creation of geospatial data sets in the form of databases and knowledge bases based on existing standards and specifications: series of international standards ISO 19100 “Geographic information/Geomatics”, Open Geospatial Consortium (OGS), INSPIRE, State Standards of Ukraine (DSTU), Complex of Standards Organization of Ukraine (SOU) “Topographic database”. It provides a high intellectual level of core reference and profile geospatial data, which is capable to provide geoinformation analysis and modeling in modern GIS. In addition, the implementation the infrastructure approach to topographic production and the creation and development of a permanent topographic monitoring system will ensure the publication of geospatial data in real time, almost simultaneously with changes in the terrain, which guarantees the maintenance of a single topographic basis and, accordingly, core reference datasets for NSDI. Publication is funded by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange under the International Academic Partnerships Programme from the project „Organization of the 9th International Scientific and Technical Conference entitled Environmental Engineering, Photogrammetry, Geoinformatics – Modern Technologies and Development Perspectives”.
Social Media Influencer Research: An Bibliometric Analysis

The current study identified research trends and theory regarding social media influencers. By searching journals related to social media influencers in the Social Sciences Citation Index and Sciences Citation Index Expanded database in the 20-year period between January 2000 and December 2019, we collected 237 research articles pertaining to social media influencers. From an analysis of these articles, we mapped research trends and identified highly influential articles. The theories used in social media influencer research were also identified. The results provide fundamental insights into research on social media influencers.
Fire effects on growth of the invasive exotic fern Lygodium microphyllum and implications for management

The extremely invasive Old World Climbing Fern, Lygodium microphyllum, has invaded New World tropical and subtropical habitats. Lygodium microphyllum has indeterminate twining leaves that grow up on and shade out host shrubs and trees, their epiphytes, and the understory. This invasive plant threatens numerous native habitats in Florida USA and the Caribbean, including internationally valued conservation lands such as Everglades National Park. Fire, which can reduce or stimulate growth and/or reproduction in different plant species, is one intervention used to manage L. microphyllum, but the effects of burning on this species’ growth are unknown. We experimentally burned greenhouse-grown plants, then monitored their growth in response to burning for 18 months. We also clipped a subset of the greenhouse plants to determine whether fire effects were explained by aboveground biomass removal. In our experiment, fire either killed or reduced the regrowth of L. microphyllum plants. Burning killed 25% of the burned plants and slowed growth of the remaining burned plants for up to 18 months post-burn. Size had a significant effect on plant mortality: smaller burned plants had greater mortality than larger plants. Mechanically removing the aboveground biomass (leaves) by clipping did not kill any plants but reduced their growth as compared to controls in the first six months after treatment. Clipped plants, however, had substantially recovered after 12 months. Burned plants were more sensitive to drought than clipped or control plants. The results show that burning does more than remove biomass, compromising the root system and perhaps damaging the hydraulic support system, similar to the latent mortality effects of fire on forest trees. We discuss how fire could affect invasion by this species, incorporating fire effects on spore viability and dispersal, as well as on subsequent plant regrowth. These results show that fire is a useful management tool for L. microphyllum invasions that both kills plants and reduces plant regrowth for up to 18 months.
Detection of Mycoplasma gallinaceum by PCR amplification of the 16S rRNA gene from respiratory disease in village chickens

In the present study, Mycoplasma gallinaceum was detected by PCR amplification of 16S rRNA gene from chronic respiratory disease in village chickens of Cauvery delta region of Tamil Nadu. Necropsy was performed to find out the etiological agent in desi birds mortality. At necropsy, airsacculitis with caseous exudate were found in the thoracic and abdominal cavity. Caseous material from airsacs was collected aseptically from dead birds for detection of Mycoplasma species. DNA was extracted from caseous material by using tissue DNA extraction kit. PCR was carried out using primers to amplify 16S rRNA gene belonging to Mycoplasma species. The amplified product yielded approximately 700-bp length (703 to 713 bp) of the 16S rRNA gene specific for Mycoplasma species. Further, it was subjected to sequence analysis and confirmed as Mycoplasma gallinaceum by NCBI blast analysis. In the present communication, detection of M. gallinaceum by PCR amplification of 16S rRNA gene provides a powerful tool for rapid diagnosis.
Drivers of Profit Inefficiency in Iowa Crop Production

In this paper, we use data envelopment analysis and a panel of Iowa farms to evaluate profit inefficiency in corn and soybean production. We find that farms have, on average, profit inefficiency scores of 89.4% in combined corn and soybean production, suggesting that profit could be increased by 89.4% if farms eliminated technical and allocative inefficiencies. Overall, profit efficiency improved from 2011 to 2018, a period generally characterized by decreasing farm net worth. Moreover, while factors such as farm size and operator age affect technical inefficiency, these variables do not have a significant effect on profit inefficiency, while farms’ net worth per acre and crop insurance indemnity payments positively affect profit inefficiency. Land tenure does not have a significant effect on technical or profit inefficiency. JEL CODES: Q12, D22, D24
A country on the fence: United Kingdom’s perceptions of the status and international agenda of Brazil

Brazil has long strived for greater status and a stronger role in international politics, but its actual standing depends on the recognition it gets from outside. This paper analyses the perceptions of the status of Brazil from the perspective of the UK. It contributes both to the study of status in IR (by using a qualitative method with focus on perceptions and inter-subjectivity) and to the study of the status of Brazil (by analysing external perceptions about its standing in the global hierarchy). Based on interviews with British diplomats who served in Brazil, it shows that the UK believes the country misperceives its own place in the world and appears to remain “on the fence” in global affairs.
Cellular Forms in Cultivation in Suspension of Bougainvillea glabra Choisy Variety Surprise

The objective of this work was to describe the predominant cell forms in the phases of growth kinetics in a suspension culture of the Bougainvillea glabra Choisy variety Surprise. Treatments in suspension with Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal culture medium were supplemented with six different concentrations and combinations of vegetable growth regulator (VGR) of type auxin (2,4-D and NAA) and cytokinin (BAP) (0.2-5.3 mg/L) and a control. Friable callus was obtained from leaf explants ex vitro to in vitro culture in solid MS medium using Phytagel as gelling agent to 2.2 g/L. A portion of callus (1.0 g) was used as cellular inoculum and grown under controlled conditions (50 mL, 120 rpm, 25 °C and luminous intensity of 48 μmol m/s). The best treatment with significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) were with a hormonal relation of 2:1 of BAP and NAA, respectively, with a fresh weight yield ranging from 1.7905 g to 5.8340 g, which represents around 70%. An adaptation phase was observed from day 0 to day 14 on the curve of fresh weight; an exponential phase at day 14 to day 19 and a declination phase at day 21. Cellular forms in the adaptation phase were elongated cells, a few globular and a few with kidney shape. In the exponential phase, these cells formed small aggregates of globular cells. In the death phase, brown, elongated, damaged and fragmented cells were found. Whit this data obtained it is possible to establish the subculture time in fresh medium.
A Reliable Storage Partition for Permissioned Blockchain

The full-replication data storage mechanism, as commonly utilized in existing blockchains, is the barrier to the system's scalability, since it retains a copy of entire blockchain at each node so that the overall storage consumption per block is <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$O(n)$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>O</mml:mi><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mi>n</mml:mi><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="qi-ieq1-3012668.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> with <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$n$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mi>n</mml:mi></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="qi-ieq2-3012668.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> participants. Yet another drawback is that this mechanism may limit the throughput in permissioned blockchain. Moreover, due to the existence of Byzantine nodes, existing partitioning methods, though widely adopted in distributed systems for decades, cannot suit for blockchain systems directly, so that it is critical to devise new storage mechanism for blockchain systems. This article proposes a novel storage engine, called BFT-Store, to enhance storage scalability by integrating erasure coding with Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) consensus protocol. The first property of BFT-store is that the storage consumption per block can be reduced to <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$O(1)$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>O</mml:mi><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="qi-ieq3-3012668.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> for the first time, which enlarges overall storage capability when more nodes attend the blockchain. Second, we design an efficient online re-encoding protocol for storage scale-out and a hybrid replication scheme to enhance reading performance. Analysis in theory and extensive experimental results illustrate the scalability, availability and efficiency of BFT-Store via the implementation in an open-source permissioned blockchain Tendermint.
Use of a colloid to optimize centrifugation in the selection of bovine sperm for IVF

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the force and duration of centrifugation and the impact of cushioned centrifugation on sperm selection by Percoll gradient, on sperm quality and development kinetics of in vitro produced bovine embryos. Two experiments were performed. In Experiment I, a pool of semen was selected by Percoll gradients and the pellet was divided into four groups and distributed in a 2 × 2 factorial, with two forces (2200 × g or 9000 × g) and two durations (1 min or 3 min) of centrifugation. In Experiment II, semen was divided into two groups and selected by Percoll gradient with Cushion Fluid (CF) or without CF (Control) in the second centrifugation. The morphofunctionality, biochemical characteristics and fertilizing capacity of the selected sperms were evaluated. In addition, the development of the resulting bovine embryos was monitored for 48 h post-insemination. Duncan and Chi-square tests (P < 0.05) were used to compare the means. In Experiment I, there was a significant increase in sperm vigor (P < 0.05) after sperm selection in all treatments. The force and duration of centrifugation did not have any effect on sperm motility, vigor, and recovery rate among the different treatments (P > 0.05). In Experiment II, the recovery rate and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in semen were similar among treatments (P > 0.05) although a higher ROS production was observed in the CF fertilization medium. Total fertilization rate was superior in the CF group (65.4 ± 5.3%) compared to that in Control (39.6 ± 4.9%). However, the normal fertilization and cleavage rate did not differ between the Control (94 ± 6.3% and 58.3 ± 8.3%) and CF (89 ± 7.1% and 75.0 ± 7.3%) groups. The reduction in the force and duration of centrifugation did not decrease the sperm recovery during selection by the Percoll gradient and the use of CF in the second centrifugation did not affect the normal fertilization and development of bovine IVF embryos up to 48 h.
Music Making and Ban on Drumming Among the Winneba People of Ghana

The paper reports an ethnographic study of music making and ban on drumming among the Winneba people of Ghana. Despite the volume of research on the use of music for several occasions in the African community, much attention has not been given to the observance of complete silence as part of the life of some African Societies. This paper discusses the place of ban on drumming in a community where music making permeates the lives of the people. It sought to document how the period of silence is negotiated in the contemporary society. Through purposive sampling and snowballing, traditional leaders and priests, members of historical missionary churches, and those of the Pentecostal/Charismatic orientation were interviewed and their activities within the period of the ban observed. Observance of the ban was, however, not uniform among the Christians. While the mission churches have a policy of accommodating local tradition and to observe the ban by reducing the intensity of music making during the period, the Pentecostal/Charismatic churches, however, insist on not observing the ban, because of its association with traditional deities. The paper reveals that though music forms an important part of the life of the Winneba people in Ghana just as most African communities, ban on drumming is not only a belief that had purely been held as a traditional custom from ancestors, it also conveys the principle of silence, which is beneficial to humans in many respects. Keywords : Effutu, ban on drumming, Winneba, social stability DOI: 10.7176/JCSD/60-04 Publication date: June 30 th 2020
A reliable modification method for Chen-Lee-Liu equation with different optical solitons

The rationale behind this study is to derive a rapid converging numerical scheme for the Chen-Lee-Liu (CLL) equation. In doing so, we employ the reliable Modification of the Adomian Decomposition Method (MADM) for solving functional equations. Additionally, certain exact soliton solutions will be considered as benchmark solutions for numerical implementations. In the end, the efficacy of the method will be proven by examining various absolute error results that will be demonstrated in tables and figures.
Magnet eddy-current losses reduction of an axial-flux in-wheel motor with amorphous magnet metal

The yokeless and segmented armature axial-flux in-wheel motor with amorphous magnet metal (AMM) stator segment has the advantage of low iron losses, but its open-slot structure causes high eddy-current losses of the permanent magnet (PM), which reduces the efficiency and reliability of the in-wheel motor. To avoid the demagnetization caused by the heat generated by PM losses, the mechanism of PM eddy-current losses reduction for the axial-flux in-wheel motor is revealed by the calculation model. In this paper, the time-step three-dimensional finite-element method (3-D FEM) is used to analyze the PM eddy-current loss caused by slotting effects, spatial harmonics, and time harmonics at different speeds. The effect of PM skewing, PM segmentation, and soft magnetic composite (SMC) layer inserted on the top of PM on eddy-current losses are compared. These methods cannot simultaneously meet the requirements of PM losses reduction and the electromagnetic performance of the motor. A novel combined stator segment with the SMC brim arranged on the top of the AMM stator teeth is proposed to improve the amplitude and distribution of the PM eddy-current density. The analysis results show that the combined stator segment can significantly reduce the PM eddy-current loss and improve the electromagnetic performance of the in-wheel motor.
Migration and reverse migration in the age of covid-19

The notion of the “migrant” in the current capitalist times and the world of migrants in it are explored The source to destination streams of migrant labour is outlined, and it is then argued that reverse migration will perhaps usher in the greatest crisis in the rural landscape of India, for which we are not yet prepared © 2020 Economic and Political Weekly All rights reserved
Instability of insular tree communities in an Amazonian mega‐dam is driven by impaired recruitment and altered species composition

Mega-dams create highly fragmented archipelagos, affecting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in remnant forest isolates. This study assessed the long-term impact of dam-induced fragmentation on insular tropical tree communities, with the aim of generating robust recommendations to mitigate some of the detrimental biodiversity impacts associated with future dam development. We inventoried adult and sapling trees across 89 permanent plots, located on 36 islands and in three mainland continuous forest sites in the Balbina Dam, Brazilian Amazon. We examined differences in recruitment, structure, and composition of sapling and adult tree communities, in relation to plot-, patch- and landscape-scale attributes including area, isolation, and fire severity. Islands harboured significantly lower sapling (mean ± 95% CI 48.6 ± 3.8) and adult (5 ± 0.2) tree densities per 0.01 ha, than nearby mainland continuous forest (saplings, 65.7 ± 7.5; adults, 5.6 ± 0.3). Insular sapling and adult tree communities were more dissimilar than in mainland sites, and species compositions showed a directional shift away from mainland forests, induced by fire severity, island area, and isolation. Insular sapling recruitment declined with increasing fire severity; tree communities with higher community-weighted mean wood density showed the greatest recruitment declines. Our results suggest that insular tree communities are unstable, with rare species becoming extinction-prone due to reduced tree recruitment and density on islands, potentially leading to future losses in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning across Balbina's >3,500 reservoir islands. Policy implications. In Balbina, fire and reduced habitat area and connectivity were drivers of tree community decay after only 28 years of insularization, despite strict protection provided by the ~940,000 ha Uatuma Biological Reserve. Given that many dams are planned for lowland, moderately undulating Amazonia, we recommend that dam development strategy explicitly considers (a) dam location, aiming to minimize creation of small (<10 ha) and isolated islands, (b) maintaining reservoir water levels during droughts to reduce fire risk, and (c) including aggregate island area in environmental impact and offset calculations. Ideally, we recommend that alternatives to hydropower be sought in lowland tropical regions, due to the far-reaching biodiversity losses and ecosystem disruption caused by river impoundment.
Monogenic disorders of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion: massively parallel sequencing approaches

ii Declaration by author . iv Publications during candidature. v Publications included in this thesis . vi Contributions by others to the thesis . vii Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree . ix Acknowledgements . x
Chemical Composition, Mutagenic and Antimutagenic Activities of Essential Oils from (Tunisian) Artemisia campestris and Artemisia herba-alba

Abstract The essential oil composition from the aerial parts of Artemisia campestris var. glutinosa Gay ex Bess and Artemisia herba-alba Asso (Asteraceae) of Tunisian origin has been studied by GC and GC/MS. The main constituents of the oil from A. campestris collected in Benguerdane (South of Tunisia) were found to be β-pinene (41.0%), p-cymene (9.9%), α-terpinene (7.9%), limonene (6.5%), myrcene (4.1%), β-phellandrene (3.4%) and a-pinene (3.2%). Whereas the oil from A. herba-alba collected in Tataouine (South of Tunisia) showed, pinocarvone (38.3%), a-copaene (12.18%), limonene (11.0%), isoamyl2-methylbutyrate (19.5%) as major compounds. The mutagenic and antimutagenic activities of the two oils were investigated by the Salmonella typhimurium/microsome assay, with and without addition of an extrinsic metabolic activation system. The oils showed no mutagenicity when tested with Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA97. On the other hand, we showed that each oil had antimutagenic activity against the carcinogen Benzo (a) pyrene (B[a] P) when tested with TA97 and TA98 assay systems.
Experimental Characterization of A Piezoelectric Transducer Array Taking into Account Crosstalk Phenomenon

Ultrasonic transducer arrays are generally composed of several piezoelectric elements arranged in 1D or 2D ways. Crosstalk is an undesirable phenomenon decreasing the performance of these devices. It generates parasitic displacements at the elements' radiating surfaces, which changes the directivity of the array. Furthermore, the transducer's displacement plays a critical role in terms of the focal area and transferred intensities. The objective of this paper is to characterize a piezoelectric array composed of seven-elements made of PZ 27 ceramic experimentally. It investigates the effects of the crosstalk phenomenon on the array's performance in particular. The results have shown that the array's elements vibrate mainly in thickness mode, but the displacement is not uniform along their length due to the contribution of a parasitic length mode. Moreover, the major parasitic displacements are obtained on the neighboring passive elements: about-7.3 dB,-11 dB, and-12 dB, on the first, the second, and the third elements, respectively.
A Method of Text Extremum Region Extraction Based on Joint-Channels

: Natural scene recognition has important significance and value in the fields of image retrieval, autonomous navigation, human-computer interaction and industrial automation. Firstly, the natural scene image non-text content takes up relatively high proportion; secondly, the natural scene images have a cluttered background and complex lighting conditions, angle, font and color. Therefore, how to extract text extreme regions efficiently from complex and varied natural scene images plays an important role in natural scene image text recognition. In this paper, a Text extremum region Extraction algorithm based on Joint-Channels (TEJC) is proposed. On the one hand, it can solve the problem that the maximum stable extremum region (MSER) algorithm is only suitable for gray images and difficult to process color images. On the other hand, it solves the problem that the MSER algorithm has high complexity and low accuracy when extracting the most stable extreme region. In this paper, the proposed algorithm is tested and evaluated on the ICDAR data set. The experimental results show that the method has superiority.