Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Buck effect on rabbit oestrous: vulva colour, vaginal lumen cells and ovarian follicle populations

T he aim of this study was to determine the response to combinations of male stimuli in the oestrous doe in terms of changes in vulva colour, exfoliated cells in the vaginal lumen and the ovarian histology. Twelve oestrous heterogeneous rabbits does (6 multiparous and 6 nulliparous) were allotted equally to 3 experimental treatments: VIC – Male exposure with visual contact; NVC – Male exposure without visual contact and; NOC – Females completely isolated and not allowed any contact with the male. The does were placed under these treatments for 30 consecutive days during which vulvar colour was checked and vaginal smears were taken daily for each animal. All animals were sacrificed on the thirtieth day and their ovaries processed for histological examination following H & E staining. Does with NVC and VIC exposure displayed either red or pink vulva in 95 and 90% of cases, respectively, the remaining cases being rose coloured but never a whitish vulva (P<0.05), whereas does with NOC exposure displayed rose vulva on 80% of the days checked and another 11.7% cases with white vulvae but never a reddish vulva (P<0.05). The proportions of superficial, intermediate and parabasal epithelial cells in the vagina smears showed that superficial cells usually contribute less than 16% of the total and are also less abundant (P<0.05) irrespective of the doe’s exposure type or vulva colour, except in male-isolated does with purple vulva. All categories of follicles were seen on ovarian sections from NVC and VIC does, but corpora lutea were also present on the sections from VIC does, whereas only follicles below 0.5 mm diameter were seen on the sections from NOC does. In conclusion, these results suggest that the rabbit does require some form of stimulus from the male to remain sexually attractive. Moreover, ovulation appeared to have been induced in the does with visual contact with the male, probably in conjunction with auditory and olfactory, but without tactile or mating contacts.
Performance analysis of modified dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) employed to a grid connected solar PV system

Among various power quality problems, voltage sag and swell are dominant where loads are very sensitive to the voltage disturbances. Various custom power devices are introduced recently to overcome these voltage issues, dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) is one of them. It offers very cost effective solution for problems such as voltage sag, swell and harmonics by establishing the proper voltage level during voltage disturbances to protect sensitive loads. In this paper, performance of DVR to improve power quality is done for solar photovoltaic (PV) based generation system feeding the grid and the three phase linear load. Solar PV generation system is implemented with an incre-mental conductance (IC) maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique. The DVR is connected in between solar PV system and load. The basic structure of DVR is modified by using the photovoltaic system as an alternative to DC source and in place of conventional 2-level voltage source converter (VSC) neutral point clamped (NPC) multi level inverter is used. The system performance is analyzed in the MATLAB/Simulink environment. The simulation results justified the efficiency of modified DVR in the mitigation of voltage sag in distri-bution system. Improvement of power quality by stabilizing voltage during fault and promoting renewable energy is the main framework of this work.
How much sea turtle bycatch is too much? A stationary age distribution model for simulating population abundance and potential biological removal in the Mediterranean

Mediterranean populations of loggerhead Caretta caretta and green sea turtles Che- lonia mydas are subject to several anthropogenic threats, with documented mortality from inci- dental capture in fishing gear. However, how such mortalities actually affect the populations is uncertain without an estimate of population size. We derived a theoretical demographic structure for each species in the Mediterranean, assuming a stationary age distribution in a stable popula- tion with constant proportions of turtles in each life stage, using distributions of age-specific vital rates. We incorporated uncertainty into the main vital rate parameters to identify a likely order of magnitude of turtle abundance in different life stages. Through this approach, we aim to (1) pro- vide a rough estimate of all population stage classes, particularly the juvenile classes that are most subject to fisheries interactions, (2) provide an estimate of reproductive life span, (3) identify and review the key demographic parameters, and (4) identify the priority gaps in our information in need of further investigation. The range of population abundance estimates from the models con- structed with uncertainty (95% CI) was 0.81−3.38 million loggerheads and 0.26−2.21 million green turtles, Mediterranean-wide. When we calculated the potential biological removal for the segment of the population at risk of fisheries capture, our estimates were comparable to or lower than the estimated bycatch levels in fisheries. Although the model assumes a stable population and provides only a rough estimate of abundance, these results suggest that the current bycatch level should be regarded as unsustainable for Mediterranean turtle populations.
Robust and Powerful Tests for Nonlinear Deterministic Components

We develop a test for the presence of nonlinear deterministic components in a univariate time series, approximated using a Fourier series expansion, designed to be asymptotically robust to the order of integration of the process and to any weak dependence present. We show that our proposed test has uniformly greater local asymptotic power than the existing tests of Harvey, Leybourne and Xiao (2010) when the shocks are I(1), identical local asymptotic power when the shocks are I(0), and also improved finite sample properties. We also consider the issue of determining the number of Fourier frequencies used to specify any nonlinear deterministic components.
Improved lipid and biomass productivities in Chlorella vulgaris by differing the inoculation medium from the production medium

Improvement of biomass and lipid productivities is now one of the main concerns in commercialization of microalgae cultivation as a feedstock for algal biofuel production. Conventional photoautotrophic processes using well-studied and rich in oil strain of Chlorella vulgaris are not able to meet such demands. A new strategy of inoculating algae production medium with cells grown in a different medium from the production medium was proposed herein. More specifically, when SH4 was used as production medium and N8 was used as inoculation medium, biomass and lipid productivities increased by 2.33 folds and 1.44 fold, respectively, compared with when the production and inoculation media were the same, such as SH4. The findings of the present investigation showed that this cultivation scheme resulted in 52% increase in cell number and 54% increase in dry weight leading to improved productivities. Although by even considering this improvement, photoautotrophic cultivation of algae can hardly compete with the heterotrophic cultivation, the high cost of hydrocarbon supply required in large-scale heterotrophic processes marks the technique proposed in the present study as a promising approach for commercialization of algal biofuel production.
An interactive GIS-tool for collaborative local renewable energy planning

Several cities in the Netherlands have developed ambitious local climate change mitigation plans to become carbon neutral in the future, including measures for significantly increasing the amount of locally produced renewable energy. The paper describes the GIS-based interactive tool COLLAGE that allows stakeholders to negotiate together where to locate a pre-determined demand of renewable energy within their municipality. The COLLAGE tool is implemented for stakeholder workshops of Dalfsen municipality, Netherlands. The interactive mapping sessions were perceived useful for better understanding the scope of envisioned development of renewable energies.
How Lamina Age Influence Photosynthetic Response to Light Variations in Saccharina latissima

Fotosyntetisk rate, malt pa grunnlag av in vivo klorofyll a fluorescens, som en funksjon av okende lamina alder ble undersokt i Saccharina latissima fra Trondheimfjorden, Norge i vinter, sommer og host 2013. Sesongens innflytelse pa forholdet mellom alder pa vevet og akklimatisering ble undersokt. Okende alder av vev ble bare funnet a ha signifikant innflytelse pa fotosyntetiske parametere i sommer (mai) i motsetning til de andre sesongene. Variasjon i fotosyntetiske parametere over hele lengden av lamina varierte mellom individer, bade mellom og innen arstider. Resultater fra denne studien viser at fotosyntese i et enkelt individ av S. latissima er avhengig av hvordan lamina er plassert i vannsoylen bade over bredden og lengden av lamina, og hvordan det tilgjengelige lyset belyser de forskjellige deler av lamina. Forskjellen mellom vev av ulik alder var storre i store individer, samlet i en tett tareskog. I dette scenariet kan lamina bli eksponert av en rekke irradianser, pa grunn av selvskygging og skygging fra andre individer. Fotosyntetiske rater var ogsa avhengig av sesong som et resultat av varierende temperatur, naeringsstoffer og lys klima. Betydelig lavere Pmax , Ek og α ble funnet i individer samlet om hosten i motsetning til individer samlet i vinter og sommer, noe som indikerer naeringsmangel og lav lys akklimatisering . Lav lys akklimatiserte alger om hosten er antatt a vaere et resultat av en hoy konsentrasjon av optisk aktive komponenter i vannet, og dermed gi en betydelig demping av lys i vannsoylen og lavere lys. Denne studien viser at malinger av fotosyntese fra meristem vev kan vaere forskjellig fra andre deler av lamina pa grunn av forskjellig alder og fysiologi. Derfor er det ikke nok a male fotosynteserate og produksjon pa en del av S. latissima lamina og anta at disse er representative for hele lengden av lamina .
Considering the cultural context in psychopathology formulations

Background. Mental health research appears to be continually transforming. Recent literature reflects a greater appreciation for the ways in which pathoplastic features of culture modulate emotional regulation. This article introduces those aspects of the literature which explore the (re)consideration of culture as a dynamic and essential construct in the clinical formulation of psychopathology. Objectives. The study aims to review literature that focuses on the dynamic influence of culture in psychopathology. Furthermore, the researchers aim to present a view on the ways in which culture appeared to shape the topography of psychopathology nosology. Method. A literature review of 31 sources. Results. The review indicated that 29 literature sources were conceptual in design, suggesting a great need for more empirical research. This section also explores themes identified during the literature review. The literature is tabulated according to features and emerging themes. Three major themes were identified and included: the cultural context; the evolving definitions of culture; and culture and psychopathology. Conclusion/discussion. An analysis of the themes is offered. The authors conclude by highlighting the significance of the literature at present. Areas of particular interest suggest that health and behaviour are dependent, at least in part, on culture; psychopathology may also be appreciated as a social construct; culture influences psychopathology regardless of the aetiology; diagnostic classes do not adequately consider operational definitions; and a greater focus on hermeneutic perceptivity in appreciating cultural dynamics in psychopathology will benefit clinical assessment.
Individual Contour Adapted Functional Implant Structures in Titanium

Apart from applications in mechanical engineering, now even the domain of medicine may benefit from the option of using metallic materials for Direct Manufacturing. In the medical domain, the use of biocompatible materials, such as titanium or titanium alloys is essential to produce individual implants. As a result of this development, it is now possible to generate new patient-specific geometries fitted to the contour. This paper elucidates the process chain to derive individual design variants and to produce patient-specific bone replacement implants for the lower jaw-bone regions by using innovative reverse engineering and manufacturing methods. For this interdisciplinary project, technical scientists, medical scientists at the university hospital and engineers from a product development firm work together.
Does the U . S . Export Global Warming ? Coal Trade and the Shale Gas Boom

We examine the effect of the U.S. Shale Gas Boom on global trade and consumption of coal and CO2 emissions. We estimate a structural model that links the domestic to the international coal market and use it to simulate counterfactual scenarios. Our results show that the total quantity of coal traded around the world in the absence of the Boom is essentially the same as the actual. A compositional change towards dirtier coal could still have significant environmental effects; we show that this is not the case either. Hence, U.S. coal exports simply displaced other coal without affecting global emissions.
Incorporating Memory into Deep Generative Dialogue Models using a Scalable Attention Mechanism

Deep generative dialogue models have been a site of considerable research in recent years. The current state of the art is the "sequence to sequence" model, which uses a recurrent encoder-decoder architecture to construct a response to a given input message. These models are powerful, but condition their responses only on the previous utterance, rather than the entire conversation history. This paper explores the use of an attention mechanism over encoded conversation history to provide the model with context to improve its responses. We propose a computationally efficient variation of the memory network developed by Sukhbaatar et al. [14] which reduces the training time and requires fewer encoder evaluations during training and inference.
Moving Software Quality Upstream: The Positive Impact of Lightweight Peer Code Review

As schedules tighten and product launch deadlines remain fixed, software developers have to rise to the challenge without compromising quality. Managing software development and maintaining quality necessitates the development of processes and tools to facilitate efficiency. Software development teams, with a wide range of experience and expertise, are often spread across several continents. Coordinating an effort across such a workforce brings enormous challenges, not only because of the ever increasing complexity of silicon designs, but also the need to make excruciatingly efficient use of software development resources. At Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) we have measurably improved software quality and built a culture of defect prevention by integrating a lightweight peer code review process into the development workflow. This paper describes the practical implementation and quantitative quality improvements. Additionally, the approach to process transition was effective in cultivating cultural acceptance, leading to developers adopting the changes almost voluntarily, something that surprised many of those involved!
Haematological Abnormalities in Visceral Leishmaniasis Patients Attending Gondar University Hospital; Retrospective Study

Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) or kalazar is a fatal neglected tropical disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania , belonging to the family Trypanosomatidae. Leishmania donovani complex are the causative agents of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Ethiopia and its burden is a public health problem where every year health facilities report thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths. Hematological abnormalities are the common presentation for human with Visceral Leishmaniasis , which comprises anemia, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia. Therefore; this study aimed to assess hematological abnormalities among Visceral Leishmaniasis patients attending Gondar University Hospital using a cross sectional study design. Socio-demographic data on 414 Visceral Leishmaniasis patients having complete records on hematological parameters collected from the laboratory log book and hospital chart by using a structured data collection sheet. Data was entered and analyze by using SPSS version 20. From the total 414 Visceral Leishmaniasis patients, 405(97.8%) were males and 9(2.2%) were females. The overall magnitude of anemia, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia and Lymphopenia was 94.4%, 95.4%, 90.1%, 90.1% and 37.9% respectively. There was a significant association between age and prevalence of anemia, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. The finding of the study shows with predominant existence of anemia, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia. Thus, specific diagnosis and monitoring of hematological abnormalities is required for early treatment of the disease and decreases mortality rate due to these abnormalities.
The Impacts of Farmer Field School Training on Knowledge and Farm Technology Adoption: Evidence from Smallholder Maize Farmers in Oromia, Ethiopia

This study examines the impact of Farmer Field School (FFS) training program on farmers’ knowledge and farm technology adoption. The FFS program was sponsored by the Ethiopian government and launched in 2010. The study aims to compare the impact of the training on knowledge and agricultural technology adoption of those FFS graduate and non-FFS graduate maize farmers in Oromia, Ethiopia. For this, data was collected in 2013 from 446 randomly selected households of three districts consisting of 218 FFS graduate farmers and 228 non-FFS graduate farmers. The analytical procedure has involved two stages: in the first stage, descriptive analysis was used to detect existence of difference in the household and farm characteristics of the two groups of farmers. In the second stage, a semi-parametric impact evaluation method of propensity score matching with several matching algorithms was employed to estimate the program impacts. The result reveals that although FFS graduate farmers have relatively higher knowledge test score than the non-FFS gradate farmers, farm technology adoption index of the later farmer group exceeds the former groups. This finding suggests that there is no necessarily linear relationship between increased knowledge and increased technology adoption. This further implies that the mental attitude of the smallholder farmers in study area is not actually shaped by misconceptions of technology as claimed by the Ethiopian government, but rather because of their firm understanding of what works and does not work according to their own realities. The policy implication of this finding is that knowledge can be translated into practices if a set of enabling factors and conditions exist. These factors including farmers’ positive perception of the technology benefits, access to complementary inputs, availability of crop insurance scheme, arrangement of credit facilities and favorable output markets as incentive for adopting full technologies.
Anaerobic Digestion of Nssc Pulping Effluent

Two UASB reactors R-I and R-II, each of 10liters capacity, made up of acryl material wereoperated parallel and continuously for a period of 220 days, using actual effluent of the NSSC pulp and papermill, at mesophilic temperature and neutral pH. The main objective was to investigate the treatabilityperformance of the reactors at varying OLR and HRT in terms of TOC and lignin removal. The reactor R-I wasused by conventional procedure, whereas, for the reactor R-II methanol and activated carbon was added tosupplement its efficiency. Corresponding to an optimum OLR of 4.5kg/m3-day and HRT of 18hrs, the reactorR-II gives 69% TOC and 60% lignin removal. But, in the reactor R-I at same operating conditions, only 56%TOC and 51% lignin removal was noticed. However, the biogas yield in the reactor R-I was noticed relativelymore than in the R-II. The biogas yield observed was 0.28m3/kg-CODrem and 0.18m3/kg-CODrem in the reactorR-I and R-II, respectively, with 56-58% methane content in both the reactors. The average VFAs concentrationobserved in the reactor R-I and R-II is 360mg/L and 230mg/L, respectively. The results of this study suggestthat the use of methanol and activated carbon to enhance the treatability efficiency of the UASB reactor is aviable option for the treatment of NSSC pulping effluent.
Thomson scattering stray light reduction techniques using a CCD camera

The DIII–D Thomson scattering system has been expanded to measure divertor plasma temperatures from 1 to 500 eV and densities from 0.05 to 8×1020 m−3. To complete this system, a difficult stray light problem was overcome to allow for an accurate Rayleigh scattering density calibration. The initial stray light levels were over 500 times higher than the expected Rayleigh scattered signal. Using a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, various portions of the vessel interior were examined while the laser was fired through the vessel in air at atmospheric pressure. Image relaying, exit window tilting, entrance and exit baffle modifications, and a beam polarizer were then used to reduce the stray light to acceptable levels. The CCD camera gave prompt feedback on the effectiveness of each modification, without the need to reestablish vacuum conditions required when using the normal avalanche photodiode detectors (APD). Once the stray light was sufficiently reduced, the APD detectors provided the signal time histor.
Increasing Throughput and Efficiency of LoRaWAN Class A

The number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices is expected to increase significantly in the next few years due to the availability of low cost IoT hardware and new application scenarios. As a result, many more wireless IoT devices will share the unlicensed frequency bands. Coordinated channel access is required to increase the efficiency of the frequency spectrum usage. In this paper, we propose two extensions to Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) Class A, the TDMA and Burst scheme, in order to increase the channel utilization and system throughput. Our calculations show that the proposed schemes can provide more than 60% throughput compared to 18% provided by the pure ALOHA scheme used in the current specifications of LoRaWAN. We verify the feasibility of the schemes with an implementation and measurements on eight LoRaWAN enddevices and one gateway. Keywords–LoRa; LoRaWAN; TDMA; Burst.
The consumer of food products in organic markets of central mexico

Since the nineteenth century, and especially after the Second World War, the industrialisation of food production and the so-called “green revolution” caused dietary changes in virtually all countries. The increase in food production and the strategic distribution of processed foods changed the territorial model and broke the bond between food products and the land (Perez Izquierdo et al., 2012; Montiel and Collado, 2010). The use of agrochemicals brought several benefits such as increased food production and access to cheap food, but it had a negative impact on the environment, which generated discontent and gave rise to a negative social perception of the global food system and agricultural industrialisation (Zanoli et al., 2012; Pinstrup-Andersen, 2011; Krom and Mol, 2010; Montiel and Collado, 2010).