Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physical-chemical properties of pesticides: concepts, applications, and interactions with the environment = Propriedades físico-químicas dos agrotóxicos: conceitos, aplicações e interações com o ambiente

What are the molecular properties of agricultural chemicals, how do they function and why should they be studied? How do they affect the agroecosystem and how are they linked to application technologies? These questions arise due to the lack of information in the literature about this issue and form the basis of the current review. In general, a better understanding of the physical-chemical characteristics of agricultural chemicals makes it possible to improve their efficiency of application, consequently reducing losses and maintaining the integrity of the environment. These points underscore the importance of this subject, which has been deeply discussed in Europe. In Brazil, there are few studies that examine the physicochemical properties of pesticides at the molecular level and virtually none that examine their impact. Thus, the current study attempts to clarify the concepts, applications, and interactions of the physical-chemical properties of agricultural chemicals with the environment. The trade secrets associated with these molecules are essential to the agrochemical industry, which certainly restricts scientific publications on the topic. Nevertheless, these properties are linked to the products’ mobility in the soil, disassociation in water, bioaccumulation, persistence, and durability in the environment and on the target. In summary, the more mobile and persistent a molecule is, the greater its potential for seepage and leaching and, consequently, the greater its potential for contaminating surface, subsurface, and ground water. This type of molecule becomes more environmentally aggressive if it bioaccumulates readily and degrades slowly. It should be noted that proper handling of agrochemicals depends not only on an understanding of their molecular properties, but also on their safe application. These concepts are essential for the successful promotion and sustainable use of these products in rural areas.
The Determinants of Mutual Fund Performance: A Cross-Country Study

We use a new data set to study the determinants of the performance of open--end actively managed equity mutual funds in 27 countries. We find that mutual funds underperform the market overall. The results show important differences in the determinants of fund performance in the USA and elsewhere in the world. The US evidence of diminishing returns to scale is not a universal truth as the performance of funds located outside the USA and funds that invest overseas is not negatively affected by scale. Our findings suggest that the adverse scale effects in the USA are related to liquidity constraints faced by funds that, by virtue of their style, have to invest in small and domestic stocks. Country characteristics also explain fund performance. Funds located in countries with liquid stock markets and strong legal institutions display better performance. Copyright 2013, Oxford University Press.
Interactions between large herbivores and litter removal by termites across a rainfall gradient in a South African savanna

Abstract: Litter-feeding termites influence key aspects of the structure and functioning of semi-arid ecosystems around the world by altering nutrient and material fluxes, affecting primary production, foodweb dynamics and modifying vegetation composition. Understanding these complex effects depends on quantifying spatial heterogeneity in termite foraging activities, yet such information is scarce for semi-arid savannas. Here, the amount of litter that was removed from 800 litterbags in eight plots (100 litterbags per plot) was measured in Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park (HiP) South Africa. These data were used to quantify variation in litter removal at two spatial scales: the local scale (within 450-m2 plots) and the landscape scale (among sites separated by 8–25 km). Subsequently, we attempted to understand the possible determinants of termites’ foraging patterns by testing various ecological correlates, such as plant biomass and bare ground at small scales and rainfall and fences that excluded large mammalian herbivores at larger scales. No strong predictors for heterogeneity in termite foraging intensity were found at the local scale. At the landscape scale termite consumption depended on an interaction between rainfall and the presence of large mammalian herbivores: litter removal by termites was greater in the presence of large herbivores at the drier sites but lower in the presence of large herbivores at the wetter sites. The effect of herbivores on termite foraging intensity may indicate a switch between termites and large herbivore facilitation and competition across a productivity gradient. In general, litter removal decreased with increasing mean annual rainfall, which is in contrast to current understanding of termite consumption across rainfall and productivity gradients. These results generate novel insights into termite ecology and interactions among consumers of vastly different body sizes across spatial scales.
Nutritional evaluation of cashew (Anacardium occidentale, l.) nut protein concentrate and isolate

This study evaluated the nutritional qualities of a protein concentrate and an isolate produced from cashew nut. The nutritional qualities were evaluated by determining amino-acid composition, in vitro digestibility and anti-nutritional factors (tannins, trypsin inhibitor activity-TIA and phytic acid content) in the protein concentrate and isolate using standard analytical methods. The amino-acid with the highest concentration in defatted cashew nut powder (DCNP), cashew nut protein concentrates (CNPC), and cashew nut protein isolate (CNPI) was glutamic acid, which was found to be 22.5, 21.38, and 21.81 g/100 g, respectively. This was followed by leucine, aspartic acid and arginine, in that order. The amino-acid with the lowest concentration in DCNP, CNPC, and CNPI was cysteine. The sulphur-containing aminoacids and some other essential amino-acids (lysine, tryptophan, leucine, isoleucine, and tyrosine) in CNPI were not significantly different (p>0.05) from that of DCNP, but were significantly different from that of CNPC (p<0.05). CNPC and CNPI were rich in essential amino-acids, and based on the FAO/WHO recommended essential amino-acids pattern requirements for an infant, the limiting amino-acid in CNPC, and CNPI was lysine with chemical scores of 0.68, and 0.63 respectively. However, the antinutritional factors (tannins, TIA, and phytic acid contents) of CNPI were found to be lower than those in DCNP and CNPC, while those of CNPI and CNPC were within the range found in the commercial peanut and soy protein concentrates and isolates. The highest in vitro digestibility was observed in CNPI (95.30%), while CNPC (87.83%) had a higher value than DCNP (79.93%). The nutritional qualities of the protein concentrate and isolate from cashew nut were found to be comparable to those reported for commercial peanut and soy protein concentrates and isolates. Therefore, the cashew nut products could be suitable as additional source of protein ingredients in food formulations.
Body motion during dynamic couch tracking with healthy volunteers

In precision radiotherapy, the intrafractional motion can cause a considerable uncertainty of the location of the tumor to be treated. An established approach is the expansion of the target volume to account for the motion. An alternative approach is couch-tracking, in which the patient is continually moved to compensate the intrafractional motion. However, couch-tracking itself might induce uncertainty of the patient’s body position, because the body is non-rigid. One hundred healthy volunteers were positioned supine on a robotic couch. Optical markers were placed on the torso of the volunteers as well as on the couch, and their positions were tracked with an optical surface measurement system. Using these markers, the uncertainty of the body position relative to the couch position was estimated while the couch was static or moving. Over the included 83 healthy volunteers, the median of the uncertainty increased by 0.8 mm (SI), 0.4 mm (LR) and 0.4 mm (AP) when the couch moved. Couch motion was found to increase the uncertainty of the body position relative to the couch. However, this uncertainty is one order of magnitude smaller than the intrafractional tumor motion amplitudes to be compensated. Therefore, even with body motion present, the couch-tracking approach is a viable option. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02820532) and the Swiss national clinical trials portal (SNCTP000001878).
Spectral Band Selection for Urban Material Classification Using Hyperspectral Libraries

Abstract. In urban areas, information concerning very high resolution land cover and especially material maps are necessary for several city modelling or monitoring applications. That is to say, knowledge concerning the roofing materials or the different kinds of ground areas is required. Airborne remote sensing techniques appear to be convenient for providing such information at a large scale. However, results obtained using most traditional processing methods based on usual red-green-blue-near infrared multispectral images remain limited for such applications. A possible way to improve classification results is to enhance the imagery spectral resolution using superspectral or hyperspectral sensors. In this study, it is intended to design a superspectral sensor dedicated to urban materials classification and this work particularly focused on the selection of the optimal spectral band subsets for such sensor. First, reflectance spectral signatures of urban materials were collected from 7 spectral libraires. Then, spectral optimization was performed using this data set. The band selection workflow included two steps, optimising first the number of spectral bands using an incremental method and then examining several possible optimised band subsets using a stochastic algorithm. The same wrapper relevance criterion relying on a confidence measure of Random Forests classifier was used at both steps. To cope with the limited number of available spectra for several classes, additional synthetic spectra were generated from the collection of reference spectra: intra-class variability was simulated by multiplying reference spectra by a random coefficient. At the end, selected band subsets were evaluated considering the classification quality reached using a rbf svm classifier. It was confirmed that a limited band subset was sufficient to classify common urban materials. The important contribution of bands from the Short Wave Infra-Red (SWIR) spectral domain (1000–2400 nm) to material classification was also shown.
Long-term optical and X-ray variability of the Be/X-ray binary H 1145-619: Discovery of an ongoing retrograde density wave

Context. Multiwavelength monitoring of Be/X-ray binaries is crucial to understand the mechanisms producing their outbursts. H 1145-619 is one of these systems, which has recently displayed X-ray activity. Aims. We investigate the correlation between the optical emission and X-ray activity to predict the occurrence of new X-ray outbursts from the inferred state of the circumstellar disc. Methods. We have performed a multiwavelength study of H 1145-619 from 1973 to 2017 and present here a global analysis of its variability over the last 40 yr. We used optical spectra from the SAAO, SMARTS, and SALT telescopes and optical photometry from the Optical Monitoring Camera (OMC) onboard INTEGRAL and from the All Sky Automated Survey (ASAS). We also used X-ray observations from INTEGRAL/JEM-X, and IBIS to generate the light curves and combined them with Swift /XRT to extract the X-ray spectra. In addition, we compiled archival observations and measurements from the literature to complement these data. Results. Comparing the evolution of the optical continuum emission with the H α line variability, we identified three different patterns of optical variability: first, global increases and decreases of the optical brightness, observed from 1982 to 1994 and from 2009 to 2017, which can be explained by the dissipation and replenishment of the circumstellar disc; second, superorbital variations with a period of P superorb ≈ 590 days, observed in 2002–2009, which seems to be related to the circumstellar disc; and third, optical outbursts, observed in 1998–1999 and 2002–2005, which we interpret as mass ejections from the Be star. We discovered the presence of a retrograde one-armed density wave, which appeared in 2016 and is still present in the circumstellar disc. Conclusions. We carried out the most complete long-term optical study of the Be/X-ray binary H 1145-619 in correlation with its X-ray activity. For the first time, we found the presence of a retrograde density perturbation in the circumstellar disc of a Be/X-ray binary.
Integrating collocated auxiliary parameters in geostatistical simulations using joint probability distributions and probability aggregation

We propose a new cosimulation algorithm for simulating a primary attribute using one or several secondary attributes known exhaustively on the domain. This problem is frequently encountered in surface and groundwater hydrology when a variable of interest is measured only at a discrete number of locations and when the secondary variable is mapped by indirect techniques such as geophysics or remote sensing. In the proposed approach, the correlation between the two variables is modeled by a joint probability distribution function. A technique to construct such relation using underlying variables and physical laws is proposed when field data are insufficient. The simulation algorithm proceeds sequentially. At each location of the domain, two conditional probability distribution functions (cpdf) are inferred. The cpdf of the main attribute is inferred in a classical way from the neighboring data and a model of spatial variability. The second cpdf is inferred directly from the joint probability distribution function of the two attributes and the value of the secondary attribute at the location to be simulated. The two distribution functions are combined by probability aggregation to obtain the local cpdf from which a value for the primary attribute is randomly drawn. Various examples using synthetic and remote sensing data demonstrate that the method is more accurate than the classical collocated cosimulation technique when a complex relation relates the two attributes.
Numerical Analysis of a Supersonic Rarefied Gas Flow past a Flat Plate at an Angle of Attack

A uniform supersonic flow of a rarefied gas past a flat plate at zero angle of attack is considered, and the steady behavior of the gas around the plate is investigated numerically on the basis of the Boltzmann–Krook–Welander equation (or the so-called BGK model) and the diffuse reflection boundary condition. An accurate finite-difference analysis, which gives the correct description of the discontinuity of the velocity distribution function of the gas molecules occurring in the gas, is carried out, and the features of the flow field (the velocity distribution function and the macroscopic variables such as the density, temperature, and flow velocity of the gas), in particular, those around the leading and trailing edges, are clarified for a wide range of the Knudsen number. The drag acting on the plate and the energy transferred to it are also obtained accurately. In addition, on the basis of the results for small Knudsen numbers, the behavior of the gas around the leading edge of a semi-infinite plate is.
Linguistic Issues in Language Technology – LiLT CALL-SLT: A Spoken CALL System based on grammar and speech recognition

We describe CALL-SLT, a speech-enabled Computer-Assisted Language Learning application where the central idea is to prompt the student with an abstract representation of what they are supposed to say, and then use a combination of grammar-based speech recognition and rule-based translation to rate their response. The system has been developed to the level of a mature prototype, freely deployed on the web, with versions for several languages. We present an overview of the core system architecture and the various types of content we have developed. Finally, we describe several evaluations, the last of which is a study carried out over about a week using 130 subjects recruited through the Amazon Mechanical Turk, in which CALL-SLT was contrasted against a control version where the speech recognition component was disabled. The improvement in student learning performance between the two groups was significant at p < 0.02. 1 LiLT Volume 10, Issue 2, October 2014. CALL-SLT: A Spoken CALL System. Copyright c © 2014, CSLI Publications. 2 / LiLT volume 10, issue 2 October 2014
Health Literacy: Prevalence among Elderly Care Givers and Its Impact on the Frequency of Elderly Hospitalization and Elderly Health Related Quality of Life

Caring for the elderly is an extremely lonely and frustrating vigil. The care giver has the responsibility of caring for an elderly one to the myriad decisions on different topics such as diabetes care or cancer treatment. Care givers with low levels of health literacy have less health knowledge, worse management of chronic disease and lower use of preventive services. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of health literacy among elderly care givers and its impact on the frequency of elderly hospitalization and elderly health related quality of life (QOL). The study was carried out on 200 elderly patients and their corresponding care givers. Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) and Newest Vital Sign (NVS) were used to assess caregivers’ health literacy. Assessment of the elderly health related QOL was done by the use of short form-12 health survey (SF-12). The results were as followed, in elderly patients; 92 were males and 108 were females. The mean elderly age was 69.4 ± 8.8. The mean age of caregivers was 42.1 ± 12.9 years. The prevalence of inadequate health literacy among elderly caregivers was 75.0%. There were significant associations between care givers, health literacy and the frequency of elderly hospitalization (p = 0.001), duration of hospital stay (p = 0.009), and the elderly health related QOL (p = 0.001). The study concluded that inadequate health literacy is a problem among elderly care givers in Egypt. Healthcare professionals must be made aware of this problem, which is to provide simplified educational materials to elderly care givers to maximize elderly care.
Localization of Vesicular Inhibitory Amino Acid Transporter (VIAAT) in the Submandibular Salivary Gland Throughout the Postnatal Development of Mice

Segun estudios recientes, es altamente posible que la aparicion del transportador vesicular de aminoacidos inhibidores (VIAAT) sea un buen marcador de senalizacion de GABA no solo en el cerebro, sino tambien en celulas de tejido extra-cerebrales que contienen GABA y GAD. En el presente estudio se intento localizar inmunoreactividad a VIAAT en la glandula submandibular de ratones. En el presente estudio, se examinaron las glandulas submandibulares de ratones machos en las distintas etapas del desarrollo postnatal para la localizacion detallada de inmunoreactividad a VIAAT inmunohistoquimicamente a nivel de microscopia optica. La inmunorreactividad para VIAAT se localizo en las celulas epiteliales de los conductos excretores proximal y distal, con mayor intensidad en la porcion estriada en las etapas tempranas. No se observo inmunoreactividad significativa en las celulas acinares durante el desarrollo postnatal. Ademas, se detecto la inmunoreactividad para VIAAT en las neuronas ganglionares parasimpaticas salivales, pero no en las fibras nerviosas que rodean las celulas glandulares. Ademas, la inmunoreactividad a VIAAT se encuentra en las celulas del musculo liso que forman la capa mas externa de las arterias interlobulillares. En base a estos hallazgos, es posible que GABA tenga una funcion como regulador autocrino y paraparacrino en la secrecion de saliva, asi como en el desarrollo de la glandula.
The Architectural Adaptation of Javanese Ethnic Houses to the Architectural Influence of Arab Ethnic Houses in Gresik

This piece of research aims to show how the architectural acculturation has occurred between the Arab ethnic architecture of the immigrants and the typically Javanese architecture of the local community inhabiting the region of Gresik on the Northern coast of East Java. The steps taken in this research study include an accurate analysis of the residential architecture to be found in two case studies by way of the typological approach, followed by establishing the dominant aspects that form the background of the formation of this architecture by employing the acculturation approach. The outcome of the analysis indicates that architectural acculturation has indeed taken place in the architecture of the Javanese community that emerged all by itself in the immediate vicinity of the dwellings inhabited by these newcomers. The relationship between these two architectural styles is reflected in the integration of the impact that Arab-style ethnic architecture has made on the architectural building designs of the Javanese community.
Edges, Structure, and Constraints: The Layout of Business Process Models

How a business process model is laid out will affect the ease of making sense of it. Existing layout features in process modeling tools often rely on generic insights on graph representation, but do not take the specific properties of business process models into account. In this paper, we propose an algorithm that is based on a set of constraints which are specifically identified towards establishing a readable layout of a process model. By exploiting the structure of the process model, the proposed algorithm allows for the computation of the final layout in linear time. An empirical evaluation shows that the proposed algorithm indeed provides support beyond what moderately experienced process modelers undertake to lay out their process models.
Contributions to the Stability Analysis and Control of Networked Systems. (Contributions à l'analyse de la stabilité et au contrôle des systèmes en réseau)

This manuscript presents a summary of research work and perspectives for obtaining the Habilitation to Conduct Research. This four-chapter document is titled "Stability and Control of Networked Systems". This problem appeared in the 2000s in Automatic aims to take into account the disruptive effects induced by the communication between the different elements of a control loop to ensure its proper operation. Indeed, delays, the possibly asynchronous discretization of the signals, the coding or the quantification can attenuate the performances of the closed loop or even lead to the instability of the controlled system. This manuscript presents in a first chapter a synthetic vision of the various research topics undertaken since 2003 concerning systems with delays, sampled, hybrids, of infinite dimension or even multi-agents. After this introduction, two technical chapters present contributions dealing only with the delayed and sampled input systems. After a general introduction presenting the peculiarities of delay systems, their models, and the temporal methods of analysis, the second chapter exposes different technical tools leading to stability criteria of this class of systems, expressed as linear matrix inequalities. The third chapter deals with the stability analysis of asynchronous sampled linear input systems. After illustrating the issues related to this study, two focuses on the variable delay modeling of the effect of sampling and the use of a new class of Lyapunov functional, constitutes the body of this last technical chapter. Finally, the last chapter presents several research perspectives, mainly related to the analysis, control and observation of heterogeneous systems of infinite dimension.