Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anti-pyretic, anti-inflammatory and anti-diarrhoeal properties of Faidherbia albida in rats

Faidherbia albida Del. (local name: Gawo) is employed traditionally to treat disorders such as fever, diarrhoea, urticaria, vomiting, cough, rheumatism and heamorrhage. The present study was carried out to scientifically appraise some of the folkloric uses of the plant. The crude aqueous extract was studied for acute toxicity, its anti-pyretic, anti-inflammatory and anti-diarrhoeal effects using yeast-induced pyrexia, kaolin-induced oedema and castor oil-induced diarrhoeal models in rats. The extract was not lethal to the rats dosed at 5000 mg/kg body weight. At a dose of 500 mg/kg body weight, it significantly (P < 0.05) decreased yeast-induced pyrexia in rats. At doses of 250 and 500 mg extract/kg body weight, the extract significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited kaolin-induced acute inflammation and reduced frequency of diarrhea in the rats. These results indicate that aqueous extract of F. albida possesses potent antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and anti-diarrhoeal effects and thus pharmacologically justifies its folkloric use in the management of fever, rheumatic inflammatory conditions and diarrhoea.
Port Logistics Policies Evaluation Based on Difference-in-Difference Model

In order to study port logistics policies’ impact on related entities of port logistics, this paper try to use difference-in-difference model (DID model) in port logistics policy evaluation. Reviews related port logistics policies announced recent years in China, evaluates the policies impact on public port enterprises, and demonstrates the feasibility of using DID model to evaluate the port logistics policies. Based on whether a public port enterprises develop port logistics business, defines the public port enterprises which develop port logistics business as the experimental group, others as the control group, and establishes DID mo del and evaluates the policy influence. Evaluation results show that the port logistics policies have a negative impact on t he gross profit of the experimental group, and DID model can be used in port logistics policies evaluation. Perhaps the strengthening of infrastructure construction, diversification and expansion of development channels enhance the operating costs of port enterprises in short-term and result in short-term earnings decline.
The use of probiotic in aquaculture: an overview

In last decade, the total world fishery production decreased slightly and the human consumption for aquatic product increased. The reduction in capture fisheries was partly compensated for the fast growth of aquaculture industry. The need for enhanced disease resistance, feed efficiency, and growth performance of cultured organisms is substantial for various sectors of this industry. If growth performance and feed efficiency are increased in commercial aquaculture, the costs productions are likely to be reduced. Also if more aquatic organisms are able to resist diseases and survive the subsequent cost of medication and overall production costs would be reduced. Hormones, antibiotics, ionopheres and some salts compounds have been used at some extent to prevent disease and as growth promoters; however, their inadequate application can produce adverse disorders, such as hormone imbalance, poisoning and predisposition to disease development. In the search of new options, several studies have been carried out to test new compounds, from which the aquaculture industry has developed the concept of “functional additives”. Among these additives, the additions of microorganisms to diets, named probiotics, has shown to improve the energy expenditure derived from other sources such as carbohydrates and increase the incorporations of protein for growth; increase the immunity and disease resistance of host organism. The use of probiotics in aquaculture just begum, since that gastrointestinal microbiota of aquatic organisms has been poorly characterized; and their effects not be study extensive. This review summarizes and evaluates current knowledge of use and the action of probiotic in fish culture; and the potential for further application in aquaculture production.
TIME-DEPENDENT VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF RC BUILDINGS CONSIDERING SSI AND AGING EFFECTS

The present study aims at the assessment of the seismic vulnerability of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings taking into account the soil –structure –interaction (SSI) and the aging effects due to reinforcement corrosion. Two-dimensional non-linear dynamic analyses are performed to assess the seismic performance of initial (t=0 years) and 50 years old RC frame structures. Soil-structure interaction is modeled by applying the two most commonly used approaches, i.e. the substructure and the direct method, to allow for direct comparison. Chloride induced corrosion is taken into account based on probabilistic modeling of corrosion initiation time and corrosion rate. The time-dependent fragility functions are derived for predefined damage states at different time periods in terms of outcrop peak ground acceleration. The results indicate an increase of seismic vulnerability over time due to aging effects (corrosion). An overall increase in structure’s fragility is also observed when considering the soil deformability and SSI. Moreover, the comparison between the two methods of SSI modeling (sub-structuring and direct) indicates the conservativeness of the sub-structuring over the direct method with the former predicting higher vulnerability compared to the later.
THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOVERNMENT REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE IN NAMIBIA

The relationship between government revenue and government expenditure is important, given its relevance for policy especially with respect to the budget deficit. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between government revenue and government expenditure in Namibia. It investigates the causal relationship between government revenue and government expenditure using the Granger causality test through cointegrated vector autoregression (VAR) methods for the period the period 1977 to 2007. The paper tests whether government revenue causes government expenditure or whether the causality runs from government expenditure to government revenue, and if there is bi-directional causality. The results show that there is unidirectional causality from government revenue to government expenditure. This suggests that unsustainable fiscal imbalances can be mitigated by policies that stimulate government revenue.
Clean production technology of integrated pretreatment for Lignocellulose

Pretreatment is a key step for lignocellulose converting into universal raw material for industries as alternative of petroleum. This review discusses that single pretreatment lacks cost-competitiveness because only one product takes responsibility for all cost. Based on the inheterogeneity of lignocellulose and the advantages of steam explosion pretreatment, steam explosion integrated pretreatment is proposed as strategy to solve the problem above. Steam explosion integrates with different pretreatment technologies to deconstruct lignocelluloses selectively for multiple products. By comparison, steam explosion-washing-alkali extraction-mechanical carding integrated pretreatment is considered the best. Finally, industrial demonstration of this integrated pretreatment is given out. With this integrated process, the recovery yields of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin reached 70, 80 and 80%, respectively. Key words: Clean production technology, Lignocellulose, Integrated pretreatment, steam explosion, industrialization.
Quantum fluctuations in one-dimensional SQUID arrays

Circuits including small capacitance Josephson junctions are of great interest in a large research community. They allow among other things the study of transport and charging phenomena, quantum phase transitions and intermodulation phenomena due to their nonlinear reactance. Not only the classical approach, but also quantum mechanics are required when describing these circuits. In this work, long one-dimensional arrays of serial connected superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) are investigated. The fabrication process with both optical and electron beam lithography was accomplished in the first part of the project. A description of the different steps leading to the desired structure is given and some problems that were encountered are discussed. The second part describes the characterization techniques. By the aid of DCmeasurements, the manifestation of quantum fluctuations in the current-voltage curve is observed and the superconductor-insulator transition is studied. Additionally, the structure was irradiated with high frequency signals. Results of measurement on the transmission and intermodulation characteristics are presented.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT PROGRAM FOR DIABETES PATIENTS IN TAIWAN

The purpose of the study was to test the effectiveness of a diabetes self-management program in controlling blood glucose, HbA1C, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, and saliva cortisol as well as regularity of exercise, improving diabetes self-efficacy, exercise self-efficacy and outcome expectations, and diabetes selfknowledge. This study was a single group, pre and post test research design. All subjects received an exercise and diabetes self-management handbook, Walk Daily for Better Control of Diabetes, via a trained diabetes educator. Then, subjects’ behavior changes were monitored via telephone calls by a trained diabetes educator once/week for 8 weeks. Results showed that the self-efficacy for diabetes, outcome expectations for exercise, and health-care climate scores have improved, but only the health-care climate score revealed statistically significant changes (p < 0.05). Results also showed abdominal circumference and salvia cortisol level presented statistically significant changes. Hence, the baseline HbA1C and exercise period per day were significant predictors of HbA1C levels among diabetes patients. With diabetes self-management education, and counseling interventions, diabetes patient have better self-health management of their diseases, and mitigate the detrimental changes. To encourage diabetes patients to continue exercising regularly, clinical nurses must support patients by playing the roles of educator and counselor.
Preliminary Study on Using FRP Materials in Culvert Road Bridges- Mechanical behavior and life-cycle cost analysis

The purpose of this preliminary study was to investigate the feasibility of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) materials to be used as an alternative material for steel in flexible culver bridges. Flexible steel culvert bridges have been in use for a long time. The simplicity of manufacturing, installation and rather cheap price of these structures, have made them very popular for short span bridges, especially on waterways. However, there are a number of drawbacks involved such as durability and thus long-term performance of these structures and fatigue issues which necessitate rather thick soil cover on the crown or utilizing thicker steel plates. FRP materials, having superior mechanical and durability properties look to be a viable alternative for steel plates in this type of structures. Long and successful history of using FRPs in pipelines and underground applications, have proved them as maintenance free materials with low life cycle costs. This report presents results of analyses on mechanical behavior of FRP culverts and their viability from LCC point of view. The results show that FRP could be a suitable alternative from both strength and durability point of view. A FRP culvert structure could be up to 30% cheaper than an equivalent steel culvert with regard to initial price and 19% cheaper considering the total price. However, to fully develop the concept, further studies on creep, fatigue and connections need to be performed.
BRIGHTEST X-RAY CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES IN THE CFHTLS WIDE FIELDS: CATALOG AND OPTICAL MASS ESTIMATOR

The Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS) presents a unique data set for weak-lensing studies, having high-quality imaging and deep multiband photometry. We have initiated an XMM-CFHTLS project to provide X-ray observations of the brightest X-ray-selected clusters within the wide CFHTLS area. Performance of these observations and the high quality of CFHTLS data allow us to revisit the identification of X-ray sources, introducing automated reproducible algorithms, based on the multicolor red sequence finder. We have also introduced a new optical mass proxy. We provide the calibration of the red sequence observed in the Canada–France–Hawaii filters and compare the results with the traditional single-color red sequence and photo-z. We test the identification algorithm on the subset of highly significant XMM clusters and identify 100% of the sample. We find that the integrated z-band luminosity of the red sequence galaxies correlates well with the X-ray luminosity, with a surprisingly small scatter of 0.20 dex. We further use the multicolor red sequence to reduce spurious detections in the full XMM and ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS) data sets, resulting in catalogs of 196 and 32 clusters, respectively. We made spectroscopic follow-up observations of some of these systems with HECTOSPEC and in combination with BOSS DR9 data. We also describe the modifications needed to the source detection algorithm in order to maintain high purity of extended sources in the shallow X-ray data. We also present the scaling relation between X-ray luminosity and velocity dispersion.
A Formal Software Requirements Specification Method for Digital Plants Protection Systems

This article describes NuSCR, a formal software requirements specification method for digital plant protection system in nuclear power plants. NuSCR improves the readability and specifiability by supplying different notations on the basis of the typical operation categories. The characteristics of the software process controller in nuclear power plants, s.t. periodic sequential processing and classifiable operations, makes this possible. We introduce the syntax and semantics of NuSCR in the paper. An ATWS mitigation system in Korean nuclear power plant is used as a case study to illustrate the usefulness of NuSCR.
A wireless networking architecture using MANET for mobile communications of remote pastoral areas in Tibet

To support mobile communications in remote pastoral areas of Tibet effectively, this paper proposes an integrated wireless networking architecture using MANET. The sparse mobile users, assisted by the solar-powered multifunctional standing station mainly on networking maintenance and routing arrangement, self-organize into a MANET. The elements of the architecture are described specifically. The proposed architecture can help to reduce the network deployment cost and provide the mobile users voice, message and low rate data services. Keywords-MANET; mobile communication; networking; architecture; Tibet
Type-Safe Evolution of Data-Centric Applications Technical Report (extended version with proofs)

This paper introduces a uniform, language-based reconfiguration mechanism for data-centric applications, that supports a novel and flexible style of live programming. Our programming model supports the incremental construction and maintenance of applications, by means of verified operations, applied to running instances of software systems. We allow for the seamless, type-safe, evolution and reconfiguration of both application logic and persistent state. Which means that applications may evolve without any service disruption. We use a data-flow reactive language semantics that safely combines imperative constructs with a reactive context. Our type system ensures the change propagation process through the data dependencies graph, and the reconfiguration of applications are sound. We also prove that type safety implies the convergence of the propagation process, which is essential to correctly implement the reactive behavior of applications.
Communication Under Fire: The Role of Embeddedness in the Emergence and Efficacy of Disaster Response Communication Networks

Communication networks among responders are critical to effective coordination and information transfer across agencies active in a disaster response. Using the theory of embeddedness, we investigate how aspects of relational and institutional embeddedness influence the emergence and efficacy of interactions among responding agencies using network data from three significant wildfire events in the wildland/urban interface. For this study, relational embeddedness is investigated as the degree of familiarity between two responders before the incident. Institutional embeddedness is explored in terms of nesting within shared affiliations and common roles. Our findings suggest that both relational and institutional embeddedness significantly shape the disaster communication network during an incident, but relational embeddedness appears to play a stronger role. Further, the most problematic interactions appear to occur among institutionally embedded responders who do not know each other. Consequently, knowing something about relational and institutional embeddedness within the network of responders before an incident provides insight into what the communication network will look like when a disaster occurs. Findings also provide insights for how we might mitigate risk for problematic information flow and coordination during the incident.
On Remittances, Foreign Currency Exposure and Credit Constraints: Evidence from Nepal

In this paper, we investigate whether foreign currency accounts help overcome credit constraints in developing countries. We analyze a novel bank-level data set from Nepal, where a steady inflow of remittances has contributed to foreign currency deposits on commercial bank balance sheets. In this data set we find that: (i) Banks hedge their FX exposure by investing in FX assets. (ii) Banks also hedge indirectly via their sectoral lending composition: Banks with a large share of FX deposits primarily lend to firms in traded-goods sectors. They lend only little to the non-traded sectors, as well as deprived sectors of the economy that have been targeted by various support programs. While the direct impact of FX accounts on relaxing credit constraints thus appears small, and biased towards specific sectors, there is also a substantial indirect effect via the additional creation of domestic deposits – that benefits all sectors of the economy.
Analytical noise modelling of a centrifugal fan validated by experimental data

This study focuses on the understanding and modelling of noise radiated from a mine ventilation fan, with the ultimate aim of designing quiet fan impellers. Experimental measurements are presented that suggest that the main noise sources on mine ventilation fans are related to the impeller and consist of tonal components created by the passage of the blades past the volute tongue and broadband noise associated with turbulent flow interacting with the blades. Two models, one analytical and one semiempirical, have been developed to predict the broadband components of the radiated noise. Given the assumptions made, the computed far field noise compares well with experimental data. The models are therefore good candidates for use in designing new, quieter mine ventilation fan systems in the future.
The Rapid Rise of Supermarkets in Developing Countries: Induced Organizational, Institutional, and Technological Change in Agrifood Systems

There has been extremely rapid transformation of the food retail sector in developing regions in the past 5 to10 years, accompanied by a further consolidation and multi-nationalization of the supermarket sector itself. This organizational change, accompanied by intense competition, has driven changes in the organization of procurement systems of supermarket chains, toward centralized and regionalized systems, use of specialized/dedicated wholesalers and preferred supplier systems, and demanding, private quality standards. These changes in the system have in turn determined the very recent rise of the use of contracts between supermarkets and agrifood producers in these regions to cover provision of services and provision for risk management, as well as requirements for demanding quality and safety attributes, which require substantial investment in technological change and ‘upgrading’ at the producer level. This paper presents a brief discussion of these trends, followed by a conceptual framework to explain this phenomenon, illustrated with empirical evidence drawn mainly from Latin America.
LONG-TERM FLUCTUATIONS IN BLUEFIN TUNA TRAP CATCHES: ARE THEY ENVIRONMENTALLY DRIVEN?

SUMMARY We tested whether synchronous long-term fluctuations in Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) trap catches, collected from the ancestral Mediterranean and Atlantic trap fishery, might be related to environmental changes in NAO and/or in temperature. Spectral analyses of trap catches and temperature displayed similar spectra with peak at low frequency whereas those of the NAO exhibited a broad band spectrum. Regression analyses and tests of correlation did not reveal any clear relationship between trap catches and NAO. In contrast, long-term fluctuations in trap catches appear to be negatively and significantly related to long -term trends in temperature. Underlying processes that could explain such a relationship are discussed, with special focus on changes in migration patterns of the Atlantic bluefin tuna. RESUME
Investigating the Possibility of Using Mobile Phones for Science Teaching and Learning: Is It a Viable Option for Sri Lanka?

This research was motivated by previous research which found that mobile phones could be used to enhance the effectiveness of science teaching and learning. The aim of this study is to explore the possibilities of using mobile phones to teach science in Sri Lankan schools where ICT resources are inadequate or unavailable. First the current situation on the use of ICT and the availability of mobile phones was explored. Next the teachers’ readiness to use mobile phone in science teaching and learning was investigated. The methodological approach used in this research was mixed methods. The data were collected using documents, survey and follow-up interviews. The sample was secondary level science teachers of one province in Sri Lanka. Data were analysed using SPSS statistical package and thematic analysis. Results concluded that the available ICT resources in schools are inadequate to teach science and that the mobile phones are widely spread and cheaper than computers. The teachers are competent in using most of the functions of mobile phones and teachers’ attitudes towards the use of mobile phones in science teaching are positive. The outcomes of the research suggest that the possibility of using the mobile phones in science teaching in Sri Lankan schools is high.