Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Planification de mouvement interactive : coopération humain-machine pour la recherche de trajectoire et l'animation

Cette these contribue a la problematique de la planification de trajectoire. Dans le but d'ameliorer la recherche d'une trajectoire solution nous presentons une variante de l'approche RRT puis une methode de planification de mouvement integrant un operateur humain dans la boucle de recherche afin de trouver un chemin et ensuite d'animer un personnage virtuel. Apres une introduction generale, une presentation du probleme de la planification de mouvement est faite et les algorithmes existants les plus connus sont presentes dans le second chapitre. Les travaux sur lesquels ce chapitre se base sont presentes plus en details. Une nouvelle methode de planification developpee pour des environnements specifiques, orientee vers l'utilisation dans l'animation de personnage, est decrite. Enfin plusieurs tests et une analyse approfondie sont realises sur differents environnements et permettent de montrer les avantages de l'approche. Le troisieme chapitre introduit une nouvelle methode de planification interactive, qui fait cooperer un operateur et un algorithme de planification de mouvement dans une boucle d'interaction. La methode se base sur un echange de pseudo-forces entre l'utilisateur et l'algorithme a travers une scene virtuelle avec des peripheriques interactifs du type souris 3D et bras haptique. Differents exemples permettent d'illustrer l'approche, et un cas emprunte a l'industrie automobile est presente. Une etude est realisee et montre l'influence de differents parametres sur les performances de l'algorithme. Le quatrieme chapitre presente une methode d'animation de personnages interactive et intuitive. En se basant sur des travaux utilisant l'interpolation de captures de mouvements pour animer un personnage et sur la methode du chapitre precedent, cette methode introduit un aspect interactif qui permet de creer des trajectoires animees de personnages virtuels en respectant la volonte de l'utilisateur. Plusieurs exemples viennent illustrer cette methode et en montrer les avantages.
THE EFFECT OF SALINITY LEVELS ON THE STRUCTURE OF ZOOPLANKTON COMMUNITIES

Short title: The effect of salinity on zooplankton Abstract - The objective of this study was to determine the qualitative and quantitative structure of zooplankton communities in the Vistula Lagoon and to establish whether zooplankton abundance and biodiversity are affected by salinity levels. Samples for biological analyses were collected in the summer (June-September) of 2007-2011 at eleven sampling sites. Statistical analysis revealed a significant correlation between salinity levels and the number of species (r= -0.2020), abundance (r= 0.1967) and biomass (r= 0.3139) of zooplankton. No significant correlations were found between salinity and the biodiversity of zooplankton. The results of the study suggest that salinity affects the abundance and structure, but not the diversity of zooplankton communities in the Vistula Lagoon.
Effect of bilateral adrenalectomy on metabolism of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus in black bengal goat

Calcium, Magnesium and Phosphorus level were studied in bilateral adrenalectomized (BADX) goat to see the role of adrenal hormones in metabolism of those said minerals. Initially Ca level reduced significantly (P<0.01) and thereafter approaching towards normal value but overall decreasing trend was found. Magnesium had the similar trend like Ca but later stages increased in erratic fashion. Phosphorus initially decreased (P<0.01) but decreasing trend though erratic way was noticed at later stages.
Quaternionic contact Einstein manifolds

The main result is that the qc-scalar curvature of a seven dimensional quaternionic contact Einstein manifold is a constant. In addition, we characterize qc-Einstein structures with certain flat vertical connection and develop their local structure equations. Finally, regular qc-Ricci flat structures are shown to fibre over hyper-Kahler manifolds.
Conservation Biology of the Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus ) in Northern Fennoscandia.

—Northern Fennoscandia is one of the few areas in the world where there are systematic and comparable data on the population density and breeding of the Gyrfalcon during the last 150 years. I have studied population ecology and conservation biology of the species in Finland and nearby areas on the Swedish and Norwegian side of the border since the early 1990s by searching for and monitoring all territories in a defined area. The study area is relatively flat with gently sloping fell-mountains covered by pine and birch forests, the highest tops reaching ca. 1,000 m above the sea level. Ptarmigan form almost 90% of the prey items during the breeding season, about three quarters of them being Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) and one quarter Rock Ptarmigan (L. muta). These two species offer almost the only available food for falcons during winter. The density of Willow Ptarmigan, the main prey species, has varied nine-fold during late winter and early spring from 2000 to 2010, and this fluctuation has had a marked effect on both the percentage of pairs starting to breed and on breeding success of the total population. Territory occupation varied markedly. Of the 25 territories surveyed every year from 2000 to 2010, 12 had breeding pairs every second year or more often, but one-quarter of them were occupied only once or twice during that study period. The median frequency of territory occupancy by a breeding pair was four in 11 years. The percentage of territories occupied by breeding pairs increased from 30–40% to 50–55% from 2002 to 2007 (when Willow Ptarmigan density increased threefold) and reached its maximum two years after the prey population high. In 2009–2010, when the density of Willow Ptarmigan population was exceptionally low, a nine fold decrease from the peak five years earlier, only one-tenth of the Gyrfalcon territories were occupied by breeding pairs. In mid-winter, 90% of the territories were occupied by falcons during the ptarmigan population high, but only one-half of them during the population low. Among 619 records of territory occupancy during the breeding season, all study years combined, pairs began nesting 214 times (34.6%). Of the nesting attempts, 36 (17%) appeared to fail during the egg-stage, but only four (2%) after hatching. Thus, 81% of the pairs that laid eggs were successful in raising at least one young. The number of young per brood varied from one to five, with 2.93 young per successful nesting, on average, and 1.34 young per occupied territory (the respective figures for the main study period 2000–2010, with almost all territories surveyed annually, were 2.98 and 1.40). The mean annual number of big young (probably fledged) per successful
The Analysis of Influence of Sensors' Failure on the Performance of Mobile Robot Autonomy

This work is concerned on sensitivity analysis of semiautonomy algorithm of a mobile robot to environmental sensors’ failures. Construction of the robot, semiautonomy algorithm and used sensors have been described. The algorithm bases on a reactive hybrid approach that merges data from different types of sensors and calculates resulting velocities. This algorithm also takes into account environmental sensors’ damage by modifying the behavior of robot in accordance to actual sensors’ set state of health. Simulation research using Matlab/ Simulink package and experimental tests’ results of semiautonomy algorithm were presented. The experimental tests were carried out in outdoor conditions. The research and tests are performed for normal environmental sensors’ operation and for selected sensors’ damage. On that basis, sensitivity of semiautonomy algorithm to selected environmental sensors damage was tested.
Biodegradation of Paclobutrazol — A Plant Growth Regulator Used in Irrigated Mango Orchard Soil

Paclobutrazol (PBZ), [2RS,3RS]-1-[4-chlorophenyl]-4,4-dimethyl-2-(1H-1,2,4triazol-1-yl) pentan-3-ol, consists of a triazole ring and a benzene ring-chloro linked to a carbon chain open. It is a plant growth regulator widely used in many crops in order to produce fruit throughout the year by inhibiting gibberellin synthesis, a hormone responsible for the vegetative plant growth. Actually, studies are showing that paclobutrazol remains active in the soil for a long time, affecting the growth and development of subsequent crops by reducing plant vigor. Biodegradation is an effective and cheap process that can to degrade or transform contaminants to less toxic or nontoxic. In this work, the biodegradation of paclobutrazol was studied using in submersed culture and saturated and unsaturated soils. In these conditions, experi‐ ments with biostimulation and bioaugmentation were performed. In the experiments carried out in submersed culture, with biostimulation by addition of glycerol, the PBZ biodegradation was higher than that with PBZ as sole carbon source. The biodegra‐ dation of PBZ in unsaturated soils was more efficient when soil samples with a history of application of PBZ were used. The highest number of applications of PBZ favored biodegradation. The biodiversity of the microbiota in the soil favored the biodegra‐ © 2015 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. dation of PBZ aromatic rings. PBZ was not seen to be phytotoxic and the biodegraded products increased the germination index.
Mediating effect of SATCOM on the relationship between consumer complaint behaviour and relationship quality

Article history: Received 5 November 2016 Received in revised form 6 January 2017 Accepted 11 January 2017 In the study, consumer complaint behaviour (CCB) was represented by Public Complaint Soft Action (PCSA) and Public Complaint Extreme Action (PCEA) as the independent variable, SATCOM the mediating variable and relationship quality the dependent variable. A total of 285 mobile phone users consisting of complainers from three selected states in Malaysia were chosen as the respondents. Using structural equation modelling (SEM) the structural model shows excellent fit with x2 = 695.922, x2/df = 2.245, CFI = 0.932, TLI = 0.923, PNFI = 0.781 and RMSEA = 0.071. Besides, the AVE, CR and Convergent Validity values confirmed the measurement model for further analysis. Employing bootstrapping technique to test the mediation effect, this study reveals mixed results. SATCOM is found significantly a full mediator on the relationship between PCSA and relationship quality (β = 0.246, p = 0.000, BC 95% CI [0.047, 0.282]), but not a mediator on the relationship between PCEA and relationship quality (β = -0.096, p = 0.169, BC 95% CI [-0.174, 0.031]). This finding implies that the performance of the complaint resolution by the service provider will give impact to the consumer, as well to the service provider because customer dissatisfaction can be speedily recovered through excellent complaints handling.
Response of pea (Pisum sativum L.) cultivars and lines to seed infection by Ascochyta blight fungi

Response of pea (Pisum sativum L.) cultivars and lines to seed infection by Ascochyta blight fungi Seeds collected from 10 cultivars and lines of Pisum sativum of both ‘afila’ and normal foliage type, inoculated in field by Mycosphaerella pinodes and Phoma pinodella, were evaluated for incidence of fungi responsible for Ascochyta blight. Also seed germination and contamination by other fungi were considered. Surface sterilized seeds were plated on Coon agar medium. A sample contains 50 seeds. Data were taken after 8 days of incubation. Frequency of species occurrence depended not only on characters of cultivars and lines, weather conditions during 1998-2001, but on inoculation treatment. Clear response between cultivars and lines to tested factors was noted. Seeds of normal leaved line 344/87/3 and cv. Rubin were the most inhabited by all fungi, and germinated very poorly. Seeds of eight cultivars and lines, including cvs: Kwestor, Agra, Miko, were less infected and better germinated. Almost 40% of non-germinated seeds were inhabited by various fungi, but cultivars and lines differences were not clear. Seed infection by ascochyta blight fungi was rather low, reaching from 2.26 - 11.34 percent, a mean 4.81, but always the highest for M. pinodes. Percentage of contaminated seeds by other fungi, mainly saprobic, was always higher, even 5 times, with an average 16.73%. The best for seed germination was growing season of 2000, while for seed infestation, non-germinated and germinated, 2001.
Eddy flux and leaf‐level measurements of biogenic VOC emissions from mopane woodland of Botswana

Biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions were measured in a mopane woodland near Maun, Botswana in January–February 2001 as part of SAFARI 2000. This landscape is comprised of more than 95% of one woody plant species, Colophospermum mopane (Caesalpinaceae). Mopane woodlands extend over a broad area of southern Africa. A leaf cuvette technique was used to determine the emission capacities of the major vegetation and the temperature and light dependence of the emissions. In addition, relaxed eddy accumulation (REA) measurements of BVOC fluxes were made on a flux tower, where net CO2 emissions were also measured simultaneously. Large light-dependent emissions of terpenes (mostly α-pinene and d-limonene) were observed from the mopane woodland. The diurnal BVOC emissions were integrated and compared with the CO2 flux. Monoterpene flux exceeded 3000 μg C m−2 h−1 during the daytime period, comparable to isoprene fluxes and much higher than terpene fluxes measured in most areas. The terpene flux constituted approximately 25% of the diurnal net carbon exchange (CO2) during the experimental period. Other BVOC emissions may also contribute to the carbon exchange.
AgNPs-based Label-Free Colloidal SERS Nanosensor for the Rapidand Sensitive Detection of Stress-Proteins Expressed in Response toEnvironmental-Toxins

Among several physical, chemical and immunoassay-based methods for the detection of biomolecules, the Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay (ELISA) is the standard technique that is routinely used for quantification of known proteins. However, it is a label-based, end-point sensor technique that is time-consuming, labor-intensive and fairly costly. This sandwich assay typically involves a series of peptide binding and washing steps. Here, we report a Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) immuno-nanosensor technique that allows rapid and label-free extracellular detection of proteins compared to ELISA, and can potentially be used for intracellular detection. Our study shows that the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) based SERS sensor can detect the stress-proteins, HSP70 and RAD54 expressed by yeast in response to environmental-toxins, in a dose dependent manner. As compared to the multi-step sandwich ELISA technique, the detection of stress-proteins using the SERS sensor is a simple two-step process. The simplicity of the SERS nanosensor design allowed the rapid detection of proteins within two hours in a fairly cost-effective and user-friendly approach. The SERS sensor we reported has an edge over ELISA as it directly quantifies the proteins without using any label (label-free) and also gives qualitative information about the antigen-antibody interaction. The SERS sensor showed good correlation and comparable sensitivity with ELISA. However, SERS was found to be less reproducible. Compared to previous reports on SERS-based protein detection techniques, our colloidal SERS sensor is easy to fabricate, offers improved biocompatibility, and allows rapid detection of the proteins in a cellular environment at picogram-levels. As a result, the SERS sensor demonstrates great potential for biomedical and environmental sensor technology (BEST) allowing label-free, rapid and sensitive detection, and could possibly replace ELISA.
MANAGING THE FINAL JOURNEY HOME : EXPLORING PERCEPTIONS , EXPERIENCES AND RESPONSES TO DEATH AMONG CONGOLESE MIGRANTS IN JOHANNESBURG

The study explores perceptions and responses of Congolese migrants when they experience the death of other migrants. The study takes an ethnographic qualitative approach and gathers data from three Congolese ethnic groups living in Johannesburg. This is done by observing and participating in their funeral ceremonies as well as interviewing community members. The primary objective of this study is to understand the cultural changes migrants experience as a result of migration by exploring social, economic and cultural challenges migrants encounter when experiencing death of a fellow migrant. Findings of this study indicate migrants strive to observe their home culture in the hosting country. Marginalisation is the acculturation strategy that explains their ways of dealing with death in South Africa. Results further indicate migrants’ perceptions of experiences and ways of dealing with death out of their places of origin are negatively annotated. This is due to difficulties in recreating elements of their own culture as well as the absence of people who are traditionally responsible for dealing with death among the migrant community. Lastly some causes of death, such as HIV/AIDS, are highly stigmatized. This study contributes to the scarce literature existent on the topic of perceptions and responses to death among migrants.
Genetic variation of phytate and ionorganic phosphorus in maize population

Analysis of 60 maize populations was conducted to identify genotypes that had either low or high concentration of phytate. Genetic variability in seed phytate content was observed, with values ranging from 1,147 to 4, 13 g kg-1. Inorganic phosphorus (Pi) concentrations were between 0, 35 and 1, 29 and averaged 0, 65 g kg-1. Three groups of populations were identified as having low, intermediate and high phytate content. The low phytate concentration was measured in eight, intermediate in 25 and high in 27 populations. Positive correlation was found between phytate and protein. Population 216 had the lowest phytate concentration of 1, 14 gkg-1, and a Pi concentration 40% greater than Pi mean but lower than average protein content. This population will be used for further breeding genotypes with low phytate content and good agronomic traits.
Evaluation of some entomopathogenic fungi against the fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea Durry, Lepidoptera: Arctidae)

Fall webworm ( Hyphantria cunea Durry, Lepidoptera: Arctidae) is an important pest infecting about 600 hosts. It is harmful especially in hazelnut orchards in the Black Sea Region and is becoming epidemic occasionally. It may cause damage in mulberry, cherry, apple, poplar, and willow beside hazelnut in the region. Due to having a polyphagous feeding behavior and a high reproduction power; fall webworm can spread rapidly and make difficult to manage. In the region, currently, mostly chemical control is applied against this pest. Due to adverse effects of the chemical control to the environment and to living organisms, it is inevitable to develop other alternative control methods for this pest. In this study, the effects of some entomopathogenic fungi isolates obtained from Palomena prasina which is another pest in hazelnut production areas, on H. cunea in laboratory conditions. Overall, 1x10 8 conidia mL -1 of concentration obtained from 2 isolates of Simplicillium lamellicola (TR-01 and TR-02) and 4 isolates of Lecanicillium muscarium (TR-04, TR-05, TR-07 and TR-08) was used against 3 rd period larva of the H. cunea. The experiment was conducted with four replications, 10 larvae individuals in each. Mortality of H. cunea were reported daily, over 12 days. At the end of 12 th day, among the isolates of entomopathogenic fungi, the TR-05 isolate of the L. muscarium ranked the highest mortality by 93.9% rate. Effect of the other isolates of L. muscarium varied between 72.7% and 90.9%. The TR-01 isolate of the S. lamellicola showed effect of 57.6%, and the TR-02 isolate showed effect of 78.8% mortality. Effects of all the isolates used in the study were differed from the control (P<0.05). Based on LT 50 and LT 90 values, the most effective isolate was identified as TR-04 (5.64/day and 9.38/day, respectively). It can be concluded that, the isolates of L. muscarium was found quite effective and it could be a promising agent for controlling this pest in the field in the future.
Internationalization of family businesses: a theoretical model based on international entrepreneurship perspective

Family Businesses account for a high percentage of fi rms in today’s economy. One of the main problems fi rms have to face is the rise in the number and diversity of competitors. In this paper, we propose a global model designed to provide an understanding of the international entrepreneurship of family businesses, departing from an analysis of the theoretical contributions of two separate trends: International Entrepreneurship and the study of family businesses. This model is contrasted by the study of six cases of multinational family businesses throughout their lifetime. Two main elements stand out as determinants of international entrepreneurship for this type of fi rm: knowledge and family commitment. In addition to these two factors, the model includes other internal and external contingent variables. Key-Words: Family-own businesses, internationalization, Family Multinationals.
Photovoltaic System with SEPIC Converter Controlled by the Fuzzy Logic

In this work, a fuzzy logic controller is used to control the output voltage of a photovoltaic system with a DC-DC converter; type Single Ended Primary Inductor Converter (SEPIC). The system is designed for 210 W solar PV (SCHOTT 210) panel and to feed an average demand of 78 W. This system includes solar panels, SEPIC converter and fuzzy logic controller. The SEPIC converter provides a constant DC bus voltage and its duty cycle controlled by the fuzzy logic controller which is needed to improve PV panel’s utilization efficiency. A fuzzy logic controller (FLC) is also used to generate the PWM signal for the SEPIC converter.
Design Driven Physical Experimentation: A flexible wind sensing platform for architects

Architectural design in this ‘digital age’ is becoming more embedded within virtual computer aided design environments. This study expands this virtual design environment back into physical realms through the use of microelectronic wind sensing technology. An interactive and flexible wind sensing system (open source minia- ture portable wind tunnel and wind sensors) was evaluated for its abil- ity to simulate and measure the effects of wind. Physical models of four high-rise buildings were constructed to evaluate ground level pe- destrian comfort resulting from the degree of torsional twist in the building form. The model investigation formed a case study for evalu- ating of the low-cost miniature portable wind tunnel and microelec- tronic wind sensing system for comparison with an industrial aeronau- tical wind tunnel and high precision wind sensors.