Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distributed cooperative formation control of a generic non-holonomic multi-agent system.

This paper presents a study of distributed cooperative formation control of a generic multiple agent robots which is applicable for underwater system application such as multiple-autonomous surface vehicles (ASV). The control objective of the group of ASV agent is to maintain a certain formation in a predefined geometric pattern, notably a symmetric formation shape. In addition, the centroid of this to-be-sustained formation is to follow a designated leader agent whose dynamics resembles that of its followers. The contribution made in this paper is the introduction of an adaptive law capable of adjusting the strength of the state consensus control. Despite of partial information available to subset of agents, the formation control objective can still be achieved. The control scheme features a robustification term owed by a signum function which forces the state consensus error to zero. The control scheme is verified through numerical simulation which shows convergence of state consensus error to zero.
Bacillus subtilis as a Host for Recombinant Hemagglutinin Production of the Influenza A (H5N1) Virus

Background and Aims: Influenza A(H5N1) viruses circulating in animals might evolve and acquire the ability to spread from human to human and thus start a pandemic. Hemagglutinin (HA) has been shown to play a major role in binding of influenza virus to its target cell and the main neutralizing antibody responses elicit against this region. Recent studies have shown that glycosylation of HA is not necessary for its immunogenicity. Bacillus subtilis has been identified as a free endotoxin host for high expression and secretion of heterologous proteins with immunological activity. This bacterium is not capable of supporting glycosylation process. However, it could be an appropriate host to produce new recombinant HA1 for vaccine research purposes. In this study we constructed a recombinant B. subtilis that was able to express and secrete HA1 protein into cytoplasmic and extracellular medium. Materials and Methods: HA1 gene was amplified and cloned into pGEM® 5Zf(–) vector. It was then subcloned into shuttle vector PHT43 and transferred to E.coli for propagation. Accuracy of PHT43-HA1 construct was confirmed by sequencing and restriction map. The recombinant plasmid was extracted from E.coli and used to transform of B.subtilis by electroporation. Following IPTG induction, the total cell protein and the protein secreted into media were analysed through a time course using SDS-PAGE. Results: The accuracy of PHT43-HA1 construct was confirmed by sequencing and enzymatic digestion analysis. SDS-PAGE results showed that the recombinant HA1 protein was successfully expressed and secreted into medium. Conclusion: The HA1 protein produced here could be considered and evaluated as a protective antigen which its immunogenicity potential needs to be assessed in animal models along with proper control groups.
The Araucaria Project: VLT-spectroscopy of blue massive stars in NGC 55

Aims. This is the first paper of a series devoted to studying the population of blue massive stars in NGC 55, a galaxy of the Sculptor group at a distance of about 2 Mpc. Methods. We have obtained optical (3300 6210A), low-resolution spectra of approximately 200 blue massive stars with VLT-FORS2, which we have classified with the aid of Milky Way and Magellanic Cloud standard stars. Results. We present the first census of massive blue stars in NGC 55. A study of stellar radial velocities shows agreement with existing H I rotational velocity curve work and reveals the presence of one object with peculiar velocity. A qualitative study of the stellar metallicity suggests that its global distribution over NGC 55 is close to that of the LMC, as derived from previous studies. Conclusions. We present a catalogue with 164 classifications of blue massive stars in NGC 55. This catalogue is a first and necessary step for the subsequent quantitative study of blue massive stars in NGC 55 with state-of-the-art model atmospheres.
Food consumption of Flemish Cap cod Gadus morhua and redfish Sebastes sp. using generic bioenergetic models

The observed changes in the Flemish Cap demersal community since early 1990’s, with cod (Gadus morhua), redfish (Sebastes sp.) and shrimp (Pandalus borealis) stocks fluctuating in opposite directions, in addition to the existing trophic interactions between them, led to the issue of the magnitude of trophic interactions between these commercial species and its implication for population dynamic and fisheries management. In this work, total consumption by cod and redfish, as well as consumption on preys like redfish, shrimp and other species was estimated using a generic bioenergetic model. Changes in feeding habits, growth rates and variations in total predator biomass (cod and redfish) produced changes in consumption at a population level. Variations in the diet were related with changes in prey availability. In turn, redfish consumption by cod and shrimp consumption by cod and redfish seems to have been one of the reasons for variations in population dynamic of these two commercial prey species. Consumption on alternative prey like hyperiids, copepods and other fishes was important and in some cases it was related with the abundance of other main prey like shrimp and redfish. The importance of the abundance of alternative prey for management of commercially exploited prey species is evaluated, as well as the importance of qualitative and quantitative features of interactions between fishing and fish predation for population dynamic and management strategies.
Melanism and disease resistance in insects

There is growing evidence that insects in high-density populations invest relatively more in pathogen resistance than those in low-density populations (i.e. density-dependent prophylaxis). Such increases in resistance are often accompanied by cuticular melanism, which is characteristic of the high-density form of many phase polyphenic insects. Both melanism and pathogen resistance involve the prophenoloxidase enzyme system. In this paper the link between resistance, melanism and phenoloxidase activity is examined in Spodoptera larvae. In S. exempta, cuticular melanism was positively correlated with phenoloxidase activity in the cuticle, haemolymph and midgut. Melanic S. exempta larvae were found to melanize a greater proportion of eggs of the ectoparasitoid Euplectrus laphygmae than non-melanic larvae, and melanic S. littoralis were more resistant to the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (in S. exempta the association between melanism and fungal resistance was non-signficant). These results strengthen the link between melanism and disease resistance and implicate the involvement of phenoloxidase.
INFLUENCE OF CHRONIC TREATMENT OF α-LIPOIC ACID ON THE OXIDATIVE STRESS INDUCED BY OBESITY AND DIABETES MELLITUS IN ALBINO RAT

Summary Obesity is a predisposing factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus and is associated with oxidative stress due to increased mitochondrial uncoupling and β oxidation of free fatty acids. Increased oxidative stress and impaired antioxidant defense mechanisms are important factors in the pathogenesis and progression of diabetes mellitus. α-lipoic acid and its reduced form dihydrolipoic acid, reduces oxidative stress by scavenging a number of free radicals in both membrane and aqueous domains. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of α-lipoic acid on oxidative stress induced by diabetes mellitus and obesity. Enzymatic antioxidants and malondialdehyde levels of liver, heart and kidney were estimated as an index of antioxidant status and oxidative stress. The study demonstrates that obesediabetic rats have highest oxidative stress as compared to diabetic rat. α-lipoic acid significantly lowered the elevated serum glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, malondialdehyde levels and increased the high density lipoprotein cholesterol and enzymatic antioxidant levels in obese-diabetic rats. α-lipoic acid decreased the oxidative stress produced by diabetes mellitus and obesity in part by increasing the sensitivity of insulin, thereby maintains glycemic control decreases reactive oxygen species generated by hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. Further it increases the expression of antioxidants by preventing Reactive oxygen species mediated DNA damage, restores enzymatic antioxidants and quenches reactive oxygen species generated by obesity and diabetes mellitus. α-lipoic acid may prove to be of considerable benefit in the management of obesity and diabetes mellitus in conjunction.
Consideration of Particle Swarm Optimization combined with tabu search

This paper presents a new form of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) based on the concept of tabu search (TS). In PSO, when a particle finds a local optimal solution, all of the particles gather around that one, and cannot escape from it. On the other hand, TS can escape from the local optimal solution by moving away from the best present solution. The proposed Tabu List PSO (TL‐PSO) is a method for combining the strong points of PSO and TS. This method stores the history of pbest in a tabu list. When a particle has a reduced searching ability, it selects a pbest of the past from the historical values, which is used for the update. This makes each particle active, and the searching ability of the swarm makes progress. The proposed method was validated by numerical simulations with several functions that are well known as optimization benchmark problems for comparison to the conventional PSO method. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 172(4): 31–37, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20966
NOISE-INDUCED PHASE SYNCHRONIZATION AMONG ANALOG MOS OSCILLATOR CIRCUITS

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate noise-induced phase synchronization among multiple electrical oscillator circuits constructed by discrete MOS devices, where multiple nonlinear oscillators can be synchronized with each other when they accept common pulse perturbations randomly distributed in time. We also show that nonidentical oscillator circuits have the same peak frequency in a power spectrum when they receive a common perturbation.
Invloed van het management board op de prestaties van bedrijven in Nederland

Deze paper bestaat uit een onderzoek naar de invloed van de board ontwerp en board samenstelling op de bedrijfsprestatie van bedrijven in Nederland. Het doel van deze studie is om erachter te komen welke board variabelen een positief of negatief effect hebben op de prestaties van bedrijven in Nederland.
Identification of seed-borne fungi of onion (Allium cepa L.) in Burkina Faso

This study was carried out to assess the seed-borne fungi of onion in Burkina Faso. Eighteen onion seed samples were collected from local farmers and wholesalers of vegetable seeds in the country and were investigated for fungi. The investigation was done using the "blotter method" on dry seeds and on seedlings. Fungal contamination was detected in all 18 tested samples. Seventeen fungal species belonging to 11 fungal genera were identified in the seed samples: Aspergillus was detected in 17 samples, Fusarium and Rhizopus in 15 samples, Cladosporium in 14 samples and Penicillium in 13 samples. Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum , known to be the causal agents of black mould and basal rot diseases, were detected in 17 and 11 samples, respectively, by seed analysis and in 10 and 9 samples, respectively, by seedling analysis. The infection rates by the fungal species varied from 0 to 90.3% for A. niger and from 0 to 13.5% for F. oxysporum . Alternaria porri , the causal agent of purple blotch disease was recorded lowly on two seed samples at infection rates of 0,5 and 1%. Exotic seed samples showed better health quality compared to local seed samples. These results indicated that the seeds locally produced by farmers in Burkina Faso are for low health quality and needs strong treatments before use to avoid diseases appearance in fields.
SOLVING PORTFOLIO OPTIMIZATION PROBLEMS WITH STRUCTURED PRODUCTS

This paper investigates how a portfolio based on structured prod- ucts should be constructed and rebalanced to enhance the return potential. The focus lies on minimizing the risk of the fund. Due to possible intermediate pay- ments from structured products, we have to deal with re-investment problem. The investor re-balances its portfolio at time of maturity of each structured product.
The Need for Emotional Intelligence Skills among Knowledge Workers at the Tertiary Level

The concept of emotional intelligence is gaining more importance in academic settings as it is believed that educators who can regulate their emotions positively will be more effective lecturers, generating a positive teaching and learning environment Thus, this study explores the level of agreement on the four components of emotional intelligence skills among lecturers in public and private universities in Perak, Malaysia The research methodology used a descriptive- survey of the exploratory type involving 275 permanent lecturers from the selected universities chosen through simple random sampling. The survey instrument for this study is a set of questionnaire which is an adapted version of the items in the Emotional Skills Assessment Process (ESAP) combined with the elements of the knowledge workers and self-evaluation of teaching effectiveness (SETE). Findings revealed that the highest mean on the level of agreement for emotional intelligence from both types of institutions was for the emotional intelligence component of self-management skills while the lowest mean was recorded for the component of intrapersonal skills.
Potential of Bioinvasion by Human Activities in the Antarctic Marine Environment

Expansion of human activities increases the likelihood of species introductions in Antarctica. Considering this fact we studied the main vectors and pathways of potential introductions in the King George Island. ree main areas of human activities were considered: tourism, shing and scienti c research. We conducted a literature review and a survey of statistical data on sites of human activities in Antarctica. We observed that the transport of people and goods by human activities increased during the period under analysis. e places most visited by tourists on King George Island were scienti c stations. e routes taken by several types of cruises departed mainly from ports located in Chile and Argentina. So, there is a greater likelihood of possible introductions of alien species from southern South America. e scienti c stations Bellingshausen, President Eduardo Frei and Henryk Arctowski are the oldest in operation; they must be targets of investigation for a possible presence of non-native species, since time and human activities are essential factors in the processes of bioinvasion. e increase of licensed vessels and trawlers on King George Island, also enhances the risk of possible introductions of species in the marine environment. erefore, this study is important to make inferences about the presence of introduced species besides contributing to avoid possible future introductions in the Antarctic marine environment.
Modeling the fate of methane hydrates under global warming

Large amounts of methane hydrate locked up within marine sediments are vulnerable to climate change. Changes in bottom water temperatures may lead to their destabilization and the release of methane into the water column or even the atmosphere. In a multimodel approach, the possible impact of destabilizing methane hydrates onto global climate within the next century is evaluated. The focus is set on changing bottom water temperatures to infer the response of the global methane hydrate inventory to future climate change. Present and future bottom water temperatures are evaluated by the combined use of hindcast high‐resolution ocean circulation simulations and climate modeling for the next century. The changing global hydrate inventory is computed using the parameterized transfer function recently proposed by Wallmann et al. (2012). We find that the present‐day world's total marine methane hydrate inventory is estimated to be 1146 Gt of methane carbon. Within the next 100 years this global inventory may be reduced by ∼0.03% (releasing ∼473 Mt methane from the seafloor). Compared to the present‐day annual emissions of anthropogenic methane, the amount of methane released from melting hydrates by 2100 is small and will not have a major impact on the global climate. On a regional scale, ocean bottom warming over the next 100 years will result in a relatively large decrease in the methane hydrate deposits, with the Arctic and Blake Ridge region, offshore South Carolina, being most affected.
Impact of different fertilizers on carbonate weathering in a typical karst area, Southwest China: a field column experiment

Abstract. Carbonate weathering, as a significant vector for the movement of carbon both between and within ecosystems, is strongly influenced by agricultural fertilization, since the addition of fertilizers tends to change the chemical characteristics of soil such as the pH. Different fertilizers may exert a different impact on carbonate weathering, but these discrepancies are as yet not well-known. In this study, a field column experiment was conducted to explore the response of carbonate weathering to the addition of different fertilizers. We compared 11 different treatments, including a control treatment, using three replicates per treatment. Carbonate weathering was assessed by measuring the weight loss of limestone and dolostone tablets buried at the bottom of soil-filled columns. The results show that the addition of urea, NH4NO3, NH4HCO3, NH4Cl and (NH4)2CO3 distinctly increased carbonate weathering, which was attributed to the nitrification of NH4+. The addition of Ca3(PO4)2, Ca–Mg–P and K2CO3 induced carbonate precipitation due to the common ion effect. The addition of (NH4)3PO4 and NaNO3 had a relatively small impact on carbonate weathering in comparison to those five NH4-based fertilizers above. The results of NaNO3 treatment raise a new question: the negligible impact of nitrate on carbonate weathering may result in an overestimation of the impact of N fertilizer on CO2 consumption by carbonate weathering on the regional/global scale if the effects of NO3 and NH4 are not distinguished.
What makes a video game fun: An investigation into the expectations of playing First Person Shooter video games.

I Acknowledgements II Situation analysis 4 Introduction 6 Literature review 8 History of video games: a definition of video games and the genre of FPS 9 Violence in video games: ‘links’ between violence and aggressive behaviour 10 Video game ratings 12 Subcultures and Community 15 Authenticity 16 Gender roles and perceptions in video games 18 The addictive properties of video games 20 Summary 21 Key points from the literature review: 21 Methodology 23 Research objectives 23 Justification for the research approach 23 Justification for the research method: Online discussion 24 Summary of advantages for this study’s method: 25 Research ethics 25 Data collection 26 Sampling: Snowball 27 Participants 27 Research Method 28 Thematic Analysis 30
Effects of Silimarin and Curcumin against LPS-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats

Hepatotoxicity is now receiving a supreme importance. LPS is the most potent activator of macrophages. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the prophylactic activity of silimarin and curcumin against LPS-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. The liver slices had been divided into 4 groups; normal, control (LPS), LPS+silimarin and LPS+curcumin (N = 12). After 24 h, analysis of ALT, GSH, TNF-α and IL-10 was carried out. ALT in the control group showed a high significant elevation in comparison to the normal group, while group 3 and 4 showed a high significant decrease compared with the control group. In control (LPS) group a significant reduction in GSH level was observed; where in group 3 and 4 a significant increase was noticed in comparison to the control group. Control (LPS) group showed a high significant elevation in TNF-α level in comparison to normal group, where in group 3 and 4 a high significant decrease was detected in comparison to the control group. Level of IL-10 in the control group indicated a high significant elevation compared to the normal group, while in group 3 and 4 a high significant decrease in the IL-10 levels were detected in comparison to the control group. In conclusion, silimarin and curcumin showed a hepatoprotective activity against hepatotoxicity induced by LPS.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, IN VITRO ANTIBACTERIAL, AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF ESSENTIAL OIL FROM LEAVES OF AJUGA PARVIFLORA BENTH

Objectives: The aim of our study was to evaluate the phytogenic chemical compounds and assess their antibacterial and antioxidant activity of essential oil of Ajuga parviflora Benth. growing in the Himalayan region. Methods: In the present study, the phytochemical constituents of essential oil were isolated by steam distillation and screened by gas chromatography (GC) and GC–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis from A. parviflora is rich in oxygenated monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids. The essential oil was further evaluated for their antibacterial by well-diffusion method and antioxidant activity by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay at various concentrations. Results: The major chemical constituents were α-cadinol (21.36%), α-muurolol (14.2%), cubebol (12.76%), germacrene D-4-ol (9.6%), germacrene D (4.32%), farnesyl acetate (3.58%), longifolol acetate (2.76%), and β-bourbonene (2.35 %) whereas monoterpenoids were minor constituents. The zone of inhibition (ZOI) shown by essential oil against test bacterial strains at concentration of 500 μg/ml to Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5.6 mm), Escherichia coli (5 mm), Salmonella typhimurium (8.6 mm), and Proteus vulgaris (10.7 mm) and Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis (8.3 mm). At the same time, ZOI of standard antibiotic ciprofloxacin against test bacterial strains was P. aeruginosa (9.6 mm), E. coli (14.3mm), S. typhimurium (19.3 mm), P. vulgaris (17.8 mm), and B. subtilis (20.6 mm), respectively. The free radical scavenging property of A. parviflora employed by in vitro assay methods like scavenging activity of DPPH was 81% at 500 μg/ml concentrations, respectively. Conclusion: Our study showed that α-cadinol, α-muurolol, and cubebol as the major components in this oil which was absent in previous findings of A. parviflora and essential oil had potent antibacterial and antioxidant activity, respectively.
Development of a rapid one-step PCR protocol to distinguish between alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and sweet clover (Melilotus spp.) seeds

Distinguishing seeds of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and sweet cover (Melilotus spp.) from one another is difficult because of similarities in the colour, shape, size and weight of the seeds. Existing methods to distinguish these seeds are usually time-consuming and inaccurate. In our study, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) method was developed to distinguish alfalfa and sweet clover seeds from one another. Based on differences in the DNA sequences of plastid matK spacer regions, a pair of primers was designed and used with simple PCR and PAGE techniques to identify 45 alfalfa and 34 sweet clover (8 white and 26 yellow) accessions that were collected from all over the world. Our results with this pair of primers were clearly different between the two species, supporting the reliability, sensitivity and simplicity of this method.