Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PREDICTIVE CONTROL FOR INTEGRATED ROOM AUTOMATION

In order to operate buildings more energy and cost effective, predictive integrated room automation can be used instead of conventional – possibly integrated – room automation. Thereby the predictive integrated room automation controllers operate the buildings’ passive thermal storages based on predicted future disturbances (e.g. weather forecast) by making use of low cost energy sources. A specific predictive integrated room automation application is considered here: The room temperature can – technically – be controlled by heating, cooling with chiller, free cooling and blind positioning. To satisfy the thermal comfort demand, the room temperature is controlled within a defined comfort range. This is achieved by a model predictive control strategy which makes use of the passive thermal storage of the building: To reduce the energy costs the thermal capacity of the building can be loaded or unloaded with low cost energy (free cooling, solar gains influenced by blinds) as long as the room temperature remains in the comfort range. The predictive controller periodically calculates an optimal future profile of the manipulated variables while constraints on the manipulated variables and predicted disturbances are taken into account. The optimization problem is solved numerically by applying linear programming (LP) algorithms. A performance bound is determined by simulations. Furthermore conventional (nonpredictive) control strategies are compared and assessed using the performance bound as a benchmark. These analyses show that predictive control is promising to be a substantial improvement compared to non-predictive control regarding cost and energy efficiency.
Sexual dimorphism in black jaw tiliapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron) and banded jewelfish (Hemichromis fasciatus) from the Great Kwa River, Calabar, Nigeria

Abstract In this study, the pattern and magnitude of sexual dimorphic differences have been investigated in black jaw tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron) (n = 160; 74 males and 86 females) and banded jewelfish (Hemichromis fasciatus) (n = 120; 42 males and 78 females) from the Great Kwa River, Calabar, Nigeria. Fish samples were collected between July and December 2015. Fourteen morphometric variables, including body weight, total length, standard length, body depth, cheek depth, pre-orbital length, postorbital length, pectoral fin length (right and left), pelvic fin length (right and left), head length, gonad weight, eye diameter and four meristic variables, including number of pectoral fins (right and left) and number of pelvic fins (right and left), were taken using standard methods. Size-adjusted morphometric measurements subjected to step-wise discriminant function analysis were used to determine predictor variables to morphologically differentiate sexes for both species; magnitude of dimorphism between sexes was estimated using percentage classification accuracy of the discriminant function analysis. From the discriminant function analysis, the pectoral fin length and gonad weight positively contributed significantly to morphometric dimorphism (magnitude=69.2%) in male and female S. melanotheron suggesting adaptation for reproductive function; while for H. fasciatus the body depth and standard length were important contributors to sexual dimorphism (magnitude=84.2%) suggesting size dimorphism for aggressiveness, territorial behavior and improving swimming performance. Overall, our results indicate that the different magnitude of sexual dimorphism between the two species could be attributable to the type and functional role of sexual dimorphic traits.
Effect of Growth Period and Sampling Section on the Chemical Composition and Microstructure of Raw Hemp Fibers

Hemp fiber’s origin has a large impact on the physical properties of degummed fibers. In this research, the effect of hemp fiber origin on the treated fibers was studied mainly by evaluation of chemical composition and microstructure, as well as by the evaluation of the degummed fiber’s properties under a biochemical process. The samples were chosen from the stem with two different growth periods (an early and a late harvest time) and three different sections along the hemp stem (top, middle, and bottom). The results showed a vast variety of chemical compositions and microstructures for raw hemp fibers in different growth periods. The results of the chemical composition analysis indicated that the cellulose content in raw fibers ranged from 41.9±2.3% to 44.8±0.8% and that the lignin content ranged between 12.0±1.5% and 16.5±0.9%. Both the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results demonstrated the close relation of the raw fiber’s character to the growth period and sampling section. The physical properties of degummed fibers with different origins were also tested, and large variations in length and linear density were found, which ranged from 42 mm to 67 mm for length and from 11.36±0.37 dtex to 21.55±0.54 dtex for linear density.
Discrete Scale Invariance in Holography Revisited

In 2013, Balasubramanian presented a 5 + 1 dimensional holographic toy model that allows for an exact solution to Einstein's equations in the bulk in which the isometries of AdS 5 appear to be broken to an isometry group describing a discretely scale invariant and Poincaré invariant setup. In this paper, we investigate this solution in more detail. By analytically solving the Killing equations, we prove that the full AdS 5 isometry group is still present, although in a somewhat hidden way. We will also comment on the prospects of finding other holographic bottom up toy models which allow for solutions with discrete scale invariance or scale invariance without conformal invariance in the future.
BALANCING THE SCALES USING A NOVEL CELLULAR ENERGY SENSOR

The topic of obesity is rarely out of the public eye with an increasingly bleak picture portrayed for our “obesogenic” nation – if current trends continue, by 2010 half of all school children will be obese and in 25 yrs a phenomenal half of the population will follow suit; on an economic level, this will equate to almost half of the total healthcare budget being spent on treating the associated complications – cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia (the so-called metabolic syndrome). (1) The scale of the problem has resulted in an ongoing debate regarding apportioning of responsibility. Fast food stores have borne the brunt of the criticism for their seemingly unscrupulous advertising, spending billions annually in promoting their products. But what about the individuals themselves, should they not be held responsible for their food intake? Even in our rights obsessed society, there remains a huge stigmatisation of overweight individuals, the general consensus being that they are “fat and lazy. ” As the debate continues to be waged, a considerable amount of time and money has been invested into understanding the pathogenesis of obesity, particularly the cellular mechanisms involved in the control of energy expenditure. In the last decade, exciting developments have been made – at the forefront is evidence that mutations in energy regulating pathways cause substantial weight gain, suggesting there may be a genetic basis for the development of obesity.
Teachers’ Challenges and Job Performance under the Universal Basic Education Scheme in Rivers State, Nigeria (2007-2015)

The central focus of this paper is to identify the challenges teachers face in the course of discharging their basic responsibilities, and the impact of the challenges on the teachers’ job performance in Rivers State under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) scheme. The scope of the study is on the job activities and challenges of the teachers, the Rivers State Government’s role in the implementation process of the UBE objectives in the state, and the attendant consequences of the teachers’ job challenges on both the students and the state, within the period of 2007 and 2015. Expectancy-value is used as the theoretical framework of analysis to explain teachers’ job performance in the schools, secondary data are employed for the study and content analysis engaged as a tool to analyze the data. The study findings prove among other things, that poor motivation, manpower imbalance, political influence on teachers’ appointment and inadequate workshop and teaching facilities are teachers’ challenges while discharging their duties in the schools. The study further established that the teachers’ challenges have significant impact on the teachers’ job performance in the state UBE. Arising from the findings, some recommendations were made as strategies to reduce teachers’ challenges and improve on their job performance in the state UBE. Keywords : Challenges, Job Performance, Expectancy-value
First ecological evaluation of the ancient Balkan Lake Megali Prespa based on plankton

The ecological water quality of one of the ancient world lakes, Lake Megali Prespa, is examined for the first time on the basis of its plankton communities. During the study period (OctoberNovember 2008) the lake’s plankton showed signs of a moderate ecological water quality. This quality was reflected in: i) phyto- and zoo-plankton species composition which was characteristic of eutrophic conditions, ii) phytoplankton functional groups typical for eutrophic waters, iii) phytoplankton biovolume values, iv) the occurrence of blooms of several nanoplanktic species (cyanobacteria, diatoms, prymnesiophytes and cryptophytes) and v) the presence of known potentially toxin-producing cyanobacterial species. These plankton characteristics suggest a link to eutrophication and water quality degradation in the ancient Lake Megali Prespa. Water managers are advised to consider the data on plankton community and the species exchange between the lakes Megali and Mikri Prespa (high overlap of phyto- and zoo-plankton species) in their strategies for the conservation of this precious ancient lake of the world.
Physics Learning using Inquiry-Student Team Achievement Division (ISTAD) and Guided Inquiry Models Viewed by Students Achievement Motivation

This study aims to determine the differences in learning outcomes of between students that are given the Physics learning models of Inquiry-Student Team Achievement Division (ISTAD) and guided inquiry, between students who have high achievement motivation and low achievement motivation. This study was an experimental study with a 2x2x2 factorial design. The study population was the students of class X of SMAN 1 Toroh Grobogan of academic year 2016/2017. Samples were obtained by cluster random sampling technique consists of two classes, class X IPA 3 is used as an experimental class using ISTAD model and class X IPA 4 as the control class using guided inquiry model. Data collection techniques using test techniques for learning outcomes, and technical questionnaire to obtain the data of students' achievement motivation. Analysis of data using two-way ANOVA. The results showed that: (1) there is a difference between the learning outcomes of students with the ISTAD Physics models and with the physics model of guided inquiry. (2) There are differences in learning outcomes between students who have high achievement motivation and low achievement motivation. (3) There is no interaction between ISTAD and guided inquiry Physics models learning and achievement motivation of students.
Radiocarbon-Based Chronology of the Paleolithic in Siberia and Its Relevance to the Peopling of the New World

The territory of Siberia is of crucial importance for the study of early human dispersal and the peopling of the New World. A Siberian Paleolithic Radiocarbon Database has been compiled. The Database allows us to compile a chronolgical framework for human colonization of Northern Asia. There are 446 14C dates for 13 Middle and 111 Upper Paleolithic sites older than around 12,000 BP. Seventeen percent of the dates were obtained by the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) technique, and the remaining 83% are conventional. From the viewpoint of the spatial distribution of the 14C-dated sites, the majority of these are located at the Yenisey River Basin, Transbaikal, and the Altai Mountains. The general outline of the Upper Paleolithic colonization of Siberia is given here. The earliest traces of modern human occupation are dated to around 43,000–39,000 BP in the southern part of Siberia. It seems that by around 13,000 BP, almost all of northern Asia, including the extreme northeastern Siberia had been colonized by modern humans. We discuss some controversial problems that have provoked heated debates in current Russian archaeology. Notable among these are the surprisingly early AMS dates for the Early Upper Paleolithic, the age of the Dyuktai culture of Yakutia, the problem of human presence in Siberia at the time of the Last Glacial Maximum (20,000–18,000 BP), and the timing of the initial settling of the Chukchi Peninsula and northeastern Siberia.
Prevalence and Genotyping of Methicillin-Resistant and - Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Strains Isolated from Patients in a University Hospital, Isfahan, Iran

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major causes of community- and hospital-acquired infections, with methicillin resistant strains showing the highest rates of morbidity and mortality. In our previous experiment, isolates, which were also used in the present study, were assessed using multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The sequence types (STs) were determined and documented in the corresponding database. Objectives: In the current study, the isolates were subjected to genotyping with coagulase, SCCmec, and agr typing methods. Methods: A total of 54 isolates were evaluated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for mecA gene, Sccmec typing, and finally PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) for coagulase (coa) gene using Alul enzyme. MLST of the isolates showed that the majority of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates belonged to ST239. Results: Phenotypic and genotypic tests revealed that 21 of the isolates were MRSA. PCR-RFLP test for coa gene showed similar patterns of MRSA isolates. The majority of the isolates were community-acquired and belonged to the Sccmec type IV, whereas the remaining were hospital-acquired and classified as type I (22.2) and type III (2.2). Conclusions: Most of the isolates belonged to agr type I, followed by type II and type III. Agar dilution method showed higher sensitivity and specificity, compared to the disk diffusion method. The majority of the isolates were community-acquired and belonged to Sccmec type IV and agr type I, whereas the remaining were hospital-acquired and classified as types I (22.2), type III (2.2), and agr type I. Â© 2017, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences.
Exact dynamical solution of the Kuramoto-Sakaguchi Model for finite networks of identical oscillators

We study the Kuramoto-Sakaguchi (KS) model composed by any N identical phase oscillators symmetrically coupled. Ranging from local (one-to-one, R = 1) to global (all-to-all, R = N/2) couplings, we derive the general solution that describes the network dynamics next to an equilibrium. Therewith we build stability diagrams according to N and R bringing to the light a rich scenery of attractors, repellers, saddles, and non-hyperbolic equilibriums. Our result also uncovers the obscure repulsive regime of the KS model through bifurcation analysis. Moreover, we present numerical evolutions of the network showing the great accordance with our analytical one. The exact knowledge of the behavior close to equilibriums is a fundamental step to investigate phenomena about synchronization in networks. As an example, at the end we discuss the dynamics behind chimera states from the point of view of our results.
Gender Differences in IT Adoption & Gestural Communication Science Behind Stereotypes & Implications on Human Computer Interaction

— This paper reviews gender differences in gestural communication and perception of Information Technology (IT) and investigates gender differences in basic hand gestures for the design of user-centric and gender-adaptive systems. If males and females associate themselves differently with technology, being masculine and feminine, then this would have a strong impact on their adoption of IT and would require the development of gender-adaptive gesture-recognition systems, devices and applications. In this paper, we present empirical studies to demonstrate gender differences in the perception of technology as well as gestural communication. We have conducted a survey with 20 male and 20 female participants and found differences in the perception of the gender of technology. Our association with IT may be driven by the way we identify ourselves with the gender of technology. If there are differences in the way we process information and males and females use different system architectures, then the development of gender-adaptive systems would increase the acceptance of technology. We have also analysed natural hand gestures to identify what type of gestures are used in gestural communication, using video analysis and annotation. We have conducted an experiment involving 10 male and 10 female Australian adults. We have asked the participants to describe an object using hand gestures and speech. We have found gender differences in the perception of IT, as well as types, frequency and occurrences of hand gestures. Drawing conclusions from these comparisons, we discuss the potential effects of gender differences in the design of multimodal interfaces as well as the necessity of developing gender-adaptive systems in Human Computer Interaction (HCI).
Fundamentos de redes neurais profundas

Este trabalho se dividiu em duas partes. No primeiro semestre foi realizado um estudo teórico acerca do tema redes neurais profundas, com base nos doze primeiros capítulos do recente livro Deep Learning, de I. Goodfellow. A segunda parte do trabalho complementou bem a primeira, com implementações de redes neurais profundas e a comparação de seus resultados na tarefa de classificar dígitos manuscritos da base de dados MNIST.
On Robustness of Configuration Graphs with Random Node Degree Distribution

We consider power-law configuration graphs with node degrees drawn from the power-law distribution with the parameter following the uniform distribution on a chosen interval. By computer simulation we study the robustness of these graphs from a viewpoint of link saving in the two cases of destruction process: the “random breakdown” and the “targeted attack”.
Willingness-to-Pay for Genetic Attributes in Aquaculture Industries

The genetic make-up of fish stocks is an important factor in aquaculture production. Choice-based conjoint analysis is used to determine importance of genetic improvements to grow-out producers and an estimated willingness-to-pay for selected attributes. Results from a national survey of aquaculture producers, reveal growth rate as the most important attribute.
Intelligence and chess

Psychological research into expert behaviour in board games is currently split into two, almost independent, strands. The first direction of research, initiated by De Groot’s (1946) and Simon and Chase’s (1973) seminal research on chess, is interested in the cognitive processes underlying experts’ remarkable feats and in the learning mechanisms that enable novices to move to high levels of performance. The second line of research, exemplified by the early work of Alfred Binet on chess (Binet, 1894), is more interested in the innate characteristics that are putatively necessary for high ability.
Crop Genetic Diversity, Food Security and Farm Household Well-Being During Shocks

In this paper we use a unique dataset from eastern Ethiopia to explore the role of crop genetic resources in attaining household food security. The study area is a center of origin and domestication for sorghum, and about three quarters of the farms are growing land race varieties of sorghum rather than improved varieties; while about three quarters of farms grow improved varieties of wheat rather than land races. Our analysis has indicated that there is an important link between crop genetic diversity and the choice of coping mechanism households adopt in the face of a production shock from drought.
Visualization of Team Skills in Project-Based Learning

In order to improve the effects of project-based learning (PBL), the author developed a visual tool that supports team organization by visually representing the personal skills data of team members. In a PBL activity performed by student teams, the organization of the teams gives rise to unexpected variations in level of learning. However, organizing appropriate teams is not so easy. The tool developed by the author visualizes the skills data of persons and teams in several representations. It makes it easy to identify the features of teams and their members, and helps eliminate trialand-error in the process of organizing teams. The author also evaluated the adequateness of past team organization by using actual skills data.
Fashionable Personae: Self-identity and Enactments of Fashion Narratives in Fashion Blogs

Abstract This article scrutinizes the practices and strategies mobilized by fashion bloggers in the construction of a subject position which is embedded in established fashion narratives and based on references to the self and self-representation. Fashion blogs are discussed as cultural artifacts which revolve around reflexive identity politics in contention with embodied techniques of self-fashioning and dress practices. Fashion bloggers produce fashion media partly based on the enactment of their own self-identity in relation to dress practices and on their incorporation of knowledge of fashion media and pop culture imagery. Because of this oscillation between individual dress practices and collective fashion narratives, fashion blogs raise issues about the way in which fashion media relate to self-identity. Based on empirical research with qualitative methods using a grounded theory approach, this article discusses a construct of subjectivity labeled as “fashionable persona. ” The “fashionable persona” is understood as a situated, narrative, and performative character developed by bloggers specifically for their blogs that is anchored simultaneously in the blogger's self-identity and in the enactment of collective cultural narratives. Three dimensions in the enactment and construction of “fashionable personae” are discussed: the discursive construction, the bodily enactment, and the self-actualization of fashion bloggers as economic subjects.
How the Integrated Approach to Corporate Governance Enhances Company Performance? Case of Delta Beverages.

The researcher wanted to find out how the integrated approach to corporate governance enhances company performance. In the past periods many corporations collapsed and this was attributable to failure to keep in pace with corporate governance evolution trend. On contrary the performance of Delta Beverages proved to be well and it is in that same period that it appreciated and adopted the evolution in corporate governance leading to its adoption of an integrated approach to corporate governance. In light of this, the researcher was then prompted to find out how this integrated approach enhances company performance. The study looked into many sources of literature on the integrated approach to come up with more informed scientific outcomes on the effectiveness of risk management in GRC, how GRC enhances company performance and the benefits accruing from the adoption of GRC. Conclusions were drawn from a total sample of 33 respondents consisting of directors, managers and general employees. It then became evident that the integrated approach to corporate governance enhances company performance and the researcher advocates that the manufacturing industries adopt it. Key words: Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance