Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative assessment of selected heavy metal load in three tilapiine species inhabiting Osinmo Reservoir, Southwestern, Nigeria

doi: 10.15159/jas.18. 05 ABSTRACT. The levels of selected heavy metal in the water and fillets of Tilapia zillii Gervais, Sarotherodon galilaeus Trewavas and Oreochromis niloticus Lineaus in Osinmo Reservoir were assessed and compared with established regulatory limits of WHO and FEPA with a view to providing information on the water and the fish fillet heavy metal load as well as the fillet bio-accumulative potential as a likely indicator for human fish consumption safety. Water samples and fish specimens were collected monthly from Osinmo Reservoir, Ejigbo, Southwestern Nigeria for a period of 6 months. The descaled-dried fish fillet and water samples were digested and analysed for lead, chromium, iron, zinc and cadmium using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (A.A.S.). The data obtained were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS 21. The results showed that zinc concentration which was the highest in the water samples and ranged between 144 μg l and 288 μg l was also the highest in the fillets of all the cichlid species. However, the concentrations were within the mandatory regulatory limits. The result of the study also revealed significant differences (P < 0.05) in heavy metal loads of the fish fillets between the cichlid fish species from Osinmo Reservoir. Irrespective of the month of sampling, the heavy metal levels in fish fillets samples were found to increase in the order: O. niloticus > T. zillii > S. galilaeus. However, the levels of lead (11.00–26.00 μg l and 15.00–31.00 μgL) and cadmium (6.33–13.00 μg l and 2.33–12.33 μg l) which was the least in both water and fish fillet respectively, were above the recommended regulatory acceptable limit of WHO and FEPA. The study concluded that the elevated levels of lead and cadmium in the water and the fish fillet samples assayed indicated that the two elements negatively impacted the fish fillet quality, thereby raising human health consumption safety issues.
A Systemic Approach for Simulation-based Team Training in Maritime Safety

In his research work World Maritime University's Maritime Risk and System Safety (MaRiSa) research group is dealing with the development, implementation and integration of simulation-based modules into training units and course schemes. With its new simulation laboratory providing a combined Ship Handling and a Safety and Security Simulator enhanced test and demonstration facilities are available. The safety and security training simulator contains 3D visualization of ship spaces; which virtually can be entered by trainees during exercise runs. The DNV-certified simulation system is a procedure trainer and enables the use of safety equipment and implemented emergency systems. Modeled equipment can be activated via interactive consoles on bridge or engine control room and all accessible decks as well. In cooperation with the Wismar University's Maritime Simulation Centre in Rostock-Warnemuende training concepts and scenarios are developed and tested for training on basic, advanced or management level. Functional tests of the developed system are running successfully and first practice courses have been carried out. Preliminary studies on user acceptance have shown good results. The new and enhanced simulation laboratory allows also for a wide range of scientific studies. The effects of safety and security plans and planned procedures on board can be tested in a simulation environment before its implementation in real world. More detailed evaluation of their effectiveness under varying conditions and during different courses of events are possible by different series of simulation runs [16]. This paper introduces the basic concept of the safety and security training simulator and describes ongoing research work related to the learning objective oriented development of training exercises.
Trade and Industrial Performance since the WTO Reforms:What Indian Evidences Suggest?

The Uruguay Round (UR) of multilateral trade negotiations had led to a substantial improvement in market access for manufacturing in global trade mainly due to the reductions in tariffs barriers. The world trade regime as a consequence has become much freer than ever before. By ensuring the most favoured nation (MFN) treatment, the WTO has created a non-discriminatory trading regime. As a consequence of such increase in market access, Indian manufacturing sector may presumably have succeeded in exploiting the advantages of greater degree of openness for increasing its manufacturing exports. This chapter therefore will attempt to evaluate the kinds of quantitative and qualitative changes that may have taken place in the direction and the patterns of trade and resource allocation in Indian manufacturing. The chapter will provide a brief overview of the post-UR market access situations in both the developed and the developing economies; will discuss India’s role in the WTO policy negotiations for manufacturing market access and also how India had responded to its commitments in the implementation of the reform measures; will we try to provide some quantitative estimates of the effects of increased market access for Indian manufacturing under the assumptions of competitive market framework and constant returns to scale; will try to incorporate monopolistic market conditions and increasing returns to scale to find out if the conclusions based on competition differ greatly in presence of market imperfections and increasing returns to scale. We ewill end the chapter with a summary our main findings.
Festival branding: Case study: The Dragacevo trumpet festival in Guca

The Dragačevo Trumpet Festival in Guča (The Republic of Serbia) is a unique competition of folk brass bands in the world and one of the most important events of the overall national creativity and cultural amateurism in Serbia. Therefore, Guča represents an event which is used for branding of tourist offer and musical culture of Serbia at regional and international level. The paper delivers the results of a questionnaire research conducted during the 50th anniversary of The Dragačevo Trumpet Festival in Guča (DTF) in August 2010. The results were based on 300 questionnaires. The questionnaire contained, in one of its parts, questions regarding festival branding and influences, i.e. effects which brands (various advertisements of great sponsors and festival donators) may produce and thus leave an impression on perception of each visitor as well as on a destination itself.
The Impact of Trade Liberalization on Industrial Growth of India: An Empirical Investigation

This paper examines impact of trade liberalization on industrial growth of India. The research problem is expressed as “To what extent does trade liberalization or openness of the economy influence industrial growth of India? ” To identify the impacts of trade liberalization, total time period, 1970-2010, is divided into two sub periods of before trade liberalization i.e. (1970 to 1990) and after trade liberalization i.e. (1991 to 2010). The variables identified in the main objective of the study are tested hypothetically, and quantitative analytical methods are applied to make accurate and reliable conclusions. Graphical presentations and regression analyses are used to assess the degree of relationships among variables concerned. Further to test the structural changes in the country, the Chow test is applied. Findings of the study confirm that there is no evidence that the structural changes in industrial growth rates have been happened during the last four decades due to trade liberalization in India.
A Comparative Study of the Bacterial Community in Denitrifying and Traditional Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal Processes

Denitrifying phosphorus removal is an attractive wastewater treatment process due to its reduced carbon source demand and sludge minimization potential. Two lab-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were operated in alternating anaerobic-anoxic (A-A) or anaerobic-oxic (A-O) conditions to achieve denitrifying enhanced biological phosphate removal (EBPR) and traditional EBPR. No significant differences were observed in phosphorus removal efficiencies between A-A SBR and A-O SBR, with phosphorus removal rates being 87.9% and 89.0% respectively. The community structures in denitrifying and traditional EBPR processes were evaluated by high-throughput sequencing of the PCR-amplified partial 16S rRNA genes from each sludge. The results obtained showed that the bacterial community was more diverse in A-O sludge than in A-A sludge. Taxonomy and β-diversity analyses indicated that a significant shift occurred in the dominant microbial community in A-A sludge compared with the seed sludge during the whole acclimation phase, while a slight fluctuation was observed in the abundance of the major taxonomies in A-O sludge. One Dechloromonas-related OTU outside the 4 known Candidatus “Accumulibacter” clades was detected as the main OTU in A-A sludge at the stationary operation, while Candidatus “Accumulibacter” dominated in A-O sludge.
Workflow patterns as web service compositions: the case of PEWS

In the past years, Web Services (WS) have become the standard for exposing services as application programming interfaces to be consumed from anywhere in the world. Since many operations require the collaboration between two or more WS, the need to have languages to express Web Service Compositions has emerged. Web Service Composition presents a problem very similar to Business Process Management (BPM), both disciplines aim to express complex combinations of operations to achieve broader goals. In BPM these combinations are generally known as Workflows. The current industry standard for representing Web Service Workflows is BPEL, a language developed by Microsoft, IBM and others. PEWS is another language proposed to describe Web Service Compositions. Simplicity and neatness of descriptions are two relevant features of this language. This work proposes some extensions to PEWS in order to support the most common workflow patterns. The extended version of PEWS is able to fully support 36 out of the 43 Workflow Control Patterns as defined in the literature. This new version creates the foundation for further studies on the language, especially future extensions to capture other patterns and features (such as data manipulation, error handling, etc.) as well as the addition of semantic information to compositions.
EFFECT OF FOREARM, HAND AND WRIST EXERCISES ON WRITING SPEED IN HEALTH SCIENCE STUDENTS OF NAGPUR EFECTUL EXERCIŢIILOR ANTEBRAŢULUI, PUMNULUI ŞI MÂINII ASUPRA VITEZEI DE SCRIS, LA STUDENŢII SĂNĂTOŞI DIN NAGPUR

Background. Human beings are the most advanced living beings, and hence perform skilful activities. Handwriting is one of the skills required in medical education. Aim. To assess the effectiveness of forearm, hand and wrist on handwriting speed. Materials and method. Interventional pre-test and post-test design was carried out on 100 health science students, and handwriting speed, pinch grip strength and coordination was assessed pre and post exercise intervention, initially and after 4 weeks of structured exercise programme. Result. There was 2.91 % improvement in handwriting speed (p=0.044), 5.08 % improvement in pinch grip strength (p=0.00), and 8.45 % improvement in co-ordination test (p=0.00). The co relational study post-test handwriting vs. co-ordination 2tailed was statistically significant (0.403). Conclusion 4 weeks of forearm, wrist and hand exercises improve handwriting speed. Cuvinte cheie: pensa bidigitală, viteza de scris, exerciţii pentru mână si pumn, cuvinte pe
Unsteady boundary layer flow and heat transfer of Oldroyd-B nanofluid towards a stretching sheet with variable thermal conductivity

This paper presents a time dependent boundary layer flow and heat transfer of an incompressible Oldroyd-B nanofluid past an impulsively stretching sheet. Heat transfer analysis is carried out by taking thermal conductivity as a function of temperature. The non-dimensionalized partial differential equations are solved using bivariate spectral quasi-linearization method). The employs the concept of quasi-linearization to obtain a linear system of partial differential equations which is subsequently solved using a spectral collocation method that uses bivariate Lagrange interpolating polynomials as basic functions. This method is found to converge rapidly and is very effective in yielding accurate results. Numerical results have been presented graphically to illustrate the details of flow and heat transfer characteristics and their dependence on some of the physical parameters.
BAMBARA NUT: A REVIEW OF UTILISATION, MARKET POTENTIAL AND CROP IMPROVEMENT

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc. ) originated in West Africa but has become widely distributed throughout the semi-arid zone of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Sharing a high nutritive value with other widely consumed legumes, bambara has an appealing flavour which is reflected in demand from small local and niche markets. Despite its high and balanced protein content, bambara remains under-utilised because it takes a long time to cook, contains anti-nutritional factors and does not dehull easily. Bambara yields well under conditions which are too arid for groundnut (Arachis hypogea), maize (Zea mays L.) and even sorghum (Sorghum bicolar). Its drought tolerance makes bambara a useful legume to include in climate change adaptation strategies. Existing bambara products are not well promoted in the local or international markets and new products are needed that highlight its inherent nutritional and culinary advantages. A number of projects on bambara, involving several countries in SSA since the 1980s, have failed to stimulate a sustainable increase in the production of the crop. The absence of functioning value chains has been a factor in this failure, as accessible market outlets might provide the required incentive for smallholder households to obtain improved seed and invest more of their land and labour in the crop. There is little documented evidence of trade in bambara but circumstantial evidence indicates considerable international demand. More attention should be given, therefore, to market research and development, with crop improvement programmes being more market-led, if bambara is to make a greater contribution to household income and rural development in SSA.
Attentional Demands of Balance Under Dual Task Conditions in Young Adults

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 20 young people (22.75±2.29). Each subject performed one-leg standing as a balance task for each of the following 2 test conditions: free balance position (single task), and balancing while performing a secondary cognitive task (choice reaction time task). Each test was carried out for each of the following 3 sensory conditions: on a hard surface with open eyes, on a hard surface with closed eyes and on a foam surface with closed eyes. One-way ANOVA was used for analysis.
Study of metal whiskers growth and mitigation technique using additive manufacturing

For years, the alloy of choice for electroplating electronic components has been tin-lead (Sn-Pb) alloy. However, the legislation established in Europe on July 1, 2006, required significant lead (Pb) content reductions from electronic hardware due to its toxic nature. A popular alternative for coating electronic components is pure tin (Sn). However, pure tin has the tendency to spontaneously grow electrically conductive Sn whisker during storage. Sn whisker is usually a pure single crystal tin with filament or hair-like structures grown directly from the electroplated surfaces. Sn whisker is highly conductive, and can cause short circuits in electronic components, which is a very significant reliability problem. The damages caused by Sn whisker growth are reported in very critical applications such as aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, and military weapons systems. They are also naturally very strong and are believed to grow from compressive stresses developed in the Sn coating during deposition or over time. The new directive, even though environmentally friendly, has placed all lead-free electronic devices at risk because of whisker growth in pure tin. Additionally, interest has occurred about studying the nature of other metal whiskers such as zinc (Zn) whiskers and comparing their behavior to that of Sn whiskers. Zn whiskers can be found in flooring of data centers which can get inside electronic systems during equipment reorganization and movement and can also cause systems failure.Even though the topic of metal whiskers as reliability failure has been around for several decades to date, there is no successful method that can eliminate their growth. This thesis will give further insights towards the nature and behavior of Sn and Zn whiskers growth, and recommend a novel manufacturing technique that has potential to mitigate metal whiskers growth and extend life of many electronic devices.
C O ] 2 2 Ja n 20 18 New code upper bounds for the folded ncube

Let Γ denote a distance-regular graph. The maximum size of codewords with minimum distance at least d is denoted by A(Γ, d). Let n denote the folded n-cube H(n, 2). We give an upper bound on A( n, d) based on block-diagonalizing the Terwilliger algebra of n and on semidefinite programming. The technique of this paper is an extension of the approach taken by A. Schrijver [8] on the study of A(H(n, 2), d).
Life-Cycle Assessment of Neonicotinoid Pesticides

Neonicotinoid pesticides have been an increasing focus of the environmental community, due to their potential impacts on bee populations and other important insects. The goal of this study was to develop a lifecycle assessment (LCA) approach that could be used to quantify the environmental impacts of two common neonicotinoid pesticides, Imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam. In order to develop the LCA study, an equivalent scenario was created for each pesticide that incorporated data on the production of each pesticide, followed by transportation to a model farm site in Brazil and application with an in-furrow pesticide application system. Data sources for the materials and energy used, combined with resulting emissions to air, water, and soil, were gathered from peer-reviewed literature, government reports, life-cycle inventory databases, and other sources. The SimaPro LCA modeling platform was used to assess the impacts of each life cycle on Human Health and Ecosystem Quality, according to the Impact 2002+ method. Results indicate that important differences exist between the pesticide life cycles, with Thiamethoxam resulting in lower LCA impacts in both impact areas and most mid-point categories under study. Pesticide production impacts varied by over an order of magnitude between the Imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam, while pesticide transport was determined to be a negligible source of environmental impact in both systems. Pesticide application activity using tractors was a larger contributor to Human Health and Ecosystem Quality impacts than the ultimate effect of the pesticide emission to the environment, which should be an area of further study to confirm this finding with the pesticides in question and also to focus impact on the application systems as a potential method of reducing environmental impact, in addition to pesticide toxicity.
COMPARISON OF TWO INTRAOSSEOUS ACCESS DEVICES EMPLOYED DURING SIMULATED CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION. A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, CROSSOVER, MANIKIN STUDY

BACKGROUND: Intraosseous injection is an alternative method used regarding unsuccessful intravenous access during many emergency situations. The aim of the present study was to compare injections made by the Bone Injection Gun (BIG) with NIO Adult intraosseous access devices during simulated CPR performed by paramedics. METHODS: 40 paramedics took part in this prospective, randomized, crossover, manikin study. The participants were chosen at random, while each paramedic performed an intraosseous injection with the Bone Injection Gun (BIG) or with the NIO Adult Intraosseous access device. The effectiveness of the intraosseous injection was analyzed as times T1, T2, and T3. Time T1 is de ned as the time-lapse from placing the intraosseous device into one’s hand to performing the intraosseous injection; Time T2 is the time-lapse from placing the intraosseous device into one’s hand to the moment of stabilizing it at the injection site; while Time T3 is de ned as the time-lapse from putting the intraosseous device into one’s hand, attaching the syringe with a test aspiration, to connecting the infusion line. Attitudes toward the use of intraosseous access during resuscitation were also analyzed in the present study. RESULTS: The ef cacy of intraosseous access obtained with the use of NIO was at 100% where the ef cacy of the use of BIG was at 95%. The average time of T1 was similar in the groups randomized to use BIG and NIO, repre- sented as 5.4±3.5 vs. 3.5±2.5 s, respectively (p=0.014); the average time of T2 was 17.5±4.5 vs. 3.5±2.5 s, respectively (p<0.001); while the average time of T3 was 25±5.5 vs. 11.5±2.5 s, respectively (p<0.001). No- tably, 90% of the study’s participating paramedics preferred to use the NIO during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that after a short period of training paramedics can perform an intraos- seous injection with a high degree of ef ciency. Thus, the authors stress the need for training medical personnel to have the skill to perform intraosseous injections along with knowledge and understanding of the indications and contraindication for IO access.
The difference between transient and sustained attention on painful electrocutaneous stimulus evoked potentials

This study investigated the differences between sustained and transient attention in comparable conditions on electrocutaneous pain stimuli, using the P3a component of ERPs. The study was needed because of the absence of a good comparison between sustained and transient attention on pain. Blom and Van der Lubbe (in prep) and Blom, Wiering and Van der Lubbe (submitted) researched respectively transient and sustained attention concerning pain. They suggested a possible difference between sustained and transient attention, but both studies can’t be compared because of the differences in study designs. Participants carried out two types of tasks; a sustained and a transient attention task, both based on the Posner task. In both tasks electrocutaneous stimuli were presented to the right and left forearm of the participant. In the sustained attention task the participants had to focus their attention towards the same side (left or right forearm) the whole block. This in contrast to the transient condition, at which the participants were cued to focus their attention towards both sides randomly. To investigate possible differences on the effect of both ways of attention on the orienting response, the P3a component of ERPs was measured. Our study reveals no differences of the orienting response towards sustained and transient attention on pain perception. With these results we have overcome the obscurities that existed on the possible differences between sustained and transient attention on pain. The findings that orienting responses towards attended stimuli are significantly lower than towards unattended stimuli, corresponds with earlier studies.