Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DNA REPAIR AND RESISTANCE TO UV-B RADIATION IN WESTERN SPOTTED FROGS

We assessed DNA repair and resistance to solar radiation in eggs of members of the western spotted frog complex (Rana pretiosa and R. luteiventris), species whose populations are suffering severe range reductions and declines. Specifically, we measured the activity of photoreactivating enzyme (photolyase) in oocytes of spotted frogs. In some species, photoreactivation is the most important mechanism for repair of UV-damaged DNA. Using field experiments, we also compared the hatching success of spotted frog embryos at natural oviposition sites at three elevations, where some embryos were subjected to ambient levels of UV-B radiation and others were shielded from UV-B radiation. Compared with other amphibians, photolyase activities in spotted frogs were relatively high. At all sites, hatching success was unaffected by UV-B. Our data support the interpretation that amphibian embryos with relatively high levels of photolyase are more resistant to UV-B radiation than those with lower levels of photolyase. At the embryonic stage, UV-B radiation does not presently seem to be contributing to the population declines of spotted frogs.
Muon tomography: Plans for observations in the Lesser Antilles

The application of muon tomography to monitor and image the internal structure of volcanoes in the Lesser Antilles is discussed. Particular focus is directed towards the three volcanoes that fall under the responsibility of the Institut de Physique du Globe of Paris, namely La Montagne Pelée in Martinique, La Soufrière in Guadeloupe, and the Soufrière Hills in Montserrat. The technological criteria for the design of portable muon telescopes are presented in detail for both their mechanical and electronic aspects. The detector matrices are constructed with scintillator strips, and their detection characteristics are discussed. The tomography inversion is presented, and its distinctive characteristics are briefly discussed. Details are given on the implementation of muon tomography experiments on La Soufrière in Guadeloupe.
SIMULATION STUDY OF CONVEX CORNER UNDERCUTTING IN KOH AND TMAH FOR A MEMS PIEZORESISTIVE ACCELEROMETER

Undercutting is a common problem in wet anisotropic etching. This problem in turn, influences the performance and sensitivity of MEMS devices. This paper investigates the use of corner compensation to prevent convex corner undercutting in a MEMS piezoresistive accelerometer. The Intellisuite CAD simulation software was used for designing the mask with corner compensation and for analysing wet anisotropic etching profiles in potassium hydroxide (KOH) and tetra-methyl-ammonium-hydroxide (TMAH) solutions at different concentrations and temperatures. Perfect 90 degrees corners on the proof mass was successfully etched using a corner compensation design at etching temperature of 63 °C for KOH and 67.7 °C for TMAH with 25 wt% and 10.3 wt% concentration levels, respectively. Etching in TMAH required lower concentration level, thus making the etching process safer. However, TMAH required longer time to etch perfect convex corners compared to KOH. Nevertheless, both KOH and TMAH etchants have been successfully used to etch perfect convex corners by using the designed corner compensation mask.
Voyage à travers un baril de poudre : Guerre et imaginaire touristique à Sarajevo

Cet article propose de questionner l’influence d’un conflit recent sur la production d’un imaginaire touristique lie a un lieu, plus precisement a Sarajevo, la capitale de Bosnie-Herzegovine. Cette ville, ainsi que l’ensemble de la region des Balkans, a souvent ete assimilee a un baril de poudre, notamment a travers la couverture mediatique du conflit qui a embrase les Balkans dans les annees 90. De plus, certaines productions cinematographiques tendent a creer une image romantique et orientaliste de cette region, l’assimilant en grande partie au feu et au sang. Je demontrerai que cette vision, certes simpliste et reductrice, tend a creer chez certains touristes un imaginaire, voire une fascination teintee d’aventure. Dans ce contexte, les lieux traumatises par la guerre ou encore les sites symboles de la resistance sont exploites par des acteurs locaux et s’inscrivent peu a peu dans le paysage touristique de la ville et de la region.
A New Coarse Timing Estimation Method for OFDM Signals

Abstract—In this paper, a data aided timing synchronization scheme for Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals is proposed. The algorithm uses multiple preambles for initial (coarse) timing estimation, and it works in the time domain. We also propose a timing estimation method using one preamble which is independent of the structure of the preamble, and that works better than the other existing methods in the presence of carrier frequency offset (CFO). The performance is compared in terms of probability of erasure, probability of correct estimation and mean square error (MSE) with the existing timing synchronization methods for OFDM systems.
The Role of the Master in Improving Safety Culture Onboard Ships

As a complex socio-technical system marine transportation is open to risks. Due to the efforts of international organisations, flag and port administrations, classification societies and ship-owners the safety record has steadily improved. However, marine accidents resulting from inadequate safety culture still occur. In this paper examples of recent accidents related to different dimensions of safety culture are provided. The role of the master in achieving an enhanced safety is emphasised.
Structure and vibrational spectra of methanol clusters from a new potential model

The structures and vibrational spectra of small methanol clusters from dimer to decamer have been calculated using a newly developed intermolecular potential which is essentially based on monomer wave functions. Special care has been taken for the description of the electrostatic interaction using a distributed multipole representation and including a penetration term. In addition, the potential model consists of repulsion, dispersion, and induction terms. Based on this potential model cluster structures have been calculated. The lowest energy dimer configuration is linear, while from trimer to decamer for the most stable structures ring configurations were found. Tetramer, hexamer, and octamer have S4-, S6-, and S8-symmetry, respectively. Vibrational spectra of the CO stretch and the OH stretch mode have been determined in the harmonic and in the anharmonic approximation using perturbation theory and variational calculations. Up to the tetramer the experimental spectra of the CO stretch mode are well rep.
Influence of supplier management on the implementation of effective procurement practices in tertiary public training institutions in Kenya

*Corresponding Author Email: rarasa4@gmail.com Tel. : +254-0727101731 In Kenya, over 70% of tertiary public training institutions procurement practices are normally not in full compliance with Public Procurement and Disposal Act, 2005 and Public Procurement and Disposal Regulations, 2006 (Joseph, 2010). In over 50% of tertiary public training institutions, the quality and quantity of procured good and services does not meet the raised specifications during tendering. There are several stalled development projects and the actual procurement expenditure is normally higher than the budgeted procurement funds. Supplier management concept is increasingly being embraced towards enhancing effective implementation of programmes and realization of expected goals. This study set out to establish the influence of supplier management on implementation of effective procurement practices in tertiary public training institutions in Kenya. The study employed a descriptive research designs. The study population comprised of a total of 320 procurement staff in procurement departments of all the 40 tertiary public training institutions in Kenya. A stratified random sampling technique was employed to select a sample size of 160 respondents. The main data collection instruments used included questionnaires containing open ended and closed ended questions with the quantitative section of the instrument utilizing both a nominal and a Likerttype scale format. The study findings shows that supplier management factors such as supplier appraisal techniques, supplier selection strategies, supplier selection process, supplier performance methods, supplier relationship management, supplier development and supplier collaboration to a large extent influenced implementation of effective procurement practices in many tertiary public training institutions. The study recommends that managers of tertiary public training institutions should embrace effective supplier management strategies, effective supplier appraisal techniques, better supplier selection strategies, effective supplier selection process, better supplier performance methods, effective supplier relationship management techniques, supplier development and supplier collaboration initiatives.
Global unemployment, Long-run economic growth and labour market rigidities: a commentary

This short paper aims to contribute to the debate on the causes and remedies for high rates of unemployment and under-employment, which presently afflict large parts of both the North (industrial countries) and the South (developing countries). The starting point for the paper is a recent interesting and thoughtful examination of these questions by Isabelle Grunberg (1996). As against the emphasis on labour market flexibility and the concept of NAIRU, which dominate the mainstream theoretical discussions, as well as policy prescriptions for the global unemployment problem, Grunberg provides an unorthodox analysis. She regards failure on the demand side to be the main cause of unemployment and considers a range of structural factors connected with the increasing integration of the world economy (in terms of trade, finance and investment) which inhibit demand growth. The present author broadly agrees with Grunberg's general approach. This paper supplements her analysis by examining further some of the main themes presented in her contribution. Specifically, the paper will comment on the following issues: (a) The differences in the nature of the employment challenge which confronts industrial and developing countries. (b)The question of "jobless growth" and the effects of technical change on employment and unemployment. (c) The impact of globalisation and liberalisation on the rate of growth of demand in the world economy. The paper provides inter alia an analysis of the chief constraints on the demand as well as the supply side which may affect the long-term growth of output and employment in industrial and developing countries.
Variability of Gait Parameters in Different Daily Situations

Variability of Gait Parameters in Different Daily Situations Gait parameters of ten subjects were recorded in Human Motion Analysis Laboratory at Technical University of Košice to provide data for gait pattern study. Subjects were walking by their self-selected walking speed and accelerated speed of walking in 3 different situations differing with type of cloths. System SMART was used to capture 3D coordinates of subjects' movement (6 infrared cameras, 50Hz) for each specific situation and different speed. The motion data available immediately after 3D gait data reconstruction in SMART Tracker software were time dependent position, velocity and acceleration of 25 markers. They provided input for further calculation and kinematic data analysis of human gait. The data analysis conducted in program SMART analyzer provides an overview about gait parameters variability in frame of investigated group of pendants.
Relationship between the Structure of Human Finger Tissue and the Location of Tactile Receptors

There are several tactile receptors in the tissue of human fingers.In this study we calculate in detail the deformation of finger tissue when a finger comes into contact with a rigid plate using a FE(finite element)model to clarify the reason for the precise location of the receptors.The FE model is constructed using measured geometry and meterial properties.As a result, we found that the strain energy is concentrated at the tactile receptor locations.When a frictional force is applied, the stress / strain is concentrated near the edge of the contact area.By calculating the stress / strain distribution using models with / without epidermal ridges / papillae, we found that the shape of the epidermal ridges / papillae influences the stress / strain distribution near the tactile receptors.
Probing the hard and intermediate states of X-ray binaries using short time-scale variability

Below an accretion rate of approximately a few per cent of the Eddington accretion rate, X-ray binary systems are not usually found in the soft spectral state. However, at accretion rates a factor of a few lower still, in the hard state, there is another spectral transition which is well observed but not well understood. Below ~0.5-1 per cent of the Eddington accretion rate (m_crit), the spectral index hardens with increasing accretion rate, but above m_crit, although still in the hard state, the spectral index softens with increasing accretion rate. Here we use a combination of X-ray spectral fitting and a study of short time-scale spectral variability to examine the behaviour of three well-known X-ray binaries: Cygnus X-1, GX 339-4 and XTE J1118+480. In Cygnus X-1 we find separate hard and soft continuum components, and show using root-mean-square (rms) spectra that the soft component dominates the variability. The spectral transition at m_crit is clearly present in the hard-state hardness-intensity diagrams of Cygnus X-1. Above m_crit, GX 339-4 shows similar softer-when-brighter behaviour at both long and short time-scales. Similarly, XTE J1118+480, which remains well below m_crit, is harder-when-brighter behaviour on all time-scales. We interpret these results in terms of two continuum components: a hard power-law which dominates the spectra when the accretion rate is low, probably arising from Comptonisation of cyclo-synchrotron photons from the corona, and a soft power-law which dominates at higher accretion rates, arising from Comptonisation of seed photons from the accretion disc.
Study of Antioxidant Capacity and Stability of Phenolic Compounds from the Seeds of Peganum harmala

Peganum harmala (harmala) is a plant native to arid regions of the eastern Mediterranean to northern India. In vitro studies of antibacterial extracts for removing microbes have been used in traditional medicine. The antioxidant properties and total phenolic compounds extracted from Peganum harmala using water, ethanol and ethanol - water was evaluated. The highest amount of phenolic compounds from water extract, ethanol - water and then ethanol was obtained. Antioxidant activity of extracts tests to trap free radicals DPPH & ,-caroten are investigated and compared with the synthetic TBHQ antioxidant. Water and ethanol- water extract had the highest antioxidant activity in all the tests were done. The results showed that harmala seeds have high antioxidant activity, is a rich source of antioxidant compounds.
Strategies for sustaining manufacturing competitiveness: Case studies of Australian firms

This study investigates the strategies adopted by Australian manufacturing firms to sustain their local production and competitiveness, including during the period of the recent global financial crisis. Six Australian manufacturing organisations in different sectors were selected and analysed using the market-based and resource-based views, and components of the DRAMA framework. The findings highlight several factors and company efforts to sustain manufacturing operations. These organisations pursued a range of manufacturing strategies to enable distinctive offerings in the marketplace and used various ways to differentiate themselves. This was possible through the portfolio of capabilities that determine their continued production and business performance over the period. This study provides important lessons for managers in manufacturing organisations and demonstrates how differing capabilities and strategies of firms can impact the competitiveness of local production, not only in times of economic crisis but also in the long run to sustainable competitiveness in the future.
Removal of Cu2+ from aqueous solution by adsorption onto quail eggshell: Kinetic and isothermal studies

A Adsorbent prepared from quail eggshell was used for the removal of Cu2+ from aqueous solution. The surface morphology of the adsorbent was characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Experimental data obtained from batch equilibrium studies were subjected to twoparameter (Freundlich, Langmuir, Tempkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R)) and three-parameter (Redlich-Peterson, Sips, Hill and Khan) isotherm models. The experimental data were best fitted to all of the isotherms with correlation coefficient > 0.9. The adsorption energy (E) from the D-R isotherm was found to be 0.08 kJ/mol, which is an indication of physisorption favoured processes. Kinetic data were analysed with pseudo first-order, pseudo second-order, Avrami and Elovich kinetic models. The pseudo first-order and Avrami models best fitted the experimental data with correlation coefficent above 0.99 with an average relative and hybrid errors less than 5%. Intraparticle diffusion model analysis showed that the adsorption process comprises of two stages (rapid and slow phases).
OF HYBRID SOLAR CELLS BASED ON CdSe AND TiO 2 MATERIALS

Renewable energy sources are gaining popularity and have become the most preferred topic for research. Among the renewable energy sources available, sunlight is free and abundant and the solar photovoltaic (PV) systems can be installed anywhere as per the need. The PV systems convert light into electricity by using semiconductor technology. But the conventional solar cells suffers from two main problems. It can only achieve efficiencies around ten percent and their manufacturing cost is high. The first drawback, inefficiency, is almost unavoidable with silicon cells. This is because the incoming photons, or light, must have the right energy, called the band gap energy, to knock out an electron. If the photon has less energy than the band gap energy, then it will pass through. If it has more energy than the band gap, then that extra energy will be wasted as heat. To increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of a PV system, an introduction of combination of polymer and nanoparticles in cell design is fast replacing the silicon PV modules. An overview of this new technology confined to CdSe and TiO2 is presented in this paper. The properties and the advantages of the hybrid solar cell employing CdSe and TiO2 have been discussed in detail.
X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Fine Atmospheric Aerosols from a Site in Mexico City

A study was performed in the Winter of the year 2015 in a Southwestern site in the MAMC (Ciudad Universitaria), collecting PM 2.5 samples with a MiniVol. As a part of wider study focused to fully characterize aerosols at this site, an X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer (based on an Rh X-ray tube) built to analyze environmental samples, was used to characterize the sample set. A total of 16 elements (Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb) were detected in most samples and mean concentrations were calculated. Cluster analysis was also applied to the elemental concentrations to find possible correlations among the elements.
The determinants of fiscal deficit and fiscal adjustment in Côte d'Ivoire

Facing serious economic and financial difficulties from the early 1980s, Cote d'lvoire has adopted a wide range of policy reforms through adjustment programmes, supported by the World Bank, the IMF and the French International Co-operation Agency (CCCE). Fiscal adjustment, in the form of fiscal deficit (FD) reduction, has been a major component of these reforms, given the rigidities attached to monetary policy within the Franc Zone and the careless expansionary fiscal policy followed previously by the country. Using regression analysis to illustrate the fiscal profile and the determinants of fiscal deficit of Cote d'lvoire over the two past decades allows a full discussion of the instruments utilized currently for fiscal deficit reduction. It was possible to show that the government resorts chiefly to public investment (Ip) cuts and tax increases to make fiscal adjustments. In doing so, the government was right for public investment on the short run but wrong for tax rates (t). Indeed, the regression analysis showed Ip was positively linked to FD, whereas tax revenue is significantly sensitive to Ip in the medium term, which might cause FD to increase as a result of Ip cuts. Tax rates were positively linked to FD, and should be lower for FD reduction. Further investigations are necessary to shed more light on the links between instruments (those which arc utilized currently and others which exist) and GDP, which is negatively linked to FD, since the use of any policy instrument that affects GDP negatively may result in an increasing fiscal deficit thereafter. This paper contains five main sections: I states the problem; II covers the institutional framework for fiscal policy in Cote d'lvoire; III gives a description of critical economic and fiscal events in the country between 1970 and 1989; IV shows the building up of a comprehensive model; and V presents conclusions.
Effects of Danae racemosa on Testosterone Hormone in Experimental Diabetic Rats

Background: Danae racemosa is a strong antioxidant and antioxidants have significant effects on spermatogenesis, sperm biology and oxidative stress, and changes in antioxidant capacity are considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of chronic diabetes mellitus. Objective: Because STZ causes testicular dysfunction and degeneration under situations of experimentally induced diabetes in animal models, we aimed in this study Danae racemosa’s effects in decreasing the harmful effects of STZ on testicular and sperm functions b. Methods: Male Wistar rats (n = 40) were allocated into four groups: Group 1a: Control rats given 0.5 ml of 20% glycerol in 0.9% normal saline. Group 1b: Control rats given 0.5ml of 0.5 ml citrate buffer (pH4.0). Group 2: streptozotocin (STZ) treated rats. Group 3: rats given danae racemosa 400 mg/kg (gavage). Group 4: STZ treated rats given danae racemosa 400 mg/kg (gavage). Animals were kept in standard conditions. At 28 days after inducing diabetics, 5 mL blood was collected for measuring testosterone. Results: Total serum testosterone increased significantly in the group treated with danae racemosa (p < 0.05) compared with control groups. Testis weights in the diabetic groups decreased significantly in comparison with controls (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Danae racemosa had a significant protective effect on the diabetes-induced deteriorations in serum total testosterone, by reducing the levels of reactive oxygen species in serum. Therefore, it could be effective for maintaining healthy in diabetic rats.