Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New indicators to measure Biodiversity? Comparison of biodiversity offset programs implemented by two mining companies in Madagascar

In this article we examine the institutional strategies and methods of biodiversity offset calculation employed by two mining companies in Madagascar. Much like the REDD+ mechanisms, these environmental projects are based on past estimations and future predictions, and require validation by international experts. They incorporate a set of standard indicators adapted to the affected habitats, and specially developed units of measurement to demonstrate equivalence. The complex and diverse mitigation portfolios of these companies include aspects of both in-kind and financial compensation, and allow the combination of different types of programs that may be developed directly by the company or delegated to conservation non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Beyond scientific innovations and institutional strategies, the question remains whether or not these mechanisms will lead to new paradigms and players in conservation or simply become incorporated into existing schemes developed by conservation NGOs and national park authorities. (Resume d'auteur)
Components of a learning model relating to health promotion for at-risk people of lifestyle diseases

Obesity prevalence among people is increasing globally. Health Promoting Policy has been initiated in Thailand to tackle this problem. This qualitative study aimed to find out the components of a learning model from 2 best practice villages, focusing on 3 main issues — food, exercise, and emotion. Author uses in-depth interviews method and information was analyzed with content-analysis techniques in understanding key components of how to uplift health promotion. The findings comprise of 8 components: (1) Learning from problem identification, (2) Developing Health promotion policy, (3) Establishing health promotion community school, (4) Selecting learners/trainers of the community, 5) Learning from role models and Thai Wisdom, (6) Designing health promotion practices, (7) Taking actions, developing self-efficiency, and creating self-confidence with new practices, (8) Specifying standards of community health promotion and documenting the results. These findings are relevant to movements for Thai people to take a meaning perspective in looking after their heath.
Supergravity, α-attractors and primordial non-Gaussianity

We compute in detail how deviations from Einstein gravity at the inflation energy scale could appear as non-Gaussian features in the sky. To illustrate this we use multi-field α-attractor models in the framework of supergravity to realise inflation. We find no obvious obstacle for having choices of model's parameters that generate non-Gaussian features of the equilateral and local type at the 𝒪(1) level in the fNL non-Gaussianity parameter, thus being potentially detectable in future cosmological surveys. This non-Gaussianity has its origin in either the non-canonical kinetic term (which, in turn, is an immediate consequence of assuming an hyperbolic geometry of the moduli space), the interactions of the fields in the potential or the α-parameter, or a combination of these three. This opens up the exciting possibility of constraining the law of gravity at energy scales close to the Planck one.
Modèles et architectures d'interaction interne et externe pour cartes à microprocesseur ouvertes

La carte a microprocesseur a, en presque trente ans d'existence, conquis nos poches en rendant discretement une multitude de services dans des domaines aussi varies que la finance ou la telephonie. Aborder la carte a puce est un peu comme jouer a Tetris, jeu d'encastrement de polyominos. Ses contraintes materielles sont si fortes qu'il faut arranger avec une compacite maximale les composants logiciels lui donnant corps. Son utilisation ne saurait se concevoir sans l'existence d'application cliente issue d'un systeme d'information reparti dans lequel elle s'integre. Ceci induit alors un second type de puzzle, consistant a emboiter applications encartees et distantes, non trivial du fait des caracteristiques des cartes en termes de presence et de communication. L'emergence de cartes dites ouvertes, embarquant et executant plusieurs applications non-concurrentes, a enfin engendre un dernier type d'emboitement, visant a faire cooperer plusieurs applications encartees.
HIGH SPEED LOW POWER EMBEDDED DRAM DESIGN FOR DIGITAL APPLICATIONS

2 ABSTRACT: In this paper a fully synchronous circuit for embedded DRAMs is presented. It realizes accurate DRAM timing control, and easy timing adjustment, power dissipation analysis for 3T DRAM cell and 4T DRAM cell design have been carried out for the Nanoscale technology. Many advanced processors now have on chip instructions and data memory using DRAMs. The major contribution of power dissipation in DRAM cell is off-state leakage current. Thus, improving the power efficiency of a DRAM cell is critical to the overall system power dissipation. This paper investigates the effectiveness of 3T DRAM cell and 4T DRAM cell circuit design techniques and power dissipation analysis. 3T DRAM cell is designed with the semantic design technique for the analysis of power dissipation using CADENCE Tool. In this paper, we have taken two circuits of dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Read and write operation for single bit storage of 3T DRAM and 4T DRAM circuit is shown by simulating it on Tanner EDA tool.
On the Modeling of Surface Tension and its Applications by the Generalized Interpolation Material Point Method

This paper presents a numerical procedure to model surface tension using the Generalized Interpolation Material Point (GIMP) method which employs a background mesh in solving the equations of motion. The force due to surface tension is formulated at the mesh grid points by using the continuum surface force (CSF) model and then added to the equations of motion at each grid point. In GIMP, we use the grid mass as the color function in CSF and apply a moving average smoothing scheme to the grid mass to improve the accuracy in calculating the surface interface. The algorithm, named as GIMP-CSF, is implemented using the software package Uintah and benchmarked by three numerical examples: static equilibrium of a 2D liquid drop, dynamic evolution of a square drop in 2D and 3D, and the capillary rise. The benchmark results, when compared to analytical solutions and those obtained by other approaches, demonstrated the accuracy and effectiveness of the GIMP-CSF algorithm.
A Case of Dengue Virus and Enterovirus Co-Infection

A 8 month old boy with diagnosis of dengue fever was hospitalised due to fever, lethargy and vomit. Clinical examination showed: lethargy, rale in the lungs, dehydration, low blood pressure, tachycardia, diarrhoea, no rashes and blisters on the skin. Investigation showed: 7.69 g/l protein in CSF, Cerebral Oedema in the skull CT scanners. 12 hours after admission, he had convulsion and apnoea; one hour latter he developed the sign of shock. The management was as dengue shock syndrome protocol, but the child deteriorated and died. The latter investigation indicated a positive test with enterovirus.
Development of an energy management model for Chalmers’ microgrid: Application for cost-benefit analysis of battery energy storage

A microgrid is a portion of a larger grid which can be operated independently, thus it is seen as a single entity from the main grid which can be operated in grid connected or island mode. The microgrid consists of distributed energy resources (DER), energy storage system (ESS) and loads which can be controllable. This thesis is a pre-study regarding Chalmers’ grid as a microgrid. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the technical and economical performance of Chalmers’ microgrid. In this thesis, a database containing grid data and load profiles for the Chalmers’ grid was established. This database was used as input in the developed energy management model (EMM) for the microgrid, which is a planning model used to schedule and optimize own generation, flexible loads and energy storage within the microgrid. A microgrid simulation platform (MSP) was developed containing the EMM in GAMS and data handling in MATLAB enabling simulations with varying input parameters such as ESS capacity and its location. The MSP is used for benefit-cost analysis of different ESS sizes and locations, and finally for case studies regarding increased amounts of renewable energy (solar PV), island mode operation and vehicle to grid technology (V2G). Results from the analysis show that the total annual cost of electricity can be reduced by 8.43% by including 6 MWh of Li-ion battery storage and increasing the amount of local solar energy to 3 MWp, while also enabling the grid to be operated in island mode for 1 hour periods. With today’s battery prices and expected lifetime, investing in a higher amount of solar PVs and a smaller ESS yields the best investment. The case studies show that running the microgrid in island operation is possible, however to do so for a long time requires a large size of ESS. By running part of Chalmers’ grid as a microgrid, thus having a higher generation to load ratio, the ESS size could be decreased. With increases in renewable energy capacity at Chalmers, the size of batteries to accomplish island-mode operation is reduced. The V2G technology enables the batteries of the vehicles to act as a distributed ESS. The results show that the benefits gained by including electric vehicles are less than the benefits gained by stationary battery storage. This is due to the vehicles being present within the grid during daytime, thus the batteries cannot be charged during the night when electricity prices are lower. There are economical benefits to be gained from operating Chalmers’ grid as a microgrid, however, the investment cost in battery energy storage today is high compared to the benefits gained. Other benefits gained by microgrid operation include enhanced reliability and increased local control. Keywords: Optimal power flow (OPF), Microgrid, Campus, Energy storage system (ESS), Cost-benefit analysis
Market Valuation of Tax-Timing Options: Evidence from Capital Gains Distributions

We examine a distribution that is taxed as a capital gain rather than as a dividend. Since the distribution induces a realized capital gain while the price change is an unrealized gain, ex-day return behavior provides evidence of the value of tax-timing capital gains. We show that investors are compensated 7¢ in unrealized gains for each dollar of realized capital gains, that is, $1 of realized capital gains is equivalent to 93¢ of unrealized gains. An investor with a tax rate on realized gains of 15% has an effective tax rate on unrealized capital gains of 8.6%. Copyright 2006 by The American Finance Association.
Ecology and Conservation of the Critically Endangered Tree Species Gymnocladus assamicus in Arunachal Pradesh, India

Gymnocladus assamicus is a critically endangered leguminous tree species endemic to Northeast India. Mature pods of the trees yield soap material and are collected by local people for domestic purposes and religious activities. G. assamicus grows on hill slopes and along banks of streams. Male and hermaphrodite flowers are borne by separate individual trees. Altogether 28 mature trees were documented from nine populations. Of these, very few regenerating trees were found. This species regenerates only through seeds. The major constraints to natural regeneration are overharvesting of mature fruits, habitat destruction, grazing, predation of seeds by scatter-hoarding animals, poor percentage of seed germination due to their hard-waxy seed coats, and the lack of seed dispersal. Effective conservation initiatives should emphasize sustainable harvesting of mature pods, awareness among local people, and preservation of surviving individuals of the species. Nonetheless, reintroduction of the species to suitable ecological habitats is also recommended.
Hematological profile in visceral leishmaniasis

INTRODUCTION: Visceral Leishmaniasis is the most severe form of leishmaniasis and can be fatal in the absence of treatment. Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Brazil and Sudan constitute five countries of the world where more than 90% of visceral leishmaniasis occurs. The aim of this study is to evaluate haematological profile with available clinical data in visceral leishmaniasis patients and to detect LD bodies among them. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It is a hospital based cross sectional study conducted in the Department of Pathology, BPKIHS, Dharan, for the period of one year. LD bodies were calculated in bone marrow aspirate of forty clinically suspected cases by counting the number of parasites per 100 consecutive oil immersion fields. RESULTS: The age ranged from 2-60 years. Pyerxia was the most common sign (100%) followed by splenomegaly (82.5%), hepatomegaly (65%), and pallor (75%). Anemia was present in 90%, leucopenia in 67.5% and thrombocytopenia in 72.5% cases. Bicytopenia and pancytopenia were observed in 40% and 25% cases, respectively. On peripheral examination RBCs were predominantly normocytic normochromic. On bone marrow examination normocellular marrow and megaloblastic features were predominant findings followed by increased plasma cells. Low, moderate and high grade LD bodies were present in 7.5%, 37.5% and 55% of the cases respectively. Hepatomegaly, anemia, neutropenia and lymphocytosis were statistically significant to parasite load (p-value <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Besides LD bodies in bone marrow aspirates, dyserythroblastic changes and increase plasma cells are common findings in leishmaniasis. Patient from endemic area with positive clinical history and findings should be examined for LD bodies in marrow if dyserythroblastic and increase plasma cell picture is found. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3126/ijim.v2i2. 8320 Int J Infect Microbiol 2013;2(2):39-44
A Taxonomy of Motivational Affordances for Meaningful Gamified and Persuasive Technologies

Sustainable human-computer interaction is investigating the role of persuasive and gamified technologies in encouraging people to engage in a more sustainable lifestyle. Motivation is a key requirement for behavior change, yet many persuasive systems do not sufficiently account for motivational aspects. In this paper we investigate under which circumstances components such as feedback and game elements (e.g., rewards) afford user motivation. The result is a taxonomy of design components that is grounded in well-established psychological theories on motivation. We illustrate how the taxonomy can contribute to the design of meaningful persuasive technologies by discussing a case study from the domain of sustainable mobility behavior (the project GoEco! ).
Cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure: From the case to review of literature

In response to an increased workload due to physiological or pathological stimuli, the heart may undergo a process of growth with increased muscle mass, the cardiac hypertrophy, in which the increase in weight is greater than 95% of the normal limit in relation to body weight and sex (1). The estimated prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in the population is around 16% (2). Cardiac hypertrophy is a unique mechanism of long term compensation used by the heart to adapt permanently to a greater workload. This may be due to a pressure overload (like in hypertensive patients and in people who practice power sports, such as weight lifting) or to a volume overload (like in endurance sports such as cycling, marathon, swimming or in the case of heart valve insufficiency) (3). Although representing a compensation mechanism, several studies showed that cardiac hypertrophy increases the cardiovascular morbidity and mortality (4,5). In early stage, it can maintain adequate cardiac function, but after a variable period of time may evolve to contractile dysfunction and heart failure (3). In fact, the peculiar and unusual structural, molecular and metabolic features of hypertrophic heart, that in the initial phase allow an increase of cardiac function, over a certain limit decrease the contractile efficiency and cause the evolution of hypertrophy in heart failure (6). The latter represents an important cause of death, presenting an annual mortality rate ranging between 10% and 20% depending on its severity, reaching 30-40% at one year after the onset of symptoms (7). In this paper we report a rare case of extremely high degree of concentric cardiac hypertrophy (cardiomegaly) and a detailed analysis of the pathogenic mechanisms occurring in the determination of deadly event.
The impact of the European Banking Union’s Single Supervisory Mechanism on corporate governance practices in European banks

Weak corporate governance in financial institutions has been a contributing factor of the financial crisis. The topic has, therefore, become the key priorities of banking supervision, because one of the takeaways was that. The article gives an overview about the newly established European Banking Union and about its structure focusing on the first pillar, the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM). In a second step, the focus is laid on the recent regulatory changes regarding corporate governance, the related supervisory practice and implications for European banks. Overall, the conducted changes in the regulatory framework, especially regarding corporate governance, seem to meet the objective of ensuring safety and soundness of the European banking system. Room for improvement is found regarding proportionality and transparency of the supervisory practices as well as its influence on banks’ profitability.
Predictive modelling of the distribution of two critically endangered Dipterocarp trees: Implications for conservation of riparian forests in Borneo

Riparian forests of Malaysian Borneo exhibit high tree species diversity. However, many of the tree species found in these riparian forests are conservation dependant, with their current conservation status (sensu IUCN Red List) varying from vulnerable to critically endangered. The present study had two objectives. Firstly, to identify the environmental factors associated with the distribution of two critically endangered tree species, Shorea johorensis and Shorea inappendiculata using a small number of occurrence records. Secondly, the research seeks to predict suitable habitat and distribution of these two species. The occurrence data and environmental variables are incorporated within a maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model to predict the distribution of the species and identify the environmental variables that influence the distribution. The research shows that for a small study area, the bioclimatic variables are relatively insignificant while factors such as, land use, tree cover play a prominent role in determining distribution of tree species.
Species of the Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and C. boninense complexes associated with olive anthracnose

The taxonomic status of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides sensu lato (s.l.) associated with olive anthracnose is still undetermined and the pathogenic ability of this species complex is controversial. In the present study, isolates obtained from olive and provisionally identified as C. gloeosporioides s.l. on the basis of morphological and cultural features were reclassified using ITS and TUB2 as DNA barcode markers and referred to seven distinct species, recently separated within C. gloeosporioides (C. aenigma, C. gloeosporioides sensu stricto (s.s.), C. kahawae, C. queenslandicum, C. siamense and C. theobromicola) and C. boninense (C. karstii) species complexes. Furthermore, isolates of C. kahawae were ascribed to the subspecies ciggaro by analysing the GS gene. A single isolate, not in either of these two species complexes, was not identified at the species level. In pathogenicity tests on detached olive drupes some of these species, including C. aenigma, C. kahawae subsp. ciggaro, C. queenslandicum, C. siamense and C. karstii, were shown to be weakly pathogenic. Moreover, they were found very sporadically on olive. In contrast, some isolates of C. gloeosporioides s.s. and isolates of C. theobromicola proved to be virulent on both green and ripening olives. This study gives a better insight into both the aetiology and the epidemiology of olive anthracnose and might have implications for biosecurity and quarantine because C. theobromicola has never been reported in major European olive-producing countries.
Photosynthesis by Thin Leaf Slices in Solution II. Osmotic Stress and Its Effects on Photosynthesis

The effects of osmotic stresses on photosynthetic 14C02 fixation by cotton leaf slices were investigated. Using mannitol and sodium chloride as examples of osmotica which entered leaf cells fairly slowly, and ethylene glycol as a rapidly permeating osmoticum, the relative importance of different components of tissue water status in inhibiting carbon fixation was studied.
Adoption of International Financial Accounting Reporting Standards: The Chanllenges of Difinition and Implementation

This study examines the International Financial Accounting Reporting Standards adoption practices around the world and the way these practices are reflected in the financial statements of companies in different countries. It also examines the incentives/ motivations for the variations in the type of International Financial Accounting Reporting Standards adopted by various countries and the meaning they attached to the term ‘IFRS adoption’. To this end extant literature on International Financial Accounting Reporting Standards adoption was reviewed . Findings indicates that IFRS adoption officially means the undiluted application of all International Financial Accounting Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board without any deviation but that many countries have not adhered to this meaning of The study recommends that the International Financial Accounting Reporting Standards Foundation should carry out post implementation surveys and publish on a regular basis, a ranking of countries according to their International Financial Accounting Reporting Standards compliance status. The study also recommends that a Global Quality Corporation Union be established to act as the umbrella body of corporations that are complying with International Financial Accounting Reporting Standards. Keywords: International Financial Reporting Standards, adoption, convergence, comparability, national standards
Hunting Fat Gnu: How to Identify a Proxytype

Think about a gnu, a fat one. Ready? You have just tokened a proxytype. Or at least that’s how Jesse Prinz would have it in his recent book, Furnishing the Mind: Concepts and Their Perceptual Basis (MIT, 2002). According to Prinz, “concepts are proxytypes, where proxytypes are perceptually derived representations [in long-term memory networks] that can be recruited by working memory to represent a category,”1 like the gnu category. Your GNU proxytype stands in as a proxy for what it represents, the gnu category. Your GNU proxytype may be active or inactive. It is inactive when you have the GNU concept but are not currently using it in a thought. Inactive proxytypes are stored in long-term memory networks along with your standing knowledge; for example, your knowledge that gnu are four-legged creatures. But when you think the thought that gnu have four legs or that some gnu are fat, you activate your GNU concept and store it briefly in working memory; that is, you token your GNU proxytype. On this view, thinking is a simulation process. “Tokening a proxytype is generally tantamount to entering a perceptual state of the kind one would be in if one were to experience the thing it represents. One can simulate the manipulation of real objects by manipulating proxytypes of them in their absence. ”2 So when you thought about a fat gnu a few moments ago, you presumably tokened your GNU proxytype and perhaps extruded its belly shape.3