Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Size distributions and temporal variations of biological aerosol particles in the Amazon rainforest characterized by microscopy and real-time UV-APS fluorescence techniques during AMAZE-08

Abstract. As a part of the AMAZE-08 campaign during the wet season in the rainforest of central Amazonia, an ultraviolet aerodynamic particle sizer (UV-APS) was operated for continuous measurements of fluorescent biological aerosol particles (FBAP). In the coarse particle size range (> 1 μm) the campaign median and quartiles of FBAP number and mass concentration were 7.3 × 104 m−3 (4.0–13.2 × 104 m−3) and 0.72 μg m−3 (0.42–1.19 μg m−3), respectively, accounting for 24% (11–41%) of total particle number and 47% (25–65%) of total particle mass. During the five-week campaign in February–March 2008 the concentration of coarse-mode Saharan dust particles was highly variable. In contrast, FBAP concentrations remained fairly constant over the course of weeks and had a consistent daily pattern, peaking several hours before sunrise, suggesting observed FBAP was dominated by nocturnal spore emission. This conclusion was supported by the consistent FBAP number size distribution peaking at 2.3 μm, also attributed to fungal spores and mixed biological particles by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), light microscopy and biochemical staining. A second primary biological aerosol particle (PBAP) mode between 0.5 and 1.0 μm was also observed by SEM, but exhibited little fluorescence and no true fungal staining. This mode may have consisted of single bacterial cells, brochosomes, various fragments of biological material, and small Chromalveolata (Chromista) spores. Particles liquid-coated with mixed organic-inorganic material constituted a large fraction of observations, and these coatings contained salts likely from primary biological origin. We provide key support for the suggestion that real-time laser-induce fluorescence (LIF) techniques using 355 nm excitation provide size-resolved concentrations of FBAP as a lower limit for the atmospheric abundance of biological particles in a pristine environment. We also show some limitations of using the instrument for ambient monitoring of weakly fluorescent particles
Dielectric Resonator Antennas: Basic Concepts, Design Guidelines, and Recent Developments at Millimeter-Wave Frequencies

An up-to-date literature overview on relevant approaches for controlling circuital characteristics and radiation properties of dielectric resonator antennas (DRAs) is presented. The main advantages of DRAs are discussed in detail, while reviewing the most effective techniques for antenna feeding as well as for size reduction. Furthermore, advanced design solutions for enhancing the realized gain of individual DRAs are investigated. In this way, guidance is provided to radio frequency (RF) front-end designers in the selection of different antenna topologies useful to achieve the required antenna performance in terms of frequency response, gain, and polarization. Particular attention is put in the analysis of the progress which is being made in the application of DRA technology at millimeter-wave frequencies.
An Exploration of the Monitoring and Support Mechanisms for the Teaching of the Life Orientation Curriculum in High Schools in the Fort Beaufort District, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

Abstract This paper explored the monitoring and support mechanisms in place for teaching the Life Orientation curriculum. The paper was located within the interpretivist paradigm and used a qualitative research design. Data was collected mainly through individual interviews held with 12 participants made up of teachers and principals in six high schools in the Fort Beaufort Education District in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Data analysis was done by clustering common themes and writing stories to uncover the main issues that arose. The findings revealed that there were some forms of support and monitoring strategies in place for the teaching of the Life Orientation curriculum. The paper concluded that the support from the Department was not adequate and so it recommended that the current forms of support and monitoring should be supplemented with more frequent school visits by Department officials.
Compression and Decompression of Embedded System Codes

-Embedded system depends on three factors such as performance, power consumption and cost. Memory is a key factor in such systems. Code compression is a technique used in embedded system to reduce the memory usage . It has two methods such as Bit Mask code compression and dictionary based code compression. The Bit Mask code compression is to record mismatched values and their positions to reduce the greater number of instruction. In order to reduce the code word length of high frequency instruction Bit Mask algorithm is used. In addition, a novel dictionary selection algorithm was proposed to increase the instruction match rates. Compression ratio is placed in embedded system as a key factor for memory. The compression ratio is a metric used to evaluate memory compression efficiency (compressed code size divided by original code size). So, as a result it can achieve 7.5% improvement in the compression ratio. Furthermore, the code compression technique is used by Bit Mask compression, dictionary based code compression and Golomb coding .
Genetic Diversity among Different Isolates of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in North of Iran

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary is a cosmopolitan, homothallic fungus, and is the most important causal agent of stem rot diseases in field crops of Iran. During 2011-2012, a total of 52 isolates of the fungus were collected from infected rapeseed plants (Brassica napus cultivar Hiola 401) from several fields of Northern Iran. The genetic diversity of S.sclerotiorum populations were assessed using Simple Sequence Repeat fingerprinting (SSR). By using five SSR primers, 27 haploid groups with 14 alleles polymorphism were detected. A high level of genetic diversity 52% was observed between isolates. The results showed that there were possibly high rates of out crossing, as well as, evolutionary potential within 52 isolates obtained from different geographical locations. The variability found within closely related isolates demonstrates the effectiveness of SSR marker in identifying genetic diversity. This is the first report on genetical diversity in S. sclerotiorum populations in Mazandaran province in Northern Iran.
Learning to evolve: A review of contemporary lean thinking

The application of lean thinking has made a significant impact both in academic and industrial circles over the last decade. Fostered by a rapid spread into many other industry sectors beyond the automotive industry, there has been a significant development and “localisation” of the lean concept. Despite successful “lean” applications in a range of settings however, the lean approach has been criticised on many accounts, such as the lack of human integration or its limited applicability outside high‐volume repetitive manufacturing environments. The resulting lack of definition has led to confusion and fuzzy boundaries with other management concepts. Summarising the lean evolution, this paper comments on approaches that have sought to address some of the earlier gaps in lean thinking. Linking the evolution of lean thinking to the contingency and learning organisation schools of thought, the objective of this paper is to provide a framework for understanding the evolution of lean not only as a concept, but also its implementation within an organisation, and point out areas for future research.
Methodology for accelerated monitoring and assurance of sanitary quality and food safety

of microbiological criteria and requirements for microbiological safety of products Analysis of modern requirements for the sanitary safety of food has shown the need for microbiological control for the presence of heat-resistant microorganisms, which are potential pathogens of foodborne diseases. Microbial species traditionally the main assessment of their health status such as Clostridium botulinum, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus were given. Characteristics of the phenotypes and genotypic properties of criterial microorganisms – potential causative agents of foodborne infections and poisonings are given. The study methodology and methods of control of regulated microorganisms showed failure and inaccuracy of their phenotypic diagnosis due to the
N ε-Lysine Acetylation Control Conserved in All Three Life Domains: The relative simplicity of studying microbes could prove critical for understanding this posttranslational modification system.

Working with microbes provides opportunities to better understand fundamental cellular processes, including some that, although discovered in eukaryotes, have their origins in Bacteria or Archaea. One such example, reversible N e-lysine (N e-Lys) acetylation of proteins, appears crucial for all organisms. With that universality in mind, the relative simplicity of bacteria and archaea could prove critical for advancing our understanding of how this posttranslational modification system influences cell survival.
Effects of wood chip amendments on the revegetation performance of plant species on eroded marly terrains in a Mediterranean mountainous climate (Southern Alps, France)

Abstract. The establishment of plant species can limit soil erosion dynamics in degraded lands. In marly areas in the Southern French Alps, both harsh water erosion and drought conditions in summer due to the Mediterranean mountainous climate prevent the natural implementation and regeneration of vegetation. Soil fertility improvement is sometimes necessary. With the purpose of revegetating such areas, we aimed to evaluate the effects of wood chip amendments on the revegetation performance of different native or sub-spontaneous plant species. We conducted two experiments on steep slopes over three growing seasons (2012–2014). The first consisted of planting seedlings (10 species), and the second consisted of seeding (nine species including six used in the first experiment). First we noted that wood chips were able to remain in place even in steep slope conditions. The planting of seedlings showed both an impact of wood chip amendment and differences between species. A positive effect of wood chips was shown with overall improvement of plant survival (increasing by 11 % on average, by up to 50 % for some species). In the seeding experiment, no plants survived after three growing seasons. However, intermediate results for the first and second years showed a positive effect of wood chips on seedling emergence: seeds of four species only sprouted on wood chips, and for the five other species the average emergence rate increased by 50 %.
Nutrient transports in the Baltic Sea – results from a 30-year physical–biogeochemical reanalysis

Abstract. Long-term oxygen and nutrient transports in the Baltic Sea are reconstructed using the Swedish Coastal and Ocean Biogeochemical model (SCOBI) coupled to the Rossby Centre Ocean model (RCO). Two simulations with and without data assimilation covering the period 1970–1999 are carried out. Here, the weakly coupled scheme with the Ensemble Optimal Interpolation (EnOI) method is adopted to assimilate observed profiles in the reanalysis system. The reanalysis shows considerable improvement in the simulation of both oxygen and nutrient concentrations relative to the free run. Further, the results suggest that the assimilation of biogeochemical observations has a significant effect on the simulation of the oxygen-dependent dynamics of biogeochemical cycles. From the reanalysis, nutrient transports between sub-basins, between the coastal zone and the open sea, and across latitudinal and longitudinal cross sections are calculated. Further, the spatial distributions of regions with nutrient import or export are examined. Our results emphasize the important role of the Baltic proper for the entire Baltic Sea, with large net transport (export minus import) of nutrients from the Baltic proper into the surrounding sub-basins (except the net phosphorus import from the Gulf of Riga and the net nitrogen import from the Gulf of Riga and Danish Straits). In agreement with previous studies, we found that the Bothnian Sea imports large amounts of phosphorus from the Baltic proper that are retained in this sub-basin. For the calculation of sub-basin budgets, the location of the lateral borders of the sub-basins is crucial, because net transports may change sign with the location of the border. Although the overall transport patterns resemble the results of previous studies, our calculated estimates differ in detail considerably.
Teacher’s Competence and Performance, its effect on pupil Achievement in Upper Primary Education in Mozambique; What does SACMEQ data tell us?

The aim of this paper is to evaluate teacher competence and its effect in pupil performance in upper primary education in Mozambique. Mozambican pupil performance declined significantly from SACMEQ [1] II in 2000 to SACMEQ III in 2007. Among the countries participating in SACMEQ studies, Mozambique was one of the few countries that registered a substantial decline in reading and mathematics achievement. The Mozambique mean score for reading was 516 in 2000 while in 2007 476. This paper describes and compares the teacher’s profile and teacher’s effect on pupil achievement between 2000 and 2007. The research applies partial least square path model (PLSPM), and hierarchical linear model (HLM) to explore the effect of factors such as; teacher’s cognitive, behavioural and affective domain on pupil achievement. The findings suggest that teacher’s effectiveness has reduced drastically (from 2/3 to 1/3 of explained variation), from 2000 to 2007, despite of no significant changes in the teachers’ profile in the same period. [1] SACMEQ-Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Education Quality-SACMEQ's mission is to monitor and evaluate the condition of schooling and the quality of education with technical assistance from UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP). The first major cross-national study, SACMEQI, was carried out 1995, involving in 12 countries with Mozambique only taking part in SACMEQII in 2000 and SACMEQ III in 2007.
The role of corporate and investor taxes in affecting corporate policies: A review of John R. Graham articles

John R. Graham has contributed tremendously to the development of tax research and capital structure through 12 of his articles and his 2003 paper “Taxes and corporate finance: A review” is of particular significance. This paper summarizes his articles and highlights the substantial progress that he has made on the role of taxes in corporate financial decision.
One-dimensional nanomaterials for energy storage

The search for higher energy density, safer, and longer cycling-life energy storage systems is progressing quickly. One-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials have a large length-to-diameter ratio, resulting in their unique electrical, mechanical, magnetic and chemical properties, and have wide applications as electrode materials in different systems. This article reviews the latest hot topics in applying 1D nanomaterials, covering both their synthesis and their applications. 1D nanomaterials can be grouped into the categories: carbon, silicon, metal oxides, and conducting polymers, and we structure our discussion accordingly. Then, we survey the unique properties and application of 1D nanomaterials in batteries and supercapacitors, and provide comments on the progress and advantages of those systems, paving the way for a better understanding of employing 1D nanomaterials for energy storage.
Organic Food Market in Poland – Main Characteristics and Factors of Development

Abstract Since the early nineties of the twentieth century in the international arena began the interest in the issues of sustainable consumption and production. Undoubtedly, an important category of products, which have a significant impact on the environment, are food products. The intensive agriculture focused mainly on performance and reduction of manufacturing costs leads inevitably to destructive actions that have measurable adverse effects on the environment. The main aim of this paper is to present the results of consumer research concerning attitudes and opinions of customers towards organic food products. In a society the awareness of the importance of organic production for society is growing. However, the interest in organic products appears to be still relatively small. In these circumstances it seems to be important to discover and describe the factors which could potentially increase the interest of the costumers in organic food, which would lead to the growth in the demand for it.
Quantifying Neighborhood Racial and Ethnic Transition Clusters in Multiethnic Cities

Dynamic racial and ethnic transitions are a critically important aspect of urban neighborhood social geography and demography, which receive little attention from urban analysts compared to static racial and ethnic patterns. To determine whether cluster analysis could bring analytic power to the study of neighborhood racial and ethnic change in multigroup context, we performed a case study of Los Angeles County during the period 1990 to 2000, using the prediction strength technique to determine empirically, rather than arbitrarily, how many clusters fit the data. Clustering identifies which combinations of the direction and magnitude of groups' local changes drive local trends across the region and, equally important, those that do not. The case study supports the conclusion that cluster analysis serves as a powerful data-mining technique for local racial and ethnic trends, and will yield satisfactory results for any region at any scale. [Key words: Neighborhood transition, succession, human ecology, racial/ ethnic change. ]
Capacitive effects on quantitative dopant profiling with scanned electrostatic force microscopes

A force‐based scanning Kelvin probe microscope has been applied to the problem of dopant profiling in silicon. Initial data analysis assumed the detected electrostatic force couples the sample and only the tip at the end of a force sensing cantilever. Attempts to compare measurements quantitatively against device structures with this simple model failed. A significant contribution arises from the electrostatic force between the sample and the entire cantilever, which depends strongly upon the relative size of the tip, cantilever, and lateral inhomogeneities in the surface topography and material composition of the sample. Actual and simulated measurements which demonstrate the characteristic signature of this effect are presented.
GameChanger) Multifunctional Design of Hybrid Composites of Load Bearing Antennas

Abstract : Under this AFOSR GameChanger we carried out groundbreaking research by developing methods and materials to realize small and conformal structurally integrated antennas for unmanned airborne vehicles (UAVs). We are proud to report several groundbreaking developments in all areas. Among them we (a) developed a conformal, load-bearing antenna technology by embroidering e-fibers on polymer composites, (b) Characterized performance of the e-fibers in terms of core and specific strength for load-bearing applications, (c) Developed a new principles DFT method for systematic search of ferromagnetic, low conductivity nanowires, (d) Developed a strategy for increasing permittivity and permeability proportionately using magnetic nanowires combined with conventional high contrast materials for antenna miniaturization, (e) demonstrated theoretical feasibility of laminate EM materials that alter wave propagation characteristics, critical to future miniaturization efforts, (f) Developed a multi-time scaling model and algorithm for coupling mechanical and EM solutions in real time, critical to multiphysics coupled EM-Structural analysis, (g) Extended our new domain decomposition algorithm to 3-D space and characterized more complex/intricate details on large platforms such as e-fibers embroidered on UAV platforms. In addition to this report, our ground breaking work under this program has been published in over 120 journal papers and over 70 conference summaries.
Towards more security in biometric system using Liveness Detection

With the advancement of technology, security has become the need of the hour for every system. Traditional security schemes like cryptography solve this issue to a great extent but still the security relies on size of secret keys. As the size of secret key increases the level of security also advances. The infeasibility to remember the large sized secret key is a problem for the users. To tackle this problem biometric System are used. Biometric System work on the principle of recognizing individuals based on their physiological and behavioral characteristics. Hence, any biometric recognition system requires a human trait. But what if these traits are artificial? i.e. the biometric traits are made up of silicon, gelatin, play-doh etc. With the widespread deployment of biometric systems in various applications, there are increasing concerns about the fraudulent attacks. Liveness detection is a solution to the above mentioned concern. Here in this paper, we focus on various biometric traits on which liveness can be performed and further how it can be performed.
The Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility and Proﬁtability: The Case of Dangote Cement Plc

This study seeks to find out the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) investment and profitability of Dangote Cement Plc using secondary data. The study assesses the impact of CSR investment on Dangote’s increase in revenue, profit after tax (PAT), and earnings per share (EPS) over a period of 5years. To achieve this, data were obtained from Dangote’s annual sustainability reports and accounts for the period of 2012-2016 and analyzed using content analysis such as tables, percentages and using the trend line analysis to get the linear correlation coefficient (R-square). Findings from the analysis show that there is a positive relationship between CSR investment and profitability. Thus, Revenue shows 67.81% degree of positive relationship, profit after tax (PAT) depicts 54.28% degree of positive relationship and 60.79% is attributed to the degree of positive relationship between Earning per share (EPS) and CSR investment of Dangote cement Plc within the observed period (2012-2016). The study concludes that Dangote’s CSR investment is positively correlated with the profitability performance indicators.
Error Analysis and Compensation of Gyrocompass Alignment for SINS on Moving Base

An improved method of gyrocompass alignment for strap-down inertial navigation system (SINS) on moving base assisted with Doppler velocity log (DVL) is proposed in this paper. After analyzing the classical gyrocompass alignment principle on static base, implementation of compass alignment on moving base is given in detail. Furthermore, based on analysis of velocity error, latitude error, and acceleration error on moving base, two improvements are introduced to ensure alignment accuracy and speed: (1) the system parameters are redesigned to decrease the acceleration interference and (2) a data repeated calculation algorithm is used in order to shorten the prolonged alignment time caused by changes in parameters. Simulation and test results indicate that the improved method can realize the alignment on moving base quickly and effectively.