Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BI-ANISOTROPIC PARTICLES AND CHIRAL INCLUSIONS FOR HIGHLY-EFFICIENT ELECTROMAGNETIC ENERGY HARVESTING

We present an analytical analysis of a metasurface-based ambient electromagnetic energy harvesting system in which the bi-anisotropic particles loaded with a resistor are used. The proposed metasurface composed of an array of bi-anisotropic particles referred to as an electromagnetic energy harvester that can capture the ambient incident electromagnetic wave energy with a radiative to AC conversation efficiency of around 100%. The captured energy by metasurface is delivered to the load. The load acts as the input impedance of a rectification circuit in a rectenna system. The derived optimal polarizable inclusions can be applied to design bi-anisotropic metasurfaces which can be used for electromagnetic energy harvesting. Finally, the optimal dimensions of a typical chiral structure have been calculated to achieve maximum efficiency for circularly polarized propagating waves.
AdS-Kerr black holes

Phase transitions for rotating asymptotically anti-de Sitter black holes in four dimensions are described in the P − T plane, in terms of the Hawking temperature and the pressure provided by the cosmological constant. The difference between constant angular momentum and constant angular velocity is highlighted, the former has a second order phase transition while the latter does not. If the angular momentum is fixed there a line of first order phase transitions terminating at a critical point with a second order phase transition and vanishing latent heat, while if the angular velocity is fixed there is a line of first order phase transitions terminating at a critical point with infinite latent heat. For constant angular velocity the analytic form of the phase boundary is determined, latent heats derived and the Clapeyron equation verified. PACS nos: 04.60. -m; 04.70. Dy
Revisiting the NBFC Crisis *

Even while the effort to resolve the crisis resulting from non-performing assets in the banking sector was underway, India’s financial sector was overwhelmed by failures of large non-bank financial companies. In the discussion that followed the collapse of these NBFCs, the emphasis has been on the absence of due diligence, poor financial management and downright fraud. While the environment these firms found themselves in did encourage such tendencies, there were structural reasons why these institutions accumulated bad assets, which are often ignored.
The effect of Airbnb on house prices in Amsterdam A study of the side effects of a disruptive start-up in the new sharing economy

Since its founding in 2008, Airbnb has grown into one of the most successful start-ups in the United States taking the world by storm. However, over the past few years there has been a growing controversy about the side effects Airbnb might have. One aspect of this controversy is the effect Airbnb might have on house prices. This thesis investigates this by looking at the effect of Airbnb on house prices in Amsterdam using the high quality house price data from the Dutch Association of Realtors (NVM) and Airbnb data from Inside Airbnb over a period from 2000-2015. A hedonic regression model is used to analyse the data. The regression produces significant results indicating that, on average, house prices increase by 0.42% per increase in Airbnb density by 10,000 reviews posted in a 1,000 meter radius around the property in the period 12 months before the transaction date. An additional analysis shows that by 2015 the total value created by Airbnb for home owners in Amsterdam, via the house prices, is just over 79 million Euros. Acknowledgements This thesis is the final chapter in my academic career. For the first time I have been able to fully decide my own course of action, while at the same time embarking on journey to research something entirely new. There was no detailed road map to follow, only a general structure. I have to thank my supervisor dhr. dr. M.I. Dröes for his support and suggestions which have been invaluable, especially during the summer holidays. Also I would like to thank the University of Amsterdam for providing the education, which gave me the knowledge and tools to write this thesis. In addition I would like to thank the NVM for providing the house price data. Statement of originality This document is written by student V.M. van der Bijl, who declares to take full responsibility for the contents of this document. I declare that the text and the work presented in this document is original and that no sources other than those mentioned in the text and its references have been used in creating it. The Faculty of Economics and Business is responsible solely for the supervision of completion of the work, not for the contents. 1 De Nederlandse Vereniging van Makelaars o.g. en vastgoeddeskundigen Table of contents Abstract . 1 Acknowledgements . 1 Statement of originality . 1
METABOLIC SYNDROME

There are different definitions of the metabolic syndrome that have been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Group for Study of Insulin Resistance (EGIR), the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel (NCEP), and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) separately since 1998. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome reported from different studies has varied widely, mainly because of differences in the definitions of the syndrome and in the characteristics of the populations studied. There are. several studies including a large population-based Italian study, the Framingham Offspring Study, the Botnia Study, the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Study, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey II Mortality Study, the San Antonio Heart Study, and the DECODE study have shown that metabolic syndrome is associated with an approximate 2-fold increase in the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality [1].
COMPARISON OF IMAGING CAPSULES TO ENDOSCOPY AND COLONOSCOPY

A review of the modern imaging on the human body, by the use of a "PillCam" This is a pill that can take pictures inside the body, revolutionizing medical diagnoses. Correspondence Address Maxim Barnett, MB BCh Student, University of Buckingham. Email: 1500633@buckingham.ac. uk
Feed intake and feed conversion efficiency of crossbred calves as an effect of fibrolytic microbes and enzymes

Effect of fibrolytic microbes and enzymes on feed intake and feed efficiency was evaluated in cross-bred calves. Twenty crossbred (Holstein Friesian x Kankrej) calves were allotted to five treatments (each treatment had one male and three female calves) with similar body weight (85.70±6.37 kg) and age (167.55± 21.70 days). Experimental calves of control group were offered hybrid napier untreated and other groups were offered hybrid napier treated with fungus- Aspergillus spp. (1× 107 per g feed), fibrolytic bacteria-Escherichia spp. (106 CFU per g feed), xylanase (50 ml/kg having xylanase 1.2 IU/ml), and 1/3 dose of fungus + bacteria + enzyme. Nutrients intake of crossbred calves were sufficient to satisfy the nutrients requirements. Dry matter intake of cross-bred calves in bacteria (3.07±0.07) and enzyme (3.07±0.08) fed was statistically at par with control and consortia. Feeding effect of fungus, bacteria, enzyme and consortium on percent dry matter intake, dry matter intake per kg gain, DCP intake, percent DCP intake and DCP intake kg per body weight gain was not significant. While TDN intake was statistically (P<0.05) lower in bacterial fed (1.95±0.04) than control and fungus fed but at par with enzyme and consortium. Feed conversion efficiency in terms of DM, DCP and TDN were non-significant among the treatments. To conclude, isolated fibrolytic fungi, bacteria and enzyme were by and large not effective in improving feed intake and feed efficiency of cross-bred calves.
DECIDING TO DRY-OFF: DOES LEVEL OF PRODUCTION MATTER?

The dry period is a crucial phase in the lactation cycle of a dairy cow. Dairy managers aim to dry off pregnant cows to achieve a dry period of appropriate length to maximise productivity in the next lactation (5,6,7,17,19). The herd average dry period length is correlated with herd average milk production (12). A dry period of 60 days is considered ideal. As the herd average days dry deviates from 60 days, average milk production of the herd decreases. However, as the genetic potential for milk production continues to increase, it becomes a management challenge to stop milk production in high producing individuals in order to achieve the 60 day goal.
Effects of Dietary Carbohydrate Composition on Rumen Fermentation Characteristics and Microbial Population in Vitro

The objective of the experiment was to evaluate the effects of dietary carbohydrate composition on rumen fermentation characteristics and microbial populations in vitro. The treatments were organized in three different carbohydrate composition diets: the wheat fibre rich diet (WF) (67.2% wheat bran and 25.7% corn grain in concentration), mixed diet (MD) (45.1% wheat bran and 34.3% corn grain) and corn starch rich diet (CS) (2.1% wheat bran and 63.8% corn grain), respectively (n=6). The results showed that consumption of CS diet led to a decrease in NH3-N (ammonia nitrogen) concentration (P<0.05), and microbial protein concentration were increased (P<0.05). They indicated more efficient ruminal NH3-N utilization and microbial protein (MCP) synthesis with increasing corn starch proportion. Compared with WF diet, concentrations of acetate, propionate and TVFA (total volatile fat acid) were increased in MD and CS diets (P<0.01). The results of Real-time PCR technique indicted that the microbes in rumen were sensitive to dietary carbohydrate composition, and the consumption of CS diets increased Protozoa population, as well as Streptococcus bovis (P<0.05). Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens population of WF and MD (8 h) was higher than that of CS (P<0.01), while Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens population (24 h) got lower within WF treatment (P<0.01). These results indicated that the microbial community structure and improved ruminal fermentation are affected by the composition of dietary carbohydrate. Maximizing nitrogen utilization and MCP synthesis could be obtained when non-structural carbohydrate rich diet (2.1% wheat bran and 63.8% corn grain) was used.
A Methodology for Edge Detection of Sobradi- nho Reservoir-BA, Brazil with SRTM and Aster Images

This paper reports an investigation of methods of reservoir edge detection using Remote Sensing images in a study case of the reservoir’s edges of Sobradinho, Bahia, Brazil. The tests included LANDSAT-5 TM imagery, SRTM-DEM, SWBD edge of the SRTM and ASTER-VNIR-GDEM, The SRTM-NASA SWBD planimetry differ in the edge SRTM DEM and the edge B4. Altimetric profiles were developed between the edges of SRTMDEM and radiometric in B4 and it was found: low penetration of imaging the SRTM-DEM in the recesses of the edges of the reservoir, while the highest elevations of the terrain are more prominent than the lower slopes; the failure to observe the dates of the images used in ground cover masks as well as ignorance of the dynamics of the surface from the edge of the reservoir, used in data generation are the main causes of the discrepancies between the SRTM-SWBD (BWB) edge and edge by segmentation of the band 4 (B4).
Are biodiversity losses valued differently when they are caused by human activities? A meta-analysis of the non-use valuation literature

Many countries committed to climate action by adopting the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. This study synthesizes 40 years of scientific evidence of what may be an important benefit of these commitments: the non-use value of biodiversity conservation. The synthesis investigates whether biodiversity values can be integrated into climate change damage estimates based on non-use valuation studies of different threats to biodiversity. In the absence of estimates of public willingness to pay (WTP) to avoid the adverse impacts of anthropogenic climate change on biodiversity, we synthesize non-use values for biodiversity conservation from stated preference studies that account for a heterogeneous set of biodiversity threats. We test whether biodiversity non-use values are affected by the threats that policies aim to address, be it human activities or other threats. We estimate meta-regression models in which we explain the variation in these non-use values by accounting for the observed heterogeneity in good, methodology, sample, and context characteristics. We estimate meta-regression models using 159 observations from 62 publications. The models suggest that non-use values for biodiversity conservation addressing human impacts may be larger than those addressing other threats. We also find that non-use values are generally not sensitive to which biodiversity indicators, habitat types, or taxonomic groups are valued. We predict that the mean annual WTP for avoiding human-caused biodiversity losses ranges from 0.2 to 0.4% of GDP per capita. Our findings suggest that state-of-the-art climate change damage functions in integrated assessment models may underestimate actual damage costs because they do not incorporate the premium that the public is willing to pay to avoid human-caused biodiversity losses.
IMAGE DEHAZING BASED ON MULTISPECTRAL POLARIZATION IMAGING
METHOD IN DIFFERENT DETECTION MODES

Abstract. In haze, the quality of the images is degraded due to the scattering of atmospheric aerosol particles in near-earth remote sensing. Therefore, how to effectively remove the influence of haze and improve image quality has been a hot issue. A polarization spectral image dehazing method is proposed here. A multi-spectral full-polarization imager was used to detect the polarization spectral images of ground objects. Firstly, the maximum- and minimum-intensity polarization images were obtained from the relationship between the Stokes vector and the Mueller matrix. Secondly, the airlight polarization model was utilized to estimate the airlight radiance at an infinite distance and the degree of polarization of the airlight. At last, the atmospheric attenuation model was used to obtain dehazed images. The results proved that our proposed image dehazing method can achieve substantial improvements on the detail recovery, not only in vertical downward detection mode, but also in horizontal detection mode.
Estimation of genetic parameters and genetic trends for milk yield traits in Jamunapari goats in semiarid tropics

The Jamunapari goats are reared as dairy animals in semi-arid conditions, therefore it is necessary to evaluate the genetic potential for the genetic improvement of milk production traits. The data comprised of 2217 phenotypic records for milk yield at 90 days (MY90) and 140 days (MY140), total milk yield (TMY) and lactation length (LL) obtained from the progeny of 173 sires and 446 dams during the period 1990–2013. The data were analysed using mixed linear models exploring random effects due to direct additive, maternal and permanent environment variance due to animal. The most appropriate genetic models for milk yield traits were those that included permanent environment effects due to the animal. The direct additive heritability estimates were 0.15 ± 0.05, 0.26 ± 0.07, 0.25 ± 0.08 for MY90, MY140 and TMY, respectively. The additive heritability estimate for LL was low and non-significant at 0.02 ± 0.03. The repeatability estimates were moderate to high ranging from 0.68 to 0.73 for milk yield traits. The repeatability for lactation length was 0.20 ± 0.03. Maternal variances were low ranging from 0.03 for MY90 to 0.13 for TMY. There was an increase in mean milk yield of 0.25, 0.70 and 0.72 kg/year respectively at 90 and 140 days, and for TMY. Genetic trends and phenotypic trends for MY90, MY140 and TMY were positive and indicated significant improvement in milk traits due to selective
Speech Recognition Using Signal Processing Techniques

— In this paper, the fundamentals of speech recognition are discussed and its recent progress is investigated. The various approaches available for developing an ASR system are clearly explained with its merits and demerits. This paper presents a speech recognition system based on signal processing techniques. The performance of the adopted ASR system based on the adopted feature extraction technique and the speech recognition approach for the particular language is compared in this paper.
Proximate, mineral and chemical composition of different parts of chicory (Cichorium intybus L.)

Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a medicinally important plant which belongs to the family Asteraceae. The present study was undertaken to investigate the proximate, mineral and chemical composition of different parts viz. seeds, aerial parts and roots of C. intybus cultivated in Hisar region. Results revealed that all parts of C. intybus are good source of crude fibre, crude protein, fat and carbohydrate. On the basis of calorific value, all parts of C. intybus were found to be very rich source of energy. Seeds, aerial parts and roots of Chicory contained significant amount of minerals viz. Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn. Different parts of Chicory were also found to contain ascorbic acid, starch, tannins, total sugars, reducing sugars and non-reducing sugars in varying amounts.
Feather and blood meal at different processing degrees in broiler pre-starter and starter diets

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the inclusion of feather and blood meal (FBM) in broiler pre-starter and starter diets according to the processing method used. Performance, digestibility, and intestinal morphometry of broilers fed diets containing FBM were evaluated in two experiments, in the pre-starter (1-7 d) and starter (8-21 d) phases in a randomized block design with four treatments and five replicates of 12 birds, totaling 20 experimental units per trial. The criteria used for block [. ]
CityJSON Building Generation from Airborne LiDAR 3D Point Clouds

The relevant insights provided by 3D City models greatly improve Smart Cities and their management policies. In the urban built environment, buildings frequently represent the most studied and modeled features. CityJSON format proposes a lightweight and developer-friendly alternative to CityGML. This paper proposes an improvement to the usability of 3D models providing an automatic generation method in CityJSON, to ensure compactness, expressivity, and interoperability. In addition to a compliance rate in excess of 92% for geometry and topology, the generated model allows the handling of contextual information, such as metadata and refined levels of details (LoD), in a built-in manner. By breaking down the building-generation process, it creates consistent building objects from the unique source of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) point clouds.
University of Groningen GP-provided couple-based expanded preconception carrier screening in the Dutch general population

Next generation sequencing has enabled fast and relatively inexpensive expanded carrier screening (ECS) that can inform couples’ reproductive decisions before conception and during pregnancy. We previously showed that a couple-based approach to ECS for autosomal recessive (AR) conditions was acceptable and feasible for both health care professionals and the non-pregnant target population in the Netherlands. This paper describes the acceptance of this free test-offer of preconception ECS for 50 severe conditions, the characteristics of test-offer acceptors and decliners, their views on couplebased ECS and reasons for accepting or declining the test-offer. We used a survey that included self-rated health, intention to accept the test-offer, barriers to test-participation and arguments for and against test-participation. Fifteen percent of the expected target population—couples potentially planning a pregnancy—attended pre-test counselling and 90% of these couples proceeded with testing. Test-offer acceptors and decliners differed in their reproductive characteristics (e.g. how soon they wanted to conceive), educational level and stated barriers to test-participation. Sparing a child a life with a severe genetic condition was the most important reason to accept ECS. The most important reason for declining was that the testresult would not affect participants’ reproductive decisions. Our results demonstrate that previously uninformed couples of reproductive age, albeit a selective part, were interested in and chose to have couple-based ECS. Alleviating practical barriers, which prevented some interested couples from participating, is recommended before nationwide implementation.
D ec 2 01 5 Energy loss at zero temperature from extremal black holes

Using the AdS/CFT correspondence, we probe the extremal black holes by studying the energy loss of a moving heavy point particle in a strongly-coupled boundary field theory at zero temperature and finite charge density. We first consider the extremal Reissner-Nordström-AdS (AdSRN) background black hole in the bulk and find an analytic solution of drag force which depends on the finite charge density of the boundary field theory. By studying the near horizon geometry of trailing string in the bulk, we show the IR divergency does not show the logarithmic behavior. We study also the stochastic behavior of the probe and find the Langevin diffusion coefficients. This study is extended to the extremal backgrounds with vanishing entropy density in appropriate extremal limits.
Rationally designed dual-plasmonic gold nanorod@cuprous selenide hybrid heterostructures by regioselective overgrowth for in vivo photothermal tumor ablation in the second near-infrared biowindow

NIR-II plasmonic materials offer multiple functionalities for in vivo biomedical applications, such as photothermal tumor ablation, surface-enhanced Raman scattering biosensing, photoacoustic imaging, and drug carriers. However, integration of noble metals and plasmonic semiconductors is greatly challenging because of the large lattice-mismatch. This study reports the regioselective overgrowth of Cu2-xSe on gold nanorods (GNRs) for preparation of dual-plasmonic GNR@Cu2-xSe hybrid heterostructures with tunable NIR-II plasmon resonance absorption for in vivo photothermal tumor ablation. Methods: The regioselective deposition of amorphous Se and its subsequent conversion into Cu2-xSe on the GNRs are performed by altering capping agents to produce the GNR@Cu2-xSe heterostructures of various morphologies. Their photothermal performances for NIR-II photothermal tumor ablation are evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. Results: We find that the lateral one- and two-side deposition, conformal core-shell coating and island growth of Cu2-xSe on the GNRs can be achieved using different capping agents. The Cu2-xSe domain size in these hybrids can be effectively adjusted by the SeO2 concentration, thereby tuning the NIR-II plasmon bands. A photothermal conversion efficiency up to 58-85% and superior photostability of these dual-plasmonic hybrids can be achieved under the NIR-II laser. Results also show that the photothermal conversion efficiency is dependent on the proportion of optical absorption converted into heat; however, the temperature rise is tightly related to the concentration of their constituents. The excellent NIR-II photothermal effect is further verified in the following in vitro and in vivo experiments. Conclusions: This study achieves one-side or two-side deposition, conformal core-shell coating, and island deposition of Cu2-xSe on GNRs for GNR@Cu2-xSe heterostructures with NIR-II plasmonic absorption, and further demonstrates their excellent NIR-II photothermal tumor ablation in vivo. This study provides a promising strategy for the rational design of NIR-II dual-plasmonic heterostructures and highlights their therapeutic in vivo potential.