Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maximum Power Point Tracking Performance Evaluation of PV micro-inverter under Static and Dynamic Conditions

In this paper, Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) evaluation results of commercial PV micro-inverters under static and dynamic irradiance conditions are presented. In Korea, MPPT performance of PV inverter is only evaluated under several static irradiance conditions because the dynamic MPPT performance requirement is not included in the Korean MPPT performance evaluation standard yet. In order to show the importance of the dynamic performance evaluation, this paper presents both static and dynamic MPPT performances by using two commercial PV micro-inverters. Both PV microinverters show high static MPPT performances by Korean standard, but one of them shows very low dynamic MPPT performance by EN 50530 testing standard. According to this result, dynamic MPPT performance should be considered well in the research and performance evaluation level.
Nutritional Quality of Natural Foods of Juvenile Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii): Energy, Nitrogen, and Fiber Digestibility

Abstract Wild Desert Tortoises, Gopherus agassizii, are eating different foods now than they were decades ago, because exotic plant species have invaded and flourished in the Mojave Desert over the last century. Reservations about the nutritional quality of exotic vegetation compared to native vegetation led us to conduct feeding experiments with growing, juvenile Desert Tortoises. We determined the digestibility of dry matter, energy, fiber, and nitrogen in four foods: Achnatherum hymenoides (a native grass), Schismus barbatus (an exotic grass), Malacothrix glabrata (a native forb), and Erodium cicutarium (an exotic forb). The largest nutritional differences among diets were between food types (fresh forbs and dry grasses) rather than between native and exotic species. The two grass diets were higher in fiber content and they contained less digestible energy than the two forb diets. The grasses contained little protein, and tortoises actually lost mass and body nitrogen while eating them. The exotic forb yielded more energy and nitrogen per unit dry mass than did the native forb, but this may be related to differences in phenological stages and associated fiber contents of these foods when they were collected. Juvenile tortoises gained weight rapidly when eating forbs and showed no evidence of having a lower digestive capability than did adults, despite their small size and immaturity. Estimates of nitrogen requirements compared to annual nitrogen intake on these diets suggested that growth of juveniles may be limited in part by dietary nitrogen.
Integration of Auxiliary Information in Statistical Catch-at-Age (SCA) Analysis of the Saginaw Bay Stock of Walleye in Lake Huron

AbstractEstimates of mortality rates and abundance for the Saginaw Bay stock of Walleye Sander vitreus has traditionally been performed with an analysis of tag returns using a Brownie-style analysis. An estimation approach that more fully accounted for sources of exploitation in addition to the recreational fishery in Saginaw Bay and inclusive of the rest of Lake Huron was needed. We developed a statistical catch-at-age model to accomplish this and evaluated four versions including three different treatments of natural mortality (M): a constant value, age-based M values, and time-varying M values. Deviance information criterion model selection procedures indicated that an age-based M model version was optimal. We also evaluated an integrated version that incorporated tag returns as auxiliary information for the recreational component. In this case, model selection was based on conformity between observed and predicted data and model convergence. The integrated version was ruled out due to poor agreement o.
Stereoscopic Vision Comfort

In this work, we describe a method for mapping a virtual scene into a comfortable viewing range while being mindful of the depth of ﬁeld effect in optics. Instead of mapping an entire scene depth range into the comfort zone, the subset of the scene comprising the depth of ﬁeld range is rendered into a target depth range. In certain circumstances, this has the effect of increasing interaxial separation, leading to more of a sense of 3D perception. In our subjective user tests, our proposed method was preferred to a naive alternative. In cases where the object of attention was in the midground of the scene, a greater sense of 3D perception was reported.
A suitable model for the biomonitoring of trace metal bioavailabilities in estuarine sediments: the annelid polychaete Nereis diversicolor

The need to use biomonitors representative of the sedimentary compartment has been recognized, particularly in estuaries. Thus, trace metal contamination has been monitored in an infaunal polychaete worm Nereis diversicolor and sediments in the Seine estuary and comparatively in the relatively clean Authie estuary (French coast of the English Channel) over two years taking samples every three months at both sites. No correlations were shown between total metal (Ag, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) concentrations in raw sediments and ragworms. Because these worms are known to be good biomonitors of the bioavailabilities of sedimentary trace metals, it follows that total sediment metal concentrations have a poor predictive ecotoxicological value. Using a correction factor to minimize the influence of weight, it is possible to make a good estimation of the average metal concentrations in a population of worms at a given site, sampling only a limited number of specimens. Metallothioneins are often considered to be good biomarkers of the presence of significant availabilities of trace metals. Metallothionein-like proteins (MTLPs) are present in N. diversicolor, but there is no significant relationship between MTLPs and metal concentrations. This situation might result from the importance of metal-containing granules, both extra- and intracellular, in ragworms.
CALCINATION TIME AND TEMPERATURE EFFECT ON NATURAL HYDROXYAPATITE OBTAINED FROM FISH BONES FOR BONE TISSUE ENGINEERING

This paper presented the effect of calcination time and temperature on the natural hydroxyapatite (HAp) obtained from two different fish bones types: (1) Chirocentrus nudus, in which commonly known as whitefin wolf herring or “ikan parang” in Malay and (2) Scomberomorus commerson, English named as Spanish mackerel or “ikan tenggiri” by the local in Malaysia. These two fish bones were selected as hydroxyapatite source due to its abundancy, no conflict in religion means and ease of acquiring in Malaysia. The particle structure, phase composition and crystallinity of hydroxyapatite from fish bones were analyzed. XRD results showed that higher temperature shows better crystallinity and particle structure of hydroxyapatite. However, it was found that when the calcination temperature reaches 1000°C, the hydroxyapatite crystallinity reduces. FTIR results showed the presence of phosphate, carbonate and hydroxyl groups after calcination. Besides, traces of biological elements were detected by FTIR on fish bones exposed to only elevating calcination temperature. Small traces of elements such as magnesium, sodium and such are detected in all samples. SEM results showed rod-like and circular particle shape which aids for biocompatibility and scaffold foundation. Comparing the two fish bones, whitefin wolf herring resulted in overall better hydroxyapatite properties than in Spanish mackerel. The optimum temperature and calcination holding time to obtain the desired hydroxyapatite properties from Spanish mackerel and whitefin wolf herring are both at 800°C and 4 hours. These results proved to be promising for future medical application where bone restoration is heavily involved.
Exploring the Effects of Teaching Students Dynamic Assessment for Appropriation in Group Learner-Learner English Discussion

In conversational interaction for language learning, dynamic assessment involves an expert’s strategic use of feedback and assessment with the goal of mediating a learner’s autonomous development. Traditionally a trained teacher’s tool, dynamic assessment was taught to Japanese university students for use in learner-learner group conversational interaction in pursuit of two main goals: to describe the occurrence rate of learner implemented dynamic assessment and to describe usage in relation to mediation and scaffolding. Quantitative results show that, following instruction, learners did not often use dynamic assessment for the purpose of mediation. Analysis of transcripts suggests that learners used dynamic assessment to scaffold task resolution rather than mediating development. Together these results shed light on the extent to which dynamic assessment can be effectively taught to and appropriated by learners for the purposes of scaffolding and mediation. sociocultural theory, learner-learner communicative interaction, feedback strategies, and computer assisted language
A microworld model for multiagent computer-aided process planning.

This Thesis proposes and investigates a novel framework for the study of multiagent solutions for computer-aided process planning (CAPP) in manufacturing systems. The framework is based on a domain-specific microworld model of CAPP, called the CAPP World. The motivation comes from the current literature on multiagent systems (MAS) for CAPP, which emphasized the need for comparative studies that would identify the most suitable domain-specific multiagent solutions, and from the observation that a simple, manageable framework for such studies had not been developed. The proposed CAPP World is characterized by a product class, a model of a manufacturing cell, and appropriate adaptation and simplification of CAPP modeling concepts from the literature. These abstractions lead to a collection of specific actions that jointly construct a process plan in CAPP World. The analysis shows that the model meets its design objectives of being: simple integral in the sense of including the main aspects of CAPP representative of properties and difficulties in real-world CAPP and suitable for formulation and investigation of MAS solutions for CAPP. The suitability of CAPP World for domain-specific MAS studies is demonstrated through construction of concrete scenarios addressing topics such as: agent encapsulation, cooperation and coordination among team members, cooperative iterative improvements of process plan, improving the efficiency of process planning through caching of design solutions, team composition, and communication mechanisms. The Thesis also identifies some topics for future research. --P.[i]
Case Series of Herpes Zoster in Children; Ultraviolet as a Trigger?

Background: The condition of immunosuppression is a known condition that triggers reactivation of varicella zoster virus, to its manifestation as herpes zoster. Excessive exposure to ultraviolet is shown to decrease the immune system, even the effects can be systemic. Children often experience excessive UV exposure during play. Is excessive UV exposure a precursor to HZ in children? Case Report: We observed five cases of HZ in children aged 3-14 years; three of them are HZ ophthalmic, one HZ thoracic and one HZ brachialis. All had never received vaccine immunization and no history of intrauterine infection. Only one of them has suffered from varicella. There was no pathologic immunosuppression (HIV infection, organ transplant, immunosuppressant therapy, systemic disease) in these five children, but all children experienced intense UV exposure 3-5 days before the cutaneous lesions appeared. After treatment according to the HZ protocol, all recover without complications. Discussion: Various experimental models prove that UV exposure can suppress the immune system in some conditions: after vaccination, infection and provocation of allergic contact dermatitis in skin exposed directly or indirectly. This condition is in accordance with the state of immunosuppression that can trigger the reactivation of VVZ to HZ. The incidence of HZ is also reported to increase in the summer. All the patients we observed had intense UV exposure a few days before the emergence of HZ cutaneous lesions. Although only one patient clearly showed a history of varicella, subclinical VVZ infection may explain the reactivation of VVZ in all four cases. Based on the various evidence mentioned above, we conclude that intense UV exposure is very likely the main precipitating factor of HZ reactivation in children.
Effect of Milk Fat on the Stability of Vitamin A in Ultra-High Temperature Milk

Abstract The stability of vitamin A in ultra-high temperature milks with . 15, 2.92, 6.16, and 9.7% fat during storage at 26°C was studied over 3 wk. Milks were fortified with synthetic retinyl palmitate to a final concentration of approximately 120μg retinol equivalent/I 00ml milk. The four milk samples were ultra-high temperature processed and packaged in 100ml sterile milk dilution bottles and stored in the dark at 26°C for 3 wk. Vitamin A concentrations decreased rapidly during the first 2 wk of storage then stabilized. Degradation rates during the first 2 wk were linear and varied inversely with the fat content in the milk (the more fat, the slower the rate of degradation). Final vitamin A concentrations at the end of 3 wk of storage were higher in milk with high fat and closely corresponded to the native vitamin A concentrations present in milk prior to fortification. The results indicate a possible protective effect due to fat or a difference in stability between native and synthetic vitamin A.
Fish Gonadogenesis. Part II: Molecular Biology and Genomics of Sex Differentiation

The combined result of the mechanisms of sex determination and sex differentiation is the sex ratio of a population. Because sex-related growth dimorphism in fish is quite common, sex ratios influence population reproductive capacity and contribute to size variation and growth patterns before and after sexual maturation. This may have practical consequences for aquaculture and explains the interest in sex control to favor the sex with superior growth, better food conversion efficiency, later sexual maturation, or to prevent reproduction if both sexes mature before harvest. This review concentrates on recent research using molecular biology tools to broaden our understanding of the different aspects related to fish sex differentiation, both in model fish species and economically important species. The contribution of genomics to this field is mainly through the use of microarrays for the analysis of the transcriptome, to identify expression signatures associated with the development of a particular phenotype, or genes involved in the process of sex differentiation, both under normal conditions and after exposure to a particular natural or aquaculture environment.
Feral cat abundance, density and activity in tropical island rainforests

Abstract Context. Introduced predators, especially cats, are a major cause of extinction globally. Accordingly, an extensive body of literature has focussed on the ecology and management of feral cats in continental and island systems alike. However, geographic and climatic gaps remain, with few studies focusing on rainforests or tropical islands of the south-western Pacific. Aims. We aimed to estimate cat densities and elucidate activity patterns of cats and sympatric birds and mammals in tropical island rainforests. We hypothesised that cat activity would be most influenced by the activity of introduced rodents and ground-dwelling birds that are predominant prey on islands. Methods. We used camera traps to detect feral cats, pigs, rodents and birds on four tropical islands in the south-western Pacific. We used spatial capture–recapture models to estimate the abundance and density of feral cats. Relative abundance indices, and temporal overlaps in activity were calculated for feral cats, pigs, rodents, and birds. We used a generalised linear model to test for the influence of pig, rodent, and bird abundance on feral cat abundance. Key results. The species most commonly detected by our camera traps was feral cat, with estimated densities between 0.31 and 2.65 individuals km−2. Pigs and introduced rodents were the second- and third-most commonly detected fauna respectively. Cat activity was bimodal, with peaks in the hours before dawn and after dusk. Cat abundance varied with site and the abundance of rodents. Conclusions. Feral cats are abundant in the tropical rainforests of our study islands, where one bird and two mammal species are now presumed extinct. Introduced rodents possibly amplify the abundance and impacts of feral cats at our sites. Peak cat activity following dusk did not clearly overlap with other species detected by our camera traps. We postulate cats may be partly focussed on hunting frogs during this period. Implications. Cats are likely to be a major threat to the highly endemic fauna of our study region. Management of feral cats will benefit from further consideration of introduced prey such as rodents, and their role in hyperpredation. Island archipelagos offer suitable opportunities to experimentally test predator–prey dynamics involving feral cats.
Egg consumption in pregnancy and infancy: Advice has changed

The UK government has now revised its advice on the safety of eggs for vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, infants and young children, confirming that they are safe to eat ‘runny’ or even raw, provided they are British Lion eggs. The government's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) has also re-confirmed that eggs can be introduced from around 6 months when complementary feeding begins, despite their allergenic potential. Furthermore, it suggests that deliberate exclusion or delays in introducing eggs beyond 6–12 months may increase the risk of egg allergy. This article discusses the revised recommendations in more detail and sets the SACN recommendations in the context of developing research on egg allergy. It compares advice on egg consumption for non-atopic and high-risk infants in the UK, the US and Australia, and examines the evidence on the influence of maternal diet during lactation on the risks of infant egg allergy. Finally, it provides an update on the nutritional benefits of.
Limits on Introspection

Which cognitive processes are accessible to conscious report? To study the limits of conscious reportability, we designed a novel method of quantified introspection, in which subjects were asked, after each trial of a standard cognitive task, to estimate the time spent completing the task. We then applied classical mental-chronometry techniques, such as the additive-factors method, to analyze these introspective estimates of response time. We demonstrate that introspective response time can be a sensitive measure, tightly correlated with objective response time in a single-task context. In a psychological-refractory-period task, however, the objective processing delay resulting from interference by a second concurrent task is totally absent from introspective estimates. These results suggest that introspective estimates of time spent on a task tightly correlate with the period of availability of central processing resources.
Classic Pages

merits is the difficult but indispensable means for the close investigation and determination of special features in the rapid oscillations of the mercurial column. By simple inspection I ascertained that each beat of the heart U accompanied by a double movement of the mercury, but I was unable to completely determine the character of this double movement. The whole movement consists of a comparatively large, prolonged portion, preceded by a small and extremely brief portion. There is no difficulty in determining the direction of movement as regards the second or major phase : the difficulty affects only the first or minor phase, which is so small and rapid as to appear with some instruments as a preliminary tremor, with others less sensitive I have failed to see it ; but even with the most sensitive instruments which I have used I have failed to assure myself of its direction. I may, however, state at onoe that, as regards the second or major phase, I have always found ite direction suoh as to indicate that any point b became negative to any point a. Simultaneous photographs of the double movement and of the heart's impulse show that the electrical precedes the mechanical event at whatever distance from the heart we choose to explore any two points a and 6; they show, further, that in direction the first minor phase is opposed to the second major phase, being such as to indicate that any point a becomes negative to any point b. By what has preceded, it has been defined that points designated a, a, a are in the region of apex potential and that points designated b, b, b are in the region of base potential. The diphasic variation is, therefore, composed of a, first phase indicative of negativity of apex, followed by a second phase indicative of negativity of base ; this signifies that the exoitatory process commences at the apex and lasts longest at the base, or, expressed in terms of mechanical action, that the contraction by which the ventricle discharges its contents commences at the apex and closes at the base.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SERVICE QUALITY AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION-acomparative study among Indian and Europe passengers

The relationship of service quality and customer satisfaction have been established in the airlines service management literature but there are few studies available to understand the difference in perception on the relationship of service quality and customer satisfaction. The previous studies used first order service quality dimensions in predicting the relationship with customer satisfaction. This study will used hierarchical second order service quality for predicting the relationship with Customer satisfaction. A survey questionnaire was used for the collected the response from the airlines passengers from developing country India and developed countries of Europe. A permutation Multi group analysis method was employed to assess the passenger group of developing and developed countries on the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction.
Plant and Soil Controls on Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities

A field experiment was conducted to examine the relative importance of soil factors and plant species on communities of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi. Populations of VAM fungal spores were studies in 4-yr-old monocultures of five successional grass species grown in gradient of soil mixtures ranging from pure subsurface sand to pure sandy loam topsoil. A total of 19 species of VAM fungi were found across all treatments. Of the 12 most abundant VAM fungal species, 6 species had a significant dependence on both soil mixture and host species, while 2 were dependent only on soil and 2 only on host. To our knowledge, these are the first results indicating that even closely related hosts (five grasses) may cause divergence in VAM fungal communities on initially identical soils. Cluster analysis of the similarity of fungal communities by host plant species showed that fungal communities in the two late successional grasses to be most similar to one another and least similar to the fungal communities in the early successional grass species. Cluster analysis of the similarity of fungal communities by soil mixture showed the fungal communities in the sandy end of the soil gradient diverged predictably from the fungal communities in the black soil end of the gradient. These results support the hypothesis that soil factors and plant species may be of equal importance in regulating the species composition of VAM fungal communities.