Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
INVESTIGATION OF HYDRODYNAMIC PROCESSES IN GEOTHERMAL PLANT

During the experimental studies physical properties of underground water and gases mixture were analysed and a correlation between pressure and gas content in liquid was determined. Correlation between pressure, temperature and other parameters (density, fluid bulk modulus, sound velocity, kinematic viscosity and relative emission) were determined with respect to the results of the experiments. It was determined that the amount of released gas directly correlates with increased liquid-gas mixture compressibility and slowed down hydrodynamic processes, which changes working properties of centrifugal pump – reduces the natural frequency of the system “subsurface centrifugal pump – pipe line/system”. Paper analyses an existing geothermal energy extraction system, which consists of a long pipe system and a large number of hydraulic and mechanical elements. Therefore, as the first step of the analysis, were decided to compile a mathematical model of the geothermal system, using the method of concentrated parameters. Mathematical models of asynchronous motor, multilevel depth centrifugal pump mechanical system, depth centrifugal pump (16 levels), absorption pump, piping system and other elements of geothermal energy extraction system were made. Also a universal mathematical model of depth centrifugal pump was made. This model could be used to describe hydrodynamic processes of injection pumps in the pipe systems, where large amounts of released gases influences the productivity of the pump and geothermal energy extraction system overall. Mathematical model of geothermal system “depth centrifugal pump – pipe (pipe system)” was made, which assesses characteristics of extraction depth centrifugal pump and their correlation with impeller frequency, discharge and other system parameters. Based on this mathematical model the instability zones of the system were determined. Mathematical model of hydrodynamic processes of geothermal system (pumps, piping, heat exchangers and filters) was made. A numerical analysis of hydrodynamic equations of geothermal system was made.
Incorporating social and environmental indicators in technical and economic advisory programmes in livestock farming

The impact that agricultural policies exert on th e sustainability and multifunctional nature of farming systems, together with the huge amount of scientific references available, has been central to the implementation of this work. The main objectives of the project were: (i) to broaden the scope of the existing farmers' advisory programmes from a technical and economic perspective to social and environmental issues; and (ii) to develop a decision support tool able to cope with the three pillars of sustainability within the framework of the holistic analysis of livestock farming systems. For this purpose, a set of economic, environmental and social indicators has been proposed and a computer tool developed to manage the database, to calculate the value of every indicator, to assess each livestock farm, and to generate graphic outputs.
The impact of different aperture distribution models and critical stress criteria on equivalent permeability in fractured rocks

Predicting equivalent permeability in fractured reservoirs requires an understanding of the fracture network geometry and apertures. There are different methods for defining aperture, based on outcrop observations (power law scaling), fundamental mechanics (sublinear length‐aperture scaling), and experiments (Barton‐Bandis conductive shearing). Each method predicts heterogeneous apertures, even along single fractures (i.e., intrafracture variations), but most fractured reservoir models imply constant apertures for single fractures. We compare the relative differences in aperture and permeability predicted by three aperture methods, where permeability is modeled in explicit fracture networks with coupled fracture‐matrix flow. Aperture varies along single fractures, and geomechanical relations are used to identify which fractures are critically stressed. The aperture models are applied to real‐world large‐scale fracture networks. (Sub)linear length scaling predicts the largest average aperture and equivalent permeability. Barton‐Bandis aperture is smaller, predicting on average a sixfold increase compared to matrix permeability. Application of critical stress criteria results in a decrease in the fraction of open fractures. For the applied stress conditions, Coulomb predicts that 50% of the network is critically stressed, compared to 80% for Barton‐Bandis peak shear. The impact of the fracture network on equivalent permeability depends on the matrix hydraulic properties, as in a low‐permeable matrix, intrafracture connectivity, i.e., the opening along a single fracture, controls equivalent permeability, whereas for a more permeable matrix, absolute apertures have a larger impact. Quantification of fracture flow regimes using only the ratio of fracture versus matrix permeability is insufficient, as these regimes also depend on aperture variations within fractures.
Support Vector Regression Method for Wind Speed Prediction Incorporating Probability Prior Knowledge

Prior knowledge, such as wind speed probability distribution based on historical data and the wind speed fluctuation between the maximal value and the minimal value in a certain period of time, provides much more information about the wind speed, so it is necessary to incorporate it into the wind speed prediction. First, a method of estimating wind speed probability distribution based on historical data is proposed based on Bernoulli’s law of large numbers. Second, in order to describe the wind speed fluctuation between the maximal value and the minimal value in a certain period of time, the probability distribution estimated by the proposed method is incorporated into the training data and the testing data. Third, a support vector regression model for wind speed prediction is proposed based on standard support vector regression. At last, experiments predicting the wind speed in a certain wind farm show that the proposed method is feasible and effective and the model’s running time and prediction errors can meet the needs of wind speed prediction.
Moving Object Segmentation using Global Affine Registration and Edge Gradient Covariance in Tunnel Video Sequences

Collaboration services have been receiving a great deal of attention for personal users in cloud computing. However, collaboration services have a lot of problems in terms of privacy and security. When a user accesses a cloud computing service, the cloud service provider can easily obtain and collect personal information without permission from the user. Therefore, to solve this problem, we define the requirements of personal cloud Access Control (AC) and propose an AC framework based on the personal cloud service reference model.
Dynamics of Trade-by-Trade Price Movements: Decomposition and Models

In this article we introduce a decomposition of the joint distribution of price changes of assets recorded trade-by-trade. Our decomposition means that we can model the dynamics of price changes using quite simple and interpretable models which are easily extended in a great number of directions, including using durations and volume as explanatory variables. Thus we provide an econometric basis for empirical work on market microstructure using time series of transaction data. We use maximum likelihood estimation and testing methods to assess the fit of the model to one year of IBM stock price data taken from the New York Stock Exchange.
Music as a communicative medium

This chapter draws on ethnomusicological, cognitive and neuroscientific evidence in proposing that music is a communicative medium with features that are optimised for the management of situations of social uncertainty, and that music and language constitute complementary components of the human communicative toolkit. It presents a theory of meaning in music, and compares its implications with those of a recent theory of prosodic features of language.
Synergistic effects of ethanolic plant extract mixtures against food-borne pathogen bacteria

Plant extracts are an important part in agroecology, as they benefit environment in combating pathogenic organisms, without resorting to synthetic chemicals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of mixtures of ethanol extracts from semi-desert plants [creosote bush ( Larrea tridentata ), tarbush ( Flourensia cernua ) and paddle cactus ( Opuntia ficus-indica )] against Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus . The maximum antimicrobial activity was achieved with the creosote bush–tarbush-paddle cactus mix (1:1:1) v/v, followed by paddle cactus-tarbush (1:1) v/v. E. coli was the bacterial strain that showed the highest growth inhibition as consequence of the concentration of plant extracts (4000 and 5000 ppm of tarbush). While with the creosote bush plant extracts, the highest inhibition halos were observed. Synergistic effects were observed when mixtures of ethanolic plant extract against food-borne pathogen bacteria were used, so this may be a better way to design alternative pathogen control methodologies for food-borne pathogen bacteria. Keywords: Larrea tridentate, Flourensia cernua, Opuntia ficus-indica , ethanolic plant extract mixtures, foodborne pathogen African Journal of Biotechnology , Vol. 13(5), pp. 699-704, 29 January, 2014
The Limits of Europeanization: Regulatory Reforms in the Spanish and Portuguese Telecommunications and Electricity Sectors

The creation of a European Union-level regulatory regime for telecommunications and electricity was a highly successful political initiative of the European Commission. However, this article argues that the causal link between European initiatives and national policy change is weak. Building on an emerging tradition of cross-sector research of these two sectors, and considering two most similar European countries, the article applies a series of comparisons, including a stepwise comparative analysis of two countries (one a reluctant liberalizer, the other an enthusiastic one), of two sectors (a pacesetter and a footdragger), and of two time periods (before and after the regulatory reforms). We suggest that Spain and Portugal were able to shape their sectors according to the preferences of their national policy communities and in a context of a global shift in the way countries both within Europe and outside it defined their interests.
Development for Off-Line Hindi Character with Matra ( Modi fi ers )

Due to advancement in digital technology, handwritten Character recognition plays a significant role for interaction between human and computer. For recognition of handwritten character a standard database is required. There is no benchmark data base of Devnagari script in Hindi with matra’s (modifiers). A database for off-line Hindi handwritten character with modifier is developed. The database consist more than 23000 images of their original size with programmatically segmented consonant and vowels. The Data set is collected from persons of different gender, age, profession and educational qualification. Data are also collected from person of different geographical location of India.
THE IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY OF SLOVAK EWE MILK BASED ON THE CONTENT OF HEALTH AFFECTING FATTY ACID COMPOUNDS

Objective of this study was to determine the content of 70 C4-C24 fatty acids (FA) in bulk milk samples of Slovak grazed ewes at 4 farms during pasture and winter seasons. The effect of individuality, breed, lactation stage and parity of grazed ewes was investigated in 328 Tsigai, Valachian and Lacaune ewes, milk samples were taken on the same day. The content of individual FA in milk samples and pasture plants during entire pasture season was determined by GC. Unseparated isomers of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) were resoluted by chemometric deconvolution. The FA content in milk fat of grazed ewes was higher up to 4-fold for CLA, 3-fold for trans-vaccenic acid (TVA), and 2-fold for α-linolenic acid (ALA) compared to that during winter diet. The content of CLA (3.2%) and TVA (7.2%) in milk fat of grazed ewes was higher than that in milk of pasture grazed ewes or cows published previously. Both CLA and TVA contents in milk fat decreased from May to mid-summer and then increased until mid-September to the content as that in May. The variations in CLA content in milk fat during pasture season are primarily related to the ALA content in pasture. The FA milk profile of cows grazing on Alpine pastures is rather similar to that of Slovak grazed ewes despite different forage and altitude. The second most abundant CLA trans11,cis-13 isomer in cows’ milk proposed as an indicator of milk products of Alpine origin was found also in milk of Slovak ewes grazing the pastures in altitude of 250-800 m. Further improvement in quality of ewe milk can be achieved by selecting individual ewes with higher CLA milk fat content (up to 5-fold inter-individual variation) and milk yields (up to 12-fold) and by oversowing pastures.
Seasonal Diagenetic Changes in Trace Metals Levels of a Brackish Water System in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

The concentrations of mercury, lead, nickel, vanadium and cadmium of a brackish water system in the Niger Delta were assessed in order to determine seasonal diagenetic changes and how such changes affect their correlations with water quality parameters. Nine locations were sampled at two monthly intervals for a period of one year. Solvent extraction using ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) was employed for the extraction of trace metals. Buck scientific model 200A Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer and air-acetylene flame were used for their analyses, except for mercury, which was analyzed by cold vapour technique. Water quality parameters were determined using appropriate meters and various standard methods. The results of the analyses showed ranges of concentrations (ppb) of trace metals as follows: Hg (BDL-1.25), Pb (0.13-131.13), Ni (0.28-246.80), V (BDL-1.18) and Cd (0.28-24.63). There were significant (p<0.05) seasonal differences for Pb and Cd. Two-way analysis of variance also showed significant (p<0.05) spatial variations in both dry and wet seasons. Total alkalinity (TA), Mg, K, and Na revealed significant (p<0.05) seasonal variations with respect to higher values in the wet season. Significant (p<0.05) correlation coefficients between PO4 3and Pb, V and Cd in the dry season, an indication that these metals were probably in their phosphates and as particulates, was observed, but the observation in the wet season was different, suggesting seasonal diagenetic differences. Also, apart from direct discharge of industrial and domestic wastes, the immense volume of storm water runoff and river waters entering this water system may have played major roles in transporting metals originating from wastes discharge on land and in small streams, especially during the rains. This phenomenon may have resulted in elevated levels of lead and cadmium in the water column in wet season. BDL: Below Detection Limit
Performance of the Assurance GDSÃÂ® Assay for the Detection of L. monocytogenes in Pure Cultures and Spiked Food Samples

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen with significant impacts on public health and economy worldwide. Reliable and fast detection of L. monocytogenes is of major importance for both diagnostic laboratories and the food industry. The current study evaluated the performance of the Assurance GDS® assay for the detection of L. monocytogenes in pure cultures and spiked food samples. In the pure culture experiments, the Assurance GDS® assay for Listeria monocytogenes accurately detected the target strains of different serotypes and was correctly negative for a variety of other Listeria species. For reliable detection of L. monocytogenes in pure culture experiments, colony counts >105 cfu/ml were required, which emphasizes the need for an adequate enrichment step. The challenge test experiments (steak tartare, bologna type sausage, Gorgonzola cheese) using a one-broth enrichment strategy showed that the Assurance GDS® assay reliably detected L. monocytogenes after 16 h of enrichment in Half-Fraser broth, provided that spiking levels of the different matrices were ≥102 cfu/g. Depending of the food matrix, longer incubation times of 24 h or 48 h were required when the initial spiking level was <102 cfu/g, as to be expected in a proportion of naturally contaminated food products. Thus, the Assurance GDS® Listeria monocytogenes assay has proven to be a reliable and easy to handle, rapid test system for the specific detection of L. monocytogenes. This system is a suitable tool for generating microbiological results used for a “positive batch release”, especially for RTE foods with short shelf lives. However, longer enrichment times (24 h or 48 h) are required in a one-broth enrichment strategy, when the contamination level of the food matrix is low (<102 cfu/g).
Fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum-graecum L . ) : Antibacterial Activity Of Its Phytochemical Constituents

Phytochemical analysis of leaves and shoot tips of Trigonella foenum-graecum L showed the presence of alkaloids, steroids, carbohydrates, terpenoids, flavonoids and quinones. The antibacterial activity of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. leaves and shoot tips on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi were evaluated by agar well diffusion method. Zones of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi were observed only in ethanol and methanol leaf and shoot tip extracts of fenugreek. The MIC values ranged from 2.73 and 87.5 mg/ml.
Parametric study of palladium/graphene catalyst on-board steam reformer for hydrogen generation from IC engine’s waste

Climate change is recognized as one of the greatest environmental threats facing the World today and it has long been appreciated by governments that reducing the impact of the IC engine powered motor vehicle has an important part to play in addressing this threat. This article presents the parametric study of a palladium (Pd)/ graphene oxide (GO) catalyst on- board hydrogen generator, which would have targeted function to make the vehicle energy efficient and improve the emission. The optimisation of the concentration of GO and Pd has been conducted with COMSOL software. The gas chromatography analysis on exhaust of a 4-stroke spark ignition engine has been conducted and found that the concentration of exhaust is 0.5% H2, 0.5% CO, 11% CO2, 21% UHC and H2O. The Pd/GO catalyst hydrogen generator is expected to reformate the exhaust gas about 35% H2 (clean fuel), 5% CO, 10% CO2, 5% UHC, and H2O. The enriched and heat-treated 7% of hydrogen is considered to be pumped directly into the engine. It is expected that Pd/GO catalyst hydrogen generator would be able to save the engine fuel consumption about 12% for 1.4 -1.6 litre engine and reduce green house gas (GHG) emission about 40%.
Dynamic Average Consensus and Consensusability of General Linear Multiagent Systems with Random Packet Dropout

This paper is concerned with the consensus problem of general linear discrete-time multiagent systems (MASs) with random packet dropout that happens during information exchange between agents. The packet dropout phenomenon is characterized as being a Bernoulli random process. A distributed consensus protocol with weighted graph is proposed to address the packet dropout phenomenon. Through introducing a new disagreement vector, a new framework is established to solve the consensus problem. Based on the control theory, the perturbation argument, and the matrix theory, the necessary and sufficient condition for MASs to reach mean-square consensus is derived in terms of stability of an array of low-dimensional matrices. Moreover, mean-square consensusable conditions with regard to network topology and agent dynamic structure are also provided. Finally, the effectiveness of the theoretical results is demonstrated through an illustrative example.
A Real-time Gesture Recognition System for Isolated Swedish Sign Language Signs

This paper describes a method for automatic recognition of isolated Swedish Sign Language signs for the purpose of educational signing-based games. Two datasets consisting of 51 signs have been recorded from a total of 7 (experienced) and 10 (inexperienced) adult signers. The signers performed all of the signs 5 times and were captured with a RGB-D (Kinect) sensor, via a purpose-built recording application. A recognizer based on manual components of sign language is presented and tested on the collected datasets. Signer-dependent recognition rate is 95.3% for the most consistent signer. Signer-independent recognition rate is on average 57.9% for the experienced signers and 68.9% for the inexperienced.
The impact of proxy‐based methods on mapping the distribution of ecosystem services

An increasing number of studies are examining the distribution and congruence of ecosystem services, often with the goal of identifying areas that will provide multiple ecosystem service 'hotspots'. However, there is a paucity of data on most ecosystem services, so proxies (e.g. estimates of a service for a particular land cover type) are frequently used to map their distribution. To date, there has been little attempt to quantify the effects of using proxies on distribution maps of ecosystem services, despite the potentially large errors associated with such data sets. 2. Here, we provide the first study examining the effects of using proxies on ecosystem service maps and the degree of spatial congruence of these maps with primary data, using England as a case study. 3. We show that land cover based proxies provide a poor fit to primary data surfaces for biodiversity, recreation and carbon storage, and that correlations between ecosystem services change depending on whether primary or proxy data are used for the analyses. 4. The poor fit of proxies to primary data was also evident when we selected hotspots of single ecosystem services, and consistency between raw and modelled surfaces was extremely low when considering the locations that were coincident hotspots for multiple services. 5. Synthesis and applications. Proxies may be suitable for identifying broad-scale trends in ecosystem services, but even relatively good proxies are likely to be unsuitable for identifying hotspots or priority areas for multiple services
Rhythmic structure of utterances in native and non-native Polish

This paper presents results of an ongoing study concerning speech rhythm in native and non-native Polish. The goal of the analyses described in the paper was to characterize rhythmically Polish utterances realized by native and non-native speakers with German and Korean accent. The analyses are limited to the domain of duration, but in the future other prosodic parameters will also be investigated. In the current study, d ifferent rhythm metrics (%V, ΔV, ΔC, PVIs and Varcos) were applied to provide quantitative description of temporal patterning in native and non-native Polish. Following the assumption that perceived speech rhythm is the effect of meter and grouping which are closely related to prominence and phrasing, durational marking of various levels of prominence and prosodic edges was also analyzed between the three accents (native Polish and German- and Korean-accented Polish). The analyses aimed also at rhythmic classification of Polish – for that purpose the results of quantitative description with rhythm metrics and phonotactic properties of the speech material used in the current study were compared with the data for other languages presented in the literature.