Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Agarwood Inducement Technology: A Method for Producing Oil Grade Agarwood in Cultivated Aquilaria malaccensis Lamk

Agarwood is the fragrant resin impregnated wood derived from the wounded Aquilaria trees. Agarwood is priceless due to its oleoresin content. Under natural conditions, oleoresin can only be produced by natural wounding such as injury by lightning or wounding by animals. However, the natural process of oleoresin accumulation is a time consuming process. The concept of plantations for Aquilaria trees in combination with artificial agarwood inducement methods serves as an alternative way to supply agarwood and conserve the wild Aquilaria stock. Our study evaluated a novel technique for producing oil grade agarwood in cultivated Aquilaria trees. Aquilaria malaccensis was used for the agarwood inducement study. For A. malaccensis trees treated with this inducement technique, resin was formed and spread throughout the xylem cell from the transfusion point in the trunk. Agarwood yield per tree reached approximately 3-4 kg. Furthermore, the agarwood derived from the induction was found to have a similar quality to the wild agarwood. This indicates that this inducement technology may have commercial potential. Inducement of cultivated agarwood by using this method could satisfy the significant demand for agarwood, while conserving and protecting the remaining wild Aquilaria trees.
Ranking Multi Criteria Decision Making Methods for a Problem by Area Under Receiver Operating Characteristic

One of the major challenges in decision making is selection among MCDM (multi criteria decision making) methods. These methods do not provide same answer to decision maker. Therefore selecting the best answer is an important dilemma. To solve this problem, methods like Borda and Copeland compilation have been proposed. However, applying these methods leads to a hybrid solution which is not necessarily the best answer. In this paper a new approach is proposed to rank different MCDM methods. This approach is AUROC (area under receiver operating characteristic) which is a data mining tool for ranking classification models. The results would show great potential of applying AUROC for ranking MCDM methods in an immense selection problem with historical outcome
Genomic DNA extraction method from pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) leaves

DNA extraction is difficult in a variety of plants because of the presence of metabolites that interfere with DNA isolation procedures and downstream applications such as DNA restriction, amplification, and cloning. Here we describe a modified procedure based on the hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method to isolate DNA from tissues containing high levels of polysaccharides. The procedure is applicable to both dry and fresh leaves of Pennisetum glaucum. This modified CTAB (2%) protocol include the use of 1.4 M NaCl, 1% polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), 1% �-mercaptoethanol and 100% ethanol in the extraction as well as reducing the centrifugation times during the separation and precipitation of the DNA. This method solved the problems of DNA degradation, contamination, and low yield due to binding and/or coprecipitation with starches and polysaccharides. The isolated DNA proved amenable to PCR amplification and restriction digestion. The technique is fast, reproducible, and can be applied for SSR-PCR markers identification.
Characterisation of bacterial communities associated with toxic and non-toxic dinoflagellates: Alexa

Several dinoflagellate species have been shown to produce potent neurotoxins known as paralytic shellfish toxins. Evidence is also accumulating that marine bacteria associated with dinoflagellates play a role in the accumulation of paralytic shellfish toxins. In this study, the diversity of bacteria in cultures of both toxic and non-toxic dinoflagellates, Alexandrium spp. and Scrippsiella trochoidea, were compared using colony morphology, restriction fragment length polymorphisms, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA genes and, ultimately, sequence determination of the 16S rRNA genes. The results suggest that a number of different bacterial species are associated with dinoflagellates, some of which are common to each of the dinoflagellate cultures examined, whereas others appear to be unique to a particular dinoflagellate. The phylogenetic diversity of the bacteria observed was limited to two bacterial phyla, the Proteobacteria and the Cytophaga-Flavobacter-Bacteroides (CFB). Although phylum level diversity was limited, many distinct phylogenetic clades were recovered, including members of both the K- and Q-subclasses of the Proteobacteria. Additionally, several of the bacterial phylotypes isolated were not closely related to any published bacterial species but, rather, were identical to isolates characterised from Alexandrium cultures 4 years earlier. Finally, many of the bacteria isolated from the dinoflagellate cultures were related to microorganisms with known surface-associated life histories (e.g. the CFB phylum, Hyphomonas, Caulobacter and some members of the Roseobacter clade including Ruegeria algicola). fl 2001 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Is Organic Farming Worth its Investment? The Adoption and Impact of Certified Pineapple Farming in Ghana

Global food markets demand the adoption of food standards by small-scale farmers in developing countries when they enter international markets. While a conventional certification with GlobalGAP can be a market entry condition for conventional food, especially for horticultural products, organic certification is required for the growing organic food market that is usually associated with higher prices. This study analyzes the adoption and profitability of organic certified farming, using recently collected farm-level data of 386 Ghanaian pineapple farmers. We employ an endogenous switching regression model to examine the adoption and impact of organic certification on the return on investment (ROI). The empirical results indicate that both organic certification and GlobalGAP certification result in a positive ROI. However, organic certified farming yields a significantly higher ROI than GlobalGAP certified farmers, mainly due to the price premium on the organic market. Thus, certified organic farming is found to be the more profitable venture.
GS5.1 - Selective gas sensors from flames for breath analysis

Ammonia (NH3) is an important breath marker for non-invasive detection and monitoring of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Here, a chemoresistive gas sensor has been developed consisting of flame-made nanostructured α-MoO3, a promising phase for selective detection of breath NH3. A key novelty is the thermal stabilization of α-MoO3 by Si-doping inhibiting sintering and crystal growth at the operational conditions of such sensors. Therefore, pure and Si-doped MoOx nanoparticles were made by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) and directly deposited onto sensor substrates forming highly porous films with ribbon-like and nanoparticle/needle-like morphologies, respectively. In-situ XRD analysis of the MoOx phase dynamics revealed a thermally-induced recrystallization of β-MoO3 at 300 350 °C and optimal annealing at 450 °C for synthesis of highly nanocrystalline α-MoO3. For selective NH3 sensing, however, the optimum SiO2 content was 3 wt% and the operational temperature 400 °C. This sensor showed superior NH3 selectivity towards acetone, NO and CO, and accurately detected breath-relevant NH3 concentrations down to 400 ppb under 90% relative humidity (RH). As a result, a stable and inexpensive sensor for NH3 is presented which has the potential for further development towards a handheld device for the early-stage diagnosis and monitoring of ESRD.
Enhanced food-chain transfer of copper from a diet of copper-tolerant estuarine worms

The population of the infaunal, littoral polychaete worm Nereis (Hediste) diversicolor at the top of Restronguet Creek, England, an estuary with very high sediment concentrations of trace metals, is tolerant to copper. These worms accumulate abnormally high body copper concentrations in comparison to control worms (Blackwater Estuary, England), 68% of the accumulated copper being bound in metal-rich granules. We show that sufficient of the extra copper accumulated in Restronguet Creek N. diversicolor is trophically available to another polychaete worm, N. virens, act- ing as predator, and brings about high accumulated copper concentrations in the latter worm. Electron microscopy with microanalysis has shown that copper detoxified in Cu-rich granules in the Restronguet Creek worms passes through the gut of the predator without apparent change in elemental composition. The trophically available copper in the Restronguet Creek worms may be in soluble form or bound to other cellular material. Ingestion of the Restronguet Creek worms will deliver an extraordinarily high (and potentially toxic) challenge to predators, including fishes and birds, feeding on N. diversicolor.
POST-CLASSIFICATION APPROACH BASED ON GEOSTATISTICS TO REMOTE SENSING IMAGES : SPECTRAL AND SPATIAL INFORMATION FUSION

Classification of remote sensing imagery provides an inexpensive yet efficient approach to land cover mapping. In supervised image classification, training samples are collected through certain sampling schemes, which are used to derive classification rules, aiming for adequate accuracy for the applications at hand. However, in conventional classification methods, the potential of training samples in terms of locational information is not tapped further, confounding the classification accuracy to the limited separability inherent to the given input feature vector. This paper explores two methods pertaining to geostatistics, i.e., simple kriging with local mean and cokriging, to predict class occurrences based on training samples' indicator transforms (location and classes) and spectrally derived class probabilities, thus calibrating the a posterior class probability vectors derived from initial spectral classification. The results showed that classification accuracy is significantly increased by these two methods for utilizing spatial information contained in training samples and initial spectral classification, compared with those obtainable with spectral classification. Moreover, the proposed methods constitute a valuable strategy for making fuller use of information residing in training data for improving spectrally derived classification, which is independent of the specific classifiers initially adopted for image classification.
One-third of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Do Not Have Coronary Artery Calcification

Objective Measuring coronary artery calcification (CAC) enables to optimize cardiovascular risk-stratification also in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), however the prevalence of CAC in randomly selected patients with T2D is uncertain. For this purpose we set out to examine and compare the occurrence of CAC in unselected T2D patients. Design A randomly selected cohort of 1825 individuals, men and women, either 50 or 60 years old, were invited to the screening study. Traditional risk factors were obtained and a non-contrast CT-scan was performed to assess the CAC score. Results A total of 1211 individuals participated, of whom 54 (4%) had T2D while 1157 (96%) were without diabetes. CAC was present in 62% of the patients with T2D versus 44% in those without (p=0.013). Also the prevalence of traditionally risk factors was high in patients with T2D as compared to subjects without T2D. When adjusting for age, gender, smoking, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia in multivariate logistic regression, T2D was not associated with presence of CAC (OR=1.0; 95% confidence interval 0.5 2.0, p=0.94). Conclusions One-third of patients with T2D did not have any CAC, and T2D per se was not associated to CAC. DOI : 10.14302/issn.2474-3585.jpmc-14-540 Corresponding Author Dr Axel Diederichsen, Department of Cardiology, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, DK-5000 Odense C, Denmark. Fax +45 63120854, telephone +45 40191227. E-mail: axel.diederichsen@rsyd.dk.
Implementation Image Retrieval and Classification with SURF Technique

Using a work in progress for a proposed method for Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) and Classification. Here interest points detector and descriptor called SpeededUp Robust Features (SURF) combined with Bag-of-VisualWords (BoVW) are used in this proposed method. The combination yields a good retrieval and classification result when compared to other methods. however, a new dictionary building method in which each group has its own dictionary is also proposed. Hence method is tested on the highly diverse CORELIOOO database and has shown a more discriminative classification and retrieval result.
Fuzzy Predictive Model of the Vertical Acceleration of a High Speed Vessel in Pitch Motion

An adaptable fuzzy inference technique is being described in order to generate predictive models of the acceleration of the pitching of a high speed vessel, from the data obtained from the web on an experiment conducted by the University of Iowa. The geometry of interest in the experiment is a scale model of the type 1/46.6 of the DTMB model 5415 (DDG-51). The fuzzy algorithm for the generation of the predictive model uses a triangular partition with a 0.5 overlapping and consequents of the Singleton type. The consequents are adjusted in an automatic fashion by using recursive least squares. The algorithm shows a very low computational complexity rate which allows for it to be used for on line identification.
Local Underwriter Oligopolies and IPO Underpricing

We develop a theory of initial public offering (IPO) underpricing based on differentiated underwriting services and localized competition. Even though a large number of investment banks compete for IPOs, if issuers care about non-price dimensions of underwriting, then the industry structure is best characterized as a series of local oligopolies. We test our model implications on all-star analyst coverage, industry expertise, and other non-price dimensions. Furthermore, we posit that venture capitalists (VCs) are especially focused on all-star analyst coverage, and develop the analyst lust theory of the underpricing of VC-backed IPOs. Consistent with this theory, we find that VC-backed IPOs are much more underpriced when they have coverage from an all-star analyst.
Construction and Operation of the Fehmarn Belt Immersed Tunnel Is a High-Risk Business Case

The Fehmarn Belt immersed tunnel project conditionally approved by the Danish parliament on 28 April 2015 is supposed to be built and commercially operated by a Danish state owned company and financed by loans guaranteed by the Danish government. The loans are going to be amortized by incomes from the tunnel users. According to plans construction work was supposed to start by 2016 followed by tunnel inauguration in 2022, this has been put on hold awaiting clarification of major uncertainty issues. Since the official financial model is publicly unavailable, the uncertainty profiles presented in this paper are based on a financial model developed by the author covering 60 years of future tunnel operation and validated in terms of project payback period (PBP) compared to published results generated by the official model. Uncertainty is represented and calculated by probabilistic uncertainty representation and Monte Carlo simulation as well as interval analysis. The resulting project uncertainty profiles are presented in terms of a traffic light metaphor: Green light corresponds to a payback period less than 40 years, yellow to 40-50 years, and red to larger than 50 years. It turns out that the tunnel project constitutes a high-risk business case and the likelihood of financial project failure in terms of the payback period being outside of the green light zone is substantially larger than acknowledged by the project proponents and presented to the public. This is primarily due to apparently too optimistic base case assumptions of critical, but uncertain, project variables and methodologically insufficient partial sensitivity analyses.
Analysis of the cavitating flow induced by an ultrasonic horn – Experimental investigation on the influence of actuation phase, amplitude and geometrical boundary conditions

Till today, factors influencing the formation and collapse of densely distributed, interacting cavitation bubbles are only qualitatively understood. The aim of the present study is to investigate experimentally the influence of selected boundary conditions on the number and size distribution of cavitation bubbles created by an ultrasonic horn (sonotrode). Cavitation bubble clouds below the sonotrode were recorded by means of phase-locked shadowgraphy imaging. The time integrated number of cavitation bubbles was found to decrease exponentially with growing bubble radius. The number of bubbles was increased with growing actuation amplitude and gap width between the sonotrode tip and an opposing solid wall. Furthermore, it could be shown that the number of cavitation bubbles depends on the actuation phase. Future investigations will focus on establishing a statistical relation between the number and size distribution of cavitation bubbles in the near wall region and the resulting cavitation erosion on solid surfaces.
Customer Satisfaction and Acceptance of Relationship Marketing Concept : An Exploratory Study in QM Certified Serbian Companies 1

satisfying customers and other groups of interest is the key output of relationship marketing. this paper presents the parts of the research that had been carried out by the first quarter of 2008 which included 84 quality management (Qm) certified companies and 37 experts from republic of serbia. the goals of the research, related to this article, were: firstly, to explain customer satisfaction from the standpoint of relationship marketing concept; secondly, to show that relationship marketing concept is/can be accepted and implemented in Qm certified serbian companies – in order to integrate customer satisfaction and realionship marketing in Qm concept.
The effect of proportion of crumbled copra meal and enzyme supplementation on broiler growth and gastrointestinal development

The effect of proportion of crumbled copra meal and enzyme inclusion on bird performance and gastro-intestinal response was studied. Three diets with two enzyme treatments were each fed to four replicates of 10 broilers from 1 to 42 days of age. The diets contained 300 g kg-1 crumbled copra meal and were fed either as a finely ground or crumbled or a mixture of 50/50 finely ground and crumbled copra meal, each with or without an enzyme supplement (Hemicell plus Allzyme SSF). Feeding the crumbled copra meal diet, which had the largest crumble sizes, increased body weight, live weight gain, feed intake and water consumption of birds. The gizzard size of birds fed crumbled copra meal in their diets was significantly larger and heavier than for birds fed the fine mash copra meal diet. The inclusion of enzyme significantly increased body weight and live weight gain of birds fed until 6 weeks of age. The duodenum, ileum and overall size of intestines of birds fed the supplemented copra meal diet were larger and heavier than those of birds fed the diet without enzyme supplementation. Including crumbled copra meal in the diet had a beneficial effect in increasing the productivity of birds and supplementation of a copra meal based diet with enzymes was additionally beneficial.
Environmental risk, resilience and migration: implications for natural resource management and agriculture

This letter probes the causal links between migration, remittances and resilience to environmental change. Three case studies have been chosen, Western Mexico, the Central Plateau of Burkina Faso and Eastern India, where satellite imagery shows recent regeneration of vegetative cover and where there is evidence of high rates of migration. The findings are analysed through a framework that draws on concepts of ecological anthropology, new economics of labour theories and livelihood analyses of migration drivers and impacts.
Effect of branch position and light availability on shoot growth of understory sugar maple and yellow birch saplings

Phenotypic plasticity enables tree saplings to change their morphology according to their environment to grow toward a better light micro-habitat. Therefore, processes of crown development could be expected to vary as a function of light. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the effects of position and light availability on shoot growth within the crowns of understory saplings of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton.); (ii) develop a new vigour index for shoots; and (iii) evaluate the possible factors relating to branch mortality in the crown of sugar maple saplings. The results revealed that there is a clear branch position effect on shoot growth in the crown for yellow birch saplings and that it is partly related to the presence of two types of shoots. Dead branches were located at the bottom of the crown of sugar maple saplings; they were smaller in size, had wider angles and had lower indexes of vigour than live branches found nearby. Prelimi.
Parameters Influencing Dynamic Soil Properties: AReview Treatise

Determination of dynamic soil properties is a critical task but an extremely important aspect in geotechnical earthquake engineering problems. Dynamic soil properties include shear modulus, modulus reduction and damping variations with cyclic strains. Field evaluation of dynamic soil properties predominantly aids in the estimation of the shear modulus/shear wave velocity at low strain level. Laboratory based evaluations helps in the estimation of a realistic range of dynamic soil properties (e.g. experiments carried out in a specific strain-controlled environment) at varying strain levels. Factually, the cyclic triaxial method has been the most widely used to measure the strength, deformation and dynamic characteristics of soils. Such experiments can also help to simulate and comprehend the liquefaction characteristics and evaluate the liquefaction potential of the concerned medium. Various parameters like: relative density, confining pressure, soil plasticity, strain amplitude, frequency and magnitude of cyclic loading influence dynamic soil properties. This paper presents a review on the dynamic soil properties and their influencing parameters. Earlier studies on dynamic soil properties are presented systematically to highlight the importance of the each influencing parameter. Subjected to similar testing conditions, a significant difference in the dynamic soil properties for characteristically different soils have been observed by earlier researchers. It has been observed that the dynamic soil properties are affected by many factors like: method of sample preparation in the laboratory (whether intact and reconstituted samples), relative density, confining pressure, methods of loading, overconsolidation ratio, loading frequency, soil plasticity, percentage of fines and soil type.