Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environments of galaxies in groups within the supercluster-void network

Context. The majority of all galaxies reside in groups of fewer than 50 member galaxies. These groups are distributed in various large-scale environments from voids to superclusters. Aims. The evolution of galaxies is affected by the environment in which they reside. Our aim is to study the effects of the local group scale and the supercluster scale environments on galaxy evolution. Methods. We use a luminosity-density field to determine the density of the large-scale environment of galaxies in groups of various richnesses. We calculate the fractions of different types of galaxies in groups with richnesses of up to 50 member galaxies and in different large-scale environments from voids to superclusters. Results. The fraction of passive elliptical galaxies rises and the fraction of star-forming spiral galaxies declines when the richness of a group of galaxies rises from two to approximately ten galaxies. On large scales, passive elliptical galaxies become more numerous than star-forming spirals when the environmental density grows to values typical of superclusters. The large-scale environment affects the level of these fractions in groups: galaxies in equally rich groups are more likely to be elliptical in supercluster environments than at lower densities. The crossing point, where the number of passive and star-forming galaxies is equal, occurs in superclusters in groups that are of lower richness than in voids. Galaxies in low-density environments need to occupy richer groups to evolve from star-forming to passive than galaxies in high-density environments. Groups in superclusters are on average more luminous than groups in large-scale environments of lower density. These results imply that the large-scale environment affects the properties of galaxies and groups. Conclusions. Our results suggest that the evolution of galaxies is affected by both, the group in which the galaxy resides and its largescale environment. Galaxies in lower-density regions develop later than galaxies in similar mass groups in high-density environments.
Changes in Resistance to the Social Integration of Foreigners in Germany 1980–2000: Individual and Contextual Determinants

In this article we analyse the change in unfavourable attitudes towards foreigners among the (West) German public over a period of two decades. Applying pooled survey data from 1980 to 2000, we found an overall trend towards less resistance to the social integration of foreigners, only interrupted by a minor increase between 1994 and 1996. We tested hypotheses derived from Ethnic Group Conflict Theory with regard to individual and contextual determinants of the resistance to the social integration of foreigners. National statistics were applied to indicate the societal context at the time of survey measurement (period characteristics) and during the adolescent years of respondents (cohort characteristics). Resistance to the social integration of foreigners was particularly strong among people with lower education, manual workers, the petty bourgeoisie and the unemployed. Furthermore, older respondents as well as those who were confronted with high unemployment during their adolescent years showed stronger resistance. With regard to period characteristics, we found that stronger resistance to the social integration of foreigners was not related to higher levels of unemployment and foreign immigration, but instead to recent increases in unemployment and foreign immigration. This suggests that it is not the actual level of ethnic competition, but the increasing level of ethnic competition that boosts negative attitudes toward foreigners.
Corruption and Competition

An interesting aspect of corruption is that its damaging effects on economic performance differ significantly across countries. In this paper, we show that if a central government collects sufficient taxes, it can curtail corruption by paying for performance of local government officials. An alternative way to reduce corruption is to introduce competition among local government officials. Difference in axing ability and the magnitude of competition among government officials can help explain the heterogenous effects of corruption across countries.
EFFECT OF THE FOLIAR APPLICATION OF HUMIC ACID ON RED BEAN CULTIVARS (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

In order to evaluate the effect of foliar application of humic acid on yield and yield components of red bean cultivars this experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Station of Arak in 2014. The experiment was in split plots Completely Randomized Block Design (CRBD) with three replications. Three level of humic acid i.e. 0, 1.5 and 3 liters per hectare in main plots and three cultivars of red bean i.e. Derakhshan, Goli and D81083 were in sub plots used as treatments. Results of study revealed that line D81083 along with 3.0 liters per hectare of humic acid application shows superiority over the other treatments and showing 13622 kg per hectare final biomass yield. Among various tested cultivars, the lowest biomass yield (10311.1 kg/hectare) was obtained from Derakhshan cultivar without humic acid application. Further, amongst various tested doses of humic acid, highest seed yield (4253.7 kg/hectare) was reported from the cultivar line D81083 at 1.5 liter per hectare of humic acid application while the lowest yield obtained in Derakhshan without humic acid. Results of current study revealed relationship between bean cultivars and humic acid application and interaction of these two affect the yield and yield attributes of red bean.
Incidental Non-Cardiovascular, Non-Pulmonary Findings Identified in a Low-Dose CT Lung Cancer Screening Population: Prevalence and Clinical Implications

C l i n M e d International Library Citation: Klysik M, Lynch D, Stence N, Garg K (2015) Incidental Non-Cardiovascular, Non-Pulmonary Findings Identified in a Low-Dose CT Lung Cancer Screening Population: Prevalence and Clinical Implications. Int J Radiol Imaging Technol 1:002 Received: July 31, 2015: Accepted: August 28, 2015: Published: August 30, 2015 Copyright: © 2015 Klysik M. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Klysik et al. Int J Radiol Imaging Technol 2015, 1:1
Maximal scarring for eigenfunctions of quantum graphs

We prove the existence of scarred eigenstates for star graphs with scattering matrices at the central vertex which are either a Fourier transform matrix, or a matrix that prohibits back-scattering. We prove the existence of scars that are half-delocalised on a single bond. Moreover we show that the scarred states we construct are maximal in the sense that it is impossible to have quantum eigenfunctions with a significantly lower entropy than our examples. These scarred eigenstates are on graphs that exhibit generic spectral statistics of random matrix type in the large graph limit, and, in contrast to other constructions, correspond to non-degenerate eigenvalues; they exist for almost all choices of lengths.
Developing a Decision Support Tool for Nighttime Construction in Highway Projects

This paper presents a decision support tool that is intended to help highway agencies in evaluating the suitability of nighttime construction for highway projects. This tool was developed as part of a research project sponsored by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The tool is a simple software package that was developed using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and Visual Basic for Applications. The proposed tool utilizes the cost-effectiveness analysis as a basis for comparison between daytime and nighttime operations. The proposed tool is mainly used whenever night shift is thought of as an alternative to the conventional daytime shift. Nonetheless, the tool is also generic in the sense that it can be used to compare different alternative plans such as different lane closure strategies or scheduling alternatives.
Subcritical water extraction and direct formation of microparticulate polysaccharide powders from ganoderma lucidum

Ganoderma lucidum (hereafter G. lucidum) has been known as a food and raw material used in the development of medications because of its high content of polysaccharides, or β-glucans, which support the immune function. In this work, subcritical water was applied to utilize G. lucidum for the extraction of polysaccharides at temperatures of 373–463K and a pressure level of 4.0 MPa using a semi-batch system. Furthermore, these extracts were atomized and contacted with hot air to produce microsphere particles. During extraction, thermal softening of G. lucidum occurred, allowing the removal of the polysaccharides and protecting other constituents in G. lucidum via hydrolysis. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed that the microsphere particles formed were spherical and dimpled or shriveled particles with diameters varying from 1 to 6 m. Characteristics of the molecular mass revealed that main massed peaks of water soluble products were distributed at around 688–2636 m/z with a peakto-peak mass difference of 162 m/z, consistent with the repeating unit of the glucans.
Migration, moult and climate change in barn swallows Hirundo rustica in South Africa

Phenological change in long-distance migratory birds has responded less to climate change than that in short-distance migrants and residents. A general lack of information about the timing of migration in the winter quarters has prevented progress in interpreting the causes. Here we report long-term information on first arrival of barn swallows Hirundo rustica to—and last departure from—a major roost in South Africa during 1993–2010, a period when climate change at the breeding grounds was particularly pronounced. Although first arrival in autumn advanced by more than 2 wk, there was a tendency for a delay in last departure during spring, suggesting that cues for earlier spring departure from the winter quarters were missing. During 1999–2009, timing of moult was delayed, which may explain why spring migration by trans-Saharan migratory birds did not advance in this period.
Subjective views and stress-tests for optimization of credit risk of loan portfolio

I apply the methods to express subjective views in the spirit of Black-Litterman in the optimization of CVaR of a loan portfolio in order to explore the effects of the stress-tests of parameters defining the risk and return of a loan portfolio. The loan portfolio returns distribution is characterized by the joint default distribu- tion, where each individual loan has a high probability of small profit (no default) and a low probability of big losses (default). Normality assumption does not hold thus the standard mean-variance optimization and Black-Litterman views cannot be applied. I simulate the joint distribution of the times to default and express views on different properties of the joint distribution of discrete default events: means, correlation, tail dependence. I optimize the CVaR of the original and stressed portfolios and compare the weights.
Computation of pressure fields around a two-dimensional circular cylinder using the vortex-in-cell and penalization methods

The vorticity-velocity formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations allows purely kinematical problems to be decoupled from the pressure term, since the pressure is eliminated by applying the curl operator. The Vortex-In-Cell (VIC) method, which is based on the vorticity-velocity formulation, offers particle-mesh algorithms to numerically simulate flows past a solid body. The penalization method is used to enforce boundary conditions at a body surface with a decoupling between body boundaries and computational grids. Its main advantage is a highly efficient implementation for solid boundaries of arbitrary complexity on Cartesian grids. We present an efficient algorithm to numerically implement the vorticity-velocity-pressure formulation including a penalty term to simulate the pressure fields around a solid body. In vorticity-based methods, pressure field can be independently computed from the solution procedure for vorticity. This clearly simplifies the implementation and reduces the computational cost. Obtaining the pressure field at any fixed time represents the most challenging goal of this study. We validate the implementation by numerical simulations of an incompressible viscous flow around an impulsively started circular cylinder in a wide range of Reynolds numbers: Re = 40, 550, 3000, and 9500.
"Why should I?": on selecting the content of persuasive HIV counselling and testing messages for students at a previously disadvantaged university in South Africa

This study aimed to discover what specific beliefs of students at a South African university should be addressed when trying to persuade them to go for HIV counselling and testing (HCT). The participants were 113 students from a previously disadvantaged university. The students completed a questionnaire that included questions about participants’ HCT intentions and about possible predictors of such intentions. Students’ HCT intention proved to be positively related to their perception of having control over their HCT behaviour (self-efficacy), and to their perception of social pressure towards going for HCT (perceived norm). The students’ belief that they would not be either too afraid or too stressed to go for HCT contributed positively to their self-efficacy, as did the belief that they would be able to deal with the possibly disadvantageous outcome of the HIV test. The students’ belief that their parents would approve of their going for HCT proved to be a strong and positive predictor of their perceived norm. Furthermore, perceived susceptibility to HIV/AIDS was positively related to HCT intention, and stigmatising attitude towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) was negatively related to HCT intention. These outcomes suggest that in trying to convince black students in South Africa to go for HCT, developers of promotion messages should focus on students’ susceptibility to HIV, on how to deal with the possibility that their parents might not approve of their going for HCT, and on how to cope with a possibly disadvantageous test outcome.
Exploring Subsidiary Desire for Autonomy: A Conceptual Framework and Empirical Findings

In the mixed-motive dyad of the headquarters–subsidiary relationship, subsidiaries often request more autonomy than headquarters concede. To shed light on subsidiaries’ desire for autonomy, the authors investigate its consequences and determinants by drawing on reactance theory to develop an integrative framework focusing on marketing decision making in subsidiaries. The authors empirically test this framework with 133 international headquarters–subsidiary dyads from 29 countries. The findings show that a subsidiary's desire for autonomy can significantly impair the headquarters–subsidiary relationship. While the centralization and importance of marketing decision making can amplify this harmful desire for autonomy, the headquarters’ competence in marketing decision making can reduce this desire. Thus, to minimize subsidiaries’ desire for autonomy, headquarters should credibly display high competence while allowing subsidiaries to participate in decision making whenever possible.
Interactive comment on “Computation and analysis of atmospheric carbon dioxide annual mean growth rates from satellite observations during 2003–2016” by Michael Buchwitz et al

frared satellite sensors over almost a decade and a half. The authors show that their estimated growth rates are in line with NOAA growth rates computed from marine boundary layer sites, and variations in the growth rate are correlated with expected mechanisms such as the ENSO cycle and anthropogenic emissions. This is all reasonable. However, I do not think that Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics is the correct journal for publishing this manuscript, because the manuscript does not present anything new about either the atmosphere or surface processes that influence the atmosphere (my comments on variation partitioning follow later). What I learned from this manuscript is that the merged XCO2 data product Obs4MIPs gives global CO2 growth rates that are reasonable, in line with other estimates, and can be correlated with known factors influencing the carbon budget. This is a perfectly fine message, but it’s primarily a message about the Obs4MIPs data product, and therefore a better venue for it would be an alternative measurementor data-focused journal such as Atmospheric Measurement Techniques or Earth System Science Data. If the authors insist on publishing this in ACP and the editor agrees, I would strongly suggest making this a technical note instead of a research article.
Backward stochastic differential equations with unbounded generators

In this paper, we consider two classes of backward stochastic differential equations (BSDEs). First, under a Lipschitz-type condition on the generator of the equation, which can also be unbounded, we give sufficient conditions for the existence of a unique solution pair. The method of proof is that of Picard iterations and the resulting conditions are new. We also prove a comparison theorem. Second, under the linear growth and continuity assumptions on the possibly unbounded generator, we prove the existence of the solution pair. This class of equations is more general than the existing ones.
Essays on Expectations and the Econometrics of Asset Pricing

The way in which market participants form expectations affects the dynamic properties of financial asset prices and therefore the appropriateness of different econometric tools used for empirical asset pricing. In addition to standard rational expectations models, this thesis studies a class of models in which boundedly rational agents may switch between various simple expectation rules. A well-known specific example features fundamentalists, who target the fundamental value of the asset, and chartists, who try to exploit recent trends in price movements. A crucial feature of these models is that not all agents have to follow the same expectation rule, but are allowed to form heterogeneous beliefs. Chapters 2 and 3 present empirical estimations of two specific heterogeneous agent models. Since the data generating processes are assumed to be nonlinear, due to the agents' switching between expectation rules, nonlinear regression models are applied. By framing the empirical results in a heterogeneous agent framework, these chapters provide an alternative view on important topics in asset pricing, such as the prevalence of excess volatility and the relation between financial markets and the macro-economy. The final two chapters deal with noncausal, or forward-looking, autoregressive models. Chapter 4 shows that US stock prices are better described by noncausal autoregressions than by their causal counterparts. This implies that agents' expectations are not revealed to an outside observer such as an econometrician observing only realized market data. Simulation results show that heterogeneous agent models are able to generate noncausal asset prices. Chapter 5 considers the estimation of a class of standard rational expectations models. It is shown that noncausality of the instrumental variables does not have an impact on the consistency of the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator, as long as agents form rational expectations.
Welfare Effect of Farm Input Subsidy Program in the Context of Climate Change: Evidence from Malawi

The Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP) in Malawi was introduced in 2005/06 season against the background of bad weather affecting production, prolonged food shortages and high input prices in the absence of soft farm input loans for smallholder farmers. The primary purpose of the program was to increase resource-poor smallholder farmers’ access to improved agricultural farm inputs to achieve food self-sufficiency and increased income through increased maize and legume production. This paper uses a recently released panel data of nationally representative sample households combined with geo-referenced climate and administrative data to analyze FISP targeting effectiveness and the program’s impact on a broad set of welfare outcome variables including consumption, caloric intake, marketed surplus and crop productivity, within a context of climate variability. Our study finds that Malawi’s FISP targeting needs to improve if the primary target is to reach resource-poor and climate-constrained households. Moreover, results show that the program is positively associated with household welfare, food security and productivity. Heterogeneity analysis also suggests that the program benefits households residing in areas characterized by higher climate variability, with a stronger impact for a larger level of treatment.
Place Identity in a Resource-Dependent Area of Northern British Columbia

Abstract Residents of northern British Columbia's resource-dependent areas have struggled to maintain the integrity of their communities as nonlocal firms exert ever-increasing influence over the region's resources and landscapes. Local leaders both construct and mobilize place as a vital part of their efforts to promote community well-being. This study focuses on the ways that the residents of three towns in the province's northern interior politicized place as a strategy for resisting the political influence and geographic designs of outsiders. The residents drew from their shared emotional response to powerlessness as a means of highlighting the inequities between insiders and outsiders, thereby generating a regional identity that calls into question the socioeconomic effects of resource industrialization in the north. In describing this dialectic between place making and economic restructuring, the article not only expands upon existing theory on place identity, but also contributes to a fuller understanding of the cultural geography of North America's resource-dependent communities.
Clay squirt: Local flow dispersion in shale-bearing sandstones

ABSTRACTDispersion of elastic-wave velocity is common in sandstone and larger in shaly sandstone than in clean sandstone. Dispersion in fluid-saturated shaly sandstone often exceeds the level expected from the stress-dependent elastic moduli of dry sandstone. The large dispersion has been coined clay squirt and is proposed to originate from a pressure gradient between the clay microporosity and the effective porosity. We have formulated a simple model that quantifies the clay-squirt effect on bulk moduli of sandstone with homogeneously distributed shale laminae or dispersed shale. The model predictions were compared with the literature data. For sandstones with dispersed shale, agreement was found, whereas other sandstones have larger fluid-saturated bulk modulus, possibly due to partially load-bearing shales or heterogeneous shale distribution. The data that agree with the clay-squirt model indicated nonuniform pore pressure in the high-frequency regime and uniform pore pressure in the low-frequency regi.
SOIL & WATER MANAGEMENT & CONSERVATION Landscape and Conservation Management Effects on Hydraulic Properties of a Claypan- Soil Toposequence

Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 71:803–811doi:10.2136/sssaj2006.0236Received 20 June 2006. *Corresponding author (PJiang@mizzou.edu). ©S oil Science Society of America677 S. Segoe Rd. Madison WI 53711 USAAll rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Permission for printing and for reprinting the material contained herein has been obtained by the publisher.