Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pluripotential theory, semigroups and boundary behavior of infinitesimal generators in strongly convex domains

We characterize infinitesimal generators of semigroups of holomorphic self-maps of strongly convex domains using the pluricomplex Green function and the pluricomplex Poisson kernel. Moreover, we study boundary regular fixed points of semigroups. Among other things, we characterize boundary regular fixed points both in terms of the boundary behavior of infinitesimal generators and in terms of pluripotential theory.
E2-quasi-exact solvability for non-Hermitian models

We propose the notion of E2-quasi-exact solvability and apply this idea to find explicit solutions to the eigenvalue problem for a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian system depending on two parameters. The model considered reduces to the complex Mathieu Hamiltonian in a double scaling limit, which enables us to compute the exceptional points in the energy spectrum of the latter as a limiting process of the zeros for some algebraic equations. The coefficient functions in the quasi-exact eigenfunctions are univariate polynomials in the energy obeying a three-term recurrence relation. The latter property guarantees the existence of a linear functional such that the polynomials become orthogonal. The polynomials are shown to factorize for all levels above the quantization condition leading to vanishing norms rendering them to be weakly orthogonal. In two concrete examples we compute the explicit expressions for the Stieltjes measure.
Pyramidal Ownership and the Creation of New Firms

We study the role of pyramidal ownership structures in the creation of new firms. Our results suggest that pyramids arise because they provide a financing advantage in setting up new firms when the pledgeability of cash flows to outside financiers is limited. Parent companies supply inside funds to new firms that, due to large investment requirements and low pledgeable cash flows, cannot raise enough external financing. The financing advantage of pyramidal structures is pervasive in many countries, exists regardless of whether new firms are set up by business groups or by smaller organizations, and is an important underpinning of entrepreneurial activity.
Standards in Action : English Language Teachers ’ Views on Integrating Target Culture into the Language Instruction

This study aims to examine language teachers’ views on integrating target culture into language instruction. The study was conducted as a cross-sectional survey design on 116 English teachers. The participants were administered Target Culture Integration Survey (TCIS) developed by researchers based on ACTFL. The study was limited to only the standards concerning the cultural dimension of ACTFL.The reliability coefficiency of the survey was 0.77. The data of the study were analyzed through descriptive statistics (means, standard deviation etc.), independent t test and one-way analysis of variance. The results showed that the views of teachers about the culture integration weremoderately high regardless of gender or school districts. On the other hand, the results showed that 6-10 years experienced teachers have higher positive views than the other teachers. Also, the findings manifested that the high school teachers had higher positive views than the middle school teachers.
Fuzzy logic filtering of radar reflectivity to remove non-meteorological echoes using dual polarization radar moments

Abstract. The ability of a fuzzy logic classifier to dynamically identify non-meteorological radar echoes is demonstrated using data from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science dual polarisation, Doppler, X-band mobile radar. Dynamic filtering of radar echoes is required due to the variable presence of spurious targets, which can include insects, ground clutter and background noise. The fuzzy logic classifier described here uses novel multi-vertex membership functions which allow a range of distributions to be incorporated into the final decision. These membership functions are derived using empirical observations, from a subset of the available radar data. The classifier incorporates a threshold of certainty (25 % of the total possible membership score) into the final fractional defuzzification to improve the reliability of the results. It is shown that the addition of linear texture fields, specifically the texture of the cross-correlation coefficient, differential phase shift and differential reflectivity, to the classifier along with standard dual polarisation radar moments enhances the ability of the fuzzy classifier to identify multiple features. Examples from the Convective Precipitation Experiment (COPE) show the ability of the filter to identify insects (18 August 2013) and ground clutter in the presence of precipitation (17 August 2013). Medium-duration rainfall accumulations across the whole of the COPE campaign show the benefit of applying the filter prior to making quantitative precipitation estimates. A second deployment at a second field site (Burn Airfield, 6 October 2014) shows the applicability of the method to multiple locations, with small echo features, including power lines and cooling towers, being successfully identified by the classifier without modification of the membership functions from the previous deployment. The fuzzy logic filter described can also be run in near real time, with a delay of less than 1 min, allowing its use on future field campaigns.
The fate of NO x emissions due to nocturnal oxidation at high latitudes: 1-D simulations and sensitivity experiments

Abstract. The fate of nitrogen oxide pollution during high-latitude winter is controlled by reactions of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) and is highly affected by the competition between heterogeneous atmospheric reactions and deposition to the snowpack. MISTRA (MIcrophysical STRAtus), a 1-D photochemical model, simulated an urban pollution plume from Fairbanks, Alaska to investigate this competition of N2O5 reactions and explore sensitivity to model parameters. It was found that dry deposition of N2O5 made up a significant fraction of N2O5 loss near the snowpack, but reactions on aerosol particles dominated loss of N2O5 over the integrated atmospheric column. Sensitivity experiments found the fate of NOx emissions were most sensitive to NO emission flux, photolysis rates, and ambient temperature. The results indicate a strong sensitivity to urban area density, season and clouds, and temperature, implying a strong sensitivity of the results to urban planning and climate change. Results suggest that secondary formation of particulate (PM2.5) nitrate in the Fairbanks downtown area does not contribute significant mass to the total PM2.5 concentration, but appreciable amounts are formed downwind of downtown due to nocturnal NOx oxidation and subsequent reaction with ammonia on aerosol particles.
Dispersion of surface plasmon polaritons on short-pitch metal gratings

The dispersion of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) has been calculated for short-pitch metal gratings for various depths. For gratings with depths greater than their pitch very flat SPP bands are formed in the zero-orderregion of the spectrum which may be resonantly excited with radiation polarized with its electric field in the plane of incidence of the radiation, which also contains the grating vector. The dispersion curves of these modes evolve as deformations of the familiar shallow grating dispersion curve due to the opening of very large band gaps, and interactions of the SPP bands with both the light line and other SPP bands. Also presented are the dispersion curves for the equivalent modes excited by radiation having its plane of incidence perpendicular to the grating vector, but polarized with its electric field parallel to this grating vector. The full dispersion curve of these SPP bands for all orientations of the grating relative to the plane of incidence is also presented.
The Making of Optimal and Consistent Policy: An Analytical Framework for Monetary Models

This paper shows that optimal policy and consistent policy outcomes require the use of control-theory and game-theory solution techniques. While optimal policy and consistent policy often produce different outcomes even in a one-period model, we analyze consistent policy and its outcome in a simple model, finding that the cause of the inconsistency with optimal policy traces to inconsistent targets in the social loss function. Control theory can identify the optimal plan and, thus, the optimal economic outcomes. Then, we can seek a consistent plan that coincides with the optimal plan through institutional design. That is, the optimal plan can indicate how to design the optimal institution, through which we implement the optimal plan with a consistent plan.
Bacterial communities in iron mottles in the plow pan layer in a Japanese rice field: Estimation using PCR-DGGE and sequencing analyses

Abstract Bacterial communities in iron (Fe) mottles in the plow pan layer in a Japanese rice field were estimated using polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analysis targeting 16S rDNA genes. The DGGE band patterns indicate that distinct bacterial communities with lower diversity inhabit Fe mottles compared with the reference soil matrix. Many of the DGGE bands of the Fe mottles that were sequenced (12 of 29 DGGE bands) were closely related to bacteria involved with Fe oxidation and reduction: Siderooxidans ghiorsii, Azoarcus sp. , Azovibrio sp. , Dechloromonas sp. , Acidimicrobium ferrooxidans, Geobacter psychrophilus, Clostridium sp. , Desulfovibrio sp. and Desulfonatronum cooperativum. The results suggest that specific bacteria inhabit Fe mottles and may play a role in the Fe cycle.
Vegetation Change in Boreonemoral Forest during Succession — Trends in Species Composition, Richness and Differentiation Diversity

We compared the diversity and composition of understorey vegetation of four successional stages (recently clearcut, young, middle-aged and old stands) in an Estonian boreonemoral coniferous forest under homogeneous soil conditions. The ordination analysis (NMDS) showed that successional age was the main driver of understorey species composition with soil pH and P content responsible for some variation as well. Species composition in old-growth stands was more similar to the vegetation of young and clear-cut stands than to the composition of mid-aged stands. Species richness in 1-m2 plots was higher in recently disturbed and young stands due to the higher abundance of disturbance-related species. The differentiation diversity, characterising species turnover among plots within a stand, was higher in recently disturbed and young stands than in mid-aged and old stands. The results indicate that earlier successional stages are characterised by spatially heterogeneous and diverse vegetation, whereas older stands develop more homogeneous vegetation composition.
Carbon dioxide concentration in air within the Nerja Cave(Malaga, Andalusia, Spain)

INTRODUCTION In caves adapted for tourism, the control of carbon dioxide levels is crucial for the cave’s conservation as well as for public health, so that an adequate air quality is maintained for the visitors. On one hand, the CO2 concentration in the air in karstic caves conditions the development of different speleogenetic processes within these caves given that it directly influences the precipitation/dissolution of carbonates (White, 1988, 1997; Dreybrodt, 2000; Dreybodt & Eisenlohr, 2000). On the other hand, the CO2 concentration determines the cave’s air quality, as elevated CO2 concentrations above 5000 ppmv are noxious to human health (Halbert, 1982). Numerous authors have studied CO2 from diverse standpoints. Pioneering studies have been made on the presence and dynamics of CO2 in caves with respect to the exterior environment, for example Renault (1968), Ek (1968, 1979, 1981), James (1977) and Troester & White (1984). Other authors
To buy or not to buy? The value of contradictory analyst signals

We study the predictive ability of individual analyst target price changes for post-event abnormal stock returns within each recommendation category. Although prior studies generally demonstrate the investment value of target prices, we find that target price changes do not cause abnormal returns within each recommendation level. Instead, contradictory analyst signals (e.g., strong buy reiterations with large target price decreases) neutralize each other, whereas confirmatory signals reinforce each other. Further, our analysis reveals that large target price downgrades can be explained by preceding stock price decreases. However, upgrades are not preceded by stock price increases, thereby demonstrating asymmetric analyst behavior when adjusting target prices to stock prices. Our results suggest that investors should treat recommendations with caution when they are issued with large contradictory target price changes. Thus, instead of blindly following a recommendation, investors might put more weight on the change in the corresponding target price and consider transaction costs.
Population Dynamics, Labour and Small-Holder Farmers' Productivity in Southeast Nigeria

The study analyzed the population dynamics, labour use and food productivity of small holder farmers in Southeastern Nigeria. A total of 120 farmer respondents involved in Cassava-based mixed cropping randomly selected (40 each), from three out of the six States that made up the Southeast geo-political zones, was used for the study. Both primary and secondary sources of data were used. Simple statistical tools, gross and net margins as well as regression analysis were used to analyze the data collected. The result of the analysis revealed that farming though profitable is still at subsistence level with a net margin of N28,360 ($US180.64) per hectare, about 46% of the farmers could not afford or access the use of fertilizers and modern inputs required for agricultural intensification prevalent in the area. The tenure arrangement was by inheritance (64%), which caused much land fragmentations and pressure on limited arable land. Labour had the highest average factor cost (40.86%), due to high cost of hired labour. The regression result showed that farm size (X 2 ) and fertilizer application (X 4 ), are significant (P=0.01), and positively correlated with crop production. Conversely, population density (X 1 ) and cropping density (X 3 ) and labour X 7 ) were significant (P=0.01), but negatively correlated with crop output. To ensure higher productivity and net profit, the study recommends that farmers should be provided with required farm inputs at affordable prices by government and land use act decree of 1978 should be reviewed to make land available to genuine farmers for commercial and mechanized farming. Birth control should be encouraged. Key words: Population, Labour, Productivity, Small-holder farmers
The development and longitudinal evaluation of a wellbeing programme: An organisation case study

Wellbeing programmes are often initiated in organisations based on an assumption that they will promote employee engagement and performance. But the specific elements of a wellbeing programme are rarely evaluated for their efficacy. This case study reports on the development and refinement of a wellbeing programme at a large multi-site European organisation, analysing the utility of wellbeing offerings and the impact of the programme on employee wellbeing over the course of five years. Results from two internal surveys were analysed. The first, conducted at 18-month intervals between 2009 and 2014, evaluated employee engagement. The second, a tailored wellbeing survey conducted in 2014, measured employee wellbeing and perceptions of the individual wellbeing programme offerings. A number of key findings emerged: the wellbeing programme was highly regarded and reported to have a positive impact on employee engagement, some elements of the programme were better received than others, and there were significant differences in the wellbeing levels of different groups. Regression analyses provide evidence for the need to take account of individual employees’ current levels of wellbeing when tailoring a wellbeing programme for them, with current wellbeing predicting up to 11% of the variance in preference for different elements of the programme. Results highlight some of the complexities that organisations should be aware of when understanding employee wellbeing, including the effect of national culture, job grade and current wellbeing levels. This case study provides insight into the development of a wellbeing programme and evidence for its positive contribution to employee engagement.
Attitudes and practice in relation to first-episode psychosis: a survey of child and adult psychiatrists

Aims and Method Early intervention in psychosis services serving the 14–35 age range often receive input from psychiatrists from both child and adolescent as well as adult mental health services. Differences in staff attitudes or practices could potentially affect the experience of care that an individual with first-episode psychosis receives on the basis of their age. In order to investigate such potential variation a questionnaire-based survey was conducted targeting the relevant psychiatrists working in a large mental health trust in north-east England. Results Only subtle differences in attitudes between the two staff groups were noted. However, a number of significant differences in prescribing preferences were reported. Clinical Implications Attitudes towards first-episode psychosis show marked variation between psychiatrists but may not be especially associated with sub-specialty. Further national guidance should be drawn up, disseminated and implemented to help ensure that service users across the age range receive the safest and most effective medications for an episode of psychotic illness, regardless of age.
Radioactive Tracing As Aid for Diagnosing Chemical Reactors

Radioactive tracing is often the only fine and non-intrusive technique for characterising the flow of phases in chemical reactors. Provided that methodological constraints have been respected, this tracing allows to study, from a chemical engineering point of view, the flow of a phase by the measurement of local residence-time distributions (RTD) or internal ages distributions. From these distributions one can deduce the nature of the marked flow, which is required for scale extrapolation; the example of a packed column is given to illustrate this point. These distributions may validate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes as it is pointed out in the tracing of a crystallisation process by desublimation of a hot gas by a cold one. In this case, computed aerodynamics is confirmed by the experimental build-up of a systemic model; the reaction zone is then numerically localised with a high degree of confidence. A specific property of the radioactive tracing is that the signal monitored by a nuclear probe is inversely proportional to the volumetric flow rate near the probe. Then, modelling the enthalpic balance leads in a simple way to the local corresponding temperature as it is featured in the example of the tracing of a quenching tower. These measurements, even if they can point out maldistributions of flows, are not suitable for their localisations; this is the purpose of static or dynamical imaging techniques. Among them, the single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) enables to reconstruct the image of the repartition of a tracer in the cross-section of a cylindrical reactor from a limited number of nuclear detectors. Advantages and limitations of SPECT are presented and an example of localisation of maldistributions is given. Finally, the correct treatment of images given by a gamma camera constitutes an interesting way for the visualisation and estimation of the repartition of a radioactive tracer in a laboratory three-phase catalytic reactor of the Mahoney-Robinson type used for the desulfurization of gas oils. The influence of the agitation speed on the local efficiency of the gas and liquid mass transfers can be pointed out.
Microbial Production of Alkaline Proteases by Locally Isolated Bacillus subtilis PCSIR-5

Extra-cellular proteases producing bacteria were isolated from local habitats and screened on 1 % skim milk agar plates. Depending upon the zone of hydrolysis strain, 5 was selected for further investigations. Studies regarding the effects of pH, size and age of inoculum revealed that maximum proteolytic activity (107 PU/ml) was indicated after 48 hours by using 10% v/v of 24 h old inoculum in fermentation medium. The enzyme had an optimal pH of 8.5 and exhibited its highest activity at 50°C. The proteases were then tested for collagenolytic activity on leather dust. Results indicate that protease produced by Bacillus subtilis PCSIR-5 has greater collagenolytic activity and it can be used for bio-treatment of leather dust for reduction of the environmental pollution.
Applied methods for studying the relationship between climatic factors and cotton production.

This study investigates the statistical relationship between climatic variables and aspects of cotton production (G. barbadense), and the effects of climatic factors prevailing prior to flowering or subsequent to boll setting on flower and boll production and retention in cotton. The effects of specific climatic factors during both pre- and post-anthesis periods on boll production and retention are mostly unknown. However, by determining the relationship of climatic factors with flower and boll production and retention, the overall level of production can be possibly predicted. Thus, an understanding of these relationships may help physiologists determine control mechanisms of production in cotton plants. Also, the study covers the predicted effects of climatic factors during convenient intervals (in days) on cotton flower and boll production compared with daily observations. Further, cotton flower and boll production as affected by climatic factors and soil moisture status has been considered. Evaporation, sunshine duration, relative humidity, surface soil temperature at 1800 h, and maximum air temperature, are the important climatic factors that significantly affect flower and boll production. The least important variables were found to be surface soil temperature at 600 h and minimum temperature. The five-day interval was found to be more adequately and sensibly related to yield parameters. Evaporation, minimum humidity and sunshine duration were the most effective climatic factors during preceding and succeeding periods on boll production and retention. There was a negative correlation between flower number and boll production and either evaporation or sunshine duration, while that correlation with minimum relative humidity was positive. The soil moisture status showed low and insignificant correlation with flower and boll production. Higher minimum relative humidity, short period of sunshine duration, and low temperatures enhanced flower and boll formation.