Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Star formation in the filament of S254-S258 OB complex: a cluster in the process of being created

Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) are ideal laboratories to study the initial processes of high-mass star and star cluster formation. We investigated star formation activity of an unexplored filamentary dark cloud (size ∼ 5.7 pc × 1.9 pc), which itself is part of a large filament (∼ 20 pc) located in the S254-S258 OB complex at a distance of 2.5 kpc. Using Multi-band Imaging Photometer (MIPS) Spitzer 24 µm data, we uncover 49 sources with signal-to-noise ratio greater than 5. We identified 45 sources as candidate young stellar objects (YSOs) of Class I, Flat-spectrum, and Class II nature. Additional 17 candidate YSOs (9 Class I and 8 Class II) are also identified using JHK and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) photometry. We find that the protostar to Class II sources ratio (∼ 2) and the protostar fraction (∼ 70 %) of the region are high. When the protostar fraction compared to other young clusters, it suggests that the star formation in the dark cloud was possibly started only 1 Myr ago. Combining the near-infrared photometry of the YSO candidates with the theoretical evolutionary models, we infer that most of the candidate YSOs formed in the dark cloud are low-mass (< 2 M) in nature. We examine the spatial distribution of the YSOs and find that majority of them are linearly aligned along the highest column density line (N(H 2)∼ 1 × 10 22 cm −2) of the dark cloud along its long axis at mean nearest neighbor separation of ∼ 0.2 pc. Using observed properties of the YSOs, physical conditions of the cloud and a simple cylindrical model, we explore the possible star formation process of this filamentary dark cloud and suggest that gravitational fragmentation within the filament should have played a dominant role in the formation of the YSOs. From the total mass of the YSOs, gaseous mass associated with the dark cloud, and surrounding environment, we infer that the region is presently forming stars at an efficiency ∼ 3% and a rate ∼ 30 M Myr −1 , and may emerge to a richer cluster.
Dental Care Utilization among Patients with Dementia: An Analysis of Data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Database

The numbers of patients with different types of dementia will grow each year as the elderly population increases worldwide. Impairment of cognitive abilities and concomitant limitations on daily living activities contribute to a worsening of oral health in demented patients. Results of published studies have indicated poor oral health in patients with dementia [1-3]. Poor oral health can adversely affect speech, chewing ability and nutritional status, which in turn could potentially compromise the cognitive functioning, quality of life and general health of demented patients [4]. Moreover, a growing body of evidence suggests that periodontal disease is related to the occurrence of systemic diseases [5], aspiration pneumonia [6], cardiovascular disease [7] and ischemic stroke [8], which can lead to morbidity and earlier mortality in frail older people with dementia. Despite its importance, there is a tendency among demented patients to not adhere to good oral hygiene practices without assistance. Oral health and oral hygiene can decline as dementia progresses [9,10]. As such, regular dental check-ups play a vital role in oral health maintenance in this disadvantaged group of patients.
A matrix model for studying tsetse fly populations

Some characteristics of tsetse fly population dynamics were investigated using a matrix model. To take into account the peculiarities of the tsetse fly life cycle, the classic Leslie model was modified. Our model integrated the physiological age group of Glossina females, the pupal and adult survival rate and the pupal life span. The limit of the growth rate was studied and the results were satisfactory when compared with data of tsetse fly mass rearing. The effect of adult and pupal survival rates on the growth rate was examined and confirmed the importance of adult survival. The sensitivity analysis showed that the growth rate was particularly sensitive to change in the survival rate of young nulliparous females. This matrix model, directly accessible to the experimenter, enhanced our understanding of tsetse population dynamics.
On the increasing occurrence of the bluespotted cornetfish Fistularia commersonii (Ruppel, 1838) in the Central Mediterranean (Osteichthyes, Fistulariidae)

The increasing occurrence of the blue-spotted cornet fish Fistularia commersonii, a highly successful Lessepsian migrant, within coastal waters of Sicily and of the Maltese Islands is hereby recorded. Reports of recent sightings of the species within such a marine area are documented and these suggest the establishment of viable populations for the species within the same marine area.
Delamination or slab detachment beneath Vrancea? New arguments from local earthquake tomography

Vrancea, located at the southeastern Carpathians Arc bend, is one of the areas in the Alpine‐Himalayan belt that features strong earthquakes occurring at intermediate depths (60–200 km). In this study we investigated the crustal and lithospheric structure beneath the Vrancea seismic area using a local earthquake tomography approach. We used an updated and revised catalog, spanning from 1982 to 2006 that uses data from both permanent and temporary networks in the target area. Simultaneous tomographic inversion for the Vp and Vs anomalies and the Vp/Vs ratio and source locations was done using the LOTOS code. The reliability and robustness of the results were rigorously checked using various tests (e.g., by studying the role of different parameters on the results of the inversion, performing the inversion using random data subsets, and synthetic modeling). The tomography results clearly indicate the presence of a high‐velocity material beneath Vrancea at a depth interval of about 60–200 km that coincides with the distribution of intermediate‐depth seismicity. This result agrees generally with previous tomographic studies. We compare two scenarios leading to this structure: (1) subduction and slab detachment and (2) “drop forming” or delamination. The latter mechanism presumes that the thickening of the crust due to continent‐continent collision causes transformation of the mafic lower crust into denser eclogite. This material accumulates until it reaches a critical mass, at which point it forms a large drop that begins to fall down. We propose that the high‐velocity anomaly we observe in our tomogram might represent the descending eclogitic lower crust material enveloped by the entrained lithosphere. It is possible that a similar delamination process can be observed in other parts of the Alpine‐Himalayan belt, such as in the Pamir Hindu‐Kush area.
Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) of grassland areas in the Pampa biome, southern Brazil

The temperate and subtropical grassland ecosystems are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world due to habitat loss. This study aimed to make a list of butterfly species present in native grassland fields in the city of Santa Maria, southern Brazil. The sampling field effort was 225 h using entomological nets, from 2009 to 2011. In total, 117 species of butterflies were recorded, distributed in six families and 18 subfamilies. Nymphalidae was the richest family, with 56 species, while Lycaenidae was the least rich family, with six species. Twenty species constitute new records for Santa Maria; while six of those are new records for the Central Depression Region of Rio Grande do Sul. In the face of global and local threats, it is urgent to increase efforts to study the biology and ecology of the grassland communities in order to provide support to biological conservation.
Corporate governance, performance and take-overs: an empirical analysis of UK mergers

This paper analyses the relationship between the probability of being acquired, firm performance and governance structures. The acquired firms were all fully quoted on the London Stock Exchange and the acquisitions took place between 1990 and 1993. They were matched by a sample of non-acquired quoted companies. The sample was also analysed in terms of hostile and non-hostile acquisitions. It was found that the key governance characteristics which differentiated between acquired and nonacquired corporations related to the proportion of non-executive directors on the board and to whether or not the roles of chief executive officer and chairman were combined. It was also found that acquired firms were poor performers, which suggests that the internal governance structures had been ineffective. These results applied to hostile and non-hostile targets. The findings support the view that hostile acquisitions are disciplinary but cast doubt on the claim that non-hostile acquisitions are purely synergistic. The results also support the view that certain governance characteristics are effective substitutes for the take-over mechanism as a means of minimizing discretionary behaviour.
Efficacy of Pediococcus acidlactici-based probiotic on intestinal Coliforms and villus height , serum cholesterol level and performance of broiler chickens

The objective of this research was to investigate the efficacy of Pediococcus acidlactici-based probiotic on broilers performance. One hundred and sixty male Ross broiler chicks were allocated in 2 experimental treatments for 6 weeks. The experimental birds received a corn-soybean meal basal diet that was supplemented as follows: “control,” with no other additions; “PA,” Pediococcus acidlactici. For broilers fed diet supplemented with PA, the results showed that body weight (BW) increased and feed conversion ratio (FCR) decreased (P < 0.05) when compared to those of the control. Treatment of PA increased (P < 0.05) villus height in duodenum and ileum when compared with control. Broilers fed diet supplemented with PA also had lower (P < 0.05) coliforms number of the ileum and serum cholesterol level than that of the control. This study showed the beneficial effects of Pediococcus acidlactici-based probiotic on broilers performance.
Women's Sexual Sensation Seeking and Risk Taking in Leisure Travel

Abstract This study investigated young women's perceptions of sexual risk in leisure travel contexts with the purpose of developing a measurement scale for sexual risk taking in tourism. Perceived dimensions of sexual risk taking and the differences across sexual sensation-seeking propensity levels were explored. The data were collected using an online survey and analyzed using exploratory structural equation modeling. The findings reveal that sexual risk taking in leisure travel is a multidimensional construct including physical/sexual health, mental/emotional, and sociocultural factors. Additionally, women's perceptions of these factors differ according to their sexual sensation-seeking propensity as participants reporting higher levels of sexual sensation seeking rated physical/sexual health and mental/emotional risks lower than those with lower sensation-seeking levels. This study provides a more in-depth understanding of and a measurement scale for sexual risk taking in leisure travel contexts than previously existed.
Regularized semiclassical limits: linear flows with infinite Lyapunov exponents

Semiclassical asymptotics for linear Schr\"odinger equations with non-smooth potentials give rise to ill-posed formal semiclassical limits. These problems have attracted a lot of attention in the last few years, as a proxy for the treatment of eigenvalue crossings, i.e. general systems. It has recently been shown that the semiclassical limit for conical singularities is in fact well-posed, as long as the Wigner measure (WM) stays away from singular saddle points. In this work we develop a family of refined semiclassical estimates, and use them to derive regularized transport equations for saddle points with infinite Lyapunov exponents, extending the aforementioned recent results. In the process we answer a related question posed by P. L. Lions and T. Paul in 1993. If we consider more singular potentials, our rigorous estimates break down. To investigate whether conical saddle points, such as $-|x|$, admit a regularized transport asymptotic approximation, we employ a numerical solver based on posteriori error control. Thus rigorous upper bounds for the asymptotic error in concrete problems are generated. In particular, specific phenomena which render invalid any regularized transport for $-|x|$ are identified and quantified. In that sense our rigorous results are sharp. Finally, we use our findings to formulate a precise conjecture for the condition under which conical saddle points admit a regularized transport solution for the WM.
Fiscal Competition in Developing Countries: A Survey of the Theoretical and Empirical Literature

Fiscal competition between governments to attract investment can take the form of business tax rebates, productivity-enhancing public infrastructure, tax holidays, accelerated depreciation allowances or loss carry-forward for income tax purposes. This paper surveys the recent theoretical and empirical economic literature and deals with three issues. First, it examines if the theoretical literature on fiscal competition and bidding races contribute to a better understanding of these phenomena in developing countries. Second, it examines whether FDI inflows in developing countries are sensitive to fiscal incentives and if there is empirical evidence of strategic behavior by developing country governments in order to attract FDI. Finally, it reviews the literature's conclusions about fiscal competition among local governments in developing countries.
Field evaluation of the effectiveness of thermotherapy against cassava mosaic disease in Central African Republic.

Aim: The effectiveness of thermotherapy in managing cassava mosaic disease (CMD) was studied on a susceptible local cultivar in the field in the epidemiological conditions. Study Design: The field was laid out in randomized complete block design Place and Duration: Field experiment was conducted in forest zone at Kapou located in south west of Central African Republic according to University of Bangui during August 2010 and July 2011. Methodology: Diseased cassava cuttings were treated in a heated water bath at temperatures ranging from 43oC to 51oC for 30 min before being grown for 12 months in the field. Results: Temperatures from 43oC to 49oC were found to have no deleterious effect on either the survival of cuttings or on plant regeneration. One month after planting (MAP), up to 40% of the cuttings treated at 47oC to 49oC had regenerated a plant with no CMD symptoms compared to 7% of untreated cuttings. Between two and five MAP, cassava cuttings treated at 49oC produced plants with a significantly lower incidence of CMD than plants produced from untreated cuttings. All plants grown from treated cuttings developed significantly less severe CMD symptoms than untreated cuttings between 8 and 12 months after planting. The highest tuberous root yield was obtained with diseased cuttings treated at 49oC (4.7kg/plant), equivalent to the yield from untreated symptomless cuttings (4.6kg/plant). Conclusion: Our data clearly demonstrate the value of thermotherapy to maintain a high level of production using local cultivars under severe CMD epidemic conditions. (Resume d'auteur)
Mammary blood flow and nutrient uptake

Sow milk is the major source of nutrients for suckling piglets and taking into account the large litter sizes of our current sow genotypes, it is imperative to maximize nutrient use by the mammary gland. The amount of nutrients available to mammary tissue is dependent upon the concentrations of nutrients in blood and the rate of its flow to the lactating glands. Nutrient availability to the udder may be estimated by measuring mammary arteriovenous differences, and mammary blood flow can be measured either directly or via indirect calculations. For all these measures, mammary venous and arterial blood samplings are required and catheters must be inserted in mammary veins. Blood flow to the udder is influenced by numerous factors, such as litter size, time since feeding, postural behaviour, vasoactive substances, and ambient temperature; yet, the single most important effector of mammary blood flow is milk removal. Glucose represents 40 to 60% of the total carbon mass taken up by sow mammary tissue and its uptake by the mammary gland appears to be mediated by glucose transporter proteins. Other energetic precursors which are used by the mammary gland are triglycerides, phospholipids, acetate, propionate and lactate. The uptake of amino acids by sow mammary glands has been extensively studied and is affected by diet, stage of lactation, and milk demand. Recent data also showed that amino acid uptake is controlled by transporter proteins that channel amino acids intracellularly, and that these proteins are in turn affected by diet and physiological status. Data on mammary uptake of hormones are contradictory; yet, the endocrine involvement in the regulation of milk synthetic processes is evidenced by the presence of specific hormonal receptors in mammary tissue.
Genetic analysis and interrelationship of yield attributing traits in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Twenty chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes were evaluated for genetic potential, heritability, genetic advance and traits association of yield contributing characters during 2010-2011, at The University of Agriculture, Peshawar. The experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block (RCB) design with three replications. Data were recorded on days to 50% flowering, pods per plant, seeds per pod, number of primary branches plant-1, number of secondary branches plant-1, 100-seed weight and seed yield plant-1. Analysis of variance revealed significant (P<0.01) variation among genotypes for all the studied characters. Broad sense heritability estimates were highest for pods per plant (0.88), primary branches plant-1 (0.83), 100-seed weight (0.82), seed yield plant-1 (0.75) and secondary branches plant-1 (0.77). Genetic advance was higher for pods per plant (40.14), seed yield plant-1 (38.24%), primary branches plant-1 (36.64%) and secondary branches plant-1 (30.25%). Seed yield plant-1 showed highly significant genetic as well as phenotypic correlation with pods per plant, number of primary branches plant-1, secondary branches plant-1 and 100-seed weight in positive direction. To conclude, pods per plant, number of primary branches, number of secondary branches and 100-seed weight would be the appropriate selection criteria for better seed yield in chickpea
THE NUCLEUS OF THE SAGITTARIUS DSPH GALAXY AND M54: A WINDOW ON THE PROCESS OF GALAXY NUCLEATION

We present the results of a thorough study of the nucleus of the Sgr dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Sgr dSph) and of the bright globular cluster M54 (NGC 6715) that resides within the same nucleus (Sgr,N). We have obtained accurate radial velocities and metallicity estimates for 1152 candidate red giant branch stars of Sgr and M54 lying within ∼9′ from the center of the galaxy, from Keck/DEIMOS and VLT/FLAMES spectra of the infrared Ca ii triplet. Using both velocity and metallicity information we selected two samples of 425 and 321 very likely members of M54 and of Sgr,N, respectively. The two considered systems display significantly different velocity dispersion profiles. M54 has a steeply decreasing profile from r = 0′, where σ ≃ 14.2 km s−1, to r ≃ 3. ′5 where it reaches σ ≃ 5.3 km s−1, then it appears to rise again to σ ≃ 10 km s−1 at r ∼ 7′. In contrast Sgr,N has a uniformly flat profile at σ ≃ 9.6 km s−1 over the whole 0′ ⩽ r ⩽ 9′ range. Using data from the literature we show that the velocity dispersion of Sgr remains constant at least out to r ∼ 100′ and there is no sign of the transition between the outer flat-luminosity-profile core and the inner nucleus in the velocity profile. These results, together with a re-analysis of the surface brightness profile of Sgr,N and a suite of dedicated N-body simulations, provide very strong support for the hypothesis that the nucleus of Sgr formed independently of M54, which probably plunged to its present position, coincident with Sgr,N, because of significant decay of the original orbit due to dynamical friction.
Assessment of Factors Influencing Consumer Satisfaction : A Survey of Customers of Nigerian Manufacturing Companies

This study is an assessment of factors influencing consumer satisfaction; it is a survey of customers of Nigerian manufacturing companies. The main objective of the study was to investigate the key variables having strong influence on customer satisfaction and the purchasing decisions of customers. As part of the methodology, both primary and secondary methods of data collection were adopted for the study. The data was analyzed using Descriptive Statistics (mean, standard deviation) and Regression Analysis to assess the satisfaction-rating in line with the objectives of the study. The major findings based on the formulated hypotheses reveals that most of the targeted consumers of the surveyed manufacturing companies in the six geo-political zones of the country agreed that high pricing dimension of Nigerian manufacturers’ products result in low-level customer satisfaction. Some recommendations were made; among the major recommendations is the need for manufacturing companies in Nigeria to embrace marketing concepts, by providing the much needed services and establishing good relationship with customers through effective and efficient customer services. This would result in brand loyalty and deeper market penetration that would help companies establish long-term profitable relationships with their customers.
Open-loop tomography with artificial neural networks on CANARY: on-sky results

We present recent results from the initial testing of an artificial neural network (ANN)-based tomographic reconstructor Complex Atmospheric Reconstructor based on Machine lEarNing (CARMEN) on CANARY, an adaptive optics demonstrator operated on the 4.2m William Herschel Telescope, La Palma. The reconstructor was compared with contemporaneous data using the Learn and Apply (L&A) tomographic reconstructor. We find that the fully optimized L&A tomographic reconstructor outperforms CARMEN by approximately 5percent in Strehl ratio or 15nm rms in wavefront error. We also present results for CANARY in Ground Layer Adaptive Optics mode to show that the reconstructors are tomographic. The results are comparable and this small deficit is attributed to limitations in the training data used to build the ANN. Laboratory bench tests show that the ANN can outperform L&A under certain conditions, e.g. if the higher layer of a model two layer atmosphere was to change in altitude by ∼300m (equivalent to a shift of approximately one tenth of a subaperture).
2D physical properties in the responses of the macaque inferotemporal cortex

Tamas Tompa, Zoltan Chadaide, Laura Lenti, Gabor Csifcsak, Gyula Kovacs, György Benedek Color independent shape selectivity in inferior temporal cortex. ECVP 2002, Glasgow, Perception vol 31 Supplement p. 67 Abstracts not related to the studys not related to the study Gy. Kovács, K. Köteles, Z. Chadaide, Gy. Sáry, T. Tompa, Gy. Benedek Responses of macaque inferior temporal neurons to shapes defined by illusory contours Society for Neuroscience 30th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, USA; Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. , Vol. 26, Part 1, p.1332, 2000 Kovacs G, Chadaide Z, Koteles K, Sary G, Tompa T, Fiser J, Biederman I, Benedek Gy Processing of contours in the macaque inferior temporal cortex, J.of Physiol. 526: 26S-26S, Suppl. S. Aug 2000