Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Marine heterotrophic bacteria, protozoan and metazoan zooplankton may experience protein N or mineral P limitation in coastal waters

The objective of the present study was to examine how N and P availability interact with C metabolism in marine heterotrophic plankton and whether or not heterotrophic groups are likely to be subjected to essential nutrient limitations in natural coastal waters. The nutrients stud- ied were mineral P and N; the latter is a proxy for essential amino acids. We present a general the- oretical framework and criteria for evaluating essential nutrient limitations in heterotrophs. Data were derived from a comprehensive mesocosm experiment, where food-web flows were esti- mated using inverse modelling. Bacteria of the mesocosm communities were severely P-deficient throughout. The heterotrophic nanoplankton was most likely limited by another essential nutrient or by food C availability. Ciliates were most likely P-limited, whereas copepods might experience P limitation, but were more likely limited by another essential nutrient or food C in the present experiments. The N contents of the food were close to the theoretical requirements for copepods and ciliates. All planktonic groups released dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), and all except bacteria released dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP). Our results suggested that P limitation might be readily experienced by bacteria, ciliates and perhaps also by copepods, but not by het- erotrophic nanoplankton in natural North East Atlantic coastal waters. A predator must balance its energy metabolism and growth under the variable availabilities of essential nutrients, and we pro- pose that C growth efficiency is a dynamic variable mainly dependent on the availability of the most limiting nutrient. We support the view that C availability alone cannot be used as a proxy for the food limitation of bacterial and zooplankton growth. Specific essential nutrients should be regarded as potential limiting factors, as for phytoplankton. The variable nutritional requirements of heterotrophic predators will then represent a major driver of heterotrophic species diversity, allowing a broad diversity of heterotrophic species in plankton communities.
Dynamic Determinants of Dividend in Affiliated and Unaffiliated Firms to Government in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE)

Dividend Policy is one of the most important financial decisions that managers encounter. This study contributes to the literature of dividend and empirical research investigating the effects of dynamic factors in Tehran Stock Exchange. Based on some criteria, the study contains 133 listed firms over a 10-year period from 2001 to 2010. To test the research hypotheses, this study uses Fixed Effect model as a static and Generalized Method of Moments as a dynamic regression model. The results indicate that the most important determinants of dividends are market risks with a negative association, followed by market to book value, and firm size with positive associations. The variable of the government ownership has a negative coefficient, and it is statistically insignificant. It means that affiliated firms to the governments generally tend to pay fewer dividends, which is not significant. Therefore, the determinants of dividend decisions are not significantly different between the two groups of firms.
Pattern of card catalogue consultation in a special library

A three day sample observation of card catalogue consultation by users at ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) Library has been made and results recorded. Users have been subsequently questioned about the purposes for which catalogue was consulted. The paper describes the card catalogue system of the library, the method followed and limitations of the study. The data in appropriate tables has revealed that classified catalogue is not used; Report Number Catalogue is least used and subject catalogue is consulted to the maximum. It is also found that more than half of the consultations of card catalogue are to locate documents, one-fourth is to interact with circulation system, one-tenth is to make a comprehensive search for references on a topic and rest for miscellaneous purposes. It is concluded, based on the results, that arrangement of charged out tray at circulation counter be changed to classified order and classified catalogue itself may have to be dispensed with.
Dynamical density functional theory for interacting Brownian particles: stochastic or deterministic?

We aim to clarify confusions in the literature as to whether or not dynamical density functional theories for the one-body density of a classical Brownian fluid should contain a stochastic noise term. We point out that a stochastic as well as a deterministic equation of motion for the density distribution can be justified, depending on how the fluid one-body density is defined-i.e. whether it is an ensemble averaged density distribution or a spatially and/or temporally coarse grained density distribution.
Title Assessment of mosquito larval productivity among different land use types for targeted malaria vector control in the western Kenya highlands Permalink

Background: Mosquito larval source management (LSM) is likely to be more effective when adequate information such as dominant species, seasonal abundance, type of productive habitat, and land use type are available for targeted sites. LSM has been an effective strategy for reducing malaria morbidity in both urban and rural areas in Africa where sufficient proportions of larval habitats can be targeted. In this study, we conducted longitudinal larval source surveillance in the western Kenya highlands, generating data which can be used to establish cost-effective targeted intervention tools. Methods: One hundred and twenty-four (124) positive larval habitats were monitored weekly and sampled for mosquito larvae over the 85-week period from 28 July 2009 to 3 March 2011. Two villages in the western Kenya highlands, Mbale and Iguhu, were included in the study. After preliminary sampling, habitats were classified into four types: hoof prints (n= 21; 17 % of total), swamps (n = 32; 26 %), abandoned goldmines (n = 35; 28 %) and drainage ditches (n= 36; 29 %). Positive habitats occurred in two land use types: farmland (66) and pasture (58). No positive larval habitats occurred in shrub land or forest. Results: A total of 46,846 larvae were sampled, of which 44.1 % (20,907) were from abandoned goldmines, 30.9 % (14,469) from drainage ditches, 22.4 % (10,499) from swamps and 2.1 % (971) from hoof prints. In terms of land use types, 57.2 % (26,799) of the sampled larvae were from pasture and 42.8 % (20,047) were from farmland. Of the specimens identified morphologically, 24,583 (52.5 %) were Anopheles gambiae s.l. , 11,901 (25.4 %) were Culex quinquefasciatus, 5628 (12 %) were An. funestus s.l. and 4734 (10.1 %) were other anopheline species (An. coustani, An. squamosus, An. ziemanni or An. implexus). Malaria vector dynamics varied seasonally, with An.gambiae s.s. dominating during wet season and An.arabiensis during dry season. An increased proportion of An. arabiensis was observed compared to previous studies. Conclusion: These results suggest that long-term monitoring of larval habitats can establish effective surveillance systems and tools. Additionally, the results suggest that larval control is most effective in the dry season due to habitat restriction, with abandoned goldmines, drainage ditches and swamps being the best habitats to target. Both farmland and pasture should be targeted for effective larval control. An increased proportion of An. arabiensis in the An. gambiae complex was noticed in this study for the very first time in the western Kenya highlands; hence, further control tools should be in place for effective control of An. arabiensis.
Modeling the Airflow and Particle Dispersion in Street Canyons under Unsteady Thermal Environment with Sinusoidal Variation

ABSTRACTUnstable temperature stratification conditions have a considerable influence on pollutant diffusion inside street canyons. In this study, we tried to model the air flow and particle dispersion in street canyons under unsteady thermal environment. The sinusoidal variation was used to model the atmosphere temperature on the basis of the solar radiation cycle that occurs over a day. The two-dimensional model of step-up building layouts was applied as the research object and an RNG turbulence model was applied to study the dynamic characteristics of instantaneous airflow, the dimensionless air exchange rate (ACH) and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) in the different canyons. A series of numerical simulations were performed for different Richardson numbers (Ri). The results demonstrated that the stream function within the street canyons exhibited a periodic shift over a day, and the flow morphology gradually evolved from paralleled bilateral vortexes into a row of vortexes, particularly when the ground temperature increased. Moreover, the local PM concentrations at different times were obtained, and they were affected by the flow field patterns. The total PM mass in the street canyon decreased as the air velocity increased. Furthermore, the dimensionless ACH and TKE exhibit a noticeable fluctuation with time at higher Ri and stronger buoyancy. As the Ri decreases, the enhanced forced convection causes the ACH and TKE to remain constant over time. From these results, inhabitants should be advised to adopt preventative measures aimed at the PM pollution according to the time and location where they live.
NEW EVIDENCE ON THE TIMING OF EARLY LIFE COURSE TRANSITIONS: The United States 1900 to 1980

This article is a description and analysis of the timing of early life course transitions in the twentieth century. Using data from national microdata samples of the census for 1900, 1910, 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, and 1980, the study investigates the timing of seven transitions to adulthood, relationships between pairs of transitions, and how changes in these patterns affected the behavior of several population subgroups. The results show that youth in the second half of the century made the transition to adulthood earlier and followed a more prescribed and compressed schedule of transitions than their early-twen tieth-century counterparts. The period of greatest change came after the Second World War, but by 1980 the trend toward earlier and increasingly age-graded familial transitions ap peared to have reversed. Between 1900 and 1980 there is also a homogenization of experi ence among subgroups.
Perdas de água e solo por erosão hídrica em duas direções de semeadura de aveia e ervilhaca

The sowing direction influences soil surface roughness, which, combined with rainfall and other variables, e.g., canopy cover, affects soil water erosion. Using a rotating-boom rainfall simulator, five tests of simulated rainfall were applied to black oat (Avena strigosa), and vetch (Vicia sativa), at a constant intensity of 64 mm h-1, between August and November 2006, to assess water and soil loss in the following treatment: mechanized seeding of oats in downslope rows; mechanized seeding of oats along contour lines; mechanized seeding of vetch in downslope rows, and mechanized seeding of vetch along contour lines. The experiment was conducted in two replications on an Inceptisol, with a mean slope of 0.119 m m-1. The canopy cover was greater in oat than vetch until rainfall test 2 and higher in vetch in the tests 3 and 4, with no variation due to the sowing direction of the crops and increasing from the beginning to the end of the growth period. The time until the water started to run off was longer in the treatments with seeding along contour lines than downslope, in both crops; the maximum runoff rate along the contour lines was lower and the time until maximum runoff rate longer. The sediment concentration in runoff decreased over the rainfall tests; it was lower in oat than vetch, and 52 % lower in contour than downslope sowing. Soil loss decreased over the rainfall tests; these losses were 12 % lower in oat and 56 % lower in vetch contour than downslope sowing; the water loss had the same performance as soil loss, although with lower magnitudes. The accumulated soil losses increased with accumulated rain volume (VR) and rain erosivity (EI30), between the first and fourth test, according to the equations: SL = 0.859 (1-e-0.0059VR) (R2 = 0.99) and SL = 0.832 (1-e-0.0004EI30) (R2 = 0.99).
Dimension via Waiting time and Recurrence

Quantitative recurrence indicators are defined by measuring the first entrance time of the orbit of a point x in a decreasing sequence of neighborhoods of another point y. It is proved that these recurrence indicators are a.e. greater or equal to the local dimension at y, then these recurrence indicators can be used to have a numerical upper bound on the local dimension of an invariant measure.
Goal-Oriented Decomposition of Event-Driven Process Chains with Value Focused Thinking

There is agreement in business modelling literature that decomposition of business processes should be guided by business criteria. However, there is little guidance as to how this should be achieved. Depending on the purpose of the business model, business criteria may refer to business analysis needs, documentation of business processes, allocation of resources, fulfilment of business objectives, etc. Although each of these criteria is important, the need for business processes to fulfil business objectives is paramount to the overall success of the business. In this paper we extend existing research on the relationship between business objectives and process modelling by proposing a conceptual model and implementation guidelines for process decomposition using business objectives as the guiding business criteria.
Modeled distribution and abundance of a pelagic seabird reveal trends in relation to fisheries

The northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis is one of the most visible and widespread seabirds in the eastern Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. However, relatively little is known about its abundance, trends, or the factors that shape its distribution. We used a long-term pelagic dataset to model changes in fulmar at-sea distribution and abundance since the mid-1970s. We used an ensemble model, based on a weighted average of generalized additive model (GAM), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), and random forest models to estimate the pelagic distribution and density of fulmars in the waters of the Aleutian Archipelago and Bering Sea. The most important predictor variables were colony effect, sea surface temperature, distribution of fisheries, location, and primary productivity. We calculated a time series from the ratio of observed to predicted values and found that fulmar at-sea abundance declined from the 1970s to the 2000s at a rate of 0.83% (± 0.39% SE) per annum. Interpolating fulmar densities on a spatial grid through time, we found that the center of fulmar distribution in the Bering Sea has shifted north, coinciding with a northward shift in fish catches and a warming ocean. Our study shows that fisheries are an important, but not the only factor, shaping fulmar distribution and abundance trends in the eastern Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands.
Off-diagonal observable elements from random matrix theory: distributions, fluctuations, and eigenstate thermalization

We derive the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) from a random matrix Hamiltonian by extending the model introduced by Deutsch (1991 Phys. Rev. A 43 2046). We approximate the coupling between a subsystem and a many-body environment by means of a random Gaussian matrix. We show that a common assumption in the analysis of quantum chaotic systems, namely the treatment of eigenstates as independent random vectors, leads to inconsistent results. However, a consistent approach to the ETH can be developed by introducing an interaction between random wave-functions that arises as a result of the orthonormality condition. This approach leads to a consistent form for off-diagonal matrix elements of observables. From there we obtain the scaling of time-averaged fluctuations of generic observables with system size for which we calculate an analytic form in terms of the inverse participation ratio. The analytic results are compared to exact diagonalizations of a quantum spin chain for different physical observables in multiple parameter regimes.
Technologies, Markets and Behaviour: Some Implications for Estimating Efficiency and Productivity Change

Most productivity indexes can be exhaustively decomposed into measures of technical change and efficiency change. Estimating these components usually involves the use of data envelopment analysis (DEA) or stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) models. This paper shows how assumptions concerning technologies, markets and firm behaviour can be used to frame these models. The paper explains that the assumptions underpinning common DEA models are rarely, if ever, true. On the other hand, the assumptions underpinning basic SFA models are almost always true. The parameters of basic SFA models can be estimated using ordinary least squares and two-stage least squares methods. More complex SFA models can be estimated using maximum likelihood methods. Unfortunately, the assumptions underpinning some of these more complex models are generally not true. This has important implications for estimating the drivers of productivity change. To illustrate, the paper uses common least squares and maximum likelihood methods to estimate the drivers of productivity change in U.S. agriculture. As expected, the different estimators lead to qualitatively different estimates of the efficiency change components productivity change.
Long Term Skewness and Systemic Risk

Financial risk management has generally focused on short-term risks rather than long-term risks, and arguably this was an important component of the recent financial crisis. Econometric approaches to measuring long-term risk are developed in order to estimate the term structure of value at risk and expected shortfall. Long-term negative skewness increases the downside risk and is a consequence of asymmetric volatility models. A test is developed for long-term skewness. In a Merton style structural default model, bankruptcies are accompanied by substantial drops in equity prices. Thus, skewness in a market factor implies high defaults and default correlations even far in the future corroborating the systemic importance of long-term skewness. Investors concerned about long-term risks may hedge exposure as in the Intertemporal Capital Asset Pricing Model (ICAPM). As a consequence, the aggregate wealth portfolio should have asymmetric volatility and hedge portfolios should have reversed asymmetric volatility. Using estimates from VLAB, reversed asymmetric volatility is found for many possible hedge portfolios such as volatility products, long- and short-term treasuries, some exchange rates, and gold. JEL: G01 Copyright The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com. , Oxford University Press.
Interactive comment on “The kinetics and mechanism of an aqueous phase isoprene reaction with hydroxy radical” by D. Huang et al

From a fundamental kinetics point of view the work is quite interesting (for example the ratio of MVK/MACR and formation of glyoxal and methylglyoxal), however, a very important aspect missing in the manuscript is the fact that it does not show that the aqueous oxidation of isoprene is of atmospheric relevance and I believe that this is also not the case: Even with a cloud liquid water content of 1 g/m3 the Henry’s law constant determines that many orders of magnitude more isoprene are in the gas-phase and are also oxidized in the gas-phase compared to the aqueous phase. Unless the authors
A Computational Study of Laminate Transparent Armor Impacted by FSP

Abstract : The current report reports on our efforts to simulate the ballistic impact of a fragment simulating projectile (FSP) into a Lexan 9034 polycarbonate (PC)- polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA), which was a Plexiglas G manufactured by Atofina Chemicals, - Lexan 9034 Polycarbonate laminate system, with and without the presence of polyurethane adhesive, using the nonlinear analysis software AUTODYN. The simulation results, which included V50 measurements, were compared to the ballistic results from the experiments of Hsieh et al, on targets consisting of 3mm PC-12mm PMMA-3mm PC impacted by 17-gr, 0.22 caliber fragment simulating projectile (FSP) at impact velocities ranging from 173, 475, 846 and 1004 m/s. Our simulations of the impact of a 0.22-cal FSP projectile against the above laminated target showed that the existing material models were not able to reproduce the ballistic behavior of the PC-PMMA-PC target for transparent armor applications. However, the reproduction of the cracks in the PMMA and the predicted V50 impact velocity was achieved by modifying the existing material models of PMMA by adding a material strength model and a failure criterion. The necessary parameters of the chosen strength and failure models were obtained from published data. Our simulation showed that the presence of the polyurethane provide an additional resistance to penetration, as it is witnessed by the experimentation. The simulation results and the effectiveness of the modifications of the existing PMMA material models will be discussed in detail.
In Vivo and In Vitro Cross Neutralization Studies of Local Rabies Virus Isolates with ERA Based Cell Culture Anti-Rabies Vaccine Produced In Ethiopia

Rabies is a worldwide problem, and the case is most severe in developing countries where cell culture anti-rabies vaccines are unaffordable or the available nervous tissue-derived vaccines are of questionable immunogenicity and may cause neurological complications. The aim of this research was to study cross protection of local rabies virus isolates with Evenyl Roktincki Abelseth (ERA) based cell culture anti-rabies vaccine produced in Ethiopia and to develop challenge virus from local isolates. The viruses were isolated from rabid dogs’ brains and human saliva, and adapted on Swiss albino mice and cell lines. Cross protection with ERA based vaccine was studied by in vivo and in vitro methods. For in vivo method, a group of mice were immunized on day zero and seven with 0.5 ml (1:5 dilutions) of ERA based cell culture anti-rabies vaccine produced locally. On day fourteenth, mice were challenged with working dilution of each local isolates and one group with challenge virus standard (CVS-11), and observed for further 14 days. High protection was recorded in CVS-11 challenged mice and low protection in all local isolates (p=0.045); specifically protection to HOS challenged mice was very low. In vitro test was done by fluorescent antibody virus neutralization (FAVN) test on BHK-21 cell lines. Sera from dog immunized with locally produced vaccine and OIE serum were incubated with local virus isolates and CVS-11 for 48 hours in the presence of cell lines. Maximum antibody titer (2.74 IU/ml) was obtained with CVS-11 challenge virus and minimum antibody titer (1.55 IU/ml) was obtained with cow origin (CO) virus isolate. All locally isolated rabies virus show low antibody titer when compared to CVS-11 and PV-12 (p=0.000). From the results, it can be concluded that local isolates have some genetic variation from fixed virus strain which can affect efficacy of the candidate vaccine and potency value should be set in-terms of local isolate using as challenge virus. Generally, the exact genetic relationship should be studied by molecular techniques and locally isolated virus should be used as challenge virus for vaccine quality control.