Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bulbous Monocots Native to Japan and Adjacent Areas -Their Habitats, Life Histories and Phylogeny

The results of comparative studies on the life history characteristics of selected members of bulbous monocots in Japan are reported along with molecular systematic analyses using two chloroplast genes, rbcL and matK. In analyzing the inter- and infra-generic relationships in Lilium and allied taxa, the matK gene was sequenced for 35 Lilium, two Nomocharis, one Cardiocrinum, one Notholirion, and two Fritillaria species, with Erythronium japonicum and Medeola virginiana used as outgroup taxa. Phylogenetic analyses utilizing both MP and NJ topologies of the sequence data demonstrated that the genus Lilium consists of three different clades: the first clade includes 13 Lilium species belonging to Sections Archelirion (5 spp.), Leucolirion (2 spp.), Shinomartagon (5 spp.), Pseudolilium (1 spp.), and two Nomocharis species; the second clade includes 16 Lilium species belonging to Sections Daurolirion (1 sp. with 2 subsp.), Shinomartagon (6 spp.), Martagon (4 spp.), Liriotypus (3 spp.), and Leucolirion (2 spp.); the third clade includes six species belonging to Section Pseudolilium. The two Nomocharis species, N. pardanthina and N. saluenensis, were ingroup taxa of the first clade. Notholirion, Cardiocrinum, and Fritillaria were demonstrated to be sister groups to Lilium. The present results have shown many new evidence concerning the phylogenetic relationships among the Lilium and allied taxa, but do not support Comber’s sectional delimitations (1949).
An Investigation into Charitable Giving and Predictive Personality Constructs

Considering the current overreliance of charities on charitable donations, and the relatively little research on certain personality predictor variables (self-construal) of such charitable behaviours, the present research aimed to clarify the relationship between the personality construct self-construal and charitable giving. Assessing the predictive capacity of the construct whilst controlling for covariates (psychopathy, age, and religion). Additionally the researcher sought to compare levels of psychopathy and self-construals between male and female students and to examine bivariate associations between all variables within the general population (N= 134). Via convenience sampling, 43 males and 91 females took part in an online questionnaire comprised of two separate well-established self-report measures, the Singelis self-construal scale and the Self-Report Psychopathy –Short Form. The questionnaire also included a measure for religious affiliation, charitable giving, age and gender. Independent T-tests were used as was Pearson’s product moment and logistical multiple regression in order to assess the aforementioned aims. Findings demonstrate gender to be significantly associated with self-construal and psychopathy. Bivariate correlations revealed only self-construal to be significantly associated with charitable giving (specifically charitable donations). However multiple regression found no significant predictors of charitable giving, findings are discussed in terms of pervious research and future research implications. The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (2001) promotes equality of education and access to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum for all children regardless of their mental or physical disabilities. The aim of this study was to establish what effects Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) have on year 6 children who are considered to have special educational needs. A qualitative research method used semi-structured interviews as a means of obtaining information regarding the subjective experiences of teaching assistants and learning support assistants. All these practioners either still work or have recently worked with children with special needs throughout revision and implementation of SATs. Thematic analysis of transcriptions revealed that these tests had a large impact on the school life of year 6 children with SEN. Intervention programmes were curtailed, work was not always sufficiently differentiated, and the amount of time spent on foundation subjects was greatly reduced. The teacher’s primary focus in year 6 is on improving attainment for children who are eligible to sit SAT tests due to the fact they are under constant pressure to maintain or improve the school’s position in performance tables.
No . 99-56 Investment and Employment Adjustment after Uni cation : Some Results from a Macroeconometric Disequilibrium Model

The macroeconomic development in West Germany in the aftermath of uni cation was characterized by a boom period in 1990/1991, a deep recession in 1992/1993 and a slow recovery since then. In East Germany, in contrast, uni cation induced a breakdown of production and employment followed by a slow recovery starting in 1992. In this paper, a macroeconometric model is used to assess this development. In particular, estimation results for investment and employment adjustment after uni cation are reported. The estimates are based on a disequilibrium model formerly developed for West Germany and extended in this paper to cover also uni ed Germany. The results reveal that the adjustment of investment and employment can be analysed with the same theoretical model for West and East Germany. However, the adjustment speed for investment di ers signi cantly at least in the early years after uni cation, while changes in the mismatch on the labour market and employment adjustment are less pronounced.
Effect of germ tube length on the fate of sporelings of Puccinia hordei in susceptible and resistant barley.

(.) Histological examination of barley leaves 6 days after inoculation with P. hordei in three experimental series revealed a negative association between germ tube length of sporelings and the chance of successful establishment of a colony. This effect was found in a susceptible, a hypersensitive, and two partially resistant barley lines. Within these lines there was a significant negative correlation between germ tube length and size of the established colony. It is suggested that the formation of a long germ tube, necessary to reach a stoma, decreases the amount of energy available to the sporelings to infect the host
“Fund size effect from the viewpoint of fund families – evidence from Taiwan”

Regarding the relation between the fund size and fund performance, there is no consistent conclusion. This study contributes to the literature by focusing on the influence of fund size on fund performance from the viewpoint of family size. In addition to adopting the one-way sorting method to confirm the relation between the fund size and fund performance which past literature has examined, this study further adopts the double sorting method to investigate the performance of different-sized funds in different-sized families. The authors find that the large families perform the best both based on the raw return and four-factor (cid:302) and the medium-sized funds perform the best no matter what the performance proxy is. For robustness, this study adopts the panel data regression analysis to investigate the influence of the interaction between individual fund size and family size on the fund performance. Regarding the size effect of equity funds in Taiwan, the authors find that the medium funds in large family perform the best and the most robust. The result will help clarify whether the fund family size plays an important role in the relation between fund size and fund performance. The result of this study will provide a reference for the fund investors when they are making the investment decisions.
Factors associated with desistance from violence in prison: an exploratory study

ABSTRACT Desistance from crime has been of increasing interest within criminal justice literature, but desistance from offending behaviour whilst in custodial environments has not yet been investigated. Violence within prison establishments continues to be a significant problem; therefore, this study investigated the factors that are associated with desistance from custodial violence in 63 UK Category C adult male prisoners with a record of violence in prison. Participants completed measures of eight social and subjective factors associated with desistance in community samples. Those who had desisted from prison violence for 12 months or more showed greater levels of pro-social attitudes, agency and resilience than those who persisted in violence. Agency independently predicted desistance and this was particularly the case for younger offenders. Internal shifts appeared to be supported by a positive work environment. It is concluded that in custody an internal shift in perspective is especially important for desistance, and that this can be supported by the social environment. Opportunities to intervene may be greater in younger prisoners. It is recommended that current initiatives in developing agency and positive social interaction, such as Psychologically Informed Planned Environments, are further developed.
Direct Geo-Referencing in Practical Applications

The company Hansa Luftbild German Air Surveys is operating since about three years GPS/INSsystems for direct geo-referencing of airborne sensors. A report will be given on several experiences from an application point of view. Also the integration of this new technique into the mapping market will be highlighted. Empirical results from more than 30 projects are discussed.
An Investigation of the Effect of Vicarious Social Defeat Stress on Stress Hormones and Food Consumption in Male Mice

In addition to causing depressive-like behaviours in rodents, stressors can also alter feeding behaviour and body weight. The current study aimed to investigate the vicarious social defeat stress model as a means of studying the effects of stressors on feeding, in a manner that allows for comparison between directly affected victim animals and witnesses to social defeat. Increased corticosterone secretion occurred in both acutely treated victim and witness animals 10 minutes following stressor exposure, an effect that persisted in the victim animals for 1.5 hours. No significant effects were found in chronically treated groups, which may be the result of a habituation-like effect to repeated stressor exposures. No significant changes were found in food consumption, weight gain, or plasma ghrelin. Overall, these findings shed light on the impact of social stressors and the consequences of being involved in, compared to witnessing, social defeat.
A comparison of the least squares collocation and the fast Fourier transform methods for gravimetric geoid determination

The objective of the research was to study the performance of the least squares collocation (LSC) and the fast Fourier transform (FFT) techniques for gravimetric geoid computation. The Land Levelling Datum (LLD) is the South African vertical datum based on more than 100 years old tide gauge measurements of mean sea level (MSL). The LLD is poorly defined so an alternative is required. The SAGEOID10 (Merry, 2009) hybrid geoid model was computed for the purpose of replacing the existing vertical datum. Two gravimetric geoid models were computed using different techniques for evaluation of the Stokes’ integral, such as, LSC and one dimensional fast Fourier transform (1D-FFT) technique. The long wavelength component of the geoid models were computed using the EGM2008 geopotential model truncated at degree 720. The use of fast spectral techniques is required due to an increase of both quality and type of data available for geoid determination. The FFT method is most reliable than the LSC method, since it requires less computational time on large data set than the LSC. A system of linear equations of order equal to the number of data points is generated on the LSC method. The geoid model was computed over the province of Gauteng. It was then compared to the SAGEOID10 hybrid geoid model. The computed geoid models, SiPLSC and SiPFFT geoid model compared to the SAGEOID10 model with standard deviation of 5.6cm. The long wavelength component of the computed geoid model compared to the EGM2008 geopotential geoid model with a standard deviation of 4.2cm.
Predicting Truck Load Variation Using Q-Truck Model

The study of heavy vehicle forces on pavement is important for both vehicle and pavement. Indeed it was identified several factors such as environment, materials and design consideration affects pavement damage over time with traffic loads playing a key role in deterioration. Therefore, this paper presents dynamically varying tire pavement interaction load, thus enable to assess the strain response of pavements influenced by road roughness, truck suspension system, variation of axle loading and vehicle speed. A 100m pavement with good evenness was simulated to check the sensitivity of the dynamic loads and heavy truck vertical motions to the roughness. The most important performance indicators that are required in pavement distress evaluation are radial strain at the bottom of the asphalt concrete and vertical strain at the subgrade surface was predicted using peak influence function approach. The results show that truck speed is the most important variables that interact with truck suspension system and thus effect of loading time are extremely important when calculating the critical.
Term Structure of Futures Prices and Expected Mean Reversion in Base Metal Prices

We examine expected mean reversion in six base metal prices using a unique LME dataset consisting of prices for futures contracts with maturity dates spanning from 1 to 27 months. We document significant evidence of mean reversion in spot prices for all these metals, although the magnitude of mean reversion differs across these markets. We also find that mean reversion in metal prices arises from a positive covariation between spot prices and implied cash flow yields rather from a negative correlation between spot prices and forward interest rates. JEL Classification: G12; G13
Firm Performance and the Geography of FDI: Evidence from 46 Countries

The literature on the link between multinationality and firm performance has generally disregarded the role of geography. However, the geography of FDI may matter, particularly now that globalisation has increased the heterogeneity of overseas investments. Moreover, although the range of countries that conducts FDI has widened considerably, the literature still tends to focus on the case of a relatively small number of US firms. In contrast, our paper draws on firm-level data covering over 16,000 multinationals from 46 countries and allows for different effects upon the performance of the multinational firm depending on the level of development of the host economy. In our results, we find a clear positive and linear relation between multinationality and firm performance. However, investment in developing countries is associated with larger and increasing effects on performance than in the case of investment in developed countries. Overall, our results suggest that the net gains for multinationals from greater geographical diversification have not yet been fully met.
Nonlinear magnetohydrodynamical effects in precessional fishbone oscillations

The role of magnetohydrodynamic nonlinearities in precessional m=n=1 fishbone oscillations has been analyzed analytically and numerically. The work is based on the reduced magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations including a linear energetic particle drive model. When the energetic particle pressure is close to the instability threshold, the top-hat linear eigenmode profile of the ideal MHD m=1 radial displacement splits up into a two-step structure around the q=1 flux surface, due to the finite frequency ω of the mode. The width of the individual steps is a factor γ/ω smaller than the distance between them, where γ is the growth rate of the mode. We find that the MHD nonlinearities modify the mode structure further, and produce explosive nonlinear growth, accompanied by frequency chirping, for modes that are near the instability threshold. The results are quite different for fishbone oscillations that are excited well above the stability threshold. The growth rates of these linearly fast growing modes decreas.
Gravity Tectonics on a Passive Margin: Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 415 in Relation to Regional Seismic Data

Lithologic repetition and deformation of the cored sediments indicate that DSDP Hole 415A penetrated a 450-meter Upper Cretaceous allochthonous unit with several imbricate repetitions of a Cenomanian shale-and-carbonate sequence above a décollement of Albian and Cenomanian shale. This unit is expressed on multichannel seismic profiles as an interval of chaotic interval signal. Its upper surface is deformed by folds which predate the overlying Tertiary turbidites. Some of these folds maintain a harmonic profile in the sequence beneath the allochthonous unit, whereas others are restricted to the top of the unit. Although some folds are asymmetric, we cannot recognize a consistent vergence. Profiles beneath the continental slope east of Site 415 indicate that the drilled sequence is only the distal portion of a much more widespread feature. The equivalent sequence beneath the lower slope is thcker and is cut by several major, landward-dipping thrust faults across which there is a minimum of 20 km of overthrusting. The thrusts have a north-south strike, as do the disharmonic folds within each individual thrust sheet. Both folds and faults are refolded by a series of east-west-trending folds parallel to the Atlas tectonic trend. The displaced unit is not present beneath the upper slope, where it passes laterally into a prominent angular unconformity. This zone represents the source area for the overthrust masses. Onshore geological evidence indicates the emergence of the western High Atlas Mountains during Late Cretaceous times, and the allochthon is interpreted as an associated belt of gravity-driven overthrusts refolded by the last phases of this tectonism. Its scale is comparable with that of some overthrust zones in orogenic chains, and its existence on a passive margin may be important to the interpretation of exposed nappe complexes. Uplift of the western Atlas, gravity sliding, folding of the allochthon, and the onset of Canary Islands volcanism can be explained by sinistral strike-slip faulting along the South Atlas fault during Late Cretaceous time.
Time series forecasting by combining the radial basis function network and the self‐organizing map

Based on a combination of a radial basis function network (RBFN) and a self‐organizing map (SOM), a time‐series forecasting model is proposed. Traditionally, the positioning of the radial basis centres is a crucial problem for the RBFN. In the proposed model, an SOM is used to construct the two‐dimensional feature map from which the number of clusters (i.e. the number of hidden units in the RBFN) can be figured out directly by eye, and then the radial basis centres can be determined easily. The proposed model is examined using simulated time series data. The results demonstrate that the proposed RBFN is more competent in modelling and forecasting time series than an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model. Finally, the proposed model is applied to actual groundwater head data. It is found that the proposed model can forecast more precisely than the ARIMA model. For time series forecasting, the proposed model is recommended as an alternative to the existing method, because it has a simple structure and can produce reasonable forecasts. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Serum and Urine Levels of Chromium and Magnesium in Type 2 Diabetics in Calabar, Nigeria

Alterations in trace elements have been reported in a number of disease states. Deficiency of some trace elements has been correlated with the presence of diabetic complications. It is not known whether differences in trace elements status are a consequence of diabetes and hyperglycaemia or alternatively whether their deficiencies contribute to the expression of the disease. The study was aimed at determining the concentrations of essential elements chromium and magnesium in the serum and urine of diabetics and nondiabetics in Calabar, Southern Nigeria. Serum and urine chromium (Cr), magnesium (Mg) and creatinine, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and serum urea levels were determined in sixty diabetic subjects (29 males and 31 females) and forty age-matched non-diabetic subjects (15 males and 25 females), using colorimetric methods and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Body mass indices (BMI) of the subjects were also determined. Statistical analysis was done using t-test and correlational analysis. The BMI, FPG, and urine Mg were significantly (p 0.05) differences were observed in serum urea, creatinine, Mg, Cr, and urine Cr levels of both groups. A significant negative correlation (p<0.01, r = -0.441) was observed between serum Mg and urine Mg of diabetics. No association was seen between serum Mg and serum Cr levels and urine Cr and urine Mg of the diabetic population of the study. Diabetes enhances urinary magnesium loss but does not seem to affect serum and urine chromium levels. There is need for further study on the mechanism of urinary magnesium loss in diabetes.
‘Speaking volumes’: A longitudinal study of lexical and grammatical growth between 17 and 42 months

Dynamic analyses of language growth tell us how vocabulary and grammar develop and how the two might be intertwined. Analyses of growth curves between 17 and 42 months, based on longitudinal data for 34 children, revealed interesting patterns of vocabulary and grammatical developments. They showed that these patterns were nonlinear, but with coinciding peaks of growth, suggesting a bilateral relationship between acquisition of vocabulary and grammar. A more detailed analysis of specific components of vocabulary (nouns, verbs, grammatical words) and grammar showed that each followed its own developmental course, but that its growth rates were likely to be negatively or positively correlated with those of other components. For example, a faster rate for acquiring nouns coincided with a slower rate for verbs. Last, an assessment of intra-individual variability in three children showed that mean scores obscure individual profiles.
Study of a repair technique in carbonated blended mortars: Electrochemical re-alkalization

The present article studies the influence of two pozzolanic additions, metakaolin (MK) and silica fume (SF), and the water/binder ratio (w/b) on the electrochemical re-alkalization (ER) of reinforced mortars as a technique to prevent reinforcement corrosion in carbonated concrete. Mixtures with a 10% (by weight) addition as a replacement for cement at w/b ratios of 0.45 and 0.65 were prepared. Test specimens were exposed to carbonation in a chamber under controlled conditions (1% CO2, 65%RH, and 25°C), until reaching two levels of carbonation (50% and 100%). ER was applied for a period of 15 days using sodium carbonate as the electrolyte and a current density of 1 A/m2. From the evaluated additions, MK is highlighted, which generated a resistance increase of 53.51% relative to that of the reference mixture and contributes to improvements of durability properties. Regarding the ER technique, the specimens with greater w/b ratios and partial carbonation were more effective.