Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dissecting simulated disc galaxies - I. The structure of mono-age populations

We study seven simulated disc galaxies, three with a quiescent merger history, and four with mergers in their last 9 Gyr of evolution. We compare their structure at z = 0 by decomposing them into “mono-age populations” (MAPs) of stars within 500 Myr age bins. All studied galaxies undergo a phase of merging activity at high redshift, so that stars older than 9 Gyr are found in a centrally concentrated component, while younger stars are mostly found in discs. We find that most MAPs have simple exponential radial and vertical density profiles, with a scale-height that typically increases with age. Because a large range of merger histories can create populations with simple structures, this suggests that the simplicity of the structure of mono-abundance populations observed in the Milky Way by Bovy et al. (2012b,c) is not necessarily a direct indicator of a quiescent history for the Milky Way. Similarly, the anti-correlation between scale-length and scale-height does not necessarily imply a merger-free history. However, mergers produce discontinuities between thin and thick disc components, and jumps in the age-velocity relation. The absence of a structural discontinuity between thin and thick disc observed in the Milky Way would seem to be a good indicator that no merger with a mass ratio larger than 1:15–1:10 occurred in the last 9 Gyr. Mergers at higher redshift might nevertheless be necessary to produce the thickest, hottest components of the Milky Way’s disc.
Mapping the Climate Suitability Using MaxEnt Modeling Approach for Ceylon Spinach (Basella alba L.) Cultivation in India

Ceylon spinach (Basella alba L.) is a traditional leafy vegetable of multiple virtues largely underutilized and underexploited in India. Currently, it is of increasing value and utilization necessitating extending its cultivation for increased production by identifying potential areas through crop modeling. Mapping the potential pockets is an iterative process and this study is the first attempt to model state-wise climate suitability for Ceylon spinach cultivation in India. Geographical information on the current cultivation sites of Ceylon spinach together with bioclimatic variables, the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model were used to analyze and predict its distribution and to develop preliminary habitat suitability map for Ceylon spinach in India. The results show that the MaxEnt model can be used to study the climatic suitability for Ceylon spinach cultivation. The most suitable area identified in this study is slightly southward which includes parts of Tamilnadu, Pondicherry, Maharashtra, Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. The MaxEnt model performed better than random with an average training and test AUC values of 0.953 and 0.994, respectively. The constructed model had excellent goodness-of-fit and excellent predictive accuracy and therefore it is suitable and/or applicable for predicting the geographic distribution of Ceylon spinach cultivation in India.
OPTIMAL TIME TO INVEST UNDER UNCERTAINTY WITH A SCALE CHANGE

In this paper, we investigate the optimal investment problem to maximize expected discounted payoff of a project whose value is given by a product of two processes: a geometric Brownian motion representing continuous fluctuation over time and a Markov process which gives a discontinuous scale change. It turns out that the optimal policy is of threshold type whose thresholds depend on the current state of the Markov process. For 2-state case, the problem can be solved explicitly by using Bellman equation and smooth pasting conditions. On the other hand, the problem becomes much involved when there are multiple states. We exploit the structure of the optimal policy and the form of the value functions which enables us to develop a simple numerical procedure for computing the optimal policy and the value functions.
Research article MORPHO-ANATOMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TITHONIA DIVERSIFOLIA (HEMSL.) GRAY GROWING ON SITES EXPOSED TO VEHICULAR EMISSIONS

Vehicular emissions serve as the major driver of the deteriorating air quality in Baguio City, Philippines, and air pollutants from these emissions are known to affect both plants and animals including humans. This study aimed to investigate the effects of vehicular emissions on the morpho-anatomy of the aerial vegetative parts of Tithonia deiversifolia (Hemsl.) Gray, a plant usually observed along roadsides of Baguio City. Plants samples were taken from areas selected based on the intensity of vehicular emissions characterized by the volume of traffic. This study presents the effects of vehicular emissions on leaf length, internode length, trichome length, trichome density, thickness of the epidermis, and, for the first time, on number of vascular bundles.
Using Rainforest Tree Species

The Community Rainforest Reforestation Program commenced in 1993 as a means of promoting commercial tree growing, addressing land degradation, improving watershed protection and fostering employment in the wet tropics of northern Australia. This program was a major component of the Commonwealth Government’s compensation package following the decision to stop logging in the tropical rainforests of north Queensland. The program underwent several changes of emphasis until 2000 when it ceased. Other reforestation programs operating in the region over this time included the Wet Tropics Tree Planting Scheme, the Queensland DPI Joint Venture scheme and several other smaller schemes. These have helped establish some 3,200 ha of plantation on privately owned land in northern Queensland. Other reforestation schemes have operated in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. Collectively these have probably created around 6,800 ha of new plantation. Most of these are dominated by rainforest species and most planted sites contain a mixture of species rather than the traditional single species monoculture. This chapter describes the development of these various planting schemes and reviews the consequences they have had.
THE USE AND CHALLENGES OF CLOUD COMPUTING SERVICES ADOPTION AMONG SMES IN NIGERIA

This paper considers the factors militating against the ready adoption of cloud services by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria. The paper recognizes that the major challenges affecting the adoption of cloud services in Nigeria include infrastructural issues such as lack of adequate and affordable Internet network facilities and unstable power supply. Other factors include lack of proper awareness of the benefits of cloud services, high cost of bandwidth, and high cost of supporting cloud services among others. To mitigate these problems it is suggested that private organizations should make more investment in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure in Nigeria and government on its part should create the enabling environment for this to be achieved. Private and public institutions alike should increase effort to encourage SMEs to understand the benefits of adopting cloud services to their bottom-line. Other ways the adoption of cloud services can be improved include the establishment of more focused research in the area of cloud computing; private organizations and possibly government can sponsor such researches. Furthermore, regulation including enforcement of data protection laws and all other intellectual property rights protection regime should be adequately enforced. If all these challenges are resolved cloud computing has the potential to be the next big thing in Nigeria and revolutionize the profitability of SMEs.
The explanatory power of trust and commitment and stakeholders' salience : their influence on the reverse logistics programs performance

There is a growing awareness among practitioners and scholars regarding the importance of Relationship Marketing and its advantages in the supply chain management context. This is particularly appropriate for Reverse Logistics (RL) activities, which are characterized by several relationships between different stakeholders and the firm. Drawing on multiple theoretical approaches, we propose that RL programs result from the combination of external, organizational, and individual factors. We emphasize the role of trust and commitment as key influential elements on the RL systems implementation and their subsequent performance.
Methodological Challenges in the Study of Forced Migration: Trauma, Resilience, Religion and the Problem of Trust in the Context of the Syrian Diaspora in Turkey

As a researcher living and working in the Turkish cities of Mersin and Adana – major destinations for Syrians in the East Mediterranean – I wanted to learn how displaced Syrians cope with the trauma of being forced to emigrate and how they build resilience. Given the reported high-levels of religiosity amongst Syrians, I also wanted to understand the possible role of religion in helping displaced people develop positive coping strategies. My findings revealed that the majority of the refugees I interviewed considered themselves to be religious whilst most experienced a traumatic event. I also found a modest but positive correlation between attachment to a religious community and the building of positive coping strategies. However, only a small number of Syrians interviewed took part in the life of the host communities around them. Based on these findings, I argue that, perhaps, this presents us with a methodological problem, one that originates in a distortion of the data by the social and psychological contexts in which displaced Syrians living in Turkey find themselves embedded. In the process of describing this research context, I discuss some of the methodological challenges in the study of forced migration more broadly, whilst problematizing the ethics of researching vulnerable populations living in unstable political and social environments.
Sero-Prevalence of HCV Antibodies in Population Attending Madina Teaching Hospital, Faisalabad

In the recent years, infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) has emerged as one of the common causes of acute and chronic liver disease world over including Pakistan. In the suburbs of the cities and in far flung areas, quacks and barbers frequently use un-sterilized instruments which are a major potential source of spreading HCV infection in the sub-urban population of Pakistan. Background: This is a descriptive study carried out to determine the frequency of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, in the population of Faisalabad, Pakistan. Study design: A descriptive study. Place and Duration: This study was performed in the department of clinical pathology of Madina Teaching Hospital, Faisalabad from May 2005 to April 2007. Methods: Blood specimens of all subjects were collected and tested for Anti-HCV. Results: Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) among hospital based general population was determined. The study population comprised of 3094 individuals attending a tertiary care hospital in Faisalabad, Pakistan. The overall seroprevalence was found to be 17.77%. The seroprevalence in males and females was 16.45% and 19.13% respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of individuals who were positive in case of males and females (p >0.05). This study also shows higher prevalence rate of HCV infection in the older age group (≥50). Conclusion: This study clearly demonstrated a high carrier state of clinically silent HCV infection.
Single Laser Pulse Effects on Suspended-Au-Nanoparticle Size Distributions and Morphology

Samples of suspended gold nanoparticles in the diameter range 10 to 100 nm were subjected to a single 7 ns pulse from a 532 nm laser to determine the effect of laser power on particle size distribution, mean size, and morphology. The experimental techniques used were dynamic light scattering (DLS), depolarized dynamic light scattering (DDLS), electrospray-differential mobility analysis (ES-DMA), ultraviolet–visible absorption spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). For 60 nm particles, a laser pulse of fluence 10 mJ/cm2 was sufficient to produce observable changes. In the range 10–72 mJ/cm2, DLS indicated little change in mean particle size but a more than three-fold reduction in the polydispersity index (significantly tightened distribution) and a decrease in scattering intensity. TEM showed that the particles became highly spherical and that there was a growing population of particles <10 nm in size that could not be detected by DLS and ES-DMA. Fused dimers were also observed, which su.
Individual Heuristics and the Dynamics of Cooperation in Large Groups.

This article describes computer simulations in which pairs of ''individuals'' in large groups played a prisoners' dilemma game. The individual's choice to cooperate or not was determined by 1 of 3 simple heuristics: tit-for-tat; win-stay, lose-change; or win-cooperate, lose-defect. Wins and losses were determined through the comparison of a play's outcome with the average outcome of the individual's neighbors. The results revealed qualitative differences between small and large groups. Furthermore, the prevalence of cooperation in the population depended in predictable ways on the heuristic used, the values of the payoff matrix, and the details of the social comparison process that framed the outcomes as wins or losses.
Feeding inhibitory activity of different medicinal plant oils against Papilio demoleus L

The study was carried out to evaluate feeding inhibitory activity of plant oils viz., Lemon grassChirharit, Lemon grassKrishana, Jatropha, Citronella grass, Eucalyptus, Nilgiri, Lippia, Lemon tulsi, Levender, Fennel, Mint, Palmrosa, Geranium sp. (at 1% and 2% conc.) against 5d and 10d old larvae of Papilio demoleus. The data showed varying degree of antifeedant activities of plant oils against P. demoleus. At 1 % conc. Maximum antifeedant activity was exhibited by Lemon grassChirharit (94.34 %) followed by Lemon grassKrishna (78.11 %). At 2 % conc. similar trend was examined and Lemon grassChirharit revealed maximum antifeedant activity. Out of the twelve medicinal plant oils tested at 1 and 2% conc. against 10d old larvae of P. demoleus, all the plant oils significantly lowered the feeding. However a non -significant reduction in feeding was observed with Geranium (6.7 and 4.25cm2) at 1 and 2% conc. , respectively.
Figuring Out the Human Dimensions of Fisheries: Illuminating Models

Abstract Both natural scientists and economists commonly use quantitative data to create models of the systems that interest them and then use these models to inform fisheries management. Other social scientists rely on lengthier, descriptive texts based primarily on qualitative data to assess the human dimensions. To their dismay, fisheries social scientists find that much of their rich narrative with keen insights ends up filling pages that are neither read nor meaningfully integrated into decision-making in fisheries management. Nevertheless, what all scientists, practitioners, and managers want and need is information that will lead to a better understanding of the ecosystem (comprised of interdependent ecological and human systems) and therefore to fisheries management that benefits the whole system. Based on the belief that only a combination of high-quality quantitative and qualitative data will provide both the numbers and the context needed for success in ecosystem-based management, we discuss efforts to present social and cultural information in forms that are more familiar to those who rely on models for a representation of reality in the fisheries context. We point out how the designers of these models (or how we) think the models might be applied to fisheries management, noting how each model attempts to incorporate qualitative data to depict context essential for grounding the more commonly used biological and economic models. We also assess the benefits and limitations of these models, including the constraints on their development and use.
A Study on Children’s Interest towards Reading - a Questionnaire-Based Survey

In a society dominated by mass-media, which offers many temptations and seizes and reorients young people’s interests, reading has lost ground. The importance given to reading has clearly diminished, as it is no longer favoured by our pupils. This represents a real problem, especially for the teachers from the pre-university education system, who sometimes feel powerless when facing the challenges of the contemporary world and who try by various methods to entice pupils to read and to get in contact with the magical world of reading. The purpose of this research is to investigate the way in which reading is viewed by pupils and to find the way to find the educational path that entice them to read. The study is based on a questionnaire survey conducted to determine the interested reading factors.
13CO 1–0 imaging of the Medusa merger, NGC 4194 - Large scale variations in molecular cloud properties

Aims. Studying molecular gas properties in merging galaxies gives important clues to the onset and evolution of interaction-triggered starbursts. The (CO)-C-12/(CO)-C-13 line intensity ratio can be used as a tracer of how dynamics and star formation processes impact the gas properties. The Medusa merger (NGC 4194) is particularly interesting to study since its L-FIR/L-CO ratio rivals that of ultraluminous galaxies (ULIRGs), despite the comparatively modest luminosity, indicating an exceptionally high star formation efficiency (SFE) in the Medusa merger. Methods. High resolution OVRO (Owens Valley Radio Observatory) observations of the (CO)-C-13 1-0 have been obtained and compared with matched resolution OVRO (CO)-C-12 1-0 data to investigate the molecular gas cloud properties in the Medusa merger. Results. Interferometric observations of (CO)-C-12 and (CO)-C-13 1-0 in the Medusa (NGC 4194) merger show the (CO)-C-12 (CO)-C-13 1-0 intensity ratio (R) increases from normal, quiescent values (7-10) in the outer parts (r > 2 kpc) of the galaxy to high (16 to > 40) values in the central (r < 1 kpc) starburst region. In the central two kpc there is an east-west gradient in R where the line ratio changes by more than a factor of three over 5 '' (945 pc). The integrated (CO)-C-13 emission peaks in the north-western starburst region while the central (CO)-C-12 emission is strongly associated with the prominent crossing dust-lane. Conclusions. We discuss the central east-west gradient in R in the context of gas properties in the starburst and the central dust lane. We suggest that the central gradient in R is mainly caused by diffuse gas in the dust lane. In this scenario, the actual molecular mass distribution is better traced by the (CO)-C-13 1-0 emission than the (CO)-C-12. The possibilities of temperature and abundance gradients are also discussed. We compare the central gas properties of the Medusa to those of other minor mergers and suggest that the extreme and transient phase of the Medusa star formation activity has similar traits to those of high-redshift galaxies.
Single-block rockfall dynamics inferred from seismic signal analysis

Abstract. Seismic monitoring of mass movements can significantly help to mitigate the associated hazards; however, the link between event dynamics and the seismic signals generated is not completely understood. To better understand these relationships, we conducted controlled releases of single blocks within a soft-rock (black marls) gully of the Rioux-Bourdoux torrent (French Alps). A total of 28 blocks, with masses ranging from 76 to 472 kg, were used for the experiment. An instrumentation combining video cameras and seismometers was deployed along the travelled path. The video cameras allow reconstructing the trajectories of the blocks and estimating their velocities at the time of the different impacts with the slope. These data are compared to the recorded seismic signals. As the distance between the falling block and the seismic sensors at the time of each impact is known, we were able to determine the associated seismic signal amplitude corrected for propagation and attenuation effects. We compared the velocity, the potential energy lost, the kinetic energy and the momentum of the block at each impact to the true amplitude and the radiated seismic energy. Our results suggest that the amplitude of the seismic signal is correlated to the momentum of the block at the impact. We also found relationships between the potential energy lost, the kinetic energy and the seismic energy radiated by the impacts. Thanks to these relationships, we were able to retrieve the mass and the velocity before impact of each block directly from the seismic signal. Despite high uncertainties, the values found are close to the true values of the masses and the velocities of the blocks. These relationships allow for gaining a better understanding of the physical processes that control the source of high-frequency seismic signals generated by rockfalls.
Membrane Conductance Analysis on Single-cell Electroporation with Electrolyte-filled Capillary

─ Single-cell electroporation with electrolytefilled capillary is a selective technique that affects the target cell without any consequences for the neighbouring cells. Inhomogeneous electric field caused by interaction of capillary, cell and environment in the experiment make the optimization setup difficult for DNA transfection efficiency. A electroporation model of membrane conductivity with experimental parameters was used to analyze the influence of cell-to-tip distance, cell-capillary dimensions relation, electrolyte and cytoplasm conductivity, and strength of the pulses on electroporation. Simulation results demonstrate that the nonlinear electric field distribution on cell membrane depends on tip-to-cell distance and may be the cause of cell survival. The electroporation with capillary are affected by the external medium, relation between the cell and capillary radius, tip-to-cell distance, and strength of the applied potential. Index Terms ─ Electrolyte-filled capillary, electroporation, electroporation model, membrane conductivity, single cell.