Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modelling variability in full-field displacement profiles and Poisson ratio of wood in compression using stochastic neural networks.

Vertical and horizontal displacement profiles in compression parallel-to-grain in a 20 × 20mm area (30 × 21 or 630 points) in the Tangential–Longitudinal (T–L) and Radial Longitudinal (R–L) sections of small wood columns were obtained from digital image correlation applied to simultaneously captured images of the two surfaces. These consisted of 21 displacement realisations of 30 points along the length of the specimen. They revealed considerable local variations. Stochastic neural networks were successfully developed to simulate trends and noise across and along a specimen in both displacements as well as Poisson ratios in T–L and R–L sections for two selected load levels of 20kN and 40kN. These networks specifically embed noise characteristics extracted from data to generate realistic displacement and Poisson ratio realisations with inherent variability. Models were successfully validated using independent data extracted based on bootstrapping method with high accuracy with R2 ranging from 0.79 to 0.91. The models were further validated successfully using a second approach involving Confidence Intervals generated from the data extracted from the models. Models and experimental results revealed that for 20kN load, both vertical and horizontal displacements in T–L section were less heterogeneous across the specimen (smaller vertical shearing and horizontal strain, respectively) than those in the R–L section. For the 40kN load, both displacement profiles in the T–L section were less noisy and more compact than those for the 20kN load indicating less heterogeneity due to compaction of structure. In the R–L section, larger vertical shearing and horizontal strains persisted at 40 kN load. Poisson ratio decreased with load and it was nonlinear in both sections but T–L section showed much less noise across the specimen than the R–L section.
Geographic and sex‐specific variation in growth of yellow‐eyed mullet, Aldrichetta forsteri, from estuaries around New Zealand

Abstract Survival and reproductive rates in fish are often a function of body size. Consequently, spatial‐ and sex‐specific variation in somatic growth rates can have important consequences for population growth and resilience. We used otolith‐based approaches to estimate geographic‐ and sex‐specific growth rates of yellow‐eyed mullet (Aldrichetta forsteri) collected from 14 estuaries and harbours around New Zealand. Aldrichetta forsteri is an abundant and dominant component of New Zealand's estuarine fish fauna. We extracted otoliths from 511 fish, validated daily and annual increments, and prepared transverse thin sections of otoliths to determine age. “Size‐at‐age” relationships were estimated using both linear‐ and non‐linear (von Bertalanffy) growth models, and model performance was evaluated using Akaike's Information Criterion. Because growth rates of sampled fish were best approximated by linear functions, we used ANCOVA to test the null hypothesis that growth rates of A. forsteri were homogeneous between sexes and among geographic locations around New Zealand. Our analyses suggest heterogeneous growth rates between sexes and among locations. Interestingly, relative growth rates between sexes appeared to vary across separate latitudinal gradients for North Island and South Island. Within each island (but not across islands), female A. forsteri generally grew faster than males at the lowest latitudes; relative growth rates of females declined progressively below males with increasing latitude.
Methomyl induced alteration in mice hepatic-oxidative status

Methomyl (S-methyl-1-N (methyl carbamoyl) oxy] thio acetimidate, is a N –methyl carbamate broad spectrum insecticide. The methomyl containing technical formulation the “Lannate” was evaluated for its effects on the liver antioxidant contents, oxidative stress by-products and oxidative stress enzyme activities and histopathology in Swiss albino mice. Normal virgin male Swiss albino mice of 90 days old weighing about 25-30g were used in the experiment. The mice were administered 1, 2, 3, and 4mg/kg body wt methomyl for 30 days and effective dose 4 mg for 5, 10, and 20 days to know the dose and durational effect on liver. The mice were sacrificed on day 31 st or 24 hours after the terminal exposure. Liver dissected out freed from adherent tissue and weighed to nearest milligram. The liver histology, estimations of antioxidant contents, oxidative stress by-products and oxidative stress enzyme activities were carried out. Liver antioxidant contents showed that levels of GSH (Glutathione) and ascorbic acid were decreased significantly in mice treated with 2, 3 and 4mg/kg/day methomyl and 4 mg/ kg/ day for 10 and 20days of methomyl treatment, except the level of ascorbic acid was not changed significantly in mice treated with 2 mg/kg body wt. Liver antioxidant products showed that levels of TBARS (thiobarbaturic acid) and protein carbonyl were increased significantly in mice treated with 2, 3 and 4mg/kg/day methomyl and 4 mg/ kg/ day for 10 and 20days of methomyl treatment, except the level of TBARS was not changed significantly in mice treated with 2 mg/kg body wt of methomyl. Liver oxidative stress enzyme activities showed that levels of CAT (Catalase), SOD (super oxide dismutase) and GST (Glutathione-s-transferase) were decreased significantly in mice treated with 2, 3 and 4mg/kg/day methomyl and 4 mg/ kg/ day for 10 and 20days of methomyl treatment. The Histology of liver of mice treated with 2, 3 and 4 mg / kg/ day methomyl and 4 mg / kg/ day for 10 and 20days of duration showed that dilation of central vein, sinusoids between hypertrophied hepatocytes and cytoplasmic vacuolization with loss of radial arrangement of cells. The result of the present study suggests that chronic exposure to methomyl insecticide has deleterious effect on liver. The study also revealed that the methomyl might have affected cell metabolism and cell membrane permeability and detoxification system in liver.
Seasonal and Local Solar Time Variation of the Meridional Wind at 95 km from Observations of the 11.072-GHz Ozone Line and the 557.7-nm Oxygen Line

AbstractGround-based spectrometers have been deployed to measure the concentration, velocity, and temperature of ozone in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT), using low-cost satellite television electronics to observe the 11.072-GHz line of ozone. The ozone line was observed at an altitude near 95 km at 38°N, 71°W using three spectrometers located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Haystack Observatory (Westford, Massachusetts), Chelmsford High School (Chelmsford, Massachusetts), and Union College (Schenectady, New York), each pointed south at 8° elevation. Observations from 2009 through 2014 were used to derive the nightly averaged seasonal variation of the 95-km altitude meridional wind velocity, as well as the seasonally averaged variation of the meridional wind with local solar time. The results indicate a seasonal trend in which the winds at 95 km are directed southward at about 10 m s−1 in the summer of the Northern Hemisphere and northward at about 10 m s−1 in the winter. Nightt.
Influence of Hydrocolloids on Dough Properties and Quality of Barbari: An Iranian Leavened Flat Bread

Barbari is a traditional flat leavened Iranian bread and one of the most popular breads consumed in Iran and some other countries in the Middle East. Barbari stales very fast and its shelf life is very short. Therefore, addition of bread improvers and anti-staling agents, such as hydrocolloids, is a suitable method for extending the shelf life of the bread. In the present study, the effect of various hydrocolloids including hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), xanthan, and �-carrageenan at 0.2 and 0.5% levels were investigated on dough rheological properties, fresh bread quality, and bread staling. Dough water absorption was increased by all hydrocolloids tested and HPMC had the highest effect. Application of all hydrocolloids, except �-carrageenan, resulted in increase in dough development time (DDT). Only xanthan addition at 0.5% level showed an increase in dough stability, while the other treatments showed a reduction in the stability of the dough. Anti-staling effect was observed for HPMC and �-carrageenan, but not for xanthan. The effect of hydrocolloid addition on some sensory indexes of bread such as upper surface and chew-ability was more pronounced than other indexes. Sensory analysis showed that all hydrocolloid addition treatments, except 0.5% xanthan, were able to improve the overall acceptability of the bread. The highest improvement in bread overall acceptability was brought about by HPMC. Hydrocolloid addition to the bread formulation could improve the sensory properties of Barbari bread and retarded the staling process. Based on the present study, the highest improvement in Barbari dough and bread quality could be obtained by the addition of 0.5% HPMC into the formulation.
Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on the Financial Performance of Banks in Pakistan

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on the Financial Performance of banks in the service sector of Pakistan. The data is obtained from the annual reports issued by the banks during 2008-2012. To verify the relationship between EPS, ROA, ROE, Net Profit and CSR regression models are used. The results show that there is lack of CSR in Pakistan and the regression model shows that there is positive relationship between profitability (EPS, ROA, ROE, and Net Profit) and CSR practices. The Financial institutions which implements CSR in their operations earn more profit for the long term periods.
Atmospheric CO 2 inversions on the mesoscale using data-driven prior uncertainties: quantification of the European terrestrial CO 2 fluxes

Abstract. Optimized biogenic carbon fluxes for Europe were estimated from high-resolution regional-scale inversions, utilizing atmospheric CO2 measurements at 16 stations for the year 2007. Additional sensitivity tests with different data-driven error structures were performed. As the atmospheric network is rather sparse and consequently contains large spatial gaps, we use a priori biospheric fluxes to further constrain the inversions. The biospheric fluxes were simulated by the Vegetation Photosynthesis and Respiration Model (VPRM) at a resolution of 0.1° and optimized against eddy covariance data. Overall we estimate an a priori uncertainty of 0.54 GtC yr−1 related to the poor spatial representation between the biospheric model and the ecosystem sites. The sink estimated from the atmospheric inversions for the area of Europe (as represented in the model domain) ranges between 0.23 and 0.38 GtC yr−1 (0.39 and 0.71 GtC yr−1 up-scaled to geographical Europe). This is within the range of posterior flux uncertainty estimates of previous studies using ground-based observations.
Interactive comment on “ Sensitivity of remote aerosol distributions to representation of cloud-aerosol interactions in a global climate model ” by H

changes in bulk cloud-processing parameters in the global atmospheric model CAM. They find that inclusion of a new unified treatment of vertical aerosol transport and convection (increasing the scavenging rate of BC in the tropical troposphere) improves the models agreement with high altitude observations of BC. While, at the poles, BC concentrations increased 10-fold in winter due to a combination of reductions in the frequency of liquid-phase cloud scavenging in the mid-to-high latitudes and an increase in the BC ageing lifetime. Inclusion of these ‘improved’ parameters significantly improved the agreement between the PNNL-MMF climate model and CAM. However, winter-spring concentrations in the Arctic are still significantly underestimated in both models. This study is extremely broad and in some places quite difficult to understand although the conclusions are consistent with previous work in the field. Below are some suggestions to improve the clarity of the paper.
Devaluation and income inequality: Evidence from Pakistan

The paper examines the impact of nominal devaluation on income distribution in Pakistan. In the empirical model we include economic growth, measured per capita; trade-openness; foreign direct investment (FDI); unemployment and inflation rates which appear well justified in the particular context of the economy of Pakistan. The Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration has been employed for the long run relation; and the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) for the short run dynamics. We also test the Kuznets inverted-U relation between income inequality and economic growth. We find long run relationship among the series; and that nominal devaluation worsens income inequality. Though economic growth appears to deteriorate income distribution, the non-linear link between the variables depicts Kuznets’ (1955) type inverted-U relationship. This is reassuring for Pakistan in the long run. We also find FDI and trade-openness worsens income distribution. Inflation lowers income inequality but unemployment aggravates it in Pakistan.
Annotation of Cultivar Variations at the Multigeneic Rhg 1 / Rfs 2 Locus : Polymorphisms Underling Alterations of Root Development and Pest Resistance

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr. ) suffers yield loss due to root infection from soil infestation by Heterodera glycine I. (soybean cyst nematode SCN) and Fusarium virguliforme (Aoki; sudden death syndrome (SDS)). The major locus for SCN and SDS resistance has previously been identified as Rhg1/Rfs2 (chr18; LG G) (site reference). The objective of this experiment was to compare the Sanger DNA sequence of a resistant cultivar (‘Forrest’) and two susceptible cultivars (‘Williams 82’ and ‘Asgrow A3244’). Sequences were downloaded from GenBank for Williams 82, Phytzome for A3244 and a newly sequenced BAC-B73P06 (82,157 bp) encompassing the Rfs2/Rhg1 locus. Using the resistant cultivars, 800 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 57 indels were identified. In contrast, the susceptible cultivars had just 12 SNPs and no indels between them. Polymorphisms were clustered within 59 kbp, divided into three sections. There were 5 predicted recombination breakpoints. The third and fourth breakpoints were located before gene 3 and after gene 5 (Glyma18g02680; the RLK at Rhg1/Rfs2) which were therefore inferred to be derived from Peking, within the Rhg1/Rfs2 region. Comparisons of SNPs identified in Illumina sequences from 31 semi-domesticated genomes showed 80% of the total SNPs in Forrest were found among the genomes. Annotation and gene prediction showed the BAC gene prediction encoded 9-10 genes. There were 31 SNPs within exons and 137 among introns. Just 11
Photosynthetic parameters and growth in seedlings of Bertholletia excelsa and Carapa guianensis in response to pre-acclimation to full sunlight and mild water stress

Light and water are important factors that may limit the growth and development of higher plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate photosynthetic parameters and growth in seedlings of Bertholletia excelsa and Carapa guianensis in response to pre-acclimation to full sunlight and mild water stress. I used six independent pre-acclimation treatments (0, 90 (11h15-12h45), 180 (10h30-13h30), 360 (09h00-15h00), 540 (07h30-16h30) and 720 min (06h00-18h00)) varying the time of exposure to full sunlight (PFS) during 30 days, followed by whole-day outdoor exposure for 120 days. Before PFS, the plants were kept in a greenhouse at low light levels (0.8 mol m-2 day-1). The PFS of 0 min corresponded to plants constantly kept under greenhouse conditions. From the beginning to the end of the experiment, each PFS treatment was submitted to two water regimes: moderate water stress (MWS, pre-dawn leaf water potential (ΨL) of -500 to -700 kPa) and without water stress (WWS, ΨL of -300 kPa, soil kept at field capacity). Plants under MWS received only a fraction of the amount of water applied to the well-watered ones. At the end of the 120-day-period under outdoor conditions, I evaluated light saturated photosynthesis (Amax), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration (E) and plant growth. Both Amax and gs were higher for all plants under the PFS treatment. Stem diameter growth rate and Amax were higher for C. guianensis subjected to MWS than in well-watered plants. The contrary was true for B. excelsa. The growth of seedlings was enhanced by exposure to full sunlight for 180 minutes in both species. However, plants of B. excelsa were sensitive to moderate water stress. The higher photosynthetic rates and faster growth of C. guianensis under full sun and moderate water stress make this species a promissory candidate to be tested in reforestation programs.
SYMMETRIC INVERSE SEMIGROUPS (Mathematical Surveys and Monographs 46) By Stephen Lipscomb: 166 pp., US$49.00, ISBN 0 8218 0627 0 (American Mathematical Society, 1996)

Inverse semigroups bear the same relation to ‘partial permutations’ as groups do to permutations, and the analogue of the symmetric group S n is what Lipscomb calls the symmetric inerse semigroup C n , consisting of all partial one-one mappings (‘charts ’, in his terminology) of a set of n symbols. In the introductory chapter, Lipscomb quotes a remark made by Gracinda Gomes and the reviewer in 1987 (see [1]) :
Association between Blood Lead Level and Sleep Quality in Lead- Zinc Factories in Zanjan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Objective: Adult lead poisoning commonly occurs due to workplace exposures. Neuro- psychological symptoms such as insomnia are reported as the early symptoms of chronic lead intoxication. This study aimed to evaluate association between blood lead level (BLL) of workers from lead-zinc factories and their sleep quality. Materials and Methods : A cross-sectional study was performed and 425 workers were enrolled with eligi- bility criteria of the study. BLL of workers were measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Clinical assessment of workers was performed regarding their sleep problems through a self-administered questionnaire consisting of demographic characteristics, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Multiple linear regression and ANOVA tests were used for analysis of data. Results : Among 425 workers studied, mean (±SD) BLL was 34.7(± 16.7) µg/dl. BLL was significantly asso- ciated with total scores of ISI, ESS, and PSQI questionnaires adjusted for age, sex, job experience, shift work, and body mass index (Adjusted R2 was 0.19, 0.08, and 0.18, respectively; P <0.001). Difficulty with falling asleep, difficulty of staying asleep and waking up too early were more prevalent among workers with increased BLL ( P <0.001). Conclusions : Workers exposed to lead and with increased BLL may have more sleep problems including in- somnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, and poor sleep quality. This warrants further attention toward different types of sleep problems in workers with lead exposure especially those with increased BLL.
A Semi-parametric Analysis of Two-Sided Markets

Summary This paper considers an empirical semiparametric model for two-sided markets. Contrary to existing empirical literature on two-sided markets, we specify network effects and probability distribution functions of net benefits of the two sides nonparametrically. We then estimate the model by nonparametric instrumental variables regression for local daily newspapers from the USA. We show that semiparametric specification is supported by the data and the network effects are neither linear nor monotonic. With a numerical illustration we demonstrate that the mark-up of the newspaper on each side changes drastically with the nonlinearly specified network effects from the case with linear network effects. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
GLOBULAR CLUSTER POPULATIONS: RESULTS INCLUDING S4G LATE-TYPE GALAXIES

Using 3.6 and 4.5 μm images of 73 late-type, edge-on galaxies from the S4G survey, we compare the richness of the globular cluster populations of these galaxies to those of early-type galaxies that we measured previously. In general, the galaxies presented here fill in the distribution for galaxies with lower stellar mass, M*, specifically log ( M * / M ⊙ ) < 10 ? > , overlap the results for early-type galaxies of similar masses, and, by doing so, strengthen the case for a dependence of the number of globular clusters per 109M⊙ of galaxy stellar mass, TN, on M*. For 8.5 < log ( M * / M ⊙ ) < 10.5 ? > we find the relationship can be satisfactorily described as T N = ( M * / 10 6.7 ) − 0.56 ? > when M* is expressed in solar masses. The functional form of the relationship is only weakly constrained, and extrapolation outside this range is not advised. Our late-type galaxies, in contrast to our early types, do not show the tendency for low-mass galaxies to split into two TN families. Using these results and a galaxy stellar mass function from the literature, we calculate that, in a volume-limited, local universe sample, clusters are most likely to be found around fairly massive galaxies (M* ∼ 1010.8M⊙) and present a fitting function for the volume number density of clusters as a function of parent-galaxy stellar mass. We find no correlation between TN and large-scale environment, but we do find a tendency for galaxies of fixed M* to have larger TN if they have converted a larger proportion of their baryons into stars.
Effect of packing density on selected tissue biochemical parameters of hatchery produced fingerlings of orange spotted grouper Epinephelus coioides (Hamilton, 1822) during transportaion

Effect of different packing densities on water quality parameters, survival and selected tissue biochemical parameters during transportation of hatchery produced fingerlings of orange spotted grouper Epinephelus coioides (Hamilton, 1822) was investigated. Fingerlings (weight 3.0±0.2 g and length 6.0±0.2 cm) were packed in sealed double layered oxygen packed polythene bags (water and oxygen ratio 1:3) at different packing densities of 20, 30, 40 and 50 no. l-1. The packed fishes were transported for 6 h. After transportation, water samples and tissue samples from fishes were collected for further analyses. Levels of tissue glucose and selected metabolic enzymes (lactate dehydrogenase, LDH; aspartate amino transferase, AST and alanine amino transferase, ALT) significantly (p<0.05) increased with increased packing density. Water quality parameters viz., pH, dissolved oxygen, CO2, alkalinity, total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) and nitrite nitrogen (NO2-N) were also significantly different at higher packing densities (p<0.05). However, levels of all the tissue biochemical parameters tested were in tolerable range and no mortality of fingerlings was recorded at any of the packing densities. Though the tissue enzyme levels were significantly higher and water quality was significantly deteriorated at the highest packing density of 50 no. l-1, it did not lead to mortality of fish. Therefore, it is inferred that this density can be used for short distance transportation of fingerlings of orange spotted grouper.