Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Algorithmic Form Generation of a Radiolarian Pavilion

This paper describes the design stage of an on-going research project for the construction of a pavilion that mimics the bone structures of Radiolarians. In the process, several constructive and generative algorithms are developed, together with geometric and trigonometric functions, all implemented in RhinoScript and a math plug-in for the NURBS modeler Rhinoceros. There has been considerable emphasis on the generation of the Radiolarian cell that is tessellated along a stereographic surface with a honeycomb-based algorithm. It combines design strategies from biomimetics, mathematical functions, generative scripting, process automation and versioning, all integrated into an algorithmic methodology for creating a non-standard structure, capable of being manufactured with CNC technology, and doing so, setting a precedent in the academic and professional environment in which it will be located.
Melatonin Functioning Through DNA Methylation to Constricts Breast Cancer Growth Accelerated by Blue LED Light-At-Night in 4T1 Tumor-Bearing Mice Journal of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics

In an attempt to reduce Carbon Dioxide production, lighting technologies are aiming toward the developing of energetically efficient illumination sources as light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LED lamps emit light at shortwavelengths close to the sensitivity peak of melatonin suppression and expected to further exacerbate circadian disruption and cancer risk from increasing exposure to artificial light-at-night (ALAN). We report the effect of ALAN (1×30 min per night) emitted from yellow incandescent or blue-white LED bulbs and melatonin treatment on urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (6-SMT), tumor growth (volume and mass), and global DNA methylation in 4T1 inoculated Balb/c female mice. Blue ALAN significantly decreased 6-SMT, increased tumor growths, and promoted metastasis formation verses yellow exposure. In blue-treated mice, DNA methylation levels were decreased in tumor and liver cells but not in lung and spleen cells compared with yellow-treated mice. Melatonin treatment inhibited tumor growth, reduced metastasis formation, and equally induced hypermethylation under the two spectral compositions. 6-SMTshowed strong inverse and direct correlations with tumor volume and methylation level, respectively. Finally, melatonin treatment increased relative spleen mass with no spectral differences compared with controls. We demonstrate for the first time that LED lighting can result in aggressive and rapid tumor growth compared with the counterpart incandescent technology, and our results strongly suggest that the mechanism of action by which this occurs is altering DNA methylation levels by ALAN-induced melatonin suppression. These findings further support evidence for the possible association between ALAN and hormone dependent cancer incidences and subsequently advance the need for developing sustainable lighting solutions which are more efficient but less harmful.
Uniqueness of solution to a free boundary problem from combustion

We investigate the uniqueness and agreement between different kinds of solutions for a free boundary problem in heat propagation that in classical terms is formulated as follows: to find a continuous function u(x, t) ≥ 0, defined in a domain D ⊂ RN × (0, T ) and such that ∆u+ ∑ ai uxi − ut = 0 in D ∩ {u > 0}. We also assume that the interior boundary of the positivity set, D∩∂{u > 0}, so-called free boundary, is a regular hypersurface on which the following conditions are satisfied:
Aflatoxin and Fumonisin Contamination of Sun-Dried Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) Chips in Kahama District, Tanzania

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is one of the major root and tuber crops of the tropics which can be achieved under a wide range of agro-climates and farming systems. The study was undertaken to determine aflatoxins and fumonisins occurrence in sun-dried sweet potato chips sampled from households in Kahama district in Shinyanga region, Tanzania. A total of 80 sun - dried sweet potato samples were evaluated for aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, 1 and 2) and fumonisins (FB1 and FB2) contaminations. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection method was used for analysis. The overall percentage of samples which tested positive for aflatoxins was 36% with contamination in ranges from 10.49 µg/kg) to 75.12 µg/kg. The aflatoxin B1 (AFBI) contamination was the most prevalent with concentration of 21.23 μg/kg followed by aflatoxin G1 (AFGI) with concentration of 10.38 μg/kg. Fumonisin B1 (FB1) was the only type of fumonisin detected and had 97.5% of samples contaminated with values ranging from 29.34 – 628.78 mg/kg (mean 44.69 mg/kg). Fumonisin B1 was found to be significantly (p < 0.01) correlated with moisture content. The study has revealed that samples had aflatoxins and fumonisins contamination levels above acceptable levels by East Africa standards and Codex Alimentarius Commission, a joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Program. Efforts in improving post-harvest methods by addressing handling and processing methods is of prime importance in order to minimize risk of aflatoxins and fumonisins contamination of sweet potato chips.
Kitobo Forest of Kenya, a unique hotspot of herpetofaunal diversity

Herpetologically, the remoteness of Kitobo forest in south-eastern Kenya has partly contributed to it remaining virtually un-explored until 2007. Three surveys were conducted in December 2007, December 2009 and April 2010 aimed at generat- ing a comprehensive list of the forest amphibians and reptiles. Using largely timed- species count method, 13 species of amphibians representing eight families and 32 reptiles belonging to 11 families were recorded. Overall species diversity was highest during the 2007 sampling. The richness and abundance of amphibians was highest during the April 2010 sampling period when the amount of rainfall was also high- est. The results of species accumulation curves of the three sampling periods did not plateau demonstrating that more species occur in this forest. Pressure on this for - est fragment from the adjacent local people is high which in addition to the annual floods threatens its long-term survival. For example the distribution and abundance of some forest associated species such as the tree frogs Leptopelis flavomaculatus and Hyperolius puncticulatus appear to fluctuate with flood events and may decline in future. Considering the forest associated herpetofanua recorded, Kitobo forest is zoo- geographically assignable to the East African coastal forest biodiversity hotspot. The documentation of high species richness and diversity in this small forest fragment strongly highlight its biodiversity importance and place it among the most important sites for the conservation of reptiles and amphibians in Kenya.
Is oestrogen receptor-b a predictor of endocrine therapy responsiveness in human breast cancer?

The role of oestrogen receptor (ER)b in human breast cancer remains unclear. However, it is now apparent that when considering ERb in human breast cancer it is important to recognise two ERb expressing groups, one in which ERb is co-expressed with ERa and the other where ERb is expressed alone. Emerging data support different functions between ERb when it is expressed alone and when it is co-expressed with ERa. With regard to the latter group (ERaþ/ERbþ), there are now 9 out of 10 retrospective clinical outcome studies published, that support the hypothesis that increased expression of ERb is associated with increased likelihood of response to endocrine therapy. The data strongly support undertaking prospective studies to determine if the addition of ERb to ERa is clinically beneficial and whether to include both ERb and ERa when establishing clinically relevant cut-offs for defining ER status. Endocrine-Related Cancer (2006) 13 327–334
Teachers in the South African education system: An economic perspective

General sentiment amongst teachers and non-teachers is that teachers are underpaid. While this may certainly be true at the upper end of the skills distribution, taking account of mean student performance and mean teacher pay suggests that given the level of productivity amongst teachers (proxied by student performance), it is unclear whether teacher performance warrants higher levels of remuneration. A fundamental problem underlying the low levels of performance amongst teachers is the fact that teacher wages barely differentiate between well and poorly performing teachers – the result largely of the fact that very few (if any) measures of teacher quality exist (Taylor, Spaull, Gustafsson & Armstrong, 2011: 4).
THE VERnCAL MULTINAnONAL ENTERPRISE AND INTERNAnONAL TRADE

By explicitly modeling a distortion in the intermediate goods sector, 1 develop a model of an endogenous vertical multinational enterprise. Firms invest abroad to lower cost of multi-stage production. The implications for international trade and investment differ markedly from the conventional wisdom of multinationals. Particularly, intra-fIrm trade in intermediates implies vertical investment complements rather than substitutes for trade. The decision to become a multinational depends on the level of foreign factor prices, nature of competition with foreign suppliers, transport, tariff, and subsidiary plant costs. Marginal change in tariff may result in welfare jumps as firm configuration shifts. JEL Codes
Predictors of Whistle-Blowing Intentions: An Analysis of Multi-Level Variables

The purpose of this study was to examine the variables impacting on whistle-blowing intentions in the public services of two developing countries, South Africa and Mauritius. In particular, this study considers the barriers to whistle-blowing and the effect of demographic and cultural values on the perceptions of these barriers. The study finds major differences between South Africa and Mauritius with minor differences in regard to gender and education.
On Aitchison’s construction by isotopy

We describe a method introduced by I. Aitchison for constructing doubly slice fibered n-knots. We prove that all high-dimensional simple doubly slice fibered n-knots can be obtained by this construction. (Even-dimensional n-knots are required to be Z-torsion-free.) We also show that any possible rational Seifert form can be realized by a doubly slice fibered classical knot.
On e-democracy : model and case of participatory public decision making

In this paper, I present various arguments on electronic democracy and focusing on participatory public decision making processes, I propose a framework for system support and discuss related research. As a case that illustrates feasibility of participatory public decision making, I present the participatory budgeting experiment in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The case is analyzed based on the proposed framework.
Quantifying the residual volume transport through a multiple-inlet system in response to wind forcing: the case of the western Dutch Wadden Sea

In multiple-inlet coastal systems like the western Dutch Wadden Sea, the tides (and their interaction with the bathymetry), the fresh water discharge, and the wind drive a residual flow through the system. In the current paper, we study the effect of the wind on the residual volume transport through the inlets and the system as a whole on both the short (one tidal period) and long (seasonal or yearly) time scales. The results are based on realistic three-dimensional baroclinic numerical simulations for the years 2009-2011. The length of the simulations (over 2000 tidal periods) allowed us to analyze a large variety of conditions and quantify the effect of wind on the residual volume transport. We found that each inlet has an anisotropic response to wind; i.e. the residual volume transport is much more sensitive to the wind from two inherent preferential directions than from any other directions. We quantify the effects of wind on the residual volume transport through the system and introduce the concept of the system's conductance for such wind driven residual transport. For the western Dutch Wadden Sea, the dominant wind direction in the region is close to the direction with the highest conductance and opposes the tidally driven residual volume transport. This translates a large variability of the residual volume transport and a dominance of the wind in its long-term characteristics in spite of the episodic nature of storms. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Sulfate attack of Algerian cement-based material with crushed limestone filler cured at different temperatures

The cement production industry is one of the main consumers of energy and raw materials. Over the last years, a great effort has been made in order to substitute clinker for less energy demanding materials. In many countries, it is popular to use limestone as admixture material to improve the consistency of concrete. Nevertheless, the construction industry needs durable materials with improved properties. Following this objective, this work is a part of an ongoing project developed in the materials laboratory of LABMAT/ENSET, Oran, Algeria. This paper presents data on engineering properties such as compressive strength and visual change of mortar specimens incorporating limestone filler, subjected to severe sulfate attack and cured at: (i) 5◦ C and (ii) 23 ◦C. Specimens with 4 replacement levels of limestone filler (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% of cement by mass) were immersed in magnesium sulfate solutions with 5% of concentration for periods of up to 360 days. In order to identify the products formed by sulfate attack, microstructural analyses, such as XRD and SEM, were also performed on paste and mortar samples with similar replacement levels of limestone filler. The test results demonstrated that mortar and paste samples incorporating higher replacement levels of limestone filler were more susceptible to sulfate attack at low temperatures. On top of that, the deterioration was strongly associated with thaumasite, gypsum, and brucite formation in the magnesium sulfate solution.
Decomposing Firm Value

What are the economic determinants of a firm's market value? We answer this question through the lens of a generalized neoclassical model of investment with physical capital, quasi-fixed labor, and two types of intangible capital, knowledge and brand capital as inputs. We estimate the structural model using firm-level data on U.S. publicly traded firms and use the estimated parameter values to infer the contribution of each input for explaining firm's market value in the last four decades. The model performs well in explaining both cross-sectional and time-series variation in firms' market values across industries, with a time-series R 2 of up to 61%, and a cross-sectional R 2 of up to 95%. The relative importance of each input for firm value varies across industries and over time. On average, physical capital accounts for 30% to 40% of firm's market value, installed labor force accounts for 14% to 22%, knowledge capital accounts for 20% to 43%, and brand capital accounts for 6% to 25%. The importance of physical capital for firm value decreased in the last decades, while the importance of knowledge capital increased, especially in high-tech industries. Overall, our analysis provides direct empirical evidence supporting models with multiple capital inputs as main sources of firm value, and shows the importance of the non-physical capital inputs for firm value.
Model of a Ducted Axial-Flow Hydrokinetic Turbine – Results of Experimental and Numerical Examination

Abstract The article presents the numerical algorithm of the developed computer code which calculates performance characteristics of ducted axial-flow hydrokinetic turbines. The code makes use of the vortex lattice method (VLM), which has been developed and used in IMP PAN for years, to analyse the operation of various fluid-flow machines. To verify the developed software, a series of model tests have been performed in the cavitation tunnel being part of IMP PAN research equipment.
The SAGA Survey. I. Satellite Galaxy Populations around Eight Milky Way Analogs

We present the survey strategy and early results of the “Satellites Around Galactic Analogs” (SAGA) Survey. The SAGA Survey’s goal is to measure the distribution of satellite galaxies around 100 systems analogous to the Milky Way down to the luminosity of the Leo I dwarf galaxy ( ). We define a Milky Way analog based on K-band luminosity and local environment. Here, we present satellite luminosity functions for eight Milky-Way-analog galaxies between 20 and 40 Mpc. These systems have nearly complete spectroscopic coverage of candidate satellites within the projected host virial radius down to using low-redshift gri color criteria. We have discovered a total of 25 new satellite galaxies: 14 new satellite galaxies meet our formal criteria around our complete host systems, plus 11 additional satellites in either incompletely surveyed hosts or below our formal magnitude limit. Combined with 13 previously known satellites, there are a total of 27 satellites around 8 complete Milky-Way-analog hosts. We find a wide distribution in the number of satellites per host, from 1 to 9, in the luminosity range for which there are 5 Milky Way satellites. Standard abundance matching extrapolated from higher luminosities predicts less scatter between hosts and a steeper luminosity function slope than observed. We find that the majority of satellites (26 of 27) are star-forming. These early results indicate that the Milky Way has a different satellite population than typical in our sample, potentially changing the physical interpretation of measurements based only on the Milky Way’s satellite galaxies.
Evaluation of Some Enzymes of Iraqi Patients Infected with Hydatidosis

This study was carried out to evaluate some enzymes activity in hydatidosis infection which were considered as a biomarkers to monitor their levels and prognostic values. They were performed on 50 blood samples of hydatidosis surgically proved and 20 samples as control group which were collected between October, 2015 and April, 2016 from different hospitals in Al-Furat Al-Awsat district. The mean levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LD) exhibited a significant elevation (P < 0.05) in hydatidosis patients compared to the healthy control group. Also the same findings were seen in pre-operative patients compared to post-operative patients. The levels of both enzymes increased in liver and multi-organs hydatidosis than any other site. The patients with large size cyst showed a significant increase (P < 0.05) in ALP and LD levels compared to small size cyst. There was a significant decrease(P < 0.05) in the levels of adenosine deaminase (ADA) and glutathione reductase (GHR) enzymes in hydatidosis patients compared to healthy control. The ADA levels in large cyst were significantly increased (P < 0.05) compared to patients with small cyst. The (GHR) enzyme level was decreased in patients with small size cyst compared to the large ones. Also the multi-organs and liver hydatidosis showed significant decrease (P < 0.05) in the levels of GHR compared to lung or kidney.
Fog Water Chemical Composition on Ailaoshan Mountain, Yunnan Province, SW China

ABSTRACT Between December 2015 and March 2016, fog water was collected at the subtropical mountain cloud forest site Ailaoshan in SW China at 2476 m above mean sea level. An active fog collector was employed to collect 117 samples during more than 140 hours of fog, covering 6 major fog events. The chemical analysis included acidity and inorganic ion concentrations. The median pH values of the fog events varied between 3.7 and 4.2, characterizing the fog water as acidic (pH < 5.0) to very acidic (pH < 4.0). The ion composition was dominated by H+, NH4+, SO42– and NO3–, which made up more than 86% of the total ionic concentration (TIC). The generally rather high ion concentration levels cannot be explained by nearby emission sources but rather by long-range transport of air pollutants from various sources in East Asia. During one event on February 8, 2016, it is evident that it was the emissions from a large coal-fired power plant in Myanmar that led to high concentrations of sulphuric acid. This pilot study of fog chemistry in rural, mountainous SW China should be complemented by studies spanning the moist summer monsoon season and covering more chemical species.
Evolutionary consequences of fertilization mode for reproductive phenology and asynchrony

Reproductive phenology is a crucial life-history trait that is influenced by both environmental and frequency-dependent effects. The fitness benefits of any phenology strategy will depend strongly on other aspects of the life history: one of the most fundamental ways life histories can differ is fertilization mode. Despite the strong potential for fertilization mode to alter selection on phenology, explorations into how these 2 fundamental life-history traits interact are lacking. We explore theoretically how frequency-dependent effects and fertilization mode influence the evolution of asynchronous reproduction, and the evolutionary stable strategy (ESS) for a population in which individuals' mean and variance in phenology are evolvable traits. We find that when males compete for fertilizations, perfect reproductive synchrony with optimal environmental conditions is never an optimal evolutionary strategy, and asynchronous reproduction is an inevitable consequence of frequency-dependent selection. Fertilization mode qualitatively alters frequency-dependent selection on the variance in phenology, as well as the prevalence of sexual conflict over reproductive timing. Our results contrast with traditional hypotheses that have primarily considered asynchronous reproduction as an adaptive bet-hedging strategy in stochastic environments, and provide a much-needed explanation for the emerging picture of reproductive asynchrony observed in many systems.
Rule-Based Resource Revenue Stabilization Funds: A Welfare Comparison

Abstract Resource prices, and petroleum prices in particular, are volatile and difficult to predict, so government revenue in resource-producing regions is also uncertain and volatile. Adjusting government expenditure in response to these revenue movements involves economic, social and political costs. Many jurisdictions have established rule-based revenue stabilization funds to address revenue volatility, but there is little evidence on whether these funds improve welfare or if some fund designs increase welfare more than others. Using Monte Carlo techniques, we provide a quantitative welfare comparison of several types of rule-based stabilization funds for a petroleum-producing jurisdiction. We find large potential gains from the use of a fund to stabilize revenue, but some fund types reduce welfare, particularly those that accumulate large stocks of assets or debt. A fund that performs well, and is generally robust to changes in the simulation parameters, has a fixed deposit rate out of resource revenue and a fixed withdrawal rate out of assets.
Earthquakes and robustness for timber structures

Major similarities between robustness assessment and seismic design exist, and significant information can be brought from seismic design to robustness design. As will be discussed, although some methods and limitations considered in seismic design can improve robustness, the capacity of the structure to sustain limited damage without disproportionate effects is significantly more complex. In fact, seismic design can either improve or reduce the resistance of structures to unforeseeable events, depending on structural type, triggering event, structural material, among others.