Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
INCREASED UNDERWATER NOISE LEVELS IN THE SANTA BARBARA CHANNEL FROM COMMERCIAL SHIP TRAFFIC AND THE POTENTIAL IMPACT ON BLUE WHALES (BALAENOPTERA MUSCULUS)

The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) and the surrounding waters are considered an urban coastal environment, yet home to a diversity of marine organisms. Understanding the interactions between human activity and the marine ecosystem is vital to its sustainability. In our study, we investigated the acoustic environment in the region, focusing primarily on the addition of anthropogenic sound produced by commercial ship traffic. Our study used a passive, broadband, high-frequency acoustic recording package (HARP) to record ambient noise levels and the contribution of noise from commercial ship traffic to the acoustic environment. Recorded ship sound levels were identified using ship-passage records known as Automatic Identification System (AIS). Our analyses of ambient noise levels from July to October 2007 showed elevated levels of 15-25 dB in the 10-150 Hz frequency band when ships were nearby (<4 km). There were on average 18 ships passing through the channel every day, resulting in approximately three hours per day of elevated noise levels from commercial ship traffic. The shipping activity in the Santa Barbara channel was highest at noon and midnight. Increased background noise levels from the ships have the potential to impact the endangered blue whales utilizing the Santa Barbara Channel. When ships were nearby, blue whale calls were not detected. Although it is unclear whether the whales ceased calling when a ship was present, or the calls were masked by the increased noise, both situations have the potential to impact the whales' ability to carry out normal behaviors in the Santa Barbara Channel. The results of this research will advance scientific understanding of human noise in the marine environment, inform policy decisions for noise in the Sanctuary, and serve as a model for addressing noise pollution in other marine sanctuaries.
Global Diffusion of the Non-Traditional Banking Model and Alliance Networks: Social Exposure, Learning and Moderating Regulatory Effort

We analyze the impact of (alliance) network exposure on the speed and extent of adoption of the business model as being one explanatory factor for diffusion controlling for actor specific characteristics and embeddedness in the network. In order to explain how existing national regulation moderated this relationship and whether it succeeded in its risk-limiting mission by moderating global adoption patterns and risk-bearing behavior among financial institutions we estimate various history event analysis model i.e. standard Cox and extended frailty models. We find strong support for the role of network exposure rather than social learning, the impact of regulatory effort on patterns of adoption and the role of country clusters for diffusion in the financial sector.
ISOLATION OF ENTEROBACTERIACEAE FROM RAW SEAFOODS SOLD IN FISH MARKETS IN EASTERN PROVINCE OF SAUDI ARABIA.

Mohamed Ibrahim M.A*, SamiShabeeb Al Shabeeb, Ghamri H. Al Ramadhan and Peer Mohamed Imran. Fisheries Research Center, Deputy Ministry for Fisheries, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Manuscript Info Abstract . Manuscript History
Sparse Coding Tone-Like Structures in Sound Using Local Image Features

A trend in machine learning has emphasized the use of features which are learned algorithmically, in contrast to the hand-engineered features traditionally used in classification tasks. Classical sparse coding is a robust feature learning paradigm which represents inputs as a sparse vector of coefficients applied to a dictionary of basis functions. While sparse coding has yielded state-of-the-art results in many application domains, computational challenges often make it impractical to use. This thesis examines the application of a local image feature based sparse coding algorithm (ScSPM) to the problem domain of audio classification. The convex optimization problems involved in dictionary learning are discussed, and existing methods are reviewed. With the goal of mitigating some of the computational expense involved in sparse coding local image features, alternative image-based representations of audio are proposed which isolate the tone-like structures present in the signal. The proposed alternative representations are evaluated in a multi-class audio classification task with respect to training time as well as classification accuracy.
Interactive comment on “ Effects of heat and drought on carbon and water dynamics in a regenerating semi-arid pine forest : a combined experimental and modeling approach ” by N . K . Ruehr

General response We thank the referees for their helpful comments, which improved our manuscript substantially. In the following we highlighted the major changes/reinterpretations we have made, followed by the detailed point-by-point answer to all referees’ comments and the new/revised Tables and Figures at the end of the document. 1) All the referees commented on the mismatch between observed and simulated water fluxes. Thus, we re-evaluated the model output, and changed soil texture to
Using a geographic information system to estimate an hedonic price model of the benefits of woodland access

Summary -The hedonic price method may be used to investigate the effect that the attributes of a product have on its market price. In the case of housing, this methodology has been used to look at the premium that the amenity offered by nearby woodland adds to house prices. The interpretation of the results of these studies is difficult and is the subject of some debate. In particular, it has been argued that the aesthetic benefits of woodland, as a component of landscape, cannot be enumerated using the hedonic approach. This paper adopts a broader approach and uses hedonic pricing to estimate the amenity benefits gained by local residents from access to woodland. To accomplish this a geographic information system is used to improve the data available to the hedonic price model from which estimates of the residential access benefits of woodland are derived. forests has largely been ignored. Recently, it has In addition to their commercial value, forests become more widely accepted that such nonand woodlands are an integral part of the market values should be taken into account British landscape and an important source of when making decisions likely to lead to changes recreational amenity. Unlike more conventional in environmental quality. forest outputs such as timber, the benefits asso- A number of techniques are available to esticiated with landscape and informal recreation mate the non-market benefits of woodland, cannot conveniently be measured as they do not Contingent valuation methods can be used to usually attract a market price. In the past, this elicit how much the public is willing to pay for has meant that the economic value of any of the improvements to woodland quality or for so-called non-market goods associated with improved access. Revealed preference C Institute of Ounered ForcKerj, 1997
Family Factors Associated with Anxiety in Children

The present study investigated the impact of the family environment to emotional and behavioural problems in children's lives. Various hypotheses were related to how the family environment differs for internalising and externalising problems in children, and in turn how the family environment related to the specific emotional disturbances of anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder in children. Also, the role of the family environment as a moderator in the relationship between anxiety and depression. A number of hypotheses related to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) were not able to be investigated in the present study due to small sample size. Included in these hypotheses were Rapoport's (1989) theorised developmental pathway of ritualisation in children and Kashani et al.' s (1992) theorised three subgroups of obsessive compulsive disorder. In addition, DSM-IV's theorised distinction between children that have, or do not have, insight into their obsessive-compulsive symptomatology. However, the hypothes is regarding the relationship obsessive-compulsive problems had with internalising and externalising problems were assessed in the present study. Other hypotheses included the relationship children experiencing anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive problems had to children's coping strategies. Coping strategies then, were also investigated in regard to their relationship with the family environment. Finally, significant life events were evaluated in terms of their relationship with anxiety and obsessive-compuls ive disorder, while another hypotheses were related to coping strategies as a moderater in the relationship between anxiety and depression. The sample consisted of seventy-two children and forty-nine parents, using a multitrait, multimethod battery of measures. Correlational analyses, including the use of multiple regression, indicated that the family environment was indeed related to internalising and externalising problems, as well as anxiety, depression and OCD in children. The family environment also moderated the relationship between anxiety and depression. In addition, findings indicated that OCD predicted externalising problems while anxiety predicted both internalising and externalising problems. The family environment was also found to relate to children's coping strategies, as was anxiety and OCD. Finally, anxiety and OCD were indicated to relate to significant life events. These results are discussed in terms of other research literature, their implications for treatment and future research. iii
Study for shielding efficiency of evacuation facilities in nuclear emergency (The 12th International Conference on Radiation Shielding (ICRS-12) and the 17th Topical Meeting of the Radiation Protection and Shielding Division of ANS (RPSD-2012)) -- (Radiation Protections)

Sheltering is one of the protective actions to reduce external exposures from both the radioactive plume and the deposited radionuclides in a nuclear emergency. The aim of the present study is to provide the data of characteristics of evacuation facilities regarding building materials and structures, and preliminary estimates of shielding efficiency for the use of emergency planning. To achieve this aim, surveys were performed on the evacuation facilities actually used in Japan. In addition, for air submersion and deposited radionuclides, the shielding factors were calculated based on the survey results. The findings indicate that the shielding factors for the radiation due to air submersion were almost within the range of the previous works. The shielding factors, which were calculated with considerations of the radionuclides deposited only on the ground surface, were greater than those of the previous works. To explain the differences between the present study and previous works, an evaluation should be needed taking into account contributions of contaminated roofs.
An Investigation into the Dimensionality of TOEFL Using Conditional Covariance-Based Nonparametric Approach

This article reports two studies to illustrate methodologies for conducting a conditional covariance-based nonparametric dimensionality assessment using data from two forms of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Study 1 illustrates how to assess overall dimensionality of the TOEFL including all three subtests. Study 2 is aimed at illustrating how to conduct dimensionality analyses for a testlet-based test by focusing on the Reading Comprehension (RC) section in combination with item content analyses and hypothesis testing. The results of Study 1 indicated that both TOEFL forms involve two dominant dimensions corresponding to the Listening Comprehension section and the combination of the Reading Comprehension section and Structure and Written Expression section. The extensive RC analyses from Study 2 revealed strong evidence that a significant amount of the RC multidimensionality came from testlet effects. Confirmatory analyses coupled with exploratory cluster analyses and substantive item content analyses further identified dimensionality structure having to do with reading subskills.
A simple model for the saturation of coronal X-ray emission of rapidly rotating late-type stars

Received ; accepted Abstract. An explanation of the observed saturation of X-ray emission with increasing rotation rate of late-type stars is suggested. The suggestion is based on a simple model for the closed field line region of the magnetized stellar corona (stellar magnetosphere). The model assumes a magnetic dipole field aligned with the rotation axis confining a co-rotating, isothermal plasma. The e ects of a stellar wind and of toroidal fields are neglected in the model. The closed field line region in the model is defined by those field lines on which the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure (plasma ) does not exceed one. Using scaling relations of surface magnetic field strength, surface density and coronal temperature with angular velocity, the model is used to calculate the stellar X-ray emission measure as a function of rotation rate. The results are in good agreement with the saturation in X-ray emission with rotation that is observed in G-K stars. The dependence of the results on the parameters of the model will be discussed.
Comparative Study of Integrated Pest Management and Farmers Practices on Sustainable Environment in the Rice Ecosystem

Integrated pest management (IPM) is an environmentally friendly technology. IPM is a multifaceted approach to pest management that seeks to minimize negative impacts on the environment. This technique is an important step towards providing healthy, viable food for a growing global population. The focus of this study was to examine the impact of integrated pest management in a rice agroecosystem. Currently, more than 80% of farmers rely on pesticides. IPM methods employed in our study had an impact on the number of healthy tillers and hills and grain weight. The lowest percentage of dead heart (1.03) and white head (2.00) was found in the IPM treated plots. These plots had an average yield of 7.4 tonne/ha. We found that there were significant differences between the treatment and the observed percentage of dead heart, grain weight, and yield. We conclude that IPM practices are an effective strategy for obtaining high rice yields while protecting the environment and creating a more sustainable agroecosystem. Furthermore, the need for ongoing research and training on IPM methods will be essential for creating a sustainable rice agroecosystem.
Polyphenol Fingerprinting Approaches in Wine Traceability and Authenticity: Assessment and Implications of Red Wines

Like any other food/feed matrix, regardless of the employed analytical method, wine requires authentication strategies; a suitable qualitative and quantitative analysis represents the fingerprint which defines its identity. Until recently, fingerprinting approaches using liquid chromatography applications have been regarded as an effective tool for the assessment of wines employing polyphenol profiles. These profiles are of considerable importance for grapes and wines as they influence greatly the color, sensory, and nutritional quality of the final product. The authenticity and typicity characters are fundamental characteristics, which may be evaluated by the use of polyphenol fingerprinting techniques. Under these conditions, the evolution of polyphenols during the red wine elaboration and maturation processes shows a high importance at the level of the obtained fingerprints. Moreover, the environment factors (vintage, the area of origin, and variety) and the technological conditions significantly influence wine authenticity through the use of polyphenol profiles. Taking into account the complexity of the matter at hand, this review outlines the latest trends in the polyphenol fingerprinting of red wines in association with the transformations that occur during winemaking and storage.
Factors Influencing the Students’ Choice of Accounting as a Major: The Case of X University in United Arab Emirates

This study tried to examine the factors that influence students’ choice of accounting at X Private University. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data for the five hypotheses which were tested in this study related to the factors of reputation of the university or college, personal interests, job prospect, family members and peers, and media. The findings of the study revealed that personal interests, personality, job prospect, reputation of the university and media did not have a significant influence on the students’ choice of accounting as a major. On the other hand, data analysis shows thatfamily members and peers, significantly related to the students’ choice of accounting as a major. In other words, hypotheses H1, H2, H3, and H5 are rejected, whereas hypothesis H4 is accepted. This research contributes to literature by identifying the relationship between the independent variables (reputation of the university, personal interests, job prospect, family members and peers, and media) and the dependent variable (student’s choice of accounting as a major), and the results of the study give valuable information to university's management to know how they can influence families to increase the number of students enrolling in such university, especially accounting students. This research also tested a new variable, which is reputation of the university – a variable that is expected to influence students’ choices.
An eddy-permitting, dynamically consistent adjoint-based assimilation system for the tropical Pacific: Hindcast experiments in 2000

[1] An eddy-permitting adjoint-based assimilation system has been implemented to estimate the state of the tropical Pacific Ocean. The system uses the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's general circulation model and its adjoint. The adjoint method is used to adjust the model to observations by controlling the initial temperature and salinity; temperature, salinity, and horizontal velocities at the open boundaries; and surface fluxes of momentum, heat, and freshwater. The model is constrained with most of the available data sets in the tropical Pacific, including Tropical Atmosphere and Ocean, ARGO, expendable bathythermograph, and satellite SST and sea surface height data, and climatologies. Results of hindcast experiments in 2000 suggest that the iterated adjoint-based descent is able to significantly improve the model consistency with the multivariate data sets, providing a dynamically consistent realization of the tropical Pacific circulation that generally matches the observations to within specified errors. The estimated model state is evaluated both by comparisons with observations and by checking the controls, the momentum balances, and the representation of small-scale features that were not well sampled by the observations used in the assimilation. As part of these checks, the estimated controls are smoothed and applied in independent model runs to check that small changes in the controls do not greatly change the model hindcast. This is a simple ensemble-based uncertainty analysis. In addition, the original and smoothed controls are applied to a version of the model with doubled horizontal resolution resulting in a broadly similar “downscaled” hindcast, showing that the adjustments are not tuned to a single configuration (meaning resolution, topography, and parameter settings). The time-evolving model state and the adjusted controls should be useful for analysis or to supply the forcing, initial, and boundary conditions for runs of other models.
The Expression of Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase Protein is an Independent Prognostic Marker in Early Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinomas

Background : The catalytic subunit of telomerase, hTERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase), is one of the most important components of telomerase, and performs a pivotal role in the mechanism underlying the regulation of telomerase activity in cellular immortalization and carcinogenesis. The principal objective of this study was to investigate hTERT expression in patients with non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs), and to evaluate its clinical significance and association with the expression of p16 and p53. Methods : Using tissue microarray, the protein expression profiles of hTERT, p16 and p53 were investigated via immunohistochemistry in 167 samples of NSCLCs. Results : Expression was observed in 54.5% (91/167) of the tumors, which were predominantly squamous cell carcinomas. Patients evidencing hTERT expression in their tumors exhibited significantly poorer survival rates than did patients without hTERT expression in early-stage NSCLCs (p=0.0125). According to the results of our Cox regression analysis, hTERT expression proved to be an independent prognostic factor (p= 0.006), particularly for squamous cell carcinomas (p=0.019). hTERT expression was not correlated with p16 expression, but was rather associated with the expression of p53 (p=0.002). Conclusions : Our results show that hTERT may perform a function in the progression of NSCLC, and that its detection may be useful in predicting the prognosis of NSCLC patients in the early stages of the disease, as well as in the development of a targeted therapy in these tumors.
Temporal decoupling of carbon and nitrogen dynamics in a mesocosm diatom bloom

Flows of the major biogeochemical elements (C, N, P, Si) and of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) were traced during a bloom of a natural assemblage of marine diatoms in a mesocosm (1 m3) to determine whether the exudation and subsequent gelation of carbon‐rich phytoplankton exopolymers can account for the formation and potential export of carbon in excess of that predicted by Redfield ratios. Exponential growth of the phytoplankton community in the mesocosm extended for 10 d until nitrate concentration fell below detection and concentrations of dissolved inorganic and particulate organic nitrogen and phosphorus remained stable. Tight covariation of particulate organic elements occurred as long as nutrients were replete. But, after nitrate depletion, decoupling of carbon dynamics from that of nitrogen and phosphorus was observed, with a large flow of carbon into TEP. An uptake of 72% more dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) than inferred from nitrate supply and Redfield stoichiometry (referred to as carbon overconsumption) occurred during the study, largely during the postbloom phase, and was almost entirely traced to the particulate organic matter (POM) pool. Marine snow (aggregates >0.5 mm) appeared at the onset of nitrate depletion and coincided with rapid increase in TEP concentrations. Elemental composition of marine snow differed from the Redfield ratio by an enrichment in carbon and a depletion in phosphorus relative to nitrogen. It is suggested that sinking of TEP‐rich marine snow could be a possible mechanism for export of carbon above calculations that are based on the Redfield stoichiometry.
Electrical properties of resistance switching V-doped SrZrO3 films on textured LaNiO3 bottom electrodes

Sputter-deposited V-doped SrZrO3 (SZO) films were deposited on textured LaNiO3 (LNO) bottom electrodes to investigate the resistance switching properties and reliabilities. The microstructures of the SZO and LNO films were characterized by x-ray diffraction. The resistance of the Al/V-doped SZO/LNO sandwich structures can be reversibly switched by operating with dc bias voltages or voltage pulses. The device with [100] orientated SZO film had better resistance switching properties and the resistance ratio was more than 1000. The effect of thermal treatment on resistance switching properties was investigated and different behaviour of the two leakage-states was found. Finally, the reliability of the device was also investigated. The device with the properties of reversible resistance switching and non-destructive readout is suitable for nonvolatile memory application.