Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stochastic Extinction in an SIRS Epidemic Model Incorporating Media Coverage

We extend the classical SIRS epidemic model incorporating media coverage from a deterministic framework to a stochastic differential equation (SDE) and focus on how environmental fluctuations of the contact coefficient affect the extinction of the disease. We give the conditions of existence of unique positive solution and the stochastic extinction of the SDE model and discuss the exponential -stability and global stability of the SDE model. One of the most interesting findings is that if the intensity of noise is large, then the disease is prone to extinction, which can provide us with some useful control strategies to regulate disease dynamics.
The characterisation of Vitis vinifera 'Refošk' with AFLP and SSR molecular markers and ampelographic traits

The genetic diversity and ampelographic variability of autochthonous red wine cultivar ‘Refosk’ ( Vitis vinifera L.) grown in Slovenia were evaluated with AFLP molecular markers and OIV descriptors, respectively. SSR molecular markers were employed to confirm cultivar identity of analysed samples. Eight AFLP primer combinations, one was monomorphic, produced 16 polymorphic markers in 41 out of 113 samples, what classified samples into monomorphic and polymorphic group. Dendrogram constructed with simple matching coefficient and unweighted pair-group method analysis presented genetic diversity within polymorphic group. Refosk biotypes from monomorphic and polymorphic groups were evaluated with 22 OIV descriptors related to bunch, berry and must, but on the basis of ampelographic characterization samples were not differentiated among two major groups obtained with AFLP analysis. Results of genetic analysis indicated that ‘Refosk’ originated from closely related plants that are phenotypically very similar. With regard to low observed genetic diversity more attention should be dedicated to the selection in order to conserve remaining genetic diversity.
Description and analysis of a geo-referenced database of the global distribution of sweetpotato area

A georeferenced database of the global distribution of sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.)Lam. ] is described and analyzed. The database was assembled from many country-level sources. To create a database representative for one time period, the proportion of national sweetpotato area in each production zone was multiplied by total national sweetpotato area for 1998-2000, as estimated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Most sweetpotato is grown in the temperate zone, 70% of the area is between 20°N and 40°N. Sweetpotato is highly concentrated in some areas, notably in the lowlands of China and in the midelevations of the Lake Victoria area in Africa. About half the global sweetpotato area occurs where it is an obligatory seasonal crop because of low temperatures during part of the year.
Capital Structure and Financing of SMEs: The Tunisian Case

This article contributes to analyze the determinants of the capital structure of 611 tunisian small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s), observed on a duration of six years. We will wonder about the impact of the financial specificities of the SME on their financial structures. For that purpose, we will confront hypotheses of the financial theory with the reality of the SME’s. The estimations conducted, via the within model, show that the financial structure is not neutral and that the cost of financing, the profitability and the commercial debt are the main determinants on the banking debts. The estimations also reveal a hierarchy followed by SME’s, in their financial choice, favoring the financing by internal funds and by commercial debts. A business sector analysis shows greater financing difficulties for the SME’s providing services compared to the industrial SME’s.
Quasilinear theory for relativistic particles

Quasilinear theory is developed by using canonical variables for relativistic particles. It is self-consistent, including momentum, pitch-angle, and spatial diffusions. By assuming the wave field is a superposition of known toroidal and poloidal Fourier modes, the quasilinear diffusion coefficients are written in a form which can be directly evaluated by using the output of a spectral full-wave solver of Maxwell equations in toroidal plasmas. The formalism is special for tokamaks which are axis-symmetric, therefore, it is simple and suitable for simulations of cyclotron heating, current drive and radio-frequency wave induced radial transport in ITER. PACS: 52.35. Py, 52.50. Sw, 52.35. Fa.
Physical properties of constitutive size classes of spray-dried skim milk powder and their mixtures

Skim milk powder is a very valuable industrial ingredient, the properties of which are dependent on process and running conditions. We studied a powder obtained from a third generation dryer, its size fractions, and two experimental binary mixes of fractions for physical properties and use, including flowability. The results indicate special properties for one class, i.e. the (100-112 µm) fraction. The correlation of characteristics is reported, and practical consequences concerning the process and the quality are discussed. skim milk powder / size fraction / powder physical property / flowability
Exploring Brain Inhibition and Facilitation by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Is there a role of repetitive spinal motor neuron discharges (repMND) in the conventional paired-pulsed paradigm of short intra-cortical inhibition (SICI) and intra-cortical facilitation (ICF)?

Objective: To study the role of spinal repMND in the paired-pulsed (PP) paradigms of SICI and ICF by combining PP with TMS, TST, QuadS and QuintS techniques and to explore their variability. Background: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) leads to repetitive spinal motor neuron discharges (repMNDs). The paired-pulse TMS (PP-TMS) paradigm allows the exploration of the motor cortex physiology. The triple stimulation technique (TST) and an extended TST-technique including a 4th and 5th stimulation, Quadruple (QuadS) and Quintuple (QuintS) stimulation, respectively, allow a more precise exploration of the central motor conduction and of repMND. Design/Methods: We explored the PP TMS paradigms of short intracortical inhibition (SICI) with an inter-stimulus interval (ISI) of 2ms and intracortical facilitation (ICF) with an ISI of 10ms in the conventional way (TMS), combined with the TST, and with the QuadS and QuintS in a randomized design in 20 healthy volunteers Results: About half of the subjects have repMND following a single pulse TMS in the QuadS and QuintS condition (60% and 40%, respectively) and generally more in the QuadS than in the QuintS condition. In both the QuadS and the QuintS, there appear more repMND in the PP-TMS paradigm of ICF than with a single pulse TMS and less than latter in SICI. The variability differs considerably between subjects, but combining the PP paradigms with the TST reduced variability of SICI by -27% but not for ICF or SP. There were subjects showing inhibition and facilitation when the opposite was expected. Conclusions: These results suggest that there is a contribution of repMND in the conditioned responses of PP-TMS. The large variability precludes their utility in clinical practice. This needs to be further explored.
Adults’ Theory of Infants’ Mind: A Comparison between Parents and Nonparents

This study examined whether there were parental state differences in interpretations of infants’ behaviours as associated with some mental states. Parents, nonparent women, and nonparent men were shown video clips that displayed several infant behaviours (e.g., playing with his/her mother). Then they were given two tasks. In a rating task, participants were asked to rate the likelihood of the filmed infant to have a mental state. On the other hand, in a description task, participants were instructed to explicitly describe the filmed infants’ mental state in an open-ended manner. Importantly, all participants were asked to report the meaning of infants’ behaviour in specific acts from the same set of infants’ behaviours (e.g., the infants saw mother’s face and smiled). The results revealed that parents and nonparent women significantly higher rated that infants were likely to express a mental state in the rating task than nonparent men did. On the other hand, parents were more likely to describe the filmed infants’ mental states in the description task than nonparent women and nonparent men did. Results suggest that parents interpret more meanings from infants’ behaviours compared to nonparents, even when both parents and nonparents equally focused on infants’ behaviours.
Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Display Selective Defect in Antigen Receptor Mediated T Cell Apoptosis

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which insulin-producing beta cells are destroyed by auto-reactive T lymphocytes. Studies in mice indicate that incomplete deletion of self-reactive T-cells and compromised peripheral tolerance mechanisms can contribute to the manifestation of autoimmune diabetes. In patients with type 1 diabetes, defects in T regulatory cell numbers and function have been previously reported. In this study, we have ascertained the integrity of activation-induced cell death, a mechanism of peripheral T cell tolerance, in long-standing type 1 diabetes patients. Activation of peripheral blood derived T cells from non-diabetic individuals with a T cell mitogen and interleukin-2 rendered them susceptible to subsequent T-cell receptor/CD3mediated apoptosis, as indicated by the dissipation of the mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of intracellular caspases. In contrast, similarly activated T lymphocytes from type 1 diabetes patients failed to undergo apoptosis when challenged with a bacterial superantigen or anti-CD3 antibody. Supplementation of T cell cultures with interleukin-4 or interleukin-18 failed to restore self-tolerance. However, both the expression of the Fas receptor and its ability to transduce apoptotic signal were comparable in T cells of type 1 diabetes patients and controls. Additionally, no marked difference in the T cell subsets was observed between controls and diabetes patients under all activation conditions analyzed. These data suggest that the abnormality in T-cell receptor-mediated apoptosis is cell autonomous in long-standing type 1 diabetes patients, which in addition to other defective peripheral tolerance mechanisms, likely to contribute to the manifestation of autoimmune diabetes.
An Empirical Study on the Corporate Financial Distress Prediction Based on Logistic Model: Evidence from China's Manufacturing Industry

With the fast development of the capital market and the integration of the global economy, the complexity and uncertainty in the economic field is more and more prominent, and the number of the companies involved in the financial distress is increasing dramatically. In this decade China has become a large manufacturing country in the world, which made it increasingly urgent for Chinese companies to set up corporate financial distress prediction models to enhance the capability of risk management. Most research mainly focused on analyzing the difference in the financial indicators between companies involved in financial distress and non-financial distress, but paid less attention to the corporate non-financial indicators. This paper employs non-financial indicators in the financial distress prediction model to examine 50 manufacturing companies listed in Shenzhen and Shanghai stock market with ST during 2005 and 2007 by the method of the logistic model, in which two financial distress prediction models with financial indicators and the mixture of financial and non-financial indicators are set up. The result shows that the model with non-financial indicators can improve the ability of corporate financial distress prediction, and the timeliness and long-run validity of the mix model is much better than the model with only financial indicators, and the nearer to the company financial crisis occurrence, the better the validity.
Point interactions: boundary conditions or potentials with the Dirac delta function

We study the problem of a nonrelativistic quantum particle moving on a real line with an idealized and local- ized singular interaction with zero range at x = 0 (i.e., a point interaction there). This kind of system can be described in two ways: (i) by considering an alternative free system (i.e., without the singular potential) but excluding the point x =0 (In this case, the point interaction is exclusively encoded in the boundary conditions.) and (ii) by explicitly considering the singular interaction by means of a local singular potential. In this paper we relate, compare, and discuss, in a simple and pedagogical way these two equivalent approaches. Our main goal in this paper is to introduce the essential ideas about point interactions in a very accesible form to advanced undergraduates.
A Reduced Gray Matter Volume in Patients with Bipolar II Disorder in a Japanese Sample: A Comparison with Schizophrenia

Objective: Neuroimaging studies of bipolar disorders have provided an insight into the pathophysiology, and have raised an issue of a shared change with schizophrenia and the normalizing effect of lithium on the alteration. Despite the classification of the bipolar disorders into the bipolar I disorder (BP-I) and bipolar II disorder (BP-II), the patients with BP-II have only been involved in a limited number of the neuroimaging studies. There is minimal information about the direct comparison between BP-II and schizophrenia. Methods: All patients were diagnosed using DSM-5 criteria. A cross-sectional study was carried out to compare the regional brain volumes among the patients with BP-II taking lithium (BP-II-On, n=17) and not taking it (BP-II-Off, n=22), the patients with schizophrenia (n=35) and healthy controls (n=36). The MRI data were processed using Statistical Parametric Mapping 8 and the divided brain areas were defined by an automated anatomical labeling. Results: A significant reduction in the gray matter volume of the frontal, temporal and limbic lobes was similarly observed in BP-II-off and schizophrenia patients when compared to the controls. The brain volume of BP-II-On had significantly decreased in the temporal lobe, but not in either the frontal or limbic lobe. The less pronounced reduction of BP-II-On was also observed in the sub-regions of the prefrontal and limbic cortices, such as the anterior cingulate cortex. Conclusion: The present study suggests that there was a similarity in the distribution pattern of the decreased gray matter volume in the brain between BP-II and schizophrenia, placing an emphasis on the lithium effect that putatively normalized the abnormality in the anterior frontal and limbic brain areas of BP-II. However, further studies are required to replicate the results in a larger cohort and to confirm the lithium effect in a longitudinal study.
Investigating the Digital Addiction Level of the University Students According to Their Purposes for Using Digital Tools.

This study was carried out to investigate the digital addiction (DA) level of the university students according to their purposes for using digital tools. 527 students studying at the faculties of education of Erzincan, Dicle, and Siirt Universities participated this study in which general survey model was used. A form was used to reveal for which purpose and how often the students used digital tools. The DA levels of the students were found out by the Digital Addiction Scale. According to the frequencies of the students' using digital tools for participating social media, playing games, communicating, and shopping, the DA scores were found to differ significantly for those who used digital tools for these purposes more frequently. The DA scores of the students who used digital tools a lot for research were significantly lower than the scores of the students using tools less for this purpose. It was also found that the DA scores of the students who used digital tools for watching films and listening to music with different frequencies did not differ from each other significantly. The study has shown that while the frequent use of digital tools for participating social media is highly effective on digital addiction, the frequent use of digital tools for games, communication, research, and shopping has a low effect on digital addiction.
The genetic diversity and population structure of the dugongs (Dugong dugon) of Thailand

THE GENETIC DIVERSITY AND POPULATION STRUCTURE OF THE DUGONGS (DUGONG DUGON) OF THAILAND by Jessie B. Bushell The dugong (Dugong dugon) is indigenous to the coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean and is vulnerable to extinction throughout its range due primarily to anthropogenic effects. In Thailand the population of dugongs is approximately 250 animals and is found in fragmented habitats along the Thai coast. Genetic studies were implemented in this study to assess regional genetic composition and determine if there is variation in the D-loop sequences or microsatellites consistent with philopatry to regions, by males or females, or indicating dispersal. Utilizing D-loop sequences, 27 haplotypes were found that grouped into three haplogroups that were not differentiated by region but did show spatial differentiation when analyzed with F-statistics. Microsatellite analysis provided evidence of three populations – one in the Gulf of Thailand and two in the Andaman Sea (north Andaman Sea and Trang Province). Weak structuring of mtDNA variation occurs between neighboring Andaman Sea regions and may indicate philopatry by females due to high quality seagrass meadows in Trang Province especially. Nuclear DNA analysis provided a signal of dispersal between the two sides of the peninsula explaining how genetic variation has remained at levels above expected for a species with declining numbers. Utilizing established bottleneck tests, no evidence was found indicating a bottleneck in the population, though there was a signal of population decline, especially in the Gulf region. Overall recommendations are for further molecular studies utilizing a greater sample size and additional populations in the Indo-Pacific region to determine historic dispersal and a more comprehensive study of population viability.
ELECTRONIC AND VIBRATIONAL ABSORPTION SPECTRA IN CORDIERITE

Cordierite, (Mg, Fe)zAlaSisOre, is a t1-pical metamorphic mineral found in gneisses and schists. Because of its bluish-violet color, gemologists sometimes refer to it as water sapphire or iolite. Iron-bearing cordierites exhibit a pronounced pleochroism which is obvious even in unpolarized light. An interpretation of the absorption spectra in the visible and near-infrared regions is presented in this paper.
Hematopoietic intranuclear microsporidian infections with features of leukemia in chinook salmon oncorhynchus tshawytscha

Intranuclear infections of hematopoietic cells with characteristics of lymphoblasts were detected in juvenile chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha with a leukemic condition. The rnicrosporidian infection was associated wlth an anemia secondary to the proliferat~on of hematopoietic cells in the kidney and spleen. Many of the nuclei of these lymphoid cells contained plasmod~a and sporogonic stages of the microsporidian. Infected cells occurred in the kidney and spleen but were also found in the blood, eye, brain, muscle, liver, pancreas, intestine, peritoneum and gill. Spores develop from multinucleated sporogonial plasmodia which contain polar tube precursors. Spores are ovoid (1.0 X 2.0 km), have a thln exospore and poorly developed endospore surrounding a complex of membranes (polaroplast), a posterior vacuole, nucleus and cytoplasm containing a polar tube with 4 to 5 turns. The characteristic sporogony and spore morphology of the salmonid microsporidian is found only in the genus Enterocytozoon. The microsporidian stimulates an abnormal proliferation of host lymphoblasts and the subsequent migration and invasion of these infected host cells into various tissues resulted in a leukemic condition. A similar disease has recently been described among adult chinook salmon reared in seawater net-pens in British Columbia, Canada. The microsporidlan was transmitted to prev~ously uninfected kokanee salmon 0. nerka by intraperitoneal injections of cells obtained from kidney homogenates of naturally-infected chinook salmon. These kokanee salmon also developed a similar leukemic condition to that observed in chinook salmon.
A Comparative Analysis of the Quality of Islamic and Conventional Banks’ Asset Management in Indonesia

This research empirically and comparatively examines the quality of conventional and Islamic banks’ asset management in Indonesia during the period 2009-2011. Four general conventional banks [i.e., Bank Mandiri Indonesia (BMI), Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), Bank Central Asia (BCA), and Bank Nasional Indonesia (BNI)] and four Islamic banks (Bank Muamalat, Bank Syariah Mandiri, Bank Syariah Mega Indonesia, and Bank Syariah BRI) were, respectively, explored. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to compare the quality of the Islamic and conventional banks’ asset management with the CAMEL (capital, asset, management, earning, and liquidity) method. It also attempts to analyse the influences of the ROA (Return on Asset), TLTA (Total Loan to Total Assets), and OITL (Operating Income to Total Liabilities) on the quality of the banks’ asset management. The CAMEL method was used to evaluate the quality level of the banks’ asset management, while the multiple regression analysis was then adopted to explore the determinants of the quality of the banks’ asset management. The study documented that Bank Syariah BRI was the best performing bank, with the highest CAMEL score of 50.33, while Bank Mandiri Indonesia was the worst performer with the lowest CAMEL score of 26.33. As a group, the Islamic banks were found to have better rankings, i.e., positions 1, 2, 3, and 6, while the conventional banks were found in 4, 5, 7, and 8, respectively. The study proved that the Islamic banks have a better asset management quality compared to their conventional counterparts. The Islamic banks were also proved to be better able to withstand the risks, particularly the financing risk.
A Comparison of Small Area Estimation Methods for Poverty Mapping

Abstract We review main small area estimation methods for the estimation of general non-linear parameters focusing on FGT family of poverty indicators introduced by Foster, Greer and Thorbecke (1984). In particular, we consider direct estimation, the Fay-Herriot area level model (Fay and Herriot, 1979), the method of Elbers, Lanjouw and Lanjouw (2003) used by the World Bank, the empirical Best/Bayes (EB) method of Molina and Rao (2010) and its extension, the Census EB, and finally the hierarchical Bayes proposal of Molina, Nandram and Rao (2014). We put ourselves in the point of view of a practitioner and discuss, as objectively as possible, the benefits and drawbacks of each method, illustrating some of them through simulation studies.
Distributional learning on Mechanical Turk and effects of attentional shifts

This study seeks to determine whether distributional learning can be replicated on an online platform like Mechanical Turk. In doing so, factors that may affect distributional learning, such as level of attention, participant age, and stimuli, are explored. It is found that even distributional learning, which requires making fine phonetic distinctions, can be replicated on Mechanical Turk, and that attention may nullify the effect of distributional learning.