Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Open Problems in Deformation Theory of Discontinuous Groups Acting on Homogeneous Spaces

Let G be a Lie group and H a connected Lie subgroup of G. Given any discontinuous subgroup for the homogeneous space M = G=H and a discrete subgroup 0 of G isomorphic to , the action of 0 may fail to be properly discontinuous on M (for instance, in the case where H is not compact). To understand this issue, we consider the set R( ;G;H) of deformation parameters consisting of all injective homomorphisms of in G, which transform to a discontinuous subgroup of M , so that the related Cliord-Klein forms become manifolds. The group G acts on R( ;G;H) by conjugation and the subsequent quotient space T ( ;G;H) is called the deformation space of the action of on M . The study of these spaces from topological and geometrical points of view, raises many problems of dierent nature. The main hurdles is to understand the structures of these spaces and some of their topological features. This note aims to record some recent results in the setup of solvable Lie groups and present some open problems in this framework.
Coping Behavior and Gender Differences in African American Adolescents

Both daily hassles and chronic stress have been shown to have negative effects on the physical and psychological well being of adolescents. A mediator of the relationship between stress and its effects is coping. The majority of the literature has found approach-oriented coping strategies to be associated with better outcomes than avoidance-oriented coping strategies; however, the majority of the literature has focused primarily on Caucasian samples. The few studies that have been done with the African American adolescent population have found avoidance-oriented coping to adaptive. It has been asserted that one reason for this disparity is that avoidance-oriented coping strategies may be useful in dealing with uncontrollable stressors and, in general, African American adolescents are exposed to more uncontrollable stressors than youth in other communities. While gender differences in the frequency of utilization of different types of coping strategies have been identified in the literature, the results are mixed. The current study examined the coping behavior of 24 African American adolescents in order to identify gender differences in the frequency of utilization of approach-oriented versus avoidance-oriented coping strategies and to explore the relationship between coping behavior and psychological well being. Although no gender differences were found, a significant positive relationship was found between avoidance-oriented coping and levels of psychopathology. These results indicate that higher frequency of use of avoidance-oriented coping strategies is associated with higher levels of psychopathology and poorer psychological well being. Limitations of the current study and directions for future research are discussed.
Learning to predict or predicting to learn?

ABSTRACT Humans complete complex commonplace tasks, such as understanding sentences, with striking speed and accuracy. This expertise is dependent on anticipation: predicting upcoming words gets us ahead of the game. But how do we master the game in the first place? To make accurate predictions, children must first learn their language. One possibility is that prediction serves double duty, enabling rapid language learning as well as understanding. Children could master the structures of their language by predicting how speakers will behave and, when those guesses are wrong, revising their linguistic representations. A number of prominent computational models assume that children learn in this way. But is that assumption correct? Here, we lay out the requirements for showing that children use “predictive learning”, and review the current evidence for this position. We argue that, despite widespread enthusiasm for the idea, we cannot yet conclude that children “predict to learn”.
Towards a 'Scandinavian model' for Scotland

The fiscal powers of the Scottish Government have recently been significantly enhanced as a consequence of the implementation of the Scotland Act 2012, which required the Parliament to set a Scottish Rate of Income Tax (SRIT) from April 2016. The SRIT can vary from that in the rest of the UK by up to 10p in the pound. More extensive powers over income tax will come into effect in April 2017 as a consequence of the Scotland Act 2016, which sought to implement the proposals of the Smith Commission (2014). The Scottish Government will then gain the power to set income tax rates and thresholds (but not personal allowances). All income tax receipts on wage income collected in Scotland will be received by the Scottish Government, with a corresponding adjustment in the block grant, as detailed in the new Fiscal Framework (2016). These changes will make Scotland one of the most powerful devolved governments in the world in terms of the proportion of public spending and tax revenues under its control, although there of course remains a debate about how effective these new powers are and whether or not they go far enough.
Conference on Modelling Fluid Flow CMFF'09, September 9-12, 2009, Budapest

A finite difference solution is presented for 2D low Reynolds number flow (Re=140 and 160) past a circular cylinder placed in a uniform flow. The cylinder is oscillated mechanically either in-line or transversely under lock-in conditions. Abrupt jumps between two state curves were found for a cylinder oscillated in in-line direction in the time-mean (TM) values of lift and torque coefficients when plotted against amplitude of oscillation. Preand post-jump analysis carried out included the investigation of phase angle differences, limit cycles and flow patterns confirming the existence of switches in the vortex structure at certain oscillation amplitude values. The TM of drag and base pressure coefficient and the rms values of all force coefficients were continuous functions of oscillation amplitude. When the cylinder was oscillated transversely to the main stream, however, no jumps were found in the corresponding curves. Here the TM of lift and torque were found to be zero (true also for a stationary cylinder) at all amplitude values. Even though the transverse oscillation breaks the symmetry of the flow, there appears to be symmetry over a period.
The Regulation of Seasonal Reproduction by RFamide Peptides

Animals inhabiting temperate environments have evolved mechanisms to interpret environmental cues and adjust their behavior and physiology in order to maximize survival and reproductive success. Reproduction is an energetically costly process that is inhibited in the winter in seasonal breeders to conserve energy when the chances of successful reproduction are minimal. Seasonally breeding rodents serve as an ideal model system to investigate the neural control of the reproductive axis in a controlled laboratory setting, as surgical and pharmacological methods of reproductive axis inhibition are not required. The aim of the present series of experiments was to elucidate how the brain processes information about the length of the day in order to communicate time of year to the reproductive axis to coordinate reproductive function and behavior. Specifically, the studies herein aimed to investigate the role that two novel neuropeptides, kisspeptin and gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone (GnIH or RFRP in mammals) serve in processing and communicating day length information to the reproductive axis in several species of seasonally breeding rodents. The results uncover important roles for these two neuropeptides in the interpretation of photoperiodic signals for regulating the process of gonadal regression in response to the short day lengths typical of winter in these species. Additionally, by exploiting natural genetic variability within populations of seasonal breeders, these studies suggest that the phenomenon of nonresponsiveness and phenotypic variation in reproductive photoresponse may result, at least in part, from variation in the morphological features and seasonal response of the RFRP system. As a whole, this body of work provides important insight into the complex neural mechanisms that have evolved for integrating environmental information in order to coordinate reproductive physiology with a changing external environment.
THESIS FOR THE DEGREE OF LICENTIATE OF ENGINEERING Performance of high-frequency mechanical impact treatment for bridge application

This thesis investigates the performance of high-frequency mechanical impact (HFMI) treatment for implementation on new bridge designs. Fatigue strength improvement with HFMI can enable lightweight design of bridges and allow the utilisation of the benefits of high-strength steels. Experimental work on HFMI-treated joints with thick main plates relevant for bridges are, however, scarce and comprehensive studies on the thickness effect few. Studies of various bridge types were performed in this thesis showing that 20% material saving is possible in the load-carrying members through post-weld treatment and the use of high-strength steel (fy > 355 MPa) where necessary. Limitations of the application of HFMI treatment on bridges were also identified regarding the degree of improvement and choice of steel grades. The thickness effect was studied on the basis of an established database of 582 fatigue test results of different types of HFMI-treated joints from 28 studies. It was shown that the thickness effect becomes weaker than what is recommended for as-welded joints. Fatigue experiments were conducted on a typical fatigue-prone detail in bridges with load-carrying plates of 40 and 60 mm which showed a significant fatigue strength improvement as a result of HFMI treatment, exceeding recommended fatigue strengths given by the International Institute of Welding. Based on the fatigue experiments, a weak thickness effect was derived for non-load-carrying transverse attachment joints where the attachment and weld sizes are kept constant.
FLORISTIC DIVERSITY OF POSAVINA'S FLOODPLAIN FORESTS IN SERBIA AND THEIR WIDER GEOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT

In order to detect floristic divergence of analysed stands we applied TWINSPAN classification and ordinary Correspondence Analysis. Both analyses have shown an almost identical result of floristic composition, where 114 studied samples were grouped into seven association groups at the third twinspan classification level. These seven groups, successively from the most humid to most dry, comprising two large groups of plant associations, completely corresponding to two alliances: Forest of Pedunculate Oak and Alder and Forest of Pedunculate Oak and Hornbeam. SIMPER procedure have shown tahat within the first 20.51% of cumulative contribution, the floristic divegence among the studied forest stands includes 13 taxa: Carpinus betulus. , Fraxinus angustifolia, Quercus cerris, Amorpha fruticosa, Convallaria majalis, Crataegus oxyacantha, Quercus robur, Lysimachia nummularia, Tamus communis, Galium aparine, Rubus caesius, Ulmus carpinifolia and Ajuga reptans. ANOSIM analysis were used to determine the degree of floristic discontinuity. It was largest between forest of Pedunculate Oak, Hornbeam and Turkey Oak and forest of Pedunculate Oak and Ash (statistics R = 0.8824 (p<0.001)). The lowest floristic dissimilarity was between the forest of Pedunculate Oak, Hornbeam and Turkey Oak and forest of Pedunculate Oak, Hornbeam and Turkey Oak with Lindens, where R = 0.2009 (p<0.01). Posavina floodplain forests in Serbia generally show good agreement with analogous communities in neighbouring countries in the Balkan peninsula and Central Europe.
The Impact of Doing Problem-Solving Tasks on Willingness to Communicate, Self-perceived Communication Competence, and Communication Apprehension among Iranian EFL Learners

Willingness to communicate (WTC) plays a central role in learning a second/foreign language. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of doing problem-solving task on learners’ WTC in English. To fulfill the purpose of the study, 61 pre-intermediate learners were chosen by means of administrating a placement test. Learners were pretested through three scales of WTC and its two antecedents: self-perceived communication competence (SPCC) and communication apprehension (CA). Of course, the experimental group was provided with fifteen problem-solving tasks during the course, while the control group was not. After fifteen sessions of the treatment, two groups were posttested through the same three scales. The results demonstrated that the experimental group outperformed the control group in terms of their WTC’s level. Moreover, the learners’ WTC was found to be directly related to their SPCC and indirectly related to CA. So based on the MacIntyre’s path model (1994), these both antecedents can be the best predictors of WTC. The analysis of the data was done through multivariate analysis of variances (MANOVA) statistical programs.
Intercultural Knowledge Flows in Edge Organizations: Trust as an Enabler

Abstract : This paper investigates the dynamics of intercultural knowledge flows in Edge Organizations. We seek to understand how cultural differences and dynamic environments affect Edge and other organizational forms where knowledge flows are critical. Drawing on the organizational studies, social psychological, and sociological literatures, we examine how the Edge form accommodates and exacerbates cultural differences (e.g., across military services and coalition partners) and knowledge flows. A major factor that emerges as an enabler of knowledge flows, especially in dynamic environments such as those in which Edge organizations operate, is trust. While trust holds great promise in enabling knowledge flows in Edge organizations, it is very challenging to achieve. The two conditions necessary for trust a long history of acquaintance and similarity among constituents are often missing in Edge organizations. Given that trust is crucial to efficient functioning, we view this as a serious problem and set out to better understand how trust can be generated in Edge organizations. In this paper, we lay out the theoretical grounding for our efforts and begin to sketch an agenda for research in the coming months.
On the Mesoscale Structure of Surface Wind and Pressure Fields near Tornadic and Nontornadic Cold Fronts

AbstractObservations from a mesoscale network of automatic weather stations are analyzed for 15 U.K. cold fronts exhibiting narrow cold frontal rainbands (NCFRs). Seven of the NCFRs produced tornadoes. A time-compositing approach is applied to the minute-resolution data using the radar-observed motion vectors of NCFR precipitation segments. Interpolated onto a 5-km grid, the analyses resolve much of the small-mesoscale structure in surface wind, temperature, and pressure fields. Postfrontal winds varied substantially between cases. Tornadic NCFRs exhibited a near-90° wind veer and little or no reduction in wind speed on NCFR passage; these attributes were generally associated with large vertical vorticity, horizontal convergence, and vorticity stretching at the NCFR. Nontornadic NCFRs exhibited smaller wind veers and/or marked decreases in wind speed across the NCFR, and weaker vorticity, convergence, and vorticity stretching. In at least four tornadic NCFRs, increases in vorticity stretching preceded tor.
Effects of adding a spray-dried polyclonal antibody preparation on ruminal fermentation patterns and digestibility of cows fed high concentrate diets

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of different doses of a spray-dried polyclonal antibody preparation against specific ruminal bacteria on rumen fermentation parameters as well as protozoa counts, in situ degradability of sugarcane neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and total tract apparent digestibility of total diet in cows fed high concentrate diets. Eight ruminally-cannulated cows were used in a replicated 4×4 Latin square design with four experimental periods of 21 days. The treatments were: T1 (control), 0.0 g/d of multivalent polyclonal antibody preparation (PAP-MV); T2, 1.5 g/d of PAP-MV; T3, 3.0 g/d of PAP-MV; T4, 4.5 g/d of PAP-MV. Sample collection for rumen fermentation parameters was carried out the last day of each period at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 h after morning meal. For protozoa counts, samples were collected the last day of each period at 0 and 4 h after feeding. In situ degradability of sugarcane NDF was performed the last 5 days of each period, while total tract apparent digestibility of total diet was assessed the last 10 days of each period. Regardless of sampling time, there was no linear or quadratic effect on rumen pH, total concentration of short chain fatty acids, molar proportion of acetate, propionate and butyrate, ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) or lactate. No treatment effects were detected for protozoa counts, in situ degradability of sugarcane NDF and total tract apparent digestibility of total diet. In conclusion, different levels of spray-dried PAP-MV were not sufficient to alter rumen environment.
Wind field reconstruction from nacelle-mounted lidar short-range measurements

Abstract. Profiling nacelle lidars probe the wind at several heights and several distances upstream of the rotor. The development of such lidar systems is relatively recent, and it is still unclear how to condense the lidar raw measurements into useful wind field characteristics such as speed, direction, vertical and longitudinal gradients (wind shear). In this paper, we demonstrate an innovative method to estimate wind field characteristics using nacelle lidar measurements taken within the induction zone. Model-fitting wind field reconstruction techniques are applied to nacelle lidar measurements taken at multiple distances close to the rotor, where a wind model is combined with a simple induction model. The method allows robust determination of free-stream wind characteristics. The method was applied to experimental data obtained with two different types of nacelle lidar (five-beam Demonstrator and ZephIR Dual Mode). The reconstructed wind speed was within 0.5 % of the wind speed measured with a mast-top-mounted cup anemometer at 2.5 rotor diameters upstream of the turbine. The technique described in this paper overcomes measurement range limitations of the currently available nacelle lidar technology.
Walking to School: The effects of street network configuration and urban design qualities on route selection behaviour of elementary school students

This study examines the association of spatial layout of street networks and urban design qualities of the street environment with path selection by elementary school students. The aim is to better understand the extent to which objectively measured street network configuration and systematically measured urban design qualities are related to pedestrian route choice behaviour. Within this scope, randomly selected 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students (ages 12-14) from 10 elementary schools (30 students per school) in Istanbul, Turkey were asked to draw their routes walking between home and school. The schools were drawn from diverse neighbourhoods that vary substantially in education and walkability (street connectivity patterns). Street network configuration of the entire region was evaluated by using angular segment analysis (integration and choice) implemented in depthmapX as well as two segment-based connectivity measures (metric and directional reach) implemented in GIS. The decision to include different measures is motivated by the variety of configurational qualities (metric, geometric and topological) captured by each measure. 40 street segments along the selected routes for each school (N=400) were characterized through detailed field surveys in terms of five perceptual urban design qualities that are prevalent in urban design literature: imageability, enclosure, human scale, transparency, and complexity. These are measured in terms of the physical features of the street environment including but not limited to buildings, sidewalks, and street items (i.e. trees). Linear models were developed to investigate the relationships among street network configuration, urban design qualities, and route choice behaviour of school students. This study contributes to the literature by offering insights into the comparative roles of street network layout and urban design qualities of the street environment in explaining urban navigation behaviour of children. Preliminary findings imply that notwithstanding the significance of safety attributes, such as the presence of pedestrian crossings and traffic signals as well as the number of vehicular lanes along the selected routes, the overall spatial configuration of urban layouts –both at the local and global level– may prove to be a significant variable for the description and modulation of human spatial behaviour in urban environments. Moreover, results indicate that route selection during targetdirected walking is sensitive to certain aspects of the street environment that relate to more perceptual urban design qualities.
Effect of Roundup 360 SL on Survival of Pseudomonas sp. SP0113 Strain and Effective Control of Phytopathogens

Studies on determination of the effect of herbicides on survivability of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria have a strategic usefulness in determination of plant health and the fate of applied agrochemicals in agroecosystem. Antimicrobial potential was assessed using estimation of a minimum inhibitory concentration of the Roundup 360 SL against Pseudomonas sp. A quantitative analysis of bacteria was performed, and the tendency of physicochemical changes in the mineral medium was evaluated during long-term exposure to the herbicide. Furthermore, the antagonism of the SP0113 strain against F. culmorum and F. oxysporum under stress conditions caused by Roundup® 360 SL was verified. It was demonstrated that use of the undiluted and 2.6-fold diluted product resulted in the inhibition of growth of the investigated strain. Pseudomonas sp. SP0113 showed survivability and resistance to near recommended dose concentration of Roundup® 360 SL. The possibility of bacterial development on the Tryptic Soy Agar (TSA) medium at contact concentrations of 14.4 and 5.4 mg mL, as per the diluents quantity declared by the producer, indicates the role of cofactors such as: adiuvant or pH, redox potential (mV) or salinity. They comprise pH change, oxidation and salinity that may be due to the reaction of the active substance of the herbicide with mineral nutrient ingredients. The high salinity of environment, as a result of the reactions with the ingredients contained in the medium, is characteristic for concentrations higher than those recommended in practice. Furthermore, it was found that glyphosate limits the growth of fungi of the Fusarium genus, which support plant protection using strain
Empirical Search for Linkages between Foreign Direct and Portfolio Investment in Australia

This paper empirically establishes the relationship between inward foreign direct investment (FDI) and inward foreign portfolio investment (FPI) in Australia. This study is aimed to bridge the gap between the theoretical and empirical literature in that many theoretical studies argue that FDI and FPI substitute or complement each other, while most empirical studies model them independently. Our results show that FDI is cointegrated with GDP and market capitalization (CAP) and so is FPI; however, FDI and FPI are not cointegrated. Notwithstanding, FDI and FPI are found to Granger cause each other in the short run; but the strength of causality running from FDI to FPI is stronger than that running in the opposite direction.