Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A flexible radial increment model for individual trees in pure even-aged stands

Un modele generique de croissance radiale d'arbre en peuplements purs et reguliers. Un modele generique de croissance de type arbre, pour des peuplements purs et reguliers, est propose en utilisant les points communs de differents modeles de la litterature et en tenant compte a travers un parametre des differentes formes observees selon les essences. L'utilisation de ce modele etant une implementation informatique dans un simulateur de sylviculture, sa forme a ete contrainte pour un comportement robuste en dehors de la zone de validite, tandis que les variables directrices ont ete choisies pour faciliter l'utilisation par des gestionnaires forestiers. La premiere etape basee sur un jeune peuplement clinal d'epicea a permis d'introduire simplement l'effet de la competition a l'aide de deux variables explicatives (surface terriere et hauteur dominante). L'utilisation d'un large reseau d'essais a ensuite permis de prendre en compte l'effet simultane de la sylviculture et de la fertilite. Enfin ce modele a directement ete ajuste sur une base de donnees de croissance de Douglas et s'est parfaitement adapte a une forme de croissance plus progressive.
Value of information of repair times for offshore wind farm maintenance planning

A large contribution to the total cost of energy in offshore wind farms is due to maintenance costs. In recent years research has focused therefore on lowering the maintenance costs using different approaches. Decision support models for scheduling the maintenance exist already, dealing with different factors influencing the scheduling. Our contribution deals with the uncertainty in the repair times. Given the mean repair times for different turbine components we make some assumptions regarding the underlying repair time distribution. We compare the results of a decision support model for the mean times to repair and those repair time distributions. Additionally, distributions with the same mean but different variances are compared under the same conditions. The value of lowering the uncertainty in the repair time is calculated and we find that using distributions significantly decreases the availability, when scheduling maintenance for multiple turbines in a wind park. Having detailed information about the repair time distribution may influence the results of maintenance modeling and might help identify cost factors.
Influence of Selenium and Paclobutrazole on Growth, Metabolic Activities and Anatomical Characters of Gerbera jasmonii L.

Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii L.) is an economically important ornamental crop produced for cut flowers, potted plants, and bedding plants. Elongated pedicle of gerbera tend to lodge and brake, so pot experiments were carried out at the screen of the National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza during two successive growth seasons 2003/2004 and 2004/ 2005 to study the influence of selenium "Se" at concentrations of 5, 10 or 20 ppm and / or paclobutrazole "PP333" at the rate of 25, 50 or 100 ppm on gerbera plants. The results obtained show that all the used levels of Se and /or PP333 mostly caused significant increases in all the studied vegetative & reproductive growth parameters as well as photosynthetic pigments (chl.a, chl.b and carotenoides ). Generally, all the used levels of Se and / or PP333 led to the appearance of a new amino acid methionine, the increase in the content of endogenous amino acids which in turn led to positive changes in the picture of protein electrophoresis. These changes were accompanied by appearance and disappearance of some protein bands. All the used levels of Se and /or PP333 mostly caused obvious changes in the histological features e.g. increased the thickness and the number of chollenchyma cells of cortex tissue, vascular bundles tissues and pith tissues.
An Assessment of Flood Risk Perception and Response in Jalingo Metropolis, Taraba State, Nigeria

Flooding is now an annual occurring event in Jalingo metropolis especially after heavy rainstorm which is further worsened by the nature of topography of the area. The study area consist of undulating plain interrupted in places by low rising hills as well as poor/inadequate drainage network. The knowledge of the public flood risk perception is considered a crucial aspect in modern flood risk management as it steers the development of effective and efficient flood mitigation strategies. This study examines the level of individual flood risk perception and behavioral response in Jalingo Metropolis. The survey design method was employed in this study. This involves interviewing people living in the study area using structured questionnaires. 252 respondents were randomly selected from three of the most affected areas in the Metropolis. These include Mallam Gabdo, Mafindi and Low cost areas. In each ward/unit, 84 structured questionnaires were administered. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The result of the findings shows that 23.7% of the respondents were aware that the area was prone to flooding, while 76.3% were not aware. Also about 67.6% of the respondents said that they have evacuated their houses and shops to flooding in the area while 32.4% have never evacuated their houses or shops to flood problems in the area. This study recommends the need to educate the people living in the flood plain on the dangers of continuous occupation of the area.
Researching Lean: Methodological Implications of Loose Definitions

Recently, Lean Production (Lean) has become a prevailing management concept in Sweden. However, previous research seems to show that the Lean concept and the impact of Lean vary considerably between organizations. This paper illustrates some key methodological issues that need to be considered when researching loosely defined management concepts such as Lean. The paper is based on a review of the literature and five comparative Swedish cases studies. Our study indicates that Lean has changed over time and that operationalization and interpretations of the concept vary considerably. This study concludes that future Lean studies should include a thorough assessment of the Lean interventions, study settings, and in particular non-Lean factors mediating the outcomes of Lean-inspired change programs.
Not a galaxy: IRAS 04186+5143, a new young stellar cluster in the outer Galaxy

JLY acknowledges support from FCT (Portugal) (SFRH/BSAB/1423/2014 and UID/FIS/04434/2013). JMT acknowledges support from MICINN (Spain) AYA2011-30228-C03 grant (cofunded with FEDER funds). The ICC (UB) is a CSIC-Associated Unit through the ICE. Herschel Hi-GAL data processing, maps production, and source catalogue generation have been possible thanks to Contracts I/038/080/0 and I/029/12/0 from Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI). This work is part of the VIALACTEA Project, a collaborative project under Framework Programme 7 of the European Union, funded under Contract 607380 that is hereby acknowledged. Based on observations made with the Nordic Optical Telescope, operated on the island of La Palma jointly by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias. This research made use of the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This research made use of the SIMBAD data base, operated at CDS, Strasbourg, France, as well as SAOImage DS9, developed by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. This publication made use of data products from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer , which is a joint project of the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA. PACS has been developed by a consortium of institutes led by MPE (Germany) and including UVIE (Austria); KUL, CSL, IMEC (Belgium); CEA, OAMP (France); MPIA (Germany); IAPS, OAP/OAT, OAA/CAISMI, LENS, SISSA (Italy); IAC (Spain). This development has been supported by the funding agencies BMVIT (Austria), ESA-PRODEX (Belgium), CEA/CNES (France), DLR (Germany), ASI (Italy), and CICYT/MCYT (Spain). SPIRE has been developed by a consortium of institutes led by Cardi Univ. (UK) and including Univ. Lethbridge (Canada); NAOC (China); CEA, LAM (France); IAPS, Univ. Padua (Italy); IAC (Spain); Stockholm Observatory (Sweden); Imperial College London, RAL, UCL-MSSL, UKATC, Univ. Sussex (UK); Caltech, JPL, NHSC, Univ. Colorado (USA). This development has been supported by national funding agencies: CSA (Canada); NAOC (China); CEA, CNES, CNRS (France); ASI (Italy); MCINN (Spain); Stockholm Observatory (Sweden); STFC (UK); and NASA (USA).
Fault Detection and Isolation for a Supermarket Refrigeration System – Part One: Kalman-Filter-Based Methods

Abstract Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI) using the Kalman Filter (KF) technique for a supermarket refrigeration system is explored. Four types of sensor fault scenarios, namely drift, offset, freeze and hard-over, are considered for two temperature sensors, and one type of parametric fault scenario, namely freeze-over/dirty built-up, is considered for one heat transfer coefficient between the inside air and the evaporator surface. For fault detection purpose, the fault residual is generated through a KF and then evaluated through CUSUM method. For fault isolation purpose, a bank of KFs arranged by splitting measurements is constructed for sensor fault isolation, while the Multi-Model Adaptive Estimation (MMAE) method is employed to handle parametric fault isolation. All these approaches are extended and checked by using Extended KF technique afterwards. The test results show that the EKF-based FDI method generally performances better and faster than the KF-based method does. However, both methods can not handle the isolation between sensor faults and parametric fault.
Interannual coherent variability of SSTA and SSHA in the Tropical Indian Ocean

Abstract. Sea surface height derived from the multiple ocean satellite altimeter missions (TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, ERS, Envisat et al.) and sea surface temperature from National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) over 1993–2008 are analyzed to investigate the coherent patterns between the interannual variability of the sea surface and subsurface in the Tropical Indian Ocean, by jointly adopting Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) and Extended Associate Pattern Analysis (EAPA) methods. Results show that there are two dominant coherent modes with the nearly same main period of about 3–5 yr, accounting for 86 % of the total covariance in all, but 90° phase difference between them. The primary pattern is characterized by a east-west dipole mode associated with the mature phase of ENSO, and the second presents a sandwich mode having one sign anomalies along Sumatra-Java coast and northeast of Madagascar, whilst an opposite sign between the two regions. The robust correlations of the sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) with sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) in the leading modes indicate a strong interaction between them, though the highest correlation coefficient appears with a time lag. And there may be some physical significance with respect to ocean dynamics implied in SSHA variability. Analyzing results show that the features of oceanic waves with basin scale, of which the Rossby wave is prominent, are apparent in the dominant modes. It is further demonstrated from the EAPA that the equatorial eastward Kelvin wave and off-equatorial westward Rossby wave as well as their reflection in the east and west boundary, respectively, are important dynamic mechanisms in the evolution of the two leading coherent patterns. Results of the present study suggest that the upper ocean thermal variations on the timescale of interannual coherent with the ocean dynamics in spatial structure and temporal evolution are mainly attributed to the ocean waves.
Corporate Governance and Stock Price Crash Risk: Evidence from UK Panel Data

This study examines the relationship between corporate governance characteristics and risk of stock price crash in UK firms. We use CEO Pay Slice (CPS) – the fraction of maximum top-five executives’ total compensation that goes to the CEO, and board ‘busyness’ – the proportion of board level directors who have three or more directorships , to evaluate the effect of these two important aspects of corporate governance on stock price crash risk. The CPS reflects relative importance of the CEO as well as the extent to which the CEO is able to extract rents and expropriate shareholders wealth (expropriation effect). Board busyness may create a serious agency problem because directors are “too busy to mind the business”, allowing for executives’ short-termism and bad news hoarding (busyness effect). Using a large sample of UK listed companies over the 1997 to 2010 period, we document evidence supporting a positive relationship between CPS, board busyness and stock price crash risk. In line with the expropriation and busyness effects, we find that companies with high CPS and high levels of board busyness are exposed to higher level of stock price crash risk. The fact that CPS positively impacts on stock price crash risk has a strong implication for the ongoing debate on how to reform executive remuneration so that it provides the right incentives to directors. There is also a direct implication for the public debate on limitation of the number of directorships held by executives from our findings, as we argue that board effectiveness depends on the overall level of board business. JEL classification: G32, G35, G38, J33, L29
Into the Wild: GWAS Exploration of Non-coding RNAs

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have proven a fundamental tool to identify common variants associated to complex traits, thus contributing to unveil the genetic components of human disease. Besides, the advent of GWAS contributed to expose unexpected findings that urged to redefine the framework of population genetics. First, loci identified by GWAS had small effect sizes and could only explain a fraction of the predicted heritability of the traits under study. Second, the majority of GWAS hits mapped within non-coding regions (such as intergenic or intronic regions) where new functional RNA species (such as lncRNAs or circRNAs) have started to emerge. Bigger cohorts, meta-analysis and technical improvements in genotyping allowed identification of an increased number of genetic variants associated to coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiometabolic traits. The challenge remains to infer causal mechanisms by which these variants influence cardiovascular disease development. A tendency to assign potential causal variants preferentially to coding genes close to lead variants contributed to disregard the role of non-coding elements. In recent years, in parallel to an increased knowledge of the non-coding genome, new studies started to characterize disease-associated variants located within non-coding RNA regions. The upcoming of databases integrating single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and non-coding RNAs together with novel technologies will hopefully facilitate the discovery of causal non-coding variants associated to disease. This review attempts to summarize the current knowledge of genetic variation within non-coding regions with a focus on long non-coding RNAs that have widespread impact in cardiometabolic diseases.
Takeovers, Freezeouts, and Risk Arbitrage

This paper develops a dynamic model of tender offers in which there is trading on the target’s shares during the takeover, and bidders can freeze out target shareholders (compulsorily acquire remaining shares not tendered at the bid price), features that prevail on almost all takeovers. We show that trading allows for the entry of arbitrageurs with large blocks of shares who can hold out a freezeout—a threat that forces the bidder to offer a high preemptive bid. There is also a positive relationship between the takeover premium and arbitrageurs’ accumulation of shares before the takeover announcement, and the less liquid the target stock, the stronger this relationship is. Moreover, freezeouts eliminate the free-rider problem, but front-end loaded bids, such as two-tiered and partial offers, do not benefit bidders because arbitrageurs can undo any potential benefit and eliminate the coerciveness of these offers. Similarly, the takeover premium is also largely unrelated to the bidder’s ability to dilute the target’s shareholders after the acquisition, also due to potential arbitrage activity.
An Exploration of Negative Family Factors and Substance Use amongst Adolescents: The Lasting Effects of Family Substance Use, Parental Criminality, and Parental Corporal Punishment

3 List of Tables 6 List of Figures 7 Chapter 1Introduction: 8 An Exploration of Negative Family Factors and Substance Use amongst Juveniles: The Lasting Effects of Family Substance Use, Parental Criminality and Corporal Punishment Chapter 2Literature Review 10 Theoretical History of Social Learning Theory 11 Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory 14 Akers and Further Developments in Social Learning Theory 15 General Strain Theory 19 Parental Criminality 24 Family Alcohol Consumption 25 Family Drug Use 27 Parental Corporal Punishment 28 Chapter 3Methods 32 Variables 34 Theoretical Models and Research Hypotheses 37 Chapter 4Results 47 The Effect of Four Negative Family Factors on Adolescent Marijuana Use 48 The Effect of Four Negative Family Factors on Adolescent Marijuana 49 Use, Controlling for Demographic Variables
Uncovering the Gender Participation Gap in the Crime Market

Using data from the U.S. National Incident Based Reporting System we document a gender gap in the number of crimes committed in the property crime market: only 30% of the crimes are committed by women. Starting from the classical Becker's model on crime we investigate some potential reasons for the participation gap looking at the differential incentives, measured in terms of earnings and probability of arrest. We observe that women obtain on average 32% less criminal earnings and face a 10% higher probability of arrest with respect to males. Once we account for type of crime and the attributes of offending, such as weapons, we find that the earnings gap is zero on average, while females still face a 1% higher probability of arrest than males. We also observe that females sort into offense types, characterized by a lower variation in the earnings risk, which reveals that females in the crime market are more risk averse than males. Furthermore, we analyze the participation gap by looking at the perceived incentives. We estimate the elasticities of crime with respect to the expected earnings and to the expected probability of not being arrested for both genders. We find that males respond to both these incentives, while females respond less to the incentive for higher earnings than males and they do not respond to the probability of arrest. Finally, we use a Blinder-Oaxaca type decomposition technique to measure crime differentials between females and males that arise due to different responses to incentives. We find that, in a counter factual scenario where the female elasticities increase to the level of the male ones, women would commit 40% more crimes than they actually do, reducing the male-female participation gap by almost 50%.
Use of Educational Animation and Academic Performance of Business Studies Students in Akwa Ibom State

The Study examines the use of slow-motion educational animation and academic performance of Business studies students in Akwa Ibom State. Quasi experimental non-randomized pre-test post-test design was adopted for the study. Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. 88 Business education students from two schools were purposively sampled from 5146 in 13 public secondary schools in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State-Nigeria. The subject were divided into experimental and control groups. Experimental group were treated with slow-motion educational animation while control group were taught using expository teaching method. Data were collected using Business Studies performance test (BSPT). The instrument was face and content validated by two experts, one in educational Technology and another in Measurement and Evaluation all from Faculty of Education, University of Uyo, Uyo. The instrument had reliability co-efficient of . 81. The treatment was done within four weeks. The result revealed that the use of slow-motion educational animation enhance academic performance of JS 3 Business Studies students when compared to expository teaching method. It was recommended among others that teachers should use slow-motion educational animation in presentation of their lesson content for students’ high academic performance and teaching effectiveness.
Major contributors and controlling factors of `="0200`="003DO3 product- ion in a rural Yangtze River Delta area

X. Pan, Y. Kanaya, H. Tanimoto, S. Inomata, Z. Wang, S. Kudo, and I. Uno Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University, the work was done in Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Japan Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Japan National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Japan
Education level and (HIV/AIDS knowledge in Kenya

Education level and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) knowledge in Kenya investigated secondary and university students’ HIV/AIDS knowledge in the City of Nairobi, Kenya. This was motivated by research findings in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, showing a correlation between education level and knowledge of HIV/AIDS. The method employed was that of descriptive statistics consisting of frequency, percentage, t-test and probability in the analyses of data. The sample comprised 259 female and male participants drawn from several schools and universities in Nairobi. The results showed that both male and female participants from both schools and universities had a very high knowledge of HIV/AIDS. In terms of comparison between secondary and university respondents, the latter’s performance was superior, as the mean difference was statistically significant. Thus confirming what other researchers have reported in their research findings. In conclusion, it was argued that education remains the social vaccine in the absence of a cure for HIV/AIDS, which remains the most effective means for combating the enormously dreadful disease in recent human history. It is important therefore that education be given the highest priority in combating HIV/AIDS on the basis of the fact that it is controllable, manageable and preventable, all of which can be realized through education.