Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Institutional Trading and Stock Returns

In this study, we explore the dynamics of the relation between institutional trading and stock returns. We find that stock returns Granger-cause institutional trading (especially purchases) on a quarterly basis. The robust and significant causality from equity returns to institutional trading can be largely explained by the time-series variation of market returns, that is, institutions buy more popular stocks after market rises. Stock returns appear to be negatively related to lagged institutional trading. An analysis of the behavior of trading and the returns of the traded stocks reveals evidence that stocks with heavy institutional buying (selling) experience positive (negative) excess returns over the previous 12 months.
The decline of the House Sparrow: a review

The House Sparrow Passer domesticus population in Britain suffered a major decline in the 1920s, particularly in built-up areas, which coincided with the replacement of the horse by the internal combustion engine.The mixed fortunes of House Sparrows since then are examined, emphasising that factors operating on farmland populations differ from those in towns and cities. Farmland sparrows decreased by about 60% between 1979 and 1995, but then stabilised at a new, lower level; this decline is attributed to changes in agricultural practices.The situation with sparrows in built-up areas is much more complex, with a gradual decline until about 1990. Since then, a massive decrease has led to almost complete extinction in some urban centres, while in the suburbs and small rural towns, sparrows have decreased little, if at all. Some speculative ideas are put forward to account for the situation in built-up areas.
Marine litter within the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive

One of the most evident changes in the last half-century is the ubiquity and abundance of litter in the marine environment. The EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EC) established a framework within which EU Member States shall take action to achieve the good environmental status (GES) of their marine waters by 2020. Amongst the 11 MSFD qualitative descriptors, Descriptor 10 (D 10) concerns marine litter. Here we report the general strategy in support to the implementation of MSFD for marine litter. It includes various aspects such as scientific background, monitoring strategies and protocols, definition of good environmental status and targets and support to management policies.
Trophic ecology of Atlantic cod Gadus morhua on the northeast US continental shelf

Atlantic cod Gadus morhua is an extremely important fish in the northern hemisphere with respect to culture, economics, and ecology. However, the effects of over-fishing, environmental change, fish community dynamics and other factors that have altered the trophic ecology of cod are not well understood. We present an analysis of the trophic patterns of cod in the northeast US shelf ecosystem from a 25 yr time series of food habits data. Additionally, we compared the diet of this spe- cies with the spatio-temporal distribution of its prey species and evaluated prey preference over time. Atlantic cod exhibit an omnivorous diet; we assessed the temporal, spatial, and ontogenetic trends in this diet by examination of >15000 stomachs. Ontogenetic shifts in diet were observed; early juve- niles consumed more pelagic than benthic invertebrates, medium cod consumed benthic inverte- brates and fish, and larger cod consumed larger amounts of fish. Cannibalism also increased with ontogeny. Diet shifted significantly over a period of 3 decades, concurrent with changes in forage species abundance and distribution. Most of the major prey species were eaten in periods when they had high spatio-temporal overlap with cod and were abundant, indicating opportunistic feeding by cod. Similar to many other ecosystems, cod prefer sand lance, Cancer spp. crabs and herring, regard- less of the abundance or spatio-temporal overlap with these prey species. It is unclear whether the observed changes in the trophic dynamics of cod have broad implications for cod populations, yet the evidence does suggest that cod are not likely to influence the abundance and distribution of their prey populations in this ecosystem.
Seasonal survival and the relative cost of first reproduction in adult female southern elephant seals

Abstract The annual cycle of adult female southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) can be divided into 2 pelagic phases, separated by relatively short terrestrial phases: breeding and molting. We used resighting data collected from tagged female southern elephant seals at Marion Island during 1986–1999 to investigate seasonal survival during the 2 pelagic phases in relation to reproductive experience. Mean postbreeding (pelagic phase between breeding and molting, about 62 days) survival of primiparous females was 0.830 compared to 0.912 for more-experienced females. Postmolting (pelagic phase between molting and breeding, about 255 days) survival was 0.847 (0.960 when rescaled to 62 days for comparative purposes) and was not dependent on reproductive experience. Postbreeding survival of experienced females was higher than postmolting survival, but per unit time the opposite applied. A 2-stage survival model, in which survival was constrained to be constant before 1994 (when the population was declining) and from 1994 onward (during the stable phase), had overwhelming support from the data. Postbreeding survival of primiparous females increased from 0.799 before 1994 to 0.880 from 1994 onward. Postmolting survival of all females also increased from 0.817 to 0.872 over the same period. Postbreeding and postmolting mortality risk varied independently over time, demonstrating the importance of an intra-annual approach in population studies of southern elephant seals.
Concurrent observations of atomic iodine, molecular iodine and ultrafine particles in a coastal environment

Abstract. Simultaneous measurements of atomic iodine (I), molecular iodine (I2) and ultrafine particles were made at O Grove, Galicia (42.50° N, 8.87° W), on the northwest coast of Spain. The observations show a strong tidal signature, and indicate that the most probable sources of reactive iodine species are the exposed macroalgae during low tide. For the first time, I2 and I were concurrently measured revealing a high average I2/I ratio of ~32, which is higher than previously inferred by modelling studies. A 1-dimensional photochemical model is employed to simulate the observations showing that the high I2/I ratio can be reproduced in the presence of fast vertical mixing close to the surface, or using an extra chemical loss for I atoms with an unknown species. There is a lack of strong correlation between the I2/I and ultrafine particles, indicating that although they both have macroalgal sources, these were not at the same location. The model simulations also suggest that the source of the observed ultrafine particles is likely not very close to the measurement site, in order for the particles to form and grow, but the source for I and I2 must be local. Finally, the effect of NOx levels on iodine oxides, and the conditions under which iodine particle bursts will be suppressed, are explored.
Metal glycerolates as catalysts in the transesterification of refined soybean oil with methanol under reflux conditions

Divalent metal glycerolates were synthesized and investigated in the methyl transesterification of refined soybean oil. Higher conversions to monoacylesters were obtained for strontium and barium monoglycerolates and calcium diglycerolate. Calcium diglycerolate was shown to be stable up to a third reuse cycle, decomposing to an inactive mixture of CaCO3 and Ca(OH)2.
Compensation of Distributed Delays in Integrated Communication and Control Systems

Advances in aircraft and spacecraft technology demand high-speed and reliable communications between the individual components and subsystems for decision-making and control. This can be accomplished by Integrated Communication and Control Systems (ICCS) which use asynchronous time-division-multiplexed networks. Unfortunately, these networks can introduce randomly varying distributed delays. This paper presents the concept, analysis, implementation, and verification of a method for compensating delays that are distributed between the sensor(s), controller, and actuator(s) within a control loop. With the "objective of mitigating the detrimental effects of these network-induced delays, a predictorcontroller algorithm has been formulated and analyzed. Robustness of the delay compensation algorithm is investigated relative to parametric uncertainties in plant modeling. The delay compensator has been experimentally verified on an IEEE 802.4 network testbed for velocity control of a DC servomotor. Dynamic performance of the delay compensator has also been examined by combined discrete-event and continuous-time simulation of the flight control system of an advanced aircraft, that uses the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) linear token passing bus for data communications. The paper is concluded with several areas of future research in the evolving field of ICCS. T_BLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT . i LIST OF FIGURES . iv
Conversion as a Mechanism of Hybridization: The Institutional Transfer of Industrial Relations and Vocational Training from Western to Eastern Germany

Looking back over the two decades since German unification, the main questions I want to answer are to what extent and through what mechanisms the transfer of the system of industrial relations and vocational training—two cornerstones of the West German model—has occurred in eastern Germany. The literature argues that institutional transfer very often leads to a process of hybridization in institutions. However, the concept of hybridization has also been criticized as being mainly descriptive and vague about the actual mechanisms of hybridization. In this paper I argue that these mechanisms should be specified further and suggest that the hybridization approach can be fruitfully linked to recent theories of institutional change. As far as the transfer of industrial relations and vocational training from western to eastern Germany is concerned, I argue in particular that hybridization has mainly occurred through what institutional literature has recently defined as the mechanism of conversion.
Experimental evaluation of wire mesh for design as a bearing damper

Experimental Evaluation of Wire Mesh for Design as a Bearing Damper. (August 2004) Vivek Vaibhav Choudhry, B.S., Regional Engineering College, Allahabad, India Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. John M. Vance Wire mesh vibration dampers have been the subject of some very encouraging experiments at the Texas A&M Turbomachinery laboratories for the past several years and have emerged as an excellent replacement for squeeze film dampers. Their capability to provide damping for a wide range of temperatures (even cryogenic), fluid free operation and ability to perform even when soaked with lubricants makes them a suitable option as a bearing damper. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of design parameters like axial thickness and axial compression that influence the characteristics of wire mesh as a bearing damper. Two groups of wire mesh were tested to show that the stiffness and damping are directly proportional to the axial thickness, if all the other parameters are kept constant. Tests on four wire mesh donuts of different radial thickness showed that stiffness and damping vary inversely with radial thickness. Rigorous tests were also conducted to quantify the effects of axial compression, radial interference and displacement amplitude on stiffness and damping of the wire mesh. Another novel kind of mesh damper tested was comprised of two small segments instead of a whole donut. The results showed that wire mesh exhibited good damping characteristics even when used in small segments. Empirical expressions were developed using MathCAD worksheets, and an existing Excel design worksheet was modified to include these factors. The effect of frequency variation was also included to give a comprehensive design tool for wire mesh. A new design worksheet was developed that can predict rotordynamic coefficients for a wire mesh bearing damper having a different size as well as different installation and operational conditions.
Mediating the voice of personal blogging: an analysis of Chinese A-list personal blogs

Voice reveals stance, position and other evaluative aspects of texts. In spite of its major role in establishing blogs’ recognition and participation in the social networking space, voice has not received adequate attention in online communication research. This paper attempts to explore the voice of blogs through examining personal blogs. Data were collected from three A-list Chinese personal blogs hosted on top blog service providers in China. Drawing upon appraisal analysis, this study examined voice of personal blogs through analysing the written texts and images of the blogs. The findings revealed that personal blog authors employed different resources in constructing individualized voices. These were constrained by various factors such as gendered projections, audiences, and culturally specific rhetoric. The paper concludes with a suggestion that further research in exploring voice representations in blogs, however heterogeneous, needs to consider technological and semiotic resources, genre features, and sociocultural and institutional conditions.
The Effects of Learners' Personality Traits on M-Learning

Mobile learning (m-learning) is becoming increasingly significant for educators and businesses. Prior research often examines the effectiveness of m-learning; however, it overlooks that learners with different characteristics may respond to m-learning differently. This research examines how learners with different personalities react to m-learning messages. Specifically, it uses the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which is one of the most widely-used personality instruments, and uses four dichotomies, namely introversion–extroversion, sensing–intuition, thinking–feeling and judgment–perception, to describe learner personalities. We conducted a 10-week study with 217 students. We used MBTI to categorize these 217 participating learners into sixteen personality groups, and sent short text messages to their mobile devices. These messages stimulated them to access lecture materials and to participate in online class discussions. We observed how learners with different personalities responded to text messages, and confirmed that learners of different personalities showed different levels of responses to m-learning messages.
The regulatory role of butyrolactone I in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus terreus

An industrially and pharmaceutically important filamentous fungus, Aspergillus terreus, is known to biosynthesise plentiful natural products including lovastatin, a serum cholesterol lowering agent. A. terreus has also been observed to cause invasive aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients and to show resistance to one of the antifungal drugs, amphotericin B. In some of the Aspergillus spp. the pathogenic features have been observed to include diverse properties of asexual conidia as well. In bacteria, a phenomenon quorum sensing has been observed to induce a joint activity with the surrounding prokaryotes in response to a specific, cell density reflecting and self-inductive (i.e. autoinductive) molecule of the same species origin. In filamentous bacteria, e.g. Streptomyces spp. , small γ-butyrolactones have been observed to act as autoinducers with diverse responses to the achieved cell density including secondary metabolism and cellular development. Quorum sensing in fungi has been less studied. In A. terreus a secondary metabolite — butyrolactone I — has been observed to increase the production of two secondary metabolites, lovastatin and sulochrin, and to affect the fungal morphology as well thus giving indications of a similar role as observed in Streptomyces spp. The central aim of this thesis was to further elucidate the role of butyrolactone I in the fungus A. terreus on the metabolite and especially on the transcriptomic level. To this end, both chromatographic methods with HPLC and MS/MS as well as genome-wide gene expression and transcriptome sequencing were applied. The positive role of butyrolactone I in lovastatin production was confirmed and its autoinducing feature was revealed together with a potential signalling profile, reminiscent of the quorum sensing phenomenon of bacteria. The suggested positive role of butyrolactone I in secondary metabolism and sporogenesis was further supported by the gene expression profiles of the global regulator, laeA, and the orthologs of the key regulators of asexual conidiation (brlA, abaA, wetA). An in-depth transcriptome analysis revealed also an unknown gene cluster to be regulated in pace with these conidiation regulators and, furthermore, the key enzyme of the cluster showed similarity to a known pigment-producing key enzyme of another fungus of Ascomycota. Moreover, the transcriptome sequencing revealed also interesting splice variants within velvet gene family with numerous regulative functions in the formation of asexual conidia and sexual ascospores of Aspergillus spp. All this rises several hypotheses awaiting further studies.
Linking nutrient loading, local abiotic variables, richness and biomasses of macrophytes, and associated invertebrate species in the north- eastern Baltic Sea

Abstract. We studied relationships between nutrient loading, local abiotic variables, richness and biomasses of macrophytes, and associated invertebrate species in the north-eastern Baltic Sea. The study showed that nutrient load strongly correlated to the richness and biomass of macroalgal and invertebrate species and functions and often interacted with local abiotic variables such as salinity and depth. Generally elevated nutrient loads increased the species richness of macrophytes and benthic invertebrates and the biomass of annual macroalgae and of the majority of invertebrate feeding groups, but reduced the biomass of perennial macroalgae. The study also showed that the effect of nutrient loading was scale-specific, i.e. different responses to nutrients were observed at water-body and gulf scales. The biomass of the majority of species and functions was a function of the gulf-scale nutrient loading whereas the variability of annual algae and chironomidae reflected changes in the water-body level nutrient loading.
Biofilm Formation in Bacillus cereus, B. licheniformis and B. pumilus: An Alternative for Survival in Impacted Environments

Bacillus is a genus of Gram-positive and rod-shaped bacteria that may be facultative anaerobes and resistant to stress conditions in the environment. In view of the physiological diversity of the vegetative forms of this genus, the species are considered as ubiquitous microorganisms, being isolated from soil, freshwater and seawater, as well as food. In the present study, isolates of three species (B. cereus, B. licheniformis and B. pumilus), obtained from an impacted environment (Cavouco stream, Recife, Brazil), were investigated for the susceptibility/resistance profile toward antibiotics by antibiogram (disk diffusion), hydrophobicity by the hydrocarbon-binding method, and ability to form biofilm in different culture media by the crystal violet method. B. cereus was the species with the highest resistance (nine antimicrobials), followed by B. pumilus (two) and B. licheniformis (one). The isolates were biofilm formers, with higher formation in media supplemented with 1% glucose, and all were hydrophobic. This work is an indication that B. cereus, B. licheniformis and B. pumilus appear to possess distinct resistance mechanisms that are not directly related to biofilm formation ability. Further studies are needed to understand better the dynamics of survival of these species in impacted environments.
EVALUATION OF XENON WASHOUT FOR MEASUREMENT OF LAMINAR BLOOD FLOW IN THE HORSE by CERI

Laminitis is a painful, debilitating and life-threatening disease affecting horses worldwide. The disease can arise after local or systemic insults and the pathogenesis is not well understood. Alterations in laminar blood flow have been implicated in the pathogenesis of laminitis; however, controversy exists regarding the nature of these changes. The purposes of this study were to develop and evaluate a new technique for measuring laminar blood flow in horses. Using a technique to measure cerebral blood flow in humans, xenon in solution was injected intra-arterially in the metacarpal region of healthy horses and the gamma radiation emitted at the dorsal laminae was recorded. The results of this study indicate that xenon133 solution can be safely injected intraarterially in healthy horses, and that similar peaks in gamma radiation are recorded at the hoof wall. Consequently, this technique may provide useful information about alterations in laminar blood flow in horses with laminitis. INDEX WORDS: Xenon, Horse, Laminitis, Laminar blood flow EVALUATION OF XENON WASHOUT FOR MEASUREMENT OF LAMINAR BLOOD FLOW IN THE HORSE
Assessment of Potentially Toxic Metals in Soil and Sediments of the Keana Brinefield in The Middle Benue Trough, North Central Nigeria

This research was conducted in the Keana area of the middle Benue trough endowed with abundant mineral deposits (brine/salt, lead-zinc sulfide ores, barite and limestone) and has a long history of mining activity. Small scale mining activity in the area is currently increasing in intensity causing immeasurable damage to the environment and to the surrounding communities. Potentially toxic metal releases and remobilization from the mining sites into the surrounding arable soils and stream sediments poses serious human health risks since the surrounding communities live and grow their food from such environment. This research assesses the accumulation and the extent of contamination of Potentially Toxic Metals (PTM) in the vicinity of the mining environment using standard pollution indices such as geo-accumulation index (Igeo), Enrichment Factor (EF), Contamination Factor (CF) and Pollution Load Index (PLI). A total of 40 samples were analyzed for As, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sc, Sr and Zn, using ICP-OES geochemical technique. Analysis of geochemical data shows that the soil and stream sediments in the area are extremely polluted by Zn, Cr and Ni, having Igeo values of 4.9, 3.8 and 2.9 respectively. Igeo levels of Pb, Cr and Ba indicate moderate to no pollution. Zn and As with EF of 128.60 and 87.66 respectively, are severely enriched in the environment, while Pb, Ni and Cr with EF between 6 and 8, are moderately enriched. The calculated CF and PLI values for Cu, Sr and Sc in the soil and sediments remain very low, indicating these media are not contaminated by these elements. A pollution load index of < 1 as seen in most locations for those elements, indicate no pollution. The continued exposure of the populations living in this area particularly those in the mining locations who depend on the soil (for subsistence farming) and water from ponds, wells and boreholes (for drinking, cooking and other domestic uses), would result in various health risks and concerns, if not checked or abated. Lead, for example is known to be toxic even at very low exposure, with chronic lethal effects. This study recommends an immediate plan for analysis of the quality of drinking water and some staple crops grown in the area to determine the levels of these noxious metals and uptake by plants, to be followed by a comprehensive mitigation or remediation plan.