Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of stiff inclusion in circular composite plate based on quaternion wavelet analysis of modal shapes

The inspection of composite structures is an important process during quality control and their operation in various conditions. Modern industrial requirements of structural condition assessment demand the evaluation of defects using non-destructive and non-contact methods, which allow for detection, precise localization and identification of defect. From a great variety of non-destructive methods the vibration-based ones seem to be effective, simple and low-cost. In order to improve the effectiveness of defects assessment the wavelet-based signal processing technique could be applied. In this paper the modal analysis of a composite circular plate with an inclusion was carried out in order to acquire the modal shapes of vibration. The acquired modal shapes were processed using quaternion wavelet transform. The application of this transform leads to the better directional selectivity than classical discrete wavelet transform. Obtained results allow for detection and identification of location and dimensions of inclusion. The sensitivity analysis of considering particular modal shapes was carried out and described. Due to the effectiveness of the proposed approach it can be applied in laboratory testing as well as industrial quality control and non-destructive testing.
Electromagnetic modelling of Raman enhancement from nanoscale structures as a means to predict the efficacy of SERS substrates

The requirement to optimise the balance between signal enhancement and reproducibility in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is stimulating the development of novel substrates for enhancing Raman signals. This paper describes the application of finite element electromagnetic modelling to predict the Raman enhancement produced froma variety of SERS substrates with differently sized, spaced, and shaped morphologies with nanometre dimensions. For the first time, a theoretical comparison between four major generic types of SERS substrate (including metal nanoparticles, structured surfaces, and sharp tips) has been performed and the results are presented and discussed. The results of the modelling are consistent with published experimental data from similar substrates.
Aalborg Universitet Developments in the relationship between large cities-the suburban zone and the rural / urban

Many countries collect data on commuting that allows the analysis of how commuting develops over time and – through the availability of origin-destination data. – also the analysis of functional interdependencies between sub-areas and the patterning of interaction more generally. In the case of the US, O-D data on commuting has been used to delimit metropolitan areas for statistical purposes for more than 50 years – based on the interdependencies between suburbs and a central city that is revealed by the commute pattern. Despite the debates on the multifaceted nature of functional interdependency between areas – and despite the rising importance of other transport purposes than commuting – commute data continues to be widely used as the prime indicator of functional integration between areas: The lack of other suitable geographically representative O-D data is probably the most important reason for this. The commute question is relatively simple and unambiguous and can therefore easily be included in a census – or the information can be extracted from public registers as in the Scandinavian countries. In recent years, commute data has become available with more geographical details (small zones) and the ability to treat this data in new ways has been greatly improved through the availability of geographical information systems (GIS). This paper aims to take advantage of the availability of comparable data on commuting in European urban regions and to take a broader look at the developments in the relationship between the urban core, its suburban areas and the rural/urban hinterland. The analysis uses data on commuting between small geographical zones to perform the analysis as “realistically” as possible. The paper combines a GIS-based approach (with maps of commuter-flows) and inventories highlighting the relationship between centrality, directionality and commute-distances.
Effect of Dietary Onion, Garlic and Fenugreek Seeds Powder on Feed Intake, Blood Metabolites and Rumen Fermentation in Ossimi Ewes

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of onion, garlic, fenugreek seeds as feed additives on feed intake, some blood plasma constituents and ruminal fermentation of ossimi ewes. Twenty pregnant ossimi ewes on day 90 ±7 of pregnancy, were randomly divided into four similar groups (5 animals each). Control group (T1) was fed the basal diet which consisted of 60 % concentrate feed mixture (44% yellow corn, 20% soybean meal, 20% wheat bran, 13% undecorticated cottonseeds meal, 2% lime stone and 1% salt) and 40 % roughages (20% wheat straw and 20% chopped alfalfa hay). While, the other three treatment groups were fed the same basal diet, supplemented with either 3% onion powder (T2), 3% garlic powder (T3) or 3% fenugreek seeds powder (T4) the rations (concentrate + roughages) were fed ad lipitum. Feed intake was recorded daily. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein from all animals before morning feeding. Rumen samples were collected from all ewes using a stomach tube to determine ruminal pH values, ammonia-N concentration and total VFA s concentration. Feed intake increased (P˂0.05) during the late pregnancy of ewes fed onion, garlic and fenugreek seeds. While, after parturition feed intake was not significantly differ among groups except for that of onion and garlic groups at the first month of lactation, which was significantly (P<0.05) increased as compared with control. Plasma total protein and albumin levels increased (P˂0.05) in treated groups as compared with control, while there were no significant differences in plasma globulin, albumin: globulin ratio, triglycerides and glucose between treated groups and control one. Plasma cholesterol concentration decreased (P˂0.05) in ewes fed garlic as compared with those fed control, onion and fenugreek diets. Also, plasma cholesterol concentration of ewes fed onion decreased (P˂0.05) as compared with fed control and fenugreek diets. There were no significant differences among groups in rumen pH values at zero h of feeding or 6 hrs after feeding. Ruminal ammonia-N concentration decreased (P<0.05) in all treated groups as compared with control. Also, total volatile fatty acids concentration in rumen liquor increased (P<0.05) in all treated groups as compared with control one. In conclusion onion, garlic or fenugreek seeds as feed additives may have a beneficial effect on feed intake, blood metabolites and rumen fermentation of ossimi ewes.
The Features and Determinants of Tenants' Survival: A Cross-Incubator Empirical Study in Taiwan

This study attempts to analyze the survival of 4,503 tenants in 130 of Taiwan’s incubators and to identify the determinants affecting their risk of failure from 2007 to 2011 by the Cox proportional hazard model. The data reveal that incubators can effectively nurture their tenants to increasing their survival. The empirical results show that a firm’s age, the number of its employees and the length of the incubation contract have a significantly positive impact on the survival rate while start-up tenants have also a higher survival rate. In addition, the tenant’s market experience, the length of the incubation and the start-up business are key determinants for increasing the tenant’s survival in the incubators. Finally, firms with female tenant-owners in the Manufacturing industry sector and firms whose owners have a higher educational level in the Services industry sector have a higher survival rate.
Fabrication and Properties of Pineapple Fibre / High Density Polyethylene Composites

Composites of pineapple fibre (PAF) with High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) were produced using the injection molding machine. The maximum amount of PAF accepted by HDPE was observed to be 50% of the HDPE weight. The composites were subjected to tests to evaluate their physical and mechanical properties. The density was found to decrease from 0.99 to 0.64 g/cm 3 as the fibre content increased from 0 to 50%. Water absorption showed increase with increase in fibre content and with increase in the number of days in water. The result obtained from the impact strength, hardness, tensile strength and elongation of the composites were all found to decrease with increased fibre content.
Firm Export Heterogeneity and International Productivity Gap: Evidence from France and Japan ∗

Do exporters in one country outperform exporters from another country? Similarly, do non-exporters in one country outperform non-exporters from another country? In spite of the growing number of studies on firm export heterogeneity, none of them addressed these questions because they focused on the productivity differentials between firms from a single country. This paper attempts to fill this gap using firm-level data for France and Japan from 1994 to 2006. It compares the productivity distributions of French and Japanese firms for each of the manufacturing industries using an industry-specific representative firm common to both French and Japanese firms. Our main result is that Japanese exporters tend to outperform their French counterparts in the following sense: their productivity advantage is larger than average in industries in which Japan has a productivity lead, while their productivity disadvantage is smaller than average in industries in which France has the productivity lead. This result is consistent with recent models of international trade and heterogenous firms which assume that fixed export costs differ across countries.
Cytomorphology, Geographical Distribution and Ethnobotany of Genus Oxalis Linn. from Western Himalaya (India)

The genus Oxalis belongs to the family Oxalidaceae and includes mostly wild as well as commonly cultivated ornamental plants. To generate basic information on genetic diversity required for the improvement of germplasm, the present study was carried out from the different areas of the Western Himalayas. During the study, eight accessions belonging to two species of the genus Oxalis were cytomorphologically observed. New intraspecific cytotypes in O. corniculata (2n=14) at world level and O. corymbosa (2n=14) at India level were reported. In comparison, these diploid and tetraploid cytotypes for O. corymbosa show significant variations in relation to morphology as well as geographical distribution on the world map. Further, the meiotic course in most of these accessions was observed to be normal except for one accession of O. corniculata marked with meiotic anomalies, directly influencing the pollen fertility.
AN ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF STUDENT WITHDRAWAL AND PROGRESSION IN POST-REFORM ITALIAN UNIVERSITIES

As in much of Europe, and in the particular context of the Bologna Convention on tertiary education, the Italian university system has experienced substantial reform in recent years, the major aims of which include increasing the participation, progression and retention rates of students in higher education. Reform has reduced the length of undergraduate degree programmes to three years with the intention that students should be able to graduate at an earlier age than in the past, in line with graduates from other European countries. This paper offers a first econometric analysis of student withdrawal and progression three years after the introduction of major reform. We use administrative data on students of two Italian universities in a probit model of the probability that the student drops out, and an OLS model of student progression. Our analyses suggest that, notwithstanding the reforms, the drop-out (withdrawal) rate is still very high and only a small proportion of students are likely to complete their studies within the institutional time. In particular, we find that differences in students' prior educational background and performance have remarkably large effects on their withdrawal and progression probabilities. We infer from our results that poor retention and completion rates of Italian university students are unlikely to improve without further significant institutional change.
Effect of Berberis lycium Royle on Lipid Profile in Alloxan Induced Diabetic Rabbits

Berberis lycium Royle (B.l.R) commonly known as Ishkeen (Kashmal and Darbald) is widely used in folk medicines for the treatment of Diabetes mellitus. Experimental diabetes use to alter the lipid profile. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of Berberis lycium root bark on various lipid profiles in alloxan induced diabetic rabbits. Diabetes was induced by single intravenous injection of Alloxan (150 mg/kg). Oral administration of 250mg/kg and 500mg/kg crude powder of Berberis lycium root for four weeks resulted in significant reduction in total cholesterol, triglyceride and low density lipids (LDLs) levels. Berberis lycium treatment increased the levels of high density lipids (HDLs). Furthermore same doses stabilized the weight of diabetic rabbits. Thus our investigation clearly shows that crude powder of Berberis lycium Royle has antihyperlipidemic effect.
Pre and Post-Merger Impact on Financial Performance: A Case Study of Jordan Ahli bank

This paper attempts to analyze the pre and post-merger impact on financial performance of Jordan Ahli bank. To achieve this aim, two research methods used to compare pre-post-merger financial performance; first, comparison and analysis of ratios are used to compare the performance of Jordan Ahli bank during the pre-merger period (2001-2004) and post-merger period (2006-2009). MS Excel 2010 was used to calculate ratios and SPSS software to analyze. Second, paired sample t-test determines the significance differences in financial performance before and after the merger activity. The results of this study show that 5 Out of 12 ratios (41.67%) significantly improved after the merger to Jordan Ahli bank, while 3 ratios (25%) improved but insignificantly, in the other hand 3 ratios (25%) significantly deteriorated after merger, while 1 ratio (8.33%) insignificantly deteriorated after merger. This shows that merger has improved performance of Jordan Ahli bank with a total percentage (66.67%). On the basis of findings, we concluded that financial performance of merger Jordan Ahli bank insignificantly improved in the post-merger period. Post-merger leverage, efficiency ratios significantly improved, while cash flow ratio insignificantly improved. In addition, liquidity ratios includes 5 ratios, 4 ratios significantly deteriorated after merger except investment to total assets deteriorated but insignificantly, while net credit facilities to total deposits (Gross advances to total deposits) improved but insignificantly. Keywords: Merger, Banking sector of Jordan, Financial Performance, paired t-test, Jordan
Violencia en parejas adolescentes, contexto recreativo y consumo de alcohol: análisis de las representaciones ligadas al género

espanolEl presente articulo pretende analizar las representaciones ligadas al genero en los episodios de violencia en parejas adolescentes y la influencia que ejerce sobre este tipo de conductas el espacio de ocio nocturno, donde es frecuente el consumo de drogas, principalmente de alcohol. Se ha desarrollado un estudio cualitativo con 47 adolescentes, de entre 16-18 anos de 1o y 2o curso de Bachiller de centros escolares de la Comunidad Autonoma del Pais Vasco situados en la capital de cada territorio. En cuanto a los resultados, se contextualiza y se discute a partir de las narraciones de las y los adolescentes la percepcion y las representaciones ligadas al genero del consumo de alcohol y la violencia entre parejas adolescentes. Asimismo, se discuten posibles lineas de trabajo a partir de los resultados. catalaEl present article preten analitzar les representacions lligades al genere en els episodis de violencia en parelles adolescents i la influencia que exerceix sobre aquest tipus de conductes l’espai d’oci nocturn, on es frequent el consum de drogues, principalment d’alcohol. S’ha desenvolupat un estudi qualitatiu amb 47 adolescents, d’entre 16-18 anys de 1r i 2n curs de Batxillerat de centres escolars de la Comunitat Autonoma del Pais Basc situats a la capital de cada territori. Quant als resultats, es contextualitza i es discuteix a partir de les narracions de les i els adolescents la percepcio i les representacions lligades al genere del consum d’alcohol i la violencia entre parelles adolescents. Aixi mateix, es discuteixen possibles linies de treball a partir dels resultats. EnglishThis article sets out to analyse the representations related to gender in episodes of violence in teenage couples, and the influence exerted on these conducts by the context of nighttime leisure and recreation, in which the use of drugs – primarily alcohol – is frequent. A qualitative study was carried out with 47 young people between the ages of 16 and 18, in the first and second years of Senior Secondary education, from schools in the Basque Autonomous Community, and specifically in the capital of each of the three provinces. With regard to the results of the study, the perception and gender-related representations of alcohol consumption and violence in adolescent couples were contextualised and discussed on the basis on the young people’s accounts of their experiences. In addition, possible lines of work on the basis of the results were discussed.
Effects of arrival synchrony and population density on territory size and growth rate in stream salmonids

Territoriality is thought to play an important role in the population regulation of animals. Consequently, the factors that affect territory size will also affect the number of individuals that can settle in a particular habitat. The prior-resident-advantage hypothesis predicts that territories will be smaller and more numerous in areas where individuals arrive synchronously rather than asynchronously, due to the dominance of residents over newcomers. I tested this prediction in a laboratory study with juvenile rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ). Although there was some evidence that early arrivers were more aggressive than late arrivers, there was no strong evidence that settlement pattern has an effect on the number and size of territories. In juvenile salmonid fishes, individual growth rate typically decreases with increasing density in observational field studies and territory size typically decreases with density in experimental laboratory studies. The validity of these studies has been questioned, because cause and effect cannot be inferred from the field studies and experimental laboratory studies are often unrealistic. To address the shortcomings of both approaches, I performed a field-based experiment using juvenile Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) at Catamaran Brook, New Brunswick. I manipulated the density of salmon in mesh enclosures, while measuring the growth rate and territory size of the salmon. As predicted, both growth rate and territory size decreased with increasing density, providing strong support for previous studies
Erosion in the Brazilian Coastal Zone : An Overview

The Brazilian coastline extends from the equatorial North hemisphere to subtropical latitudes of the South, facing the West AtlanticOceanalongalengthofmoreorless8,000km,according thecartographicdetailsconsidered(Figure1). Asaconsequenceof this large extension, the coastal zone crosses areas of different climatesrangingfromtheequatorialandtropicalhumidtothesemiaridNortheastandtothesubtropicalclimateintheSouth,asalsoof differentgeologicandgeomorphicenvironments. Human occupation of the coastal area is relatively low as only about 20% (about 30 million people) of the country population lives in coastal counties (M and N , 1955). Major concentration occur in the neighborhood of the capital cities with the highest densities near Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Maceió, Recife and Fortaleza, followed by Vitória and São Luís. It is in the areas of higher occupation where coastal erosion becomes a concern and is also frequently aggravated by human interference in the sediment budget trough edification of buildings in the immediate vicinity to the beach as also trough structures associated to stabilization of river mouth, to the construction of port and harbor installations or for the protection of the coastline. The identification of the causes of coastal erosion has been frequently a guesswork due to the lack of long term monitoring of the sea level, wave climate and coastline evolution. Therefore, it has been difficult to distinguish between episodes of erosion or progradation from long-term trend. Furthermore, due to differences in the methods of investigations or in the considered time span, there are sometimes large disagreements between researchers about the evolutionary trend of a specific coastline. In the last years an effort has been made by the research groups associated to the Programa de Geologia e Geofísica Marinha (PGGM) to map the Brazilian coastline for an assessment of the main trends of erosion and progradation as a first step to define the areas to be researched and monitored in more detail. This paper is an overview of the main results of this investigation together with information collected from published papers.
The Immigrant Wage Differential within and across Establishments

Using 1999 and 2001 Canadian matched employer-employee data with rich information on worker and job characteristics, the authors identify the relative importance of immigrant wage differentials within and across establishments and the sources of these differentials. Whereas existing explanations of immigrant wage differentials emphasize immigrants' productive characteristics, differentials across establishments may be entirely independent of immigrants' actual or perceived skills or quality. The findings show highly non-random sorting of immigrants across establishments within Canada's major cities and geographic regions. For immigrant men, this sorting affected wage differentials more than did differences in how immigrant and native men were paid within establishments. For immigrant women, however, particularly those from less developed world regions, within-establishment wage differentials appear to have been more important. These findings raise numerous important questions for future research, such as whether the highly non-random sorting of immigrants across establishments primarily reflects immigrants' search behavior or employers' recruiting methods.