Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DebrisInterMixing-2.3: a finite volume solver for three-dimensional debris-flow simulations with two calibration parameters – Part 2: Model validation with experiments

Abstract. Here, we present validation tests of the fluid dynamic solver presented in von Boetticher et al. (2016), simulating both laboratory-scale and large-scale debris-flow experiments. The new solver combines a Coulomb viscoplastic rheological model with a Herschel–Bulkley model based on material properties and rheological characteristics of the analyzed debris flow. For the selected experiments in this study, all necessary material properties were known – the content of sand, clay (including its mineral composition) and gravel as well as the water content and the angle of repose of the gravel. Given these properties, two model parameters are sufficient for calibration, and a range of experiments with different material compositions can be reproduced by the model without recalibration. One calibration parameter, the Herschel–Bulkley exponent, was kept constant for all simulations. The model validation focuses on different case studies illustrating the sensitivity of debris flows to water and clay content, channel curvature, channel roughness and the angle of repose. We characterize the accuracy of the model using experimental observations of flow head positions, front velocities, run-out patterns and basal pressures.
Isolation and Characterization of Two Novel local Psychrotolerant Kocuria spp. with High Affinity towards Metal Cations Biosorption

Two psychrotolerant bacteria were isolated from Nile river, Egypt during winter 2007. Based on 16S rRNA sequences, they were identified as members of the genus Kocuria.The yellow pigmented strain showed 99% similarity to K.carniphila, and was designated as K. carniphila MY, whereas the orange strain was similar to Kocuria Polaris by 99 % and was named K.polaris MO. Both strains grew best at pH 7.2. The optimum growth temperature was found to be 28ᵒC and 20ᵒC for K.carniphila MY and K.polaris MO, respectively. The two strains shared the same need to glycerol, fructose, glucose, xylose, mannose, cellulose, cyclohexane and benzene as carbon sources. Casein and peptone supportrd maximal growth, whilst inorganic nitrogen sources (NaNO 3 , (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 and NH 4 Cl) proved to be unsuitable for both strains.The two strains could tolerate high level of salinity reaching up to 7.5% and 10% NaCl for K.carniphila MY and K.polaris MO, respectively.They were sensitive to the tested antibiotics; Salbactam+ampicillin, Ceftazidim, Amikin, Ofloxacin, Kanamycin, Ceftriaxone, Chloramphenicol, Cefotaxim, Cefadroxil, Aztreonam, Cefalexin and Tetracycline and were resistant to nitrofurantoin, nalidixic acid and colistin.The metabolized cells of the isolates were used for metal biosorption, where it was noticed that K.carniphila MY and K.polaris MO highly biosorbed all of the five tested cations (Zn, Cu, Co, Cd, and Pb) with maximum affinity towards Zn and Cu, respectively. (El-Sharouny, EE, Belal MA, Yusef, HH. Isolation and Characterization of Two Novel Local Psychrotolerant Kocuria spp. With High Affinity towards Metal Cations Biosorption. Life Sci J 2013;10(4):1721-1737). (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite. com . 228
Determinants of household electricity consumption savings: A Latvian case study

In order to assess the potential for energy efficiency in households it is important to understand the implications for household electricity consumption by analyzing the factors that impact consumption. Moreover some recent studies suggested that changes in household electricity consumption are more likely to be explained by user behavioural aspects than technical solutions. This paper examines the influence of household's personal, demographic, socio- economic, the stock and use of electrical appliances, structural characteristics, external factors (such as weather, location etc.) by analysing data obtained from a smart metering pilot project currently being implemented in 500 Latvian households. The preliminary results show a decrease of the electricity consumption in 2013 (April -December) by 23% for the target group and 5% for the control group. The aim of the study is to introduce a novel model for assessing electricity consumption and savings achieved in households. The main tasks of this study is to examine the main characteristics determining electricity consumption savings, in particular, to evaluate the extent of smart metering influence on electricity consumption savings by using linear regression model.
Distribution, variability, and trends in wind characteristics in New England coastal areas

A comprehensive analysis of regional near-surface wind speed characteristics is presented based on data from 9 coastal sites, extending over periods of 20 to 39 years, with a mean duration of 33 years. Six terrestrial data sets were obtained from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), and 3 additional buoy data sets came from the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). Data sets contain either sub-hourly or hourly wind speed averages from near-surface, single height anemometers. Extensive quality checks were performed to account for anemometer height changes, missing data, and flagged data. Analyses focus on long-term temporal trends. Monthly, seasonal, and interannual long-term trends are analyzed utilizing low-order Gaussian moments and the Ordinary Linear Regression (OLR) technique; data autocorrelation is accounted for and additional statistical analysis is performed herein. Four sites exhibit statistically significant negative wind speed trends, 2 sites show statistically significant increased trends, and no trend is observed at 3 sites. Further data analyses include calculation of the 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 95th percentiles of annual wind speeds and long-term temporal trends in the Weibull Probability Density Function (PDF) and the shape and scale parameters that describe the form of the distribution. The spatial variation of near-surface wind speed characteristics and regional wind speed climatology are also investigated. Results indicate marked stilling in the annual mean, Weibull scale parameter, and 5th and 95th percentile values of wind speed at most terrestrial sites; opposite trends are generally observed at buoys and marine sites. Possible attributions of the source of the wind speed trends are also discussed.
New Institutional Economics: A State-of-the-Art Review for Economic Sociologists

According to a widely accepted definition by Douglas North, institutions are “rules of the game” in the society and economy which reduce uncertainty and structure behavior and interactions of economic agents. The notion of institutions is perhaps one of the most “sociological” among economic concepts, as it applies to agents’ dealing with each other (there could be no institutions in a Robinson Crusoe economy), and incorporates a number of inherently sociological categories, such as networks, norms, customs, etc. It should therefore come as no surprise that the work of first institutionalists, such as Veblen and Commons, had a distinct sociological flavor. It took another several decades for mainstream economists to fully appreciate the key role of institutions – not just economic, but also legal, political, etc, for economic performance and development. This understanding heralded the advent of what is now known as the New Institutional Economics (NIE).
In situ FTIR investigations at varying temperatures on hydrous components in rutile

Abstract In situ high- and low-temperature unpolarized FTIR absorption spectra of hydrous components in natural Fe-rich rutile have been recorded using a FTIR600 heating and cooling stage attached to an IR microscope. Two absorption bands (3279 and 3297 cm-1) at room temperature are ascribed to fundamental stretching bands of OH. Both OH bands shift to lower wavenumbers at elevated temperatures, but with different amplitudes. With increasing temperature, the integral absorbance of the 3279 cm-1 band increases while the integral absorbance of the 3297 cm-1 band decreases. These changes are fully reversible. The different frequency shifts of the two IR absorption bands with temperature imply two different local chemical environments of H defects. Based on the chemical composition of the rutile and the electronegativity of impurity ions, the results of the in situ high- and low-temperature FTIR measurements support the band assignment of Bromiley and Hilairet (2005): the 3279 and 3297 cm-1 bands are due to interstitial H decoupled from any substitutional defects, and H coupled to Fe3+ on the neighboring octahedral (Ti) site (Fe3+ Ti + H+i ↔ Ti4+Ti), respectively. Variations in integral absorbance of the two bands suggest the transformation between decoupled H defects and coupled H defects as a function of temperature, possible due to some statistical relationship between the proportions of coupled and decoupled interstitial H dependent on the amount of heat energy applied to the system.
When Do Japanese Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Comprehend Ambiguous Language Overliterally or Overnonliterally?

Abstract The present study aimed to clarify whether comprehension of ambiguous sentences in Japanese children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) varies depending on the degree to which the use of these sentences is conventional. We examined the relationship between comprehension by children with HFASD and college freshmen's assessment of conventionality of usage of these sentences in contexts encouraging literal or nonliteral interpretation. One hundred ninety-four freshmen participated. Children's interpretation preferences were correlated with freshmen's assessments of 9 ambiguous sentences for which previous data showed a significant intergroup difference in interpretation between 45 2nd to 6th graders with HFASD and 45 typically developing (TD) children matched for grade and gender. All the HFASD children fulfilled the criteria for pervasive developmental disorder of DSM-IV-TR, and they ranged in full-scale IQ from 79 to 129 (mean = 97.56, SD = 17.54) and in verbal-IQ from 80 to 136 (mean = 98.87, SD = 17.81). In 6 of these 9 sentences, the interpretation preferred more strongly by children with HFASD than TD children was rated by the freshmen as significantly less strange than the nonpreferred interpretation, regardless of whether it was literal or nonliteral. These results suggest that children with HFASD comprehend ambiguous sentences in accordance with their conventionality as assessed by freshmen. Even when TD children choose a literal interpretation, children with HFASD select the nonliteral one judged more conventional than its literal counterpart. This conformity of children with HFASD to conventional interpretation of ambiguous language seems to account for overliteralness and overnonliteralness.
Response of a marine shallow-water sediment system to an increased load of inorganic nutrients

An outdoor experimental system was used to investigate the effect of an increased load of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus on the lower trophic levels of the food web of a shallow-water sandy sediment Estimates of structural changes were based on relationships between the biomass of autotrophs, heterotrophic bacteria and meiofauna and their qualitative composition. Effects on the functions of the sediment community were assessed by measuring primary and bacterial productivity and meiofaunal grazing rates using radiolabelling, as well as by measuring changes in oxygen and nutrient fluxes and carbon pools. The sediment system responded within 2 to 3 wk to the nutrient enrichment Meiofauna biomass increased, resulting in higher relative importance of oligochaetes and harpacticoid copepods Primary productivity increased faster than meiofaunal grazing, resulting in an increase of microalgal biomass by a factor of 4 Diatoms and filamentous cyanobacteria were favoured by the increased nutnent levels The stimulated photosynthetic acbvity had a negative feedback on the producing sediment layer, which was lifted off by oxygen bubbles entrapped in the mucus-rich top most layer. Stimulated growth of the filamentous green alga Enteroniorpha clathrata resulted In a biomass of ca 2 g C m-' after 4 wk, which was more than 2 times the biomass of microautotrophs living in the sediment. Bacterial productivity responded only weakly to the nutrient additions and the grazing pressure on bacteria was high during the whole 4 wk experiment. Meiofauna removed on average about 4 % of the microalgal biomass and 12 % of the bacterial biomass per day in treatments with increased nutrient levels, and about 10 % of autotrophs and 7 "/o of bacteria in treatments with ambient nutrient levels Although autotrophic organisms were more important carbon sources than bacteria for meiofauna, the impact of grazing on microautotrophs was small, whereas grazing may be important in regulating bacterial growth. Measurements of ammonium, n~ t r a t e , phosphate and silicate flux showed that shallow-water sediment with a high primary productivity in the top layer functions as a sink for inorgamc nutrients In terms of biomass, the addition of nutrients led to a dominance of meiofauna. However in terms of productivity, autotrophs predominated and thus, during the initlal phase of increasing nutnent levels, the entire sediment system was dominated by autotrophic processes.
Social sustainability in Australian local government: commitment and accountability

With a dominant focus of economic rationality in development and management operations, interpretations of sustainable development have limited capacity to account for the contribution of social sustainability. This paper examines commitment to and accountability for social sustainability in Australian local government from the perspective of functional council managers. A mixed methods approach was adopted and a conceptual framework employed to examine the consideration and incorporation of components of social sustainability in local council practices. Data analysis integrates descriptive, quantitative findings with qualitative narratives. The study found councils give less of a priority to the social dimension of sustainability, as compared with the economic dimension. Engaged governance, as the procedural foundation of the conceptual framework, was revealed as the component less likely to be considered and incorporated in practice.
A High Sensitive Nested PCR for Toxoplasma gondii Detection in Animal and Food Samples.

Toxoplasma gondii is a major food and waterborne transmitted parasite world-wide. The tissues and meat samples of many warm blooded animals can contain tissues cysts from chronic toxoplasmosis. Water and vegetable can be contaminated by the parasitic oocysts shed through the feces of infected cats, representing the definitive host of the parasite. A sensitive PCR for Toxoplasma gondii detection is described. The first step amplified the region between the 28S and 18S rDNA in the closely related T. gondii and Neospora caninum; RFLP analysis distinguished the DNA from the two morphologically identical parasites. Although N. caninum is not involved in human transmission, so far, it is important for animal health since is a major responsible for abortion in cattle. The nested PCR was used in a dilution assay in pork sausage samples spiked with T. gondii parasitic DNA. The analysis showed that up to 200fg equivalent to two single parasites only, could be detected. Similar detection limit for T. gondii can be obtained with real-time PCRs, but real time methods need special consumables and expensive equipment.
Correlation between clinical findings, mast cell count and interleukin 31 immunostaining in the skin of dogs with atopic dermatitis

ABSTRACT: In this study the correlation between the clinical score, mast cell count and interleukin 31 (IL-31) immunostaining in the skin of dogs with atopic dermatitis was determined. A total of 31 dogs of different breeds, from one to eight years of age, were chosen for the study. The 20 females and 11 males were categorized based on the CADESI-4 system, as having discrete, moderate or marked atopic dermatitis. Skin samples were collected from the axillary and interdigital regions and stained with hematoxylin and eosin for cytohistomorphological analyses and toluidine blue to evaluate the mast cell counts, and immunohistochemistry for the IL-31 immunostaining. Animals revealing higher atopic dermatitis scores had greater numbers of mast cells and IL-31 immunolabeled cells. More numbers of cells immunolabeled for IL-31 were evident in the axillary skin compared with the interdigital skin in dogs having this condition. A correlation was identified between the clinical scores and mast cell numbers in the interdigital region, as well as between the clinical scores and number of cells immunolabeled for IL-31 in the axillary area. A correlation was also reported between the mast cell numbers and IL-31 immunolabeled cells only in the axillary skin, and none in the interdigital regions. It was thus concluded that the mast cells and IL-31 are involved in the pathogenesis of the canine atopic dermatitis (CAD), as well as lymphocytes and plasma cells. It was also observed that the higher the degree of clinical severity of the disease, the more the numbers of mast cells and IL-31 in the skin of those animals suffering from CAD, which implies the influence of these immunological constituents on the genesis of pruritus and disease progression.
Galactic mass-losing AGB stars probed with the IRTS. II

We are using the 2002 data-release from the Japanese space experiment IRTS to investigate the spatial distribution of galactic mass-losing (>2 10 8 M yr 1 ) AGB stars and the relative contribution of C-rich and O-rich ones to the replenishment of the ISM. Our sample contains 126 C-rich and 563 O-rich sources which are sorted on the basis of the molecular bands observed in the range 1.4-4.0m, and for which we estimate distances and mass loss rates from near-infrared photometry (K and L 0 ). There is a clear dependence on galactocentric distance, with O-rich sources outnumbering C-rich ones for rGC 10 kpc. The contribution to the replenishment of the ISM by O-rich AGB stars relative to C-rich ones follows the same trend. Although they are rare (10% in our sample), sources with 10 6 M yr 1 < ˙ M< 10 5 M yr 1 dominate the replenishment of the ISM by contributing to50% of the total of the complete sample. We find 2 carbon stars at more than 1 kpc from the Galactic Plane, that probably belong to the halo of our Galaxy.
Top Incomes and the Measurement of Inequality in Egypt

By all accounts, income inequality in Egypt is low and had been declining during the decade that preceded the 2011 revolution. As the Egyptian revolution was partly motivated by claims of social injustice and inequalities, this seems at odds with a low level of income inequality. Moreover, while income inequality shows a decline between 2000 and 2009, the World Values Surveys indicate that the aversion to inequality has significantly increased during the same period and for all social groups. This paper utilizes a range of recently developed statistical techniques to assess the true value of income inequality in the presence of a range of possible measurement issues related to top incomes, including item and unit non-response, outliers and extreme observations, and atypical top income distributions. The analysis finds that correcting for unit non-response significantly increases the estimate of inequality by just over 1 percentage point, that the Egyptian distribution of top incomes follows rather closely the Pareto distribution, and that the inverted Pareto coefficient is located around median values when compared with 418 household surveys worldwide. Hence, income inequality in Egypt is confirmed to be low while the distribution of top incomes is not atypical compared with what Pareto had predicted and compared with other countries in the world. This would suggest that the increased frustration with income inequality voiced by Egyptians and measured by the World Values Surveys is driven by factors other than income inequality.
Prevent crime and save money: Return-on-investment models in Australia

Finding effective ways to prevent crime is important. This project was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of combining data from a 12-year Australian longitudinal study (N=2,885) with prevention strategy investment data to estimate potential returns, including a reduction in intimate partner violence and prison entry. The project investigated the return on investment achievable in Victoria with a $150 million investment in a mix of six evidence based prevention strategies. The study estimated that the 10-year lag effect of investing an extra $150 million was a five percent reduction in incarceration and a four percent reduction in cases of intimate partner violence involving physical force. The net return from the $150 million investment in prevention was conservatively estimated at $191 million. It appears feasible and cost-effective to prevent intimate partner violence, while also reducing incarceration rates.
Determining hematite content from NUV/Vis/NIR spectra: Limits of detection

Abstract Hematite occurs in various geologic settings including igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks as well as in soils. However, it frequently occurs at low concentrations, especially in soils, where it may be <1% by weight. Because hematite has the potential to be an indicator of oxidizing and climatic conditions in soils and paleosols, it is important to understand its limit of detection. In this paper we examine the limits of detection of hematite visually and with diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry (DRS) and X‑ray diffraction (XRD). To accomplish this we used a sample set consisting of “knowns” or calibration samples. These known samples consisted of 15 different matrices of varying mineral composition into which hematite in 7 different concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 4% by weight were mixed. Including the 0% hematite, our calibration data set consisted of 120 samples. Visually, hematite can be detected at a concentration of 0.01% by weight in a light matrix and 0.5% in the darkest of our matrices. However, because of metamerism, visual techniques cannot specifically identify hematite. We find that for both DRS and XRD the limit of detection is also dependent on the matrix. For XRD the limit of detection for hematite in bulk samples is about 1%. For DRS the limit of detection depends on the data reduction technique used. The commonly used Kubelka-Munk remission function and its first and second derivatives can easily identify hematite at the 0.5% level. However, the first derivative of the percent reflectance curve can detect hematite at 0.01% by weight in a light matrix and 0.05% in a dark matrix. We suggest that the first derivative of DRS curves is the best currently available method for qualitatively detecting the mineral hematite at low concentrations found in soils, sediments, and rocks. Work described in this paper may be applied in several situations. Our study of visual limits of hematite detection should aid field geologists in assessing hematite content. Analysis of color wavelength bands may also have application in remote sensing by indicating which bands are most sensitive to hematite, reported to be an important constituent of the martian surface. Furthermore, this study could help clarify remotely sensed terrestrial albedo changes, especially the Sahara/Sahel transition where the sediments change from light, quartz-dominated to dark, hematite-dominated. Our study also points out that with laboratory-based spectra the first derivative of the reflectance curve is the most sensitive transform for processing spectral data for hematite, thereby allowing concentrations as low as 0.01% to be detected.