Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the range of a closed operator in an L1-space of vector-valued functions

Let X be a reflexive Banach space and A be a closed operator in an L1- space of X-valued functions. Then we characterize the range R(A) of A as follows. Let 0 6 �n ∈ �(A) for all 1 ≤ n < ∞, where �(A) denotes the resolvent set of A, and assume that limn! 1 �n = 0 and supn�1 kn(�n −A) 1 k < ∞. Furthermore, assume that there exists �1 ∈ �(A) such that k �1(�1 − A) 1 k ≤ 1. Then f ∈ R(A) is equivalent to supn�1 k (�n −A) 1 f k 1 < ∞. This generalizes Shaw's result for scalar-valued functions.
Goal Orientations and Self-Efficacy Interactions on Self-Set Goal Level

Gore, Truman Joseph, M. S. Department of Industrial / Organizational Psychology, Wright State University, 2014. Goal Orientations and Self-Efficacy Interactions on SelfSet Goal Level. The current study examined the interactive effects of goal orientations (the tendencies of an individual to set specific types of goals, i.e., learning or performance goals), and selfefficacy (an evaluation of one’s own competence on a task) on self-set goal levels and performance in an academic context. Past research has found that learning goal orientation and self-efficacy are both positively related to the difficulty of self-selected goals and to performance whereas avoid-performance goal orientation is negatively associated with both the difficulty of self-set goals and performance. The current study found that learning goal orientation and self-efficacy were positively related to academic performance in the context of low avoid-performance goal orientation. Further, the study provides evidence of conceptual overlap between the concepts of learning goal orientation and self-efficacy and has practical implications for the implementation of motivation-focused training programs. INTERACTIONS ON SELF-SET GOAL LEVEL iv
The octahedral sheet of metamorphic 2M1-phengites: A combined EMPA and AXANES study

Abstract Two types of metamorphic phengites are known: one is linked to high pressure and is 3T; the other is 2M1, and its composition is linked to rock-compositional constraints. This work investigates the octahedral sheet crystal-chemical differences between the two phengite types. Seven dioctahedral micas were studied: (1) one 3T phengite from an ultrahigh-pressure metagranitoid in the Dora Maira massif, Italy (P ~ 4.3 GPa, T ~ 730 °C); (2) five 2M1 phengites from medium-P orthogneisses in the Eastern Alps metamorphic basement, Italy (P ≤ 0.7 GPa, T ~ 500-600 °C); and (3) one 2M1 ferroan muscovite from pegmatite in Antarctica (P ≤ 0.2 GPa, T ~500 °C). All micas display significant extents of celadonite substitution. In particular, the 2M1-phengite formulae (calculated on the basis of 11 O) have 0.68 < IVAl < 0.82 atoms per formula unit (apfu); octahedral atoms are dominated by Al (1.6-1.8 apfu), with minor and variable Fe (0.20-0.35 apfu) and Mg (0.05-0.17 apfu), and very minor Ti, Mn, and Cr. Total octahedral occupancies are slightly above 2.00 apfu, i.e., there seems to be partial occupancy of the third M site. For all micas, we recorded XAFS spectra on mosaics of carefully separated flakes oriented flat on a plastic support that could be rotated so as to account for the polarization of the synchrotron radiation beam, and we processed them on the basis of the AXANES theory. Spectra show angle-dependent absorption variations for Al and Fe, which can be deconvoluted and fitted by dichroic effects. Pre-edges consistently show most Fe to be Fe3+ and little angle-dependent intensity variations. The 2M1-ferroan muscovite from Antarctica displays the same AXANES behavior as 2M1-phengites. By contrast, the ultrahigh-pressure 3T-phengite from Dora Maira (having IVAl = 0.42 apfu, and Al and Mg as the dominant octahedral constituents) has XAFS spectra that differ significantly. Not only is the IVAl feature strongly reduced, in agreement with the increased Si content, but also Fe XAFS spectra show one broad feature only, indicating that all Fe is Fe2+ in a fully disordered distribution with no angle-dependent variations. We conclude that this 3T-phengite is actually contaminated by exsolved Fe-bearing pyrope platelets, which cannot be resolved under SEM examination; by contrast, the 2M1-phengites, unrelated to high-pressure, suggest Al/Fe3+ order over the M1 and (M2, M3) sites, as also does the 2M1 pegmatitic muscovite.
Does a neutral thermal sensation determine thermal comfort?

The neutral thermal sensation (neither cold, nor hot) is widely used through the application of the ASHRAE seven-point thermal sensation scale to assess thermal comfort. This study investigated the application of the neutral thermal sensation and it questions the reliability of any study that solely relies on neutral thermal sensation. Although thermal-neutrality has already been questioned, still most thermal comfort studies only use this measure to assess thermal comfort of the occupants. In this study, the connection of the occupant’s thermal comfort with thermal-neutrality was investigated in two separate contexts of Norwegian and British offices. Overall, the thermal environment of four office buildings was evaluated and 313 responses (three times a day) to thermal sensation, thermal preference, comfort, and satisfaction were recorded. The results suggested that 36% of the occupants did not want to feel neutral and they considered thermal sensations other than neutral as their comfort condition. Also, in order to feel comfortable, respondents reported wanting to feel different thermal sensations at different times of the day suggesting that occupant desire for thermal comfort conditions may not be as steady as anticipated. This study recommends that other measures are required to assess human thermal comfort, such as thermal preference. Practical application: This study questions the application of neutral thermal sensation as the measure of thermal comfort. The findings indicate that occupant may consider other sensations than neutral as comfortable. This finding directly questions the standard comfort zone (e.g. ASHRAE Standard 55) as well as the optimum temperature, as many occupants required different thermal sensations at different times of the day to feel comfortable. These findings suggest that a steady indoor thermal environment does not guarantee thermal comfort and variations in the room temperature, which can be controlled by the occupant, need to be considered as part of the building design.
Certainty of meeting fertility intentions declines in Europe during the 'Great Recession'

Background: Relatively little research has been conducted on how economic recessions impact fertility intentions. In particular, uncertainty in reproductive intentions has not been examined in relation to economic shocks. Objective: The purpose of this paper is to estimate the impact of individuals' perception of negative changes in both their own and their country's economic performance on reproductive intentions in Europe during the time of the 'Great Recession' (2006-2011). Crucially, we examine both intentions and stated certainty of meeting these intentions. Methods: Using the 2011 Eurobarometer survey for 27 European countries, fertility intentions and reproductive uncertainty are regressed on individuals' perceptions of past trends in country's economic situation, household's financial situation, and personal job situation. Multilevel ordinal regressions models are run separately for people at parities zero and one as well as controlling for a set of socio-demographic variables. Results: A worsening in the households' financial situation, as perceived in the years of the economic crisis, does not affect people's fertility intentions but rather the certainty of meeting these intentions. This relationship holds true at the individual-level for childless people. The more negative the individual's assessment of the household's financial situation, the higher the reproductive uncertainty. While this works exclusively at the country-level for people at parity one, the higher the share of people‟s pessimism on households' financial situation in the country the more insecure individuals of such a country are about having additional children. Conclusions: The empirical evidence suggests that individuals' uncertainty about realising their fertility intentions has risen in Europe and is positively linked to people's perceived household financial difficulties. If European economies continue to fare poorly, fertility intentions could eventually start to decline in response to such difficulties.
The effect of feeding fermented kombucha tea on HLD, LDL and total cholesterol levels in the duck bloods

Kombucha have high content of glucoronic acid, a substance that could neutralized cholesterol deposit, changed to another compound that more soluble in water. The experiment concerns the effects of supplementary fermented kombucha tea on HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol levels in the duck bloods. It was carried out at the Faculty of Animal Husbandry, Universitas Padjadjaran. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of giving different levels of fermented kombucha tea on High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and the total cholesterol levels of duck bloods. This research used an experimental methods with completely randomized design (CRD). There were five treatments (P0 = 0%, P1 = 10%, P2 = 15%, P3 = 20%, and P4 = 25%) and four replications. Results indicated that all treatment decreased significantly LDL and total cholesterol levels, and increased HDL. The conclusion is, the addition of fermented kombucha tea up to 25% will decrease LDL and total cholesterol, and increase HDL in the duct blood.
Declines in Ravine-inhabiting Dusky Salamanders of the Southeastern US Coastal Plain

Abstract Gully-eroded and steephead valleys on Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida panhandle were sampled for the abundance of four species of ravine-inhabiting, plethodontid salamanders in two separate periods, 25 years apart. In this interval, Desmognathus auriculatus (Southern Dusky Salamander) appears to have gone extinct and the abundance of D. cf. conanti (Spotted Dusky Salamanders) has decreased by about 68%. There was no change in the average abundance of Eurycea cirrigera (Two-lined Salamander). Pseudotriton ruber (Red Salamanders) declined in ravines from which larger populations of D. auriculatus disappeared, but increased in ravines from which smaller populations of D. auriculatus had disappeared. There was a slight increase in the average abundance of P. ruber in ravines that were inhabited by D. cf. conanti, but those changes in P. ruber abundance were unrelated to the changes in the abundance of D. cf. conanti. Declines in populations of D. auriculatus were also noted in Louisiana and Georgia; evidence suggests that all of these declines began in the mid-1970s. There are several potential causes of the regional declines, but no single explanation appears sufficient to explain declines in all populations. Feral pig rooting eliminates the larval seepage habitat of desmognathine salamanders and may be partly responsible for the declines on Eglin Air Force Base.
Personal norms of sustainability and their impact on management – The case of rangeland management in semi-arid regions

We empirically study personal norms of sustainability, conceptualized according to the normactivation theory and operationalized under the notion of strong ecological-economic sustainability, for commercial cattle farmers in semi-arid rangelands of Namibia, a system that is subject to extensive degradation. We characterize farmers’ personal norms, study their determinants, and analyze their impact on actual management based on the dual-preferences model. We find personal norms of sustainability that are heterogeneous across farmers, but vary little with socio-demographic or environmental characteristics. We find no evidence for a significant impact of personal norms on actual management behavior, which may be due to farmers not feeling capable for averting adverse long-term consequences of their management. This may contribute to the observed degradation of rangelands in Namibia.
Unimodality of Wave Amplitude in the Northern Hemisphere

A novel statistic for local wave amplitude of the 500-hPa geopotential height field is introduced. The statistic uses a Hilbert transform to define a longitudinal wave envelope and dynamical latitude weighting to define the latitudes of interest. Here it is used to detect the existence, or otherwise, of multimodality in its distribution function. The empirical distribution function for the 1960–2000 period is close to a Weibull distribution with shape parameters between 2 and 3. There is substantial interdecadal variability but no apparent local multimodality or bimodality. The zonally averaged wave amplitude, akin to the more usual wave amplitude index, is close to being normally distributed. This is consistent with the central limit theorem, which applies to the construction of the wave amplitude index. For the period 1960–70 it is found that there is apparent bimodality in this index. However, the different amplitudes are realized at different longitudes, so there is no bimodality at any single longitude. As a corollary, it is found that many commonly used statistics to detect multimodality in atmospheric fields potentially satisfy the assumptions underlying the central limit theorem and therefore can only show approximately normal distributions. The author concludes that these techniques may therefore be suboptimal to detect any multimodality.
Are Commodity Price Shocks Important? A Bayesian Estimation of a DSGE Model for Russia

This paper constructs a DSGE model for an economy with commodity exports. We estimate the model using Russian data, making a special focus on quantitative effects of commodity price dynamics. There is a widespread belief that economic activity in Russia crucially depends on oil prices, but quantitative estimates are scarce. We estimate an oil price effect on the Russian economy in a general equilibrium framework. Our setup is similar to those of Kollmann (2001) and Dam and Linaa (2005), but we extend their models by explicitly accounting for oil revenues. In addition to standard supply, demand, cost-push, and monetary policy shocks, we include the shock of commodity export revenues. The main objective of the paper is to identify the contribution of structural shocks to business cycle fluctuations in the Russian economy. We found that despite a strong impact on GDP from commodity export shocks, business cycles in Russia are mostly domestically based.
Ecological and social determinants of birth intervals in baboons

Birth rates in primates have long been proposed to result from an interaction between ecological and social factors. We analyzed a variety of social and environmental variables to determine which ones best explain the observed variation in interbirth intervals across 14 baboon populations. Both the number of females in the group and mean annual temperature were found to be important, and a multivariate equation containing the quadratic components of both these variables accounts for almost all the observed variance in interbirth intervals. The quadratic relationship with temperature is explained in terms of the energetic costs of maintaining a stable body temperature at both low and high temperatures. The quadratic relationship with number of females results from relationships with both food availability and the costs of increasing intragroup competition as group size increases. Although females may be able to exert a certain degree of choice in their reproductive scheduling decisions, they are ultimately constrained by limits imposed upon them by the complex interactions between their ecological and demographic environment. Key words: baboons, birth rate, interbirth interval, intragroup competition, Papio, thermoregulation. [Behav Ecol 11:560–564 (2000)]
Do Data Policy Restrictions Impact the Productivity Performance of Firms and Industries?

This paper examines how policies regulating the cross‐border movement and domestic use of electronic data on the internet impact the productivity of firms in sectors relying on electronic data. In doing so, we collect regulatory information on a group of developed economies and create an index that measures the regulatory restrictiveness of each country's data policies. The index is based on observable policy measures that explicitly inhibit the cross‐border movement and domestic use of data. Using cross‐country firm‐level and industry‐level data, we analyse econometrically the extent to which these data regulations over time impact the productivity performance of downstream firms and industries, respectively. We show that stricter data policies have a negative and significant impact on the performance of downstream firms in sectors reliant on electronic data. This adverse effect is stronger for countries with strong technology networks, for servicified firms, and holds for several robustness checks.
New constraints on the structure and dynamics of black hole jets

Accreting black holes produce powerful relativistic plasma jets which emit radiation across all observable wavelengths but the details of the initial acceleration and confinement of the jet are uncertain. We apply an innovative new model that allows us to determine key properties of the acceleration zone via multi-frequency observations. The central component of the model is a relativistic steady-state fluid flow, and the emission from physically distinct regions can be seen to contribute to different energy bands in the overall spectrum. By fitting with unprecedented accuracy to 42 simultaneous multiwavelength blazar spectra we are able to constrain the location of the brightest synchrotron emitting region, and show that there must be a linear relation between the jet power and the radius of the brightest region of the jet. We also find a correlation between the length of the accelerating region and the maximum bulk Lorentz factor of the jet and find evidence for a bimodal distribution of accretion rates in the blazar population. This allows us to put constraints on the basic dynamical and structural properties of blazar jets and to understand the underlying physical differences which result in the blazar sequence.
AN EXACT PERTURBATIVE FORMULATION OF THE DIELECTRIC INTEGRAL EQUATIONS FOR LOSSY INTERFACES — Abstract

In modeling scattering from lossy surfaces, the surface is often approximated as a perfect electric conductor (PEC). However, when loss and wave penetration become important, the IBC model is typically employed and is adequate for many numerical simulations. However, the IBC's range of validity is considered unclear and an accurate quantification of its error is difficult. Consequently, other more exact implementations are necessary, such as integral equation methods. In this paper, a novel numerical implementation of the exact dielectric integral equations has been developed for scattering from a two-dimensional (2D), lossy dielectric interface. The formulation presented herein combines the coupled integral equations to form a single equation. This equation is easily interpreted as the magnetic field integral equation (MFIE) for a 2D, PEC surface with a perturbative term related to the finite conductivity of the surface. The advantage of this perturbation approach is that for ocean and other high loss surfaces, the solution is expected to be rapidly convergent with respect to other approaches and will reproduce the correct result even for surfaces with small curvature radii. Test cases demonstrate increased convergence with increased loss and increased contrast for perpendicular polarization. However with parallel polarization, convergence problems are uncovered and are associated with the Brewster angle effect.
In vitro effects of fungicides on conidium germination of Spilocaea oleagina , the cause of olive leaf spot

Twenty fungicides were tested in vitro for their effects on the germination of conidia of Spilocaea oleagina, the fungus that causes olive leaf spot. Conidia used in this evaluation were obtained from naturally infected olive leaves in Canterbury. Of the fungicides tested, kresoxim-methyl and captan were the most effective in preventing conidium germination at low concentrations, with EC50 values of 0.002 and 0.003 +g/ml, respectively. The newer fungicides, boscalid and boscalid/pyraclostrobin, were also effective (EC50=0.031 and 0.006 + g/ml, respectively). Of the benzimidazole fungicides tested, carbendazim was effective (EC50=0.005+g/ml), but thiophanate-methyl was not (EC50=2.6+g/ ml). None of the demethylation inhibitor fungicides tested were very effective (EC50 values > 1 +g/ml), except fl usilazol (EC50=0.075+g/ml). Two copper-containing fungicides, copper hydroxide and copper sulphate, were ineffective for preventing conidium germination (EC50=3.0 and 44.3+g/ml, respectively). This study has identifi ed candidate fungicides for further evaluation as tools for management of olive leaf spot.
Entrepreneurial Intent among Students in Scandinavia and in the USA

An application of the theory of planned behaviour is developed here to analyse factors influencing entrepreneurial intent among university students. The study provides a test of the robustness of the intent approach using international comparisons. The samples are from Finland (Helsinki University of Technology), Sweden (Linkoping University), USA (Stanford University and University of Colorado, Colorado Springs), and the UK (London Business School). The international comparisons indicate a good robustness of the model. Perceived behavioural control emerges as the most important determinant of entrepreneurial intent.
Analysing correlation between the MSE index and global stock markets

The paper investigates the time-varying correlation between the Malta Stock Exchange (MSE) index, and five major international stock markets. An MGARCH-DCC approach is employed to measure the degree to which the MSE moves with other stock markets. Daily returns on these six stock exchange indices were computed and used to calculate dynamic conditional correlations (DCCs) between the markets. The results indicate that the local stock market appears not to be driven by the same forces that shape foreign stock markets, implying that local dynamics shape returns on the Exchange, rather than foreign events.
SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE CHANGES IN A PILOT PLANT FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BIOGAS FROM POULTRY LITTER Efectos a corto plazo de los cambios de temperatura en una planta piloto de producción de biogas a partir de pollinaza

The optimal temperature for anaerobic thermophilic digestion varies from 55 to 65 C, and in com- mercial applications it ranges from 50 to 55 C. The present study took place in a 40 m 3 pilot plant, to determine the eect of temperature on methane production, using poultry litter as substrate. The chemical composition of the substrate, the euent and the biogas were monitored throughout the experiments. The Arrhenius model indicates a strong correlation between the temperature and the specific methanogenic activity (SMA) in the range of 52.2 to 56.7 C. The activation energy was 146.1 kJ mol 1 . No significant dierences were observed in the SMA when operations took place in the range of 56.7 to 60 C.