Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Line shapes of the magnesium resonance lines in cool DZ white dwarf atmospheres

Context. Line shapes of the magnesium resonance lines in white dwarf spectra are determined by the properties of magnesium atoms and the structure of the white dwarf atmosphere. Through their blanketing effect, these lines have a dominant influence on the model structure and thus on the determination from the spectra of other physical parameters that describe the stellar atmosphere and elemental abundances. Aims. In continuation of previous work on Mg+He lines in the UV, we present theoretical profiles of the resonance line of neutral Mg perturbed by He at the extreme density conditions found in the cool largely transparent atmosphere of DZ white dwarfs. Methods. We accurately determined the broadening of Mg by He in a unified theory of collisional line profiles using ab initio calculations of MgHe potential energies and transition matrix elements among the singlet electronic states that are involved for the observable spectral lines. Results. We computed the shapes and line parameters of the Mg lines and studied their dependence on helium densities and temperatures. We present results over the full range of temperatures from 4000 to 12 000 K needed for input to stellar spectra models. Atmosphere models were constructed for a range of effective temperatures and surface gravities typical for cool DZ white dwarfs. We present synthetic spectra tracing the behavior of the Mg resonance line profiles under the low temperatures and high gas pressures prevalent in these atmospheres. Conclusions. The determination of accurate opacity data of magnesium resonance lines together with an improved atmosphere model code lead to a good fit of cool DZ white dwarf stars. The broadening of spectral lines by helium needs to be understood to accurately determine the H/He and Mg/He abundance ratio in DZ white dwarf atmospheres. We emphasize that no free potential parameters or ad hoc adjustments were used to calculate the line profiles.
No Lessons Learned: A Critique of the Queensland Local Government Reform Commission Final Report

On 17 April 2007 the Queensland government established a Reform Commission to consider the compulsory amalgamation of local councils. On 27 July 2007 the Commission recommended a program of compulsory amalgamation that would reduce the number of local councils from 157 to 73. These recommendations were passed into law amidst great acrimony in the early hours of 10 August. This paper provides a critical evaluation of the arguments for amalgamation presented by the Commission in the light of the scholarly literature on local government mergers.
The Declining Price Anomaly in Dutch Dutch Rose Auctions

In symmetric, independent, private-value auctions of a single object, with risk-neutral bidders, the English (second-price) auction has strategic simplicity. It is optimal for bidders to reveal their valuation of the object and make bids accordingly. In that case, the auction is won by the person with the highest valuation who pays a price equal to the second-highest valuation. In a Dutch (first-price) auction, this simplicity vanishes. Here, winning bidders have to pay their bid. To make a profit, they shade their bids and bid below their valuation of the object. Somewhat loosely, one may state that an English auction is truth-revealing whereas a Dutch auction requires strategic behavior. The simple structure of the one-unit English auction vanishes if two identical objects are auctioned sequentially. Now, in the first round, it is optimal for bidders to shade their bids to account for the option value of participating in the subsequent second round (Robert J. Weber, 1983). Bidders with a higher valuation also have a higher option value. Therefore, they shade their bids in the first round by a greater amount than do bidders with a lower valuation. As the auction proceeds, the number of bidders decreases. Over the sequence of auctions, the number of objects decreases as well. The first fact has a negative effect on the competition for an object and the second has a positive effect. Both effects cancel out and prices follow a martingale. As a result, all gains to waiting are arbitraged away and the expected prices in both rounds are the same. The latter result also holds for sequential auctions of more than two objects and does not depend on whether the auction is English or Dutch. This neat theoretical result is not supported by empirical research, which usually finds price declines. Orley Ashenfelter (1989) found a mild price decrease in sequential auctions of identical units of wine. McAfee and Daniel Vincent (1993) also present empirical evidence on sequential wine auctions. They found that, on average, the second unit of wine was sold at a price 1.4 percent lower than the price of the first unit. Victor Ginsburgh (1998) uses data from wine auctions in which the auctioneer acted as an agent for bidders who were not present at the auction. He found price declines but, apparently, the absent bidders entered bids that did not fit with the theory. Empirical studies by Ashenfelter and David Genesove (1992) (see also Jean-Jacques Laffont, 1997) and Alan Beggs and Kathryn Graddy (1997) concern heterogeneous objects. They also detected price declines. Because of the contradiction between theory and empirical studies, the declining price phenomenon is regarded to be an anomaly.
Resource Use Efficiency of Groundnut Production in Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State,Nigeria

The study was conducted to measure the resource use efficiency in groundnut production in Ringim Local Government Area, Jigawa State. A stratified sampling technique was employed to select 58 respondents. The tool for collection of primary data was structured questionnaires. The data collected were analysed using production function and efficiency model. The linear production function analysis showed that the coefficient of multiple determinantion-R 2 of the production was 76.5% while the F-value was 27.6. The analysis revealed that among the variables, seed, hired labour and pesticide use in the groundnut production were significant (p<0.1) while fertilizer, family labour and farm size were not significant. The returns to scale was 1.77. For resource use efficiency, seeds, family labour and hired labour were under-utilized, while fertilizers and pesticides were over-utilized. It is concluded that in-spite of their small farm size, there is still opportunity to increase their production to attain optimal economic efficiency. The study recommends that farmers should be encouraged to use more variable inputs to get more profit and youth should be encouraged to participate in groundnut production. Keywords : Groundnut Production, Production Function,- Regression Model and Resource Use Efficiency.
Bacteriological Quality of Street Vended Smoked Blue Whiting (Micromesistus poutasou)

Smoked blue whiting (Micromesistus poutasou) popularly known as panla was studied to determine its bacteriological quality and safety. Panla as it is popularly called is vended by women and is widely consumed in Baruwa- Ipaja, Lagos State and other such low income densely populated areas in Nigeria. The proximate composition of M. poutasou revealed 34.62% protein, 2.32% ash, 60.46% moisture and 2.6% lipid, which shows that the fish is nutritionally high in protein with low–oil content. The bacteriological study was carried out on three sites of sale in Baruwa, on some fish samples, unwashed; washed with cold water; washed with hot water and washed with salt in cold water, respectively. The microbial analysis revealed total plate count from 1.9 x 10 4 to 7.8 x 10 5 Cfu/g from unwashed fish samples ,2.4 x 10 3 to 2.06 x 10 6 Cfu/g from fish washed with cold water, no organism detected from fish washed with hot water and 1.7 x 10 5 to 2.9 x 10 6 Cfu/g from fish washed with salt in cold water, while Vibrio spp. was not detected. Staphylococcus aureus were detected in site A and B respectively, Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli were detected in site B. Observation of smoked M. poutasou (panla) showed that the sanitary levels of site A and B were low. Therefore smoking of blue whiting in Baruwa- Ipaja requires more attention from health authorities, educational programs for vendors and improvement of preparation and handling environments.
Rethinking the polar cap: Eccentric dipole structuring of ULF power at the highest corrected geomagnetic latitudes

The day‐to‐day evolution and statistical features of Pc3‐Pc7 band ultralow frequency (ULF) power throughout the southern polar cap suggest that the corrected geomagnetic (CGM) coordinates do not adequately organize the observed hydromagnetic spatial structure. It is shown that that the local‐time distribution of ULF power at sites along CGM latitudinal parallels exhibit fundamental differences and that the CGM latitude of a site in general is not indicative of the site's projection into the magnetosphere. Thus, ULF characteristics observed at a single site in the polar cap cannot be freely generalized to other sites of similar CGM latitude but separated in magnetic local time, and the inadequacy of CGM coordinates in the polar cap has implications for conjugacy/mapping studies in general. In seeking alternative, observationally motivated systems of “polar cap latitudes,” it is found that eccentric dipole (ED) coordinates have several strengths in organizing the hydromagnetic spatial structure in the polar cap region. ED latitudes appear to better classify the local‐time ULF power in both magnitude and morphology and better differentiate the “deep polar cap” (where the ULF power is largely UT dependent and nearly free of local‐time structure) from the “peripheral polar cap” (where near‐magnetic noon pulsations dominate at lower and lower frequencies as one increases in ED latitude). Eccentric local time is shown to better align the local‐time profiles in the magnetic east component over several PcX bands but worsen in the magnetic north component. It is suggested that a hybrid ED‐CGM coordinate system might capture the strengths of both CGM and ED coordinates. It is shown that the local‐time morphology of median ULF power at high‐latitude sites is dominantly driven by where they project into the magnetosphere, which is best quantified by their proximity to the low‐altitude cusp on the dayside (which is not necessarily quantified by a site's CGM latitude), and that variations in the local‐time morphology at sites similar in ED latitude are due to both geographic local‐time control (relative amplification or dampening by the diurnal variation in the local ionospheric conductivity) and geomagnetic coastal effects (enhanced power in a coastally mediated direction). Regardless of cause, it is emphasized that the application of CGM latitudes in the polar cap region is not entirely meaningful and likely should be dispensed with in favor of a scheme that is in better accord with the observed hydromagnetic spatial structure.
THE RELATION BETWEEN ORIENTING TO EYE GAZE AND SOCIAL GAZE FOLLOWING IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Previous research indicates that adolescents with autism, unlike their typically developing peers, do not automatically orient their attention in response to directional gaze cues. The present study investigated relations between orienting responses to gaze direction on a computer-based attention task and performance on tasks that required the ability to understand or act on the social meaning of directional gaze in a lab setting. Results confirmed that children with high functioning autism (HFA) show less reflexive orienting in response to eye-gaze cues and also extend this finding to a younger sample (mean mental age = 131 months). Although individuals varied with regard to the degree to which they reflexively oriented to eye-gaze direction, for children with autism, volitional orienting to eyes was associated with delayed social gaze following. Findings suggest that computer based assessments of social attention may be useful indices of the real world social attention in children with autism.
Drought Stress-Induced Changes at Physiological and Biochemical Levels in Some Common Vetch (Vicia sativa L.) Genotypes

Common Vetch ( Vicia sativa L.) an annual forage, belonging to the Fabaceae family is one of the highly cultivated forage legumes in Iran. Drought stress is a serious adverse factor that limits plant growth and productivity, inducing a range of physiological as well as biochemical responses in plants. It may also lead to generation of oxygen activated species which in turn result in cell destruction. In this study, physiological and biochemical responses of six common vetch genotypes to two levels of drought stress (30 and 10% left of FC) were investigated at their early growth stages. Results indicate that drought stress significantly affects the Relative Water Content (RWC), Electro Leakage (EL), photosynthetic pigments, and total carotenoids. The obtained results indicated drought induced changes in the activities of such antioxidant enzymes as Catalase, Glutathione Peroxidase and Ascorbate Peroxidase. There was also found a reverse relationship between Catalase and Ascorbate Peroxidase activities in the studied genotypes. Obtained results clearly show that there are highly genotype-dependent responses to drought stress at biochemical level in common vetch genotypes, with each genotype responding to stress in a genotype-specific manner. These results may be helpful in breeding programs related to drought stress resistance.
Tide at the eastern section of the Strait of Gibraltar

From October 1995 to April 1996, three mooring lines were deployed at the eastern entrance of the Strait of Gibraltar. The spatial coverage of the mooring array allows for a good description of the tides. They exhibit a dominant semidiurnal nature and a noticeable baroclinic structure that matches the one of the mean exchange. Tidal currents in the upper layer are irregular and usually too weak to reverse the mean upper layer flow that keeps on flowing east. Lower layer flow reverses with semidiurnal periodicity because of the smallness of the mean flow and the appreciable amplitude of the regular semidiurnal oscillation of tidal currents in this layer. Tidal transports can be satisfactorily compared with previous estimates of Bryden et al. [1994] if we allow for strong internal divergences associated with the internal tide. No significant eddy flux of water transport (tidal rectification) is observed at the eastern section, contrary to the almost 50% of the total layer transport found by Bryden et al. [1994] in Camarinal Sill section. Time-dependent hydraulic theory provides a good scenario for interpreting these two independent sets of observations despite the fact that the composite Froude number does not reach the critical values predicted in the hydraulic models most of the time.
Impacts of increased winter snow cover on upland tundra vegetation: a case example

The erection of a snow fence on upland tundra caused a significant change of the vegetation over 11 yr. Compared to nearby exposed tundra, the presence of the snow fence resulted in a warmer soil in winter and a moister and cooler soil in summer. Moisture-intolerant species such as Cetraria nivalis and C. cuculata disappeared completely or decreased in frequency, whereas the more moisture-tolerant species such as Vaccinium uliginosum and Arctostaphylos alpina increased in frequency or established at the site. In terms of climate, any change that promotes a greater winter snowfall, which is the case for warming scenarios in general circulation models, would initiate a relatively rapid change in species composition on upland tundra, particularly if accompanied by increased summer rainfall.
Latitudinal variations of middle thermosphere: Observations and modeling

[1] Ching and Carter (1974) reported an equatorial bugle of midnight mass density at about 230 km on the basis of ion gauge measurements in April 1972. However, since then few succeeding studies of the variation of equatorial mass density in this region have been pursued. In this report, observations from the Satellite Electrostatic Triaxial Accelerometer (SETA) satellite during 1 September 1983 to 31 October 1983 are used to examine the variations of the equatorial density at around 210 km for the daytime (1030 LT) and nighttime (2230 LT) sectors. It is found that mass densities show an equatorial trough around the geographic equator and two crests aside the trough during both daytime and nighttime. The thermosphere-ionosphere-mesosphere-electrodynamics general circulation model (TIMEGCM) reproduces the features seen in the SETA data. Our simulation reveals that the observed double-hump structures in both daytime and nighttime sectors are mainly associated with the tides excited locally in the lower and middle thermosphere region, although they are modulated by the tides originating from the lower atmosphere.
Quality investing : design of a quality definition from a practitioners' perspective

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Type I interferon signaling facilitates the development of IL-10-producing effector CD8+ T cells during influenza virus infection

Recent evidence has suggested that IL-10-producing effector CD8+ T cells play an important role in regulating excessive inflammation during acute viral infections. However, the cellular and molecular cues regulating the development of IL-10-producing effector CD8+ T cells are not completely defined. Here we show that type I interferons (IFNs) are required for the development of IL-10-producing effector CD8+ T cells during influenza virus infection. We find that type I IFNs can enhance IL-27 production by lung antigen presenting cells, thereby facilitating IL-10producing CD8+ T cell development through a CD8+ T cell non-autonomous way. Surprisingly, we also demonstrate that direct type I IFN signaling in CD8+ T cells is required for the maximal generation of IL-10-producing CD8+ T cells. Type I IFN signaling in CD8+ T cells, in cooperation with IL-27 and IL-2 signaling, promotes and sustains the expression of IRF4 and Blimp-1, two transcription factors required for the production of IL-10 by effector CD8+ T cells. Our data have revealed a critical role of the innate antiviral effector cytokines in regulating the production of a regulatory cytokine by effector CD8+ T cells during respiratory virus infection. The potential implications of these findings for influenza virus infection are also discussed.
Use of veno-venous extracorporeal life support in a patient with cytomegalovirus and Pneumocystis jiroveci related respiratory failure due to thymoma associated immunodeficiency: a case report.

Although the use of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) treatment is increasing rapidly, its use in immunocompromised patients is still under debate as infections are a main predictor of poor outcome during ECLS therapy. Predicting the prognosis for a specific type of immunocompromised patient is challenging and is depending on the underlying disease and the amount of accumulated organ damage that has occurred.
Seasonal variation in viral-induced mortality of bacterioplankton in the water column of a large mesotrophic lake (Lake Biwa, Japan)

Viruses are ubiquitous and abundant in aquatic systems, yet knowledge of virus-bacteria interactions in thermally stratified water columns of large lakes is limited. We explored the possible factors that affect viral abundance, infection rate, and the relative importance of viral lysis to heterotrophic nanoflagellate (HNF) grazing as a mortality factor of bacterioplankton in the upper (euphotic zone, 5 m) and deeper (aphotic zone, 50 m) layers of the large mesotrophic Lake Biwa,Japan. Data obtained for a full seasonal cycle indicated that bacterial abundance was the best predictor (r2 = 0.85) of viral abundance (range 1.0 × 1010 to 4.1 × 1010 viruses l-1), yielding an average virus:bacteria ratio of 8.2 ± 1.3 (SD). Variation in the frequency of visibly infected cells (range 1.8 to 4.1%) was largely accounted for by the linear combination of bacterial production and HNF abundance (r2 = 0.81, p < 0.001, n = 24). The percentage of daily bacterial production destroyed by viruses was estimated to be high (52.7 ± 16.2%) in the upper layer during the stratification period, which was on average 3.0-fold greater than the percentage of bacterial production consumed by HNF in that layer. In contrast, the corresponding value in the deeper layer was moderate (13.6 ± 5.2%), being 0.6- fold lower than the percentage of bacterial production consumed by HNF. Our data suggest that carbon and nutrient flux patterns controlled by viruses and HNF vary with depth in thermally stratified water columns of Lake Biwa.
The Analysis of the Forest Fires in Turkey with Statistical Quality Control Method

Fire is one of the most serious hazards for forests on earth. Despite each kind of technological development and equipment, fire activity has an increasing trend because of especially climate change and socio-economic reasons. Although fire extinguishing organizations, today, try to suppress this increasing risk with a maximum effort, the big fires in some places cause the enormous areas to get burned. The fires as big as natural disasters cannot be extinguished most of the time in spite of any efforts or methods when the extreme fire weather conditions come together with inflammable matters and ignition sources. In this study, the number and area of forest fires in Turkey were investigated through statistical quality control method. Despite the decreasing trend of forest fires in terms of area size, the possibility of large fires always exists in the whole Mediterranean Region due to the socio-economic conditions such as increasing human population, migration and any changes that could affect fire activity in climate conditions. As a result of the study, it is seen that there is an overall increase in the number of fires while the burned area decreases. Out-of-control behaviors in control graphs are not in a continuous trend but sometimes exceed the control limits. This condition is seen to be positive as a trend but also points to the possibility of unexpected annual burned area and the number of fires.