Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stress corrosion and acoustic emission during tensile crack propagation in Whin Sill dolerite and other basic rocks

Double torsion tests in ambient air and liquid water have been used to establish critical stress intensity factors (KIc) and stress intensity factor (KI)‐crack velocity (v) diagrams for propagation of single tensile cracks in Whin Sill dolerite and Ralston Intrusive. KIcfor Whin Sill dolerite was 3.28 MN m‐3/2and for Ralston Intrusive was 2.58 MN m=3/2. No stress corrosion limit was encountered. Acoustic response was monitored during experiments on Whin Sill dolerite which spanned a velocity range from 5 × 10‐4to 5 × 10‐9m s‐1. The rate of acoustic emission was an indirect measure of crack velocity. The slopes of KI‐v diagrams and KI‐acoustic emission rate diagrams had similar slopes of c. 30 in double logarithmic coordinate frames. Slopes of the KI‐v curves for Ralston Intrusive fell from 43.4 in air to 23.3 in water, during tests which spanned a crack velocity range from 5 × 10‐4to 10‐8m s‐1. The activation enthalpy for dolerite between 20° and 75°C was determined by two complementary methods to be 30.4 × 1.9 and 33‐46 kJ mol‐1. Amplitude distributions of acoustic emission events depend strongly on KIand the ‘humidity’ at the crack tip. As KIcis approached, b‐values for dolerite in air decrease from 1.8 to 1.25, and for dolerite in water a decrease occurs in b‐value from 3.5 to 1.25. At KIgreater than 0.8 KIcthe b‐values for tests in water and in air are virtually identical. A discussion is given of these results in terms of their implications for earthquake mechanics. Copyright © 1983, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved
Seasonal Patterns of Ecological Indices For Keystone Animals Groups In Three Types of Iraqi Marshes During 2005 -2007

Seasonal ecological indices were calculated for th ree keystone biological groups (macroinvertebrates, fishes and aquatic birds) duri ng the period 2005-2007 in three types of restored southern Iraqi marshes freshwater non-tidal (Huwaiz a), oligosaline non-tidal (West Hammar) and mesosaline tidal (East Hammar). It seem that each marsh have its own timing for increase or decrease o f diversity, richness and evenness. In general high m odes for ecological indices appeared in summer and spring for macroinvertebrates and fishes lower ones in autumn and winter respectively, aquatic birds h ave high score in winter‐spring period and low one in s ummer. Differences did existed in styles and timing of highest and lowest values in three types of marshes due to different prevailing ecological situation. Summer was the time for higher score for ecological indice s for macroinvertebrates and fishes, winter recorde d the lowest values. Aquatic birds have different mode. N on-tidal freshwater marsh was similar to non-tidal oligosaline marsh especially in timing of high mode of ecological indices. Tidal mesosaline marsh part ly similar to non-tidal oligosaline and wildly differe nt to that non-tidal freshwater marsh. The ecologic al indices of aquatic birds improved gradually to reac h integrated status. The improvement of hydrologica l situation of the restored marshes led to improve of ecological indices especially those of aquatic bir ds.
The Breakthrough Listen Search for Intelligent Life: A Wideband Data Recorder System for the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope

The Breakthrough Listen Initiative is undertaking a comprehensive search for radio and optical signatures from extraterrestrial civilizations. An integral component of the project is the design and implementation of wide-bandwidth data recorder and signal processing systems. The capabilities of these systems, particularly at radio frequencies, directly determine survey speed; further, given a fixed observing time and spectral coverage, they determine sensitivity as well. Here, we detail the Breakthrough Listen wide-bandwidth data recording system deployed at the 100 m aperture Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope. The system digitizes up to 6 GHz of bandwidth at 8 bits for both polarizations, storing the resultant 24 GB s−1 of data to disk. This system is among the highest data rate baseband recording systems in use in radio astronomy. A future system expansion will double recording capacity, to achieve a total Nyquist bandwidth of 12 GHz in two polarizations. In this paper, we present details of the system architecture, along with salient configuration and disk-write optimizations used to achieve high-throughput data capture on commodity compute servers and consumer-class hard disk drives.
Predictors of the groupwork experience: generic skill development, peer appraisals, and country of residence

Humphrey et al. (1997) argued that a range of generic skills are important in enhancing the experience of groupwork for students. These skills include problem solving skills, leadership skills, research skills, study skills, and communication skills. However, little is known about the extent to which the development of such skills impact on the students’ experience of groupwork. Students are also rarely given opportunities to develop their performance management skills in group assignments, despite often being expected to evaluate the performance of their peers. Those doing the appraisal may not learn how to provide feedback and justify their evaluations. It also means that those being appraised do not receive feedback regarding their strengths and where improvements are needed. As a consequence, students tend to report negative experiences of groupwork when they have to assess and be assessed by their peers. The current study aims to examine the effects of generic skill development and peer evaluation on the students’ evaluation of their group experience, following their participation on a group assignment.
Repeat Purchase Intentions in Online Shopping: The Role of Satisfaction, Attitude, and Online Retailers' Performance

ABSTRACT A model of determinants of repeat purchase intentions of consumers who have previously bought online is developed and empirically tested. Data for the model test comes from responses to a structured self-administered survey provided by a sample of 436 consumers in Saudi Arabia. The results confirm hypothesized positive effects of overall satisfaction with previous online purchases and attitude toward online purchasing on repeat purchase intentions. In turn, attitude is positively determined by overall satisfaction and negatively by experience with online purchase problems, while overall satisfaction is determined positively by satisfaction with the following online retailers' performance dimensions: product prices, product quality, customer service, required payment methods, perceived payment security, and delivery time. Contrary to expectations, delivery cost is not significantly related to overall satisfaction. Neither does experience with online purchase problems. Theoretical and marketing strategy implications of the findings are outlined and discussed.
COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF ANTHELMINTIC ACTIVITY OF TWO PLANTS FROM THE FAMILY EUPHORBIACEAE

The anthelmintic activities of aqueous, methanolic and acetone extract of Acalypha indica L. and Euphorbia hirta L. belong to the family Euphorbiaceae were evaluated separately on Indian adult earthworm Pheretima posthuma (Annelida). Extracts were prepared using soxhlet extraction and crude extract preparation methods with various concentrations (10, 25 and 50 mg/ml). Each extracts were tested in the bioassay, which involved determination of time of paralysis and time of the death of the worms. All extract were able to show anthelmintic activity at all concentration. The activities are well comparable with standard drug albendazole and piperazine citrate as positive control, distilled water (for aqueous extract) was used as negative control did not show any anthelmintic activity. The methanolic extract of both plant exhibited dose dependent anthelmintic activity showing maximum efficacy at 50 mg/ml concentrations. Methanolic and acetone extracts exhibit significant anthelmintic activity in present study. Methanolic extract of Acalypha indica L. have profound anthelmintic activity
An empirical analysis of small country import demand function: a case of Guyana

The paper examines the relationship between import demand and a set of foreign exchange supply channel (FESC) variables using annual time series data for Guyana over the period of forty years. Using single equations and vector autoregression (VAR) frameworks coefficients are estimated to establish both, the short- and long-run relationships between import demand, gross national income, and channel variables. The channel variables are defined as a conve-nient set of explanatory external-linkage variables, inclusive of official foreign aid (ODA), exports/import (XCM), exchange rate (XR), and foreign exchange reserves (FER). The findings contain a long-run relationship between import demand and the channel variables in all methodologies used. Thus the modeling of import demand using the FESC variables is supported. The implications for policy are that fiscal and monetary discipline must maintain efficient exchange rate and promote exports so that favorable foreign exchange reserves are present.
Varroa destructor removal efficiency using beevital hive clean preparation

The efficacy of the removal of Varroa destructor mites with the use of the ecological preparation Beevital Hive Clean (Austria) was determined in 10 colonies after triple application every seven days from Septpember to October in 2008. Mite fall in each colony was monitored for 3 weeks in consecutive day-periods after preparation application. Number of bees per colony as well as number of mites per 100 bees were estimated in November. Based on the number of mites which remained in the colonies for wintering, the efficacy of Beevital Hive Clean was calculated to be on the average of 91.6% (from 85.3 to 100.0% in single colonies).
The Effects of Team Flow on Performance: A Video Game Experiment

Research on effective team work has traditionally explained team performance as a result of team cohesion and goal commitment. Team cohesion was originally defined as the general level of attraction the team members had to all others in their group. This social relations-based concept of team cohesion is generally a strong indicator of team performance. However, more recent research has stressed the importance of incorporating the team members’ mutual level of commitment to the team task as another sub-dimension of cohesion. When including task commitment, team cohesion is a somewhat weaker predictor of team performance (Beal et al., 2003). To better conceptualize the role of the task engagement and to explain team performance, we incorporate a variable more relevant to the characteristics of a team task: team flow. The concept of “flow” has been well researched and theorized at the individual level. However, in an experiment based on collaborative video gaming, we demonstrate that not only can flow be extended to the team level to better explain performance, but that teams can quickly generate a psychological flow state from low cost treatments like collaborative video gaming which can also be effectively transferred into subsequent work tasks.
Street-level practice and the co-production of third sector-led employability services

Policymakers have promised a personalised approach to improving the employability of disadvantaged groups. The evidence suggests that contracted-out activation programmes in the UK and some other welfare states have instead sometimes delivered a standardised ‘work-first’ model. An alternative approach is exemplified in local employability services targeting lone parents in Scotland, led by third sector–public sector partnerships. Our research on these services suggests a link between programme governance (defined by flexible funding and collaborative partnership working) and effective street-level practice (where caseworkers and users co-produce services to empower parents). The article concludes by identifying lessons for the coproduction of future employability services.
Emerging Associations of the ALDH2*2 Polymorphism with Disease Susceptibility

Ethanol is metabolized by Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH) to acetaldehyde and then irreversibly oxidized by Aldehyde Dehydrogenase (ALDH) to nontoxic acetate. In individuals expressing the ALDH2*2 variant enzyme, the rate of conversion from acetaldehyde to acetate is reduced and leads to flushing, nausea, and tachycardia due to increased blood levels of acetaldehyde. The ALDH2*2 variant has a lowered NAD+ coenzyme binding affinity, which results in a lowered clearance capacity toward acetaldehyde. This polymorphism is caused by the substitution of glutamate for lysine at position 487 within the catalytic active site of ALDH2, resulting in effects on subunit and quaternary complex activity. ALDH2*2 alleles are dominant over ALDH2*1 and therefore are expected to contribute to the formation of inactive heterotetramers decreased enzymatic activity in both homozygous and heterozygous individuals. Consequently, a higher susceptibility to various diseases such as Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, and acute coronary syndrome has been associated with ALDH2*2 carriers. Additionally, the polymorphism seems to affect the efficacy of Glyceryl Trinitrate (GTN), a drug intended to treat coronary heart disease, in carriers of ALDH2*2 alleles. However, the polymorphism is believed to afford a protective effect against alcoholism as the side effects of acetaldehyde build-up are undesirable. Disulfiram, a drug historically used to treat alcohol dependency, induces the same undesirable physiological effects as the variant enzyme in non-carriers by inhibiting the normal functioning of ALDH2 enzyme.
Bank lending and monetary policy: the effects of structural shift in interest rates

This paper provides evidence to show that the interest rate regime adopted by the monetary authority plays an important role in determining the effectiveness of the transmission mechanism of monetary policy via bank lending channel using Malaysian data. As part of the strategy to deal with the recent financial crisis, the Malaysian government introduced capital control measures which subsequently led to a structural shift in interest rates. Before the shift, interest rates were relatively high. The contractionary monetary policy achieved desirable results through the bank lending channel. However, responses of bank lending to interest rate changes were limited after the structural shift which characterises a period of low interest rate regime, rendering the bank lending channel ineffective.
Reliability Results of NERSC Systems

In order to address the needs of future scientific applications for storing and accessing large amounts of data in an efficient way, one needs to understand the limitations of current technologies and how they may cause systeminstability or unavailability. A number of factors can impact system availability ranging from facility-wide power outage to a single point of failure such as network switches or global file systems. In addition, individual component failure in a system can degrade the performance of that system. This paper focuses on analyzing both of these factors and their impacts on the computational and storage systems at NERSC. Component failure data presented in this report primarily focuses on disk drive in on of the computational system and tape drive failure in HPSS. NERSC collected available component failure data and system-wide outages for its computational and storage systems over a six-year period and made them available to the HPC community through the Petascale Data Storage Institute.
Generalized quark–antiquark potentials from a q-deformed AdS5 × S5 background

We study minimal surfaces with a single cusp in a $q$-deformed AdS$_5\times$S$^5$ background. The cusp is composed of two half-lines with an arbitrary angle and is realized on a surface specified in the deformed AdS$_5$. The classical string solutions attached to this cusp are regarded as a generalization of configurations studied by Drukker and Forini in the undeformed case. By taking an antiparallel-lines limit, a quark-antiquark potential for the $q$-deformed case is derived with a certain subtraction scheme. The resulting potential becomes linear at short distances with a finite deformation parameter. In particular, the linear behavior for the gravity dual of noncommutative gauge theories can be reproduced as a special scaling limit. Finally we study the near straight-line limit of the potential.
K/T Boundary Deposits in the Paleo-western Caribbean Basin

A thick, calcareous, clastic megabed of late Maastrichtian age has been known for sometime in western and central Cuba. This megabed was formed in association with the bolide impact at Chicxulub, Yucatn, at the K/T boundary, and is composed of a lower gravity-flow unit and an upper homogenite unit. The lower gravity-flow unit is dominantly composed of calcirudite that was formed because of collapses of the Yucatn, Cuban, and Bahamian platform margins and subsequent accumulation in the lower slope to basin margin environment. The gravity flow probably was triggered by a seismic wave induced by the impact, although a ballistic flow may have triggered collapse in the case of proximal sites (Yucatn margin). The upper homogenite unit is composed of massive and normally graded calcarenite to calcilutite that was formed as a result of large tsunamis associated with the impact and deposited in wider areas in the deeper part of Paleo-western Caribbean basin. Slight grain-size oscillations in this unit probably reflect the influence of repeated tsunamis. The large tsunamis were generated either by the movement of water into and out of the crater cavity or by the large-scale slope failure on the eastern margin of the Yucatn platform. In upper slope to shelf environments, gravity-flow deposits and homogenite are absent, and a thin sandstone complex influenced by repeating tsunami waves was deposited.
Evaluation of Groundwater Quality in the Vicinity of Khurrianwala Industrial Zone, Pakistan

The industrial augmentation and unguided anthropogenic activities contaminate water sources in most parts of the world especially in developing countries like Pakistan. High concentration of pollutants in groundwater affects human, soil, and crop health badly. The present study was conducted to investigate groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation purposes in an industrial zone of Pakistan. A GIS tool was used to investigate the spatial distribution of different physico-chemical parameters. In this study, the average results exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) and National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) were found for pH 7.84, total dissolved solids (TDS) 1492 mg/L, phosphate 0.51 mg/L, dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.92% saturation, F-coli 6.48 colonies/100 mL, Na+ 366 mg/L, HCO3− 771 mg/L, sulfate 251 mg/L, chlorides 427 mg/L, total hardness (as CaCO3) 292 mg/L, electrical conductivity (EC) 2408 μS/cm, iron (Fe) 0.48 mg/L, chrome (Cr) 0.50 mg/L, arsenic (As) 0.04 mg/L, total phosphorus (TP) 0.17 mg/L, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) 9.76 (in meq/L), residual sodium carbonate (RSC) 9.28 meq/L, % ion balance 14.4 (in meq/L), percentage sodium ion (% Na+) concentration 58.9 meq/L, and water quality index (WQI) 69.0. The trend of cations and anions were (in meq/L) Na > Mg > Ca > K and HCO3 > Cl > CO3 > SO4 respectively. Although the results of the present study showed poor conditions of the groundwater for drinking as WQI but and irrigation purposes as SAR, it needs to improve some more conditions for the provision of safe drinking water and irrigation water quality.
Influence of Pre and Post Harvest Chemical Treatments on Physical Characteristics of Sapota (Achras sapota L.) Var. PKM 1

An experiment was conducted at Horticultural College and Research Institute, Coimbatore during 2002-2004 to find out t he influence of p re and post ha rvest c hemical t reatments o n physical ch aracteristic 32 3 2 of PKM 1 sapota fruits. Treatments with g rowth regulator GA , chemicals like CaCl , Ca (NO ) and KCl were used both as pre harvest spray and pos t harvest dip. The study revealed that pre harvest spray of 33 50ppm GA with p ost harvest dipping of GA 50ppm along with 0 . 2% bavistin re corded the lowest physiological loss of weight, shrinkage percentage, increased shelf life and reduced spoilage. The pre harvest 32 spray of 50ppm GA with p ost harvest dipping of CaCl 1% along with 0 . 2% bavistin re corded highest firmness.
Chasing the peak: optimal statistics for weak shear analyses

Weak gravitational lensing analyses are fundamentally limited by the intrinsic, non-Gaussian distribution of galaxy shapes. We explore alternative statistics for samples of ellipticity measurements that are unbiased, efficient, and robust. We take the non-linear mapping of gravitational shear and the effect of noise into account. We then discuss how the distribution of individual galaxy shapes in the observed field of view can be modeled by fitting Fourier modes to the shear pattern directly. We simulated samples of galaxy ellipticities, using both theoretical distributions and real data for ellipticities and noise. We determined the possible bias $\Delta e$, the efficiency $\eta$ and the robustness of the least absolute deviations, the biweight, and the convex hull peeling estimators, compared to the canonical weighted mean. Using these statistics for regression, we have shown the applicability of direct Fourier mode fitting. These estimators can be unbiased in the absence of noise, and decrease noise bias by more than $\sim 30\%$. The convex hull peeling estimator distribution is centered around the underlying shear, and its bias least affected by noise. The least absolute deviations estimator to be the most efficient estimator in almost all cases, except in the Gaussian case, where it's still competitive ($0.83<\eta <5.1$) and therefore robust. These results hold when fitting Fourier modes, where amplitudes of variation in ellipticity are determined to the order of $10^{-3}$. The peak of the ellipticity distribution is a direct tracer of the underlying shear and unaffected by noise, and we have shown that estimators that are sensitive to a central cusp perform more efficiently, potentially reducing uncertainties by more than $50\%$ and significantly decreasing noise bias.
How to describe turbulent energy distributions without the Fourier transform

It has been noted that the scale-by-scale distribution of kinetic energy in a turbulent flow is more readily observed in spectral space, using E(k), than in real space, using the second-order structure function. For example, the 5/3rds law is usually easier to identify in experimental data than the equivalent 2/3rds law. We argue that this is not an implicit feature of a real-space description of turbulence. Rather, it is because the second-order structure function mixes small and large-scale information. In order to remedy this problem, Davidson[1] introduced a realspace function, V (r), which plays the role of an energy density function, somewhat analogous to E(k). In this paper we examine data taken in a variety of flows and determine the form of V (r) in intermediate Reynolds number turbulence. We find that dissipation-range phenomena, such as the bottleneck effect, and the energy injection range are clearly evident in the signature function, but are absent in the structure function. A Problem with the second-order Structure Function. There are two common methods of describing how kinetic energy is distributed amongst the hierarchy of eddy sizes in isotropic turbulence. These are the three-dimensional energy spectrum, E(k), and the second-order structure function, defined as, 〈 [δu(r)] 〉 = 〈 [ux (x+ rex)−ux (x)] 〉 . The utility of the energy spectrum rests, in part, on three useful properties of E(k):