Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of EU Expansion on Migrants’ Employment and Income: A Natural Experiment

With the European Union expansion in 2004 providing a unique form of natural experiment, this paper uses the European Values Study data and the difference-in-differences estimation to identify causal effects of the EU expansion on migrants’ employment chances and income. Estimation results suggest that the expansion has increased migrants’ employment chances and income. The probability of having a full-time employment for a male migrant in the postexpansion period increases by about 7.7 percentage points. The increase in income for male migrants is higher than that of their female counterparts after the expansion. When the income distribution is broken down into quantiles, estimation results show that male migrants at lower ends of the income distribution experience higher increase in income. At the highest end of the income distribution, there is no evidence that the expansion has any significant effect on either male or female migrants´ income.
Anti-inflammatory effect of Myrtus communis hydroalcoholic extract and essential oil on acetic acid–induced colitis in rats

Background: Colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease, many causes are involved in its pathogenesis and development. Myrtus communis (M. communis) contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant ingredients that are useful for the treatment of inflammatory disease. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of M. communis hydroalcoholic extract (MCHE) and essential oil (MCEO) on acetic acid–induced colitis model. Materials and Methods: MCHE (50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) and MCEO (62.5, 125, 250, and 500 µL/kg) were given orally to rats, 2h before induction of colitis and continued for further 4 days. Prednisolone (4 mg/kg) and mesalazine (100 mg/kg) were used as reference drugs. After 5 days, colitis markers and indices were investigated on isolated colons. Biochemical evaluation of inflamed colon was performed using assay of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. Results: Acetic acid caused significant inflammatory reactions as indicated by macroscopic and microscopic changes in control groups. Extracts with three doses and volatile oil with two lower doses were effective to reduce weight of distal colon (8cm) as a marker of inflammation and tissue edema. Similarly, MCHE (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) and MCEO (62.5 and 125 µL/kg) were statistically effective in dip of ulcer index, total colitis index, and MPO activity compared to control groups. Conclusion: The beneficial effect of M. communis was comparable with that of prednisolone and mesalazine; however, by its dose escalation, this activity tends to be diminished. This research showed the anti-inflammatory activity of MCHE and MCEO on experimentally induced acute colitis.
Identifying Price Bubble Periods in the Energy Sector

In this paper we test for the existence of single and multiple episodes of explosive behavior in three energy sector indices (crude oil, heating oil, and natural gas) and five energy sector spot prices (West Texas Intermediate (WTI), Brent, heating oil, natural gas, and jet fuel). The results from the Supremum Augmented Dickey-Fuller (SADF) and the Generalized SADF tests provide strong statistical evidence of explosive behavior in all of our energy series. A simple theoretical framework of commodity pricing allows us to understand the assumptions to interpret explosive behavior as bubbles. By constructing implied convenience yields using futures prices we test the key assumption and we are able to identify the beginning and the end of bubble periods for the WTI, Brent, heating oil, and natural gas spot prices.
The effect of heating and NaOH treatments on the nutritive value of nonlinted whole cottonseeds

The effect of treating nonlinted whole Pima cottonseeds (WCS) with heat, NaOH, or their combination on digestive tract digestibility in dairy cows, was studied using the mobile dacron bag technique. NaOH treatment increased ruminal D M disappearance from WCS. For D M there was an interaction, between heat treatment and incubation time. Interactions of NaOH x heat and heat x incubation time were found for ruminal CP disappearance. Heat treatment decreased ruminal CP disappearance. With WCS which was heat-treated in the presence of NaOH, ruminal CP disappearance decreased. NaOH and heat treatments of WCS, respectively, increased and decreased intestinal D M disappearance. These respective treatments also increased and decreased intestinal CP disappearance. NaOH and heat treatments of WCS, respectively, increased and decreased total tract D M and CP disappearance. It was concluded that a combination of NaOH and heat treatments may protect nonlinted WCS from excessive ruminal CP degradation and deliver more nutrients to the intestine.
Perceptions and preferences regarding sex and contraception, amongst adolescents

Introduction: Conceptually and by the outlook, the reproductive and sexual health needs of adolescents differ from those of adults. Adolescent girls are coerced into unwanted sex or marriage, putting them at risk of unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, and dangerous childbirth. A majority of young people do not have correct information on the use of contraceptives or the prevention of pregnancy and STIs, and youth-friendly reproductive health services are not readily available. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study conducted among school-going 500 adolescent girls in the field practice area of Urban Health Training Centre, Tripuri, of Government Medical College, Patiala (Punjab). A survey with semi-structured, self-administered, and pretested questionnaire was conducted to collect the information on demographic characteristics, and knowledge and perceptions about safe sex. Results: Only 39.71% of girls were aware that the legal age of marriage of girls in India is 18 years. About 22% of girls said that they would prefer to have pre-marital sex and majority, out of them, belonged to nuclear families. Around 38.4% of girls knew that condom is the safest contraceptive method but a preferred choice of contraceptive method among the girls for condoms (24.40%), oral pills (20.20%), and emergency pill (19.60%). Conclusion: Choice of the method with lower levels of knowledge regarding STIs and 22% preferring premarital sex may expose them to higher risks. Increasing trends of pre-marital sex with lower levels of awareness about contraception and STIs is very detrimental.
Role of Trace Metal Ions in Ascorbate-Mediated Reduction of S-Nitrosothiols

Gel-based detection of protein S-nitrosothiols has relied on the biotin-switch method. This method attempts to replace the nitroso group with a biotin label to allow detection and isolation of S-nitrosated proteins and has been used extensively in the literature. This chapter describes a modification of this method that differs from the original in two major ways. First, it uses a combination of copper ions and ascorbate to achieve selective reduction of the S-nitrosothiol. Second, it replaces the biotin label with fluorescent cyanine dyes in order to directly observe the modified proteins in-gel and perform comparative studies using difference gel electrophoresis analysis in two dimensions.
Emissions of NOx from Baltic Shipping and First Estimates of their Effects on Air Quality and Eutrophication of the Baltic Sea

2007-12-27 This report is a copyrighted contribution to the ShipNOEm project, funded by Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communication and the Finnish Maritime Administration, and to the Interreg IIIa projects ShipNODep. The projects are part of the ShipNODeff programme (www.shipnodeff.org). 1
Symbolic calculations - tool for fast analyzing poliharmonic models of squirrel - cage motors

This article focuses on the methods of: selecting the MMF space harmonics and deriving the so-called poliharmonic models of an induction machine by means of symbolical calculation. The rules for selecting the most important harmonics and the algorithm for fast deriving the poliharmonic models (using symbolical calculation) are presented.
The effect of seed size and some priming method on germination of Vicia sativa

The sudty was conducted to determine the effect of seed size and some priming methods on germination of common vetch. Seed was fractionated into two classes “small or large seed”. The seeds for each seed size were primed in different priming medium. Germination performance of large seed is higher than small seed. PEG solution is suitable for common vetch.
HELIOS: AN OPEN-SOURCE, GPU-ACCELERATED RADIATIVE TRANSFER CODE FOR SELF-CONSISTENT EXOPLANETARY ATMOSPHERES

We present the open-source radiative transfer code named HELIOS, which is constructed for studying exoplanetary atmospheres. In its initial version, the model atmospheres of HELIOS are one-dimensional and plane-parallel, and the equation of radiative transfer is solved in the two-stream approximation with nonisotropic scattering. A small set of the main infrared absorbers is employed, computed with the opacity calculator HELIOS-K and combined using a correlated-k approximation. The molecular abundances originate from validated analytical formulae for equilibrium chemistry. We compare HELIOS with the work of Miller-Ricci & Fortney using a model of GJ 1214b, and perform several tests, where we find: model atmospheres with single-temperature layers struggle to converge to radiative equilibrium; k-distribution tables constructed with cm−1 resolution in the opacity function ( points per wavenumber bin) may result in errors %–10% in the synthetic spectra; and a diffusivity factor of 2 approximates well the exact radiative transfer solution in the limit of pure absorption. We construct “null-hypothesis” models (chemical equilibrium, radiative equilibrium, and solar elemental abundances) for six hot Jupiters. We find that the dayside emission spectra of HD 189733b and WASP-43b are consistent with the null hypothesis, while the latter consistently underpredicts the observed fluxes of WASP-8b, WASP-12b, WASP-14b, and WASP-33b. We demonstrate that our results are somewhat insensitive to the choice of stellar models (blackbody, Kurucz, or PHOENIX) and metallicity, but are strongly affected by higher carbon-to-oxygen ratios. The code is publicly available as part of the Exoclimes Simulation Platform (exoclime.net).
Simulating the transport of broadcast coral larvae among the Southern Islands of Singapore

Singapore's coral reefs have experienced significant anthropogenic impacts for at least 4 decades. Ongoing reef restoration efforts, however, may not be sustainable if there is no natural coral recruitment. Knowledge of coral reef connectivity, which can be identified using hydrodynamic-advection and individual-based models, can help inform reef management deci- sions. Here, a 2-dimensional, hydrodynamic, flexible mesh model (MIKE 21 FM) coupled with a Lagrangian particle-tracking module was used to simulate larval transport among Singapore's Southern Islands. In each simulation, neutrally buoyant, passive particles representing coral plan- ulae were released into the hydrodynamic conditions present during the coral multi-species syn- chronous spawning event of April 2007. When the number of larvae released was proportional to live coral cover (between 2400 and 46 200 particles), 3 islands: Pulau Sudong, Pulau Pawai and Pulau Senang, which all lie within a military Live Firing Area, were identified as the most robust sources of larvae seeding the rest of the Southern Islands. However, when equal numbers of lar- vae (18 000 larvae per site) were released from all sites in an effort to identify nursery areas with the greatest potential to seed other reefs, 2 different and upstream islands, Sisters' Islands and Kusu Island, were found to be better sources of larvae. We suggest all 5 of these sites should be identified for conservation. Additional effort to enhance coral cover, and hence larval export, at Sisters' Islands and Kusu Island may help increase recruitment on downstream reefs.
Development of clade- (Roseobacter and Alteromonas) and taxon-specific oligonucleotide probes to study interactions between toxic dinoflagellates and their associated bacteria

Bacteria associated with toxic algae in culture have been implicated in the enhancement of algal toxin production and auto-toxigenesis. Toxigenic and non-toxigenic bacterial isolates from Alexandrium spp. have been determined to belong predominantly to the α- and γ-subclasses of the class Proteobacteria. Within these subclasses, the isolates were further classified into two clades that were phylogenetically affiliated with (1) the genus Roseobacter, a newly identified group that is of major significance within the α-Proteobacteria and (2) the genus Alteromonas. Specific 16S rRNA sequence signatures were identified for these clades as well as for three pairs of isolates and for one subcluster within the Roseobacter clade and for three clusters representing eight isolates in the Alteromonas clade. Oligonucleotide probes complementary to these regions were designed and their specificities were tested using dot-blot and whole-cell in situ hybridizations of target and non-target strains. The empirically determined dissociation temperatures of the probes ranged between 55 and 65 making them applicable as a set for screening environmental samples. In situ hybridization of bacteria in cultures of Alexandrium spp. with the clade-specific probes showed a loose association of these bacteria within the phycosphere. In addition, the fluorescent signal of the probes was bright and easily distinguishable from autofluorescent bacteria and the dinoflagellates.
On discrete twisted C*-dynamical systems, Hilbert C*-modules and regularity

We first give an overview of the basic theory for discrete unital twisted C ∗ - dynamical systems and their covariant representations on Hilbert C ∗ -modules. After in- troducing the notion of equivariant representations of such systems and their product with covariant representations, we prove a kind of Fell absorption principle saying that the prod- uct of an induced regular equivariant representation with a covariant faithful representation is weakly equivalent to an induced regular covariant representation. This principle is the key to our main result, namely that a certain property, formally weaker than Exel's approx- imation property, ensures that the system is regular, i.e., the associated full and reduced C ∗ -crossed products are canonically isomorphic.
Influence of Entry Grades in Mathematics and Principles of Accounting on Students Performance in Financial Accounting in Nasarawa State Colleges of Education Akwanga, Nigeria

This study examines the influence of entry grades in mathematics and principles of accounting on students’ performance in financial accounting in Nasarawa state Colleges of Education Akwanga. The study had eight objectives and eight null hypotheses. Developmental research design was adopted for the study. In the test of null hypotheses, documentary records (students’ performance in financial accounting and O’L grades in accounting and mathematics) of all the 115 NCE II Business Education students in the 2011/2012 academic session were used. Logistic regression was employed to test null hypotheses one to three, while t-test was used to test null hypotheses four to eight. All the hypotheses were tested at significance level of 0.05. The results of the test revealed among others that entry grades in mathematics and principles of accounting have significant impact on students’ performance in financial accounting. Hence the researcher recommended that credit grades in mathematics and accounting should be emphasized as one of the entry requirements for students opting for business education in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. This will assist to enhance students’ performance in financial accounting at tertiary institutions. Keywords: Entry grades, Mathematics, Principles of Accounting, Financial Accounting, Performance
A head loss model for homogeneous slurry transport for medium sized particles

Abstract Slurry transport in horizontal and vertical pipelines is one of the major means of transport of sands and gravels in the dredging industry. There exist 4 main flow regimes, the fixed or stationary bed regime, the sliding bed regime, the heterogeneous flow regime and the homogeneous flow regime. Of course the transitions between the regimes are not very sharp, depending on parameters like the particle size distribution. The focus in this paper is on the homogeneous regime. Often the so called equivalent liquid model (ELM) is applied, however many researchers found hydraulic gradients smaller than predicted with the ELM, but larger that the hydraulic gradient of liquid. Talmon (2011, 2013) derived a fundamental equation (method) proving that the hydraulic gradient can be smaller than predicted by the ELM, based on the assumption of a particle free viscous sub-layer. He used a 2D velocity distribution without a concentration distribution. In this paper 5 methods are described (and derived) to determine the hydraulic gradient in homogeneous flow, of which the last method is based on pipe flow with a concentration distribution. It appears that the use of von Driest (Schlichting, 1968) damping, if present, dominates the results, however applying a concentration distribution may neutralise this. The final equation contains both the damping and a concentration distribution giving the possibility to calibrate the constant in the equation with experimental data. The final equation is flexible and gives a good match with experimental results in vertical and horizontal pipelines for a value of ACv = 1.3. Data of horizontal experiments Dp = 0.05-0.30 m, d = 0.04 mm, vertical experiments Dp = 0.026 m, d = 0.125, 0.345, 0.560, and 0.750 mm.
Dose Effects of D-Ribose on Glucose and Purine Metabolites

Background: D-ribose enhances the recovery of cellular energy levels. Increases in uric and lactate levels with lower blood glucose values have been reported post D-ribose consumption. Aims of the Study: A dose response evaluation of these effects has been lacking; this investigation studied these effects in varying doses of
Battery Conditional Reliability Function Under an Inverse Gaussian model and its Bayes Estimation

This paper proposes a new methodological approach in the field of studies devoted to proper and accurate selection of a reliability model for battery systems. The study is performed with particular emphasis on the modeling and estimation of the Conditional Reliability Function, conceived as a key analytical tool in predicting the “Remaining useful life” of the battery, which is in turn an important information in order to identify the best maintenance strategy selection, or for inspection optimization, and also spare parts provision. Estimation of the Conditional Reliability Function is developed by means of a method based on the Inverse Gaussian Distribution and its Bayes Estimation. The performances of this estimation are developed and validated by means of extensive simulations and available experimental data. A brief account is reported of robustness analyses of the method with respect to the assumed prior Distribution.
An experimental study of two grave excavation methods: Arbitrary Level Excavation and Stratigraphic Excavation

Abstract The process of archaeological excavation is one of destruction. It normally provides archaeologists with a singular opportunity to recognise, define, extract and record archaeological evidence: the artefacts, features and deposits present in the archaeological record. It is expected that when archaeologists are excavating in a research, commercial or forensic setting the methods that they utilise will ensure a high rate of evidence recognition and recovery. Methods need to be accepted amongst the archaeological and scientific community they are serving and be deemed reliable. For example, in forensic contexts, methods need to conform to scientific and legal criteria so that the evidence retrieved is admissible in a court of law. Two standard methods of grave excavation were examined in this study with the aim of identifying the better approach in terms of evidence recovery. Four archaeologists with a range of experience each excavated two similarly constructed experimental ‘single graves’ using two different excavation methods. Those tested were the arbitrary level excavation method and the stratigraphic excavation method. The results from the excavations were used to compare recovery rates for varying forms of evidence placed within the graves. The stratigraphic excavation method resulted in higher rates of recovery for all evidence types, with an average of 71% of evidence being recovered, whereas the arbitrary level excavation method recovered an average of 56%. Neither method recovered all of the evidence. These findings raise questions about the reliability and so suitability of these established approaches to excavation.
D ec 2 01 7 Complexity Growth , Butterfly Velocity and Black hole Thermodynamics

We propose a connection between the butterfly velocity and the complexity growth rate in the context of thermodynamics of black holes where the cosmological constant is interpreted as thermodynamic pressure. Moreover, we study the bound on the diffusion coefficient by comparing with the bound on shear viscosity to entropy density ratio in order to obtain a relationship between the diffusion coefficient times pressure with the shear viscosity. Our result shows that there is the upper bound on complexity growth rate with respect to the shear viscosity and thermodynamical variables.
New Constraints from Garnetite on the P–T Path of the Khondalite Belt: Implications for the Tectonic Evolution of the North China Craton

Garnetite pods containing460 mol % garnet in association with garnet-bearing quartz-rich lenses are sporadically distributed in the Khondalite Belt, North China Craton. The mineral assemblages and microtextures of garnetite occurring in quartzo-feldspathic sillimanite^garnet gneiss in the Xiaoshizi area allow definition of the metamorphic history of the area. Formation of garnet poikiloblasts coupled with their enclosing and matrix minerals quartz, sillimanite, plagioclase, biotite, rutile and ilmenite defines an M1 assemblage consistent with partial melting and subsequent melt separation. Thermodynamic modeling of bell-shaped Ca zoning in garnet poikiloblasts confirms that this occurred during decompression. A retrograde M2 assemblage replacing M1 garnet or sillimanite is defined by two microdomains: coronas of Grt2þCrd (M2a) where quartz is present, and SplþCrd symplectite (M2b) where quartz is absent. The final metamorphic stage led to the coronal assemblage Grt3þOpxþCrdþPlþBt (M3) surrounding M1 garnet. Comparison of the observed mineral proportions and compositions with the predictions of phase equilibria modeling in the NCKFMASHTO system for the effective bulk compositions, in combination with Zr-in-rutile thermometry, results in the following P^T conditions for the metamorphic events: 820^8508C (up to 9508C) and 8·5^9·5 kbar for M1; 850^8658C and 7·4^7·6 kbar for M2; 710^7208C and 6·4^6·6 kbar for M3.The clockwise P^T path thus defined for M1 to M3 evolution is interpreted to reflect the onset of extension and exhumation of the Khondalite Belt at 1890Ma, following the emplacement of S-type granitoids at 1920^1890Ma and ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism at 1920Ma that resulted from collision of the Yinshan and Ordos Blocks at 1950Ma.