Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reproductive Ecology of Three Tibetan Waterbird Species, with Special Reference to Life-History Alterations along Elevational Gradients

Xin Lu (2011) Reproductive ecology of three Tibetan waterbird species, with special reference to life-history alterations along elevational gradients. Zoological Studies 50(2): 192-202. Life-history theory predicts that birds nesting at higher elevations will have lower reproductive output due to ecological constraints. Higher-elevation birds should allocate more energy into individual offspring through producing fewer and larger eggs to allow their offspring to better survive the harsh environments. To test the prediction, I collected reproductive data on 3 waterbirds, the Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, Common Moorhen Gallinula chlorpus and Eurasian Coot Fulica atra, at Lhalu Wetland (3650 m in elevation), the largest marshland with macrophytes on the Tibetan Plateau. These birds became regular nesters after prohibition of yak grazing and reed harvesting in the wetland since 2003. Mallards laid eggs from mid-Apr. to mid-June, moorhens from early May to mid-June, and coots from mid-May to late June. Clutch size and egg size of these high-elevation waterbirds were smaller or intermediate compared to those of their lowland counterparts, partially supporting the prediction. The pattern might be associated with a balance between environmental harshness and allocation of body reserves in terms of the number of clutches produced annually, and the number and size of eggs within a clutch across elevational gradients. The high-elevation mallards and moorhens primarily used reeds Phragmites australis as nesting habitat (with 92% and 68% of nests located there, respectively), whereas coots preferred rushes Juncus effusus (77%). Predation by mammals and flooding contributed to about 1/2 of the failed mallard and moorhen nests, whereas predation was responsible for the majority of coot nest loss. My data also suggest the importance of wetland management based on species-specific habitat requirements for conserving this breeding waterbird assemblage. http://zoolstud.sinica. edu.tw/Journals/50.2/192.pdf
Heritage speakers’ use of prosodic strategies in focus marking in Spanish

Aims and objectives: The present study investigates how focus is prosodically realized by Spanish heritage speakers, and whether they show different patterns from Spanish monolinguals and English second language (L2) learners of Spanish. Design: Prompt questions were auditorily presented to elicit participants’ production of sentences with different scopes and locations of focus. Data and analysis: Relative prosodic prominence between focused and non-focused constituents, as well as tonal alignment, were acoustically analyzed and compared across the groups. Additional strategies that participants used are also presented. Findings: The results revealed that all three groups used multiple strategies, both prosodic and non-prosodic, to express focus in Spanish. However, the specific cues that were used differed in each group. Monolinguals and L2 learners clearly differed from each other in that the former preferred non-prosodic strategies (e.g., cleft constructions, complementizer que ‘that’), while the latter used various prosodic strategies (e.g., relative prosodic prominence, early peak alignment, post-focal deaccenting). Heritage speakers, on the other hand, used a mix of strategies that were observed in both monolinguals’ and L2 learners’ speech. Originality: Prosody is an understudied area in heritage language research. This is one of few studies that examined Spanish heritage speakers’ use of prosodic cues in the realization of focus in Spanish and the first to extensively analyze various acoustic correlates of focus produced by Spanish heritage speakers. Implication: The findings suggest that heritage speakers are flexible in their use of linguistic strategies as they are able to extract resources from their two language systems.
Bubbling on Boundary Submanifolds for the Lin-Ni-Takagi Problem at Higher Critical Exponents

We consider the equation $d^2\Delta u - u+ u^{\frac{n-k+2}{n-k-2}} =0\,\hbox{in}\Omega $, under zero Neumann boundary conditions, where $\Omega$ is open, smooth and bounded and $d$ is a small positive parameter. We assume that there is a $k$-dimensional closed, embedded minimal submanifold $K$ of $\partial\Omega$, which is non-degenerate, and certain weighted average of sectional curvatures of $\partial\Omega$ is positive along $K$. Then we prove the existence of a sequence $d=d_j\to 0$ and a positive solution $u_d$ such that $$ d^2 |\nabla u_{d} |^2 \rightharpoonup S, \delta_K \ass d \to 0 $$ in the sense of measures, where $\delta_K$ stands for the Dirac measure supported on $K$ and $S$ is a positive constant.
The quality characteristics of soy wan-jas made with different proteolytic enzyme treated textured soy proteins

This study examined the solubility, emulsifying activity, and electrophoresis patterns of textured soy protein (TSP) treated with different enzymes and enzyme hydrolysis times, along with the quality characteristics of soy wan-jas made from the different enzyme treated TSP. Solubility and emulsifying activity were greater in a Protamex® 20 minute-treated group compared to a Flavourzyme® 20 minute-treated group. With regard to electrophoresis patterns, 11S globulins were decomposed by the Protamex® treatments but not by the Flavourzyme® treatments. The cooking yields of the soy wan-jas were higher than those of beef wan-ja. Furthermore, the cooking yields of the Flavourzyme® treated groups were higher than those of the Protamex® treated groups, and cooking yields increased as hydrolysis time increased. When the wan-jas were cooked, the beef wan-ja had a higher percent reduction in diameter compared to the soy wan-jas, but the thickness of the beef wan-ja was greatly increased. The chewiness of the soy wan-jas was higher than that of the beef wan-ja, since the soy wan-jas had higher cohesiveness and springiness and lower hardness. The flavor, chewing property, and overall quality of the Flavourzyme® 20 minute-treated group were similar to those of the beef wan-ja. The Protamex® treated groups, however, were evaluated as being the least desirable. In conclusion, Flavourzyme® treatment for 20 minutes increased the solubility and emulsifying activity of textured soy proteins, but did not decompose 11S globulins. Thus, the cooking yields of the soy wan-jas increased, percent reductions in diameter and thickness were low, and texture and sensory characteristics were improved.
An analysis of pre-competitive anxiety involving male and female basketball players

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the Pre-competitive anxiety between male and female basketball players prior to competition and to evaluate any possible differences. Materials & Methods: For this study, 48 basketball players (24 males and 24 females) were consisted who participated in the inter-university tournaments. The age range of the basketball players used in this study was between 18 to 23 years. For the present study, the data were collected according to the Sports Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) developed by Martens et al. (1990). This test consisted of 15 items to be answered by the players. For comparison of the level of Pre-competitive anxiety t- test was used. Result & Discussion: Results in the present study revealed that difference in pre-competitive anxiety between males and females basketball players was found statistically insignificant. No significant difference in pre-competitive anxiety in basketball may be due to similar level of training were obtained by the male and female players.
The nutritional status of manufacturing workers and craftsmen in central Spain in the eighteenth century

This article analyzes the relative level and evolution of the net nutritional status of manufacturing workers and craftsmen born in the last third of the eighteenth century in central Spain. It uses the anthropometric and occupational data included in the records of the general conscription carried out during the Napoleonic invasion. The findings are interpreted in light of the recent contributions made regarding the evolution of the economy and industrial products of central Spain during the second half of the eighteenth century. Significant differences can be observed between the different professions and economic sectors, largely explained by income levels, a possible selection for some occupations in accordance with physical characteristics, and access to animal proteins. Furthermore, the data also reveal an overall decrease in height and an increase in inequality between professions during the period.
Nanoscale structural heterogeneity in Ni-rich half-Heusler TiNiSn

The structural implications of excess Ni in the TiNiSn half-Heusler compound are examined through a combination of synchrotron x-ray and neutron scattering studies, in conjunction with first principles density functional theory calculations on supercells. Despite the phase diagram suggesting that TiNiSn is a line compound with no solid solution, for small x in TiNi1+xSn there is indeed an appearance—from careful analysis of the scattering—of some solubility, with the excess Ni occupying the interstitial tetrahedral site in the half-Heusler structure. The analysis performed here would point to the excess Ni not being statistically distributed, but rather occurring as coherent nanoclusters. First principles calculations of energetics, carried out using supercells, support a scenario of Ni interstitials clustering, rather than a statistical distribution.
Simulated and Observed Preindustrial to Modern Vegetation and Climate Changes

Abstract Rising levels of carbon dioxide since the preindustrial era have likely contributed to an observed warming of the global surface, and observations show global greening and an expansion of boreal forests. This study reproduces observed climate and vegetation trends associated with rising CO2 using a fully coupled atmosphere–ocean–land surface GCM with dynamic vegetation and decomposes the effects into physiological and radiative components. The simulated warming trend, strongest at high latitudes, was dominated by the radiative effect, although the physiological effect of CO2 on vegetation (CO2 fertilization) contributed to significant wintertime warming over northern Europe and central and eastern Asia. The net global greening of the model was primarily due to the physiological effect of increasing CO2, while the radiative and physiological effects combined to produce a poleward expansion of the boreal forests. Observed and simulated trends in tree ring width are consistent with the enhancement o.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND INFORMATION CONTENT OF STOCK TRADES: EVIDENCE FROM S&P 100 COMPANIES

This paper studies the relationship between firms' corporate governance quality and information content of stock trades. Following Hasbrouck (1991) method, a trade's information content is defined as persistent impact of trade innovation on stock price. Using firm-level governance data, we show that the information content is negatively correlated with firms' corporate governance quality for the S&P 100 companies. Further analysis shows that board of directors is the main governance mechanism contributing to the negative correlation, while audit, anti-takeover, and compensation do not play a significant role. Our results provide empirical evidence to support the theory that corporate governance improves firms' information environment. It provides guidance on governance system design to reduce information asymmetry.
Simulating quantum-optical phenomena with cold atoms in optical lattices

We propose a scheme involving cold atoms trapped in optical lattices to observe different phenomena traditionally linked to quantum-optical systems. The basic idea consists of connecting the trapped atomic state to a non-trapped state through a Raman scheme. The coupling between these two types of atoms (trapped and free) turns out to be similar to that describing light–matter interaction within the rotating-wave approximation, the role of matter and photons being played by the trapped and free atoms, respectively. We explain in particular how to observe phenomena arising from the collective spontaneous emission of atomic and harmonic oscillator samples, such as superradiance and directional emission. We also show how the same setup can simulate Bose–Hubbard Hamiltonians with extended hopping as well as Ising models with long-range interactions. We believe that this system can be realized with state of the art technology.
Characterizing the evolving K-band luminosity function using the UltraVISTA, CANDELS and HUDF surveys

We present the results of a new study of the K-band galaxy luminosity function (KLF) at redshifts z ≤ 3.75, based on a nested combination of the UltraVISTA, Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Legacy Extragalactic Survey and HUDF surveys. The large dynamic range in luminosity spanned by this new data set (3–4 dex over the full redshift range) is sufficient to clearly demonstrate for the first time that the faint-end slope of the KLF at z ≥ 0.25 is relatively steep (−1.3 ≤ α ≤ −1.5 for a single Schechter function), in good agreement with recent theoretical and phenomenological models. Moreover, based on our new data set, we find that a double Schechter function provides a significantly improved description of the KLF at z ≤ 2. At redshifts z ≥ 0.25, the evolution of the KLF is remarkably smooth, with little or no evolution evident at faint (MK ≥ −20.5) or bright magnitudes (MK ≤ −24.5). Instead, the KLF is seen to evolve rapidly at intermediate magnitudes, with the number density of galaxies at MK ≃−23 dropping by a factor of ≃5 over the redshift interval 0.25 ≤ z ≤ 3.75. Motivated by this, we explore a simple description of the evolving KLF based on a double Schechter function with fixed faint-end slopes (α1 = −0.5, α2 = −1.5) and a shared characteristic magnitude (M⋆K MK⋆). According to this parametrization, the normalization of the component which dominates the faint end of the KLF remains approximately constant, with ϕ⋆2 ϕ2⋆ decreasing by only a factor of ≃2 between z ≃0 and 3.25. In contrast, the component which dominates the bright end of the KLF at low redshifts evolves dramatically, becoming essentially negligible by z ≃3. Finally, we note that within this parametrization, the observed evolution of M⋆K MK⋆between z ≃0 and 3.25 is entirely consistent with M⋆K MK⋆ corresponding to a constant stellar mass of M⋆ ≃5 × 1010 M⊙ at all redshifts.
Normed barrelled spaces

Definition. Let X be a normed space. S ⊂ X is a bounding set if S ⊂ Sphere(X) and if (fn) ⊂ X ′ is an unbounded sequence in the dual space of X, there exists (xn) ⊂ S such that supn |fn(xn)| =∞. Theorem. Let S be a bounding set in a normed space X. If for any sequence (xn) ⊂ S, there exist a sequence (dk) ∈ Ball(l), dk 6= 0, integers Nk ≥ 0, C > 0, such that for every subsequence (xnk) of (xn) there is a further subsequence (xnkl ) and x ∈ X with x = ∑∞ j=1 tjxj and
Aircraft measurements of wave clouds

In this paper, aircraft measurements are presented of liquid phase (ice-free) wave clouds made at temperatures greater than 5 C that formed over Scotland, UK. The hor- izontal variations of the vertical velocity across wave clouds display a distinct pattern. The maximum updraughts occur at the upshear flanks of the clouds and the strong down- draughts at the downshear flanks. The cloud droplet concen- trations were a couple of hundreds per cubic centimetres, and the drops generally had a mean diameter between 15-45 µm. A small proportion of the drops were drizzle. The measure- ments presented here and in previous recent studies suggest a different interaction of dynamics and microphysics in wave clouds from the accepted model. The results in this paper provide a case for future numerical simulation of wave cloud and the interaction between wave and cloud.
A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Change: Confirmatory Bias in Financial Markets

This paper proposes a dynamic model of financial markets where some investors are prone to the confirmation bias. Following insights from the psychological literature, these agents are assumed to amplify signals that are consistent with their prior views. In a model with public information only, this assumption provides a rationale for the volume-based price momentum documented by Lee and Swaminathan (2000). Our results are also consistent with a variety of other empirically documented phenomena such as bubbles, crashes, reversals and excess price volatility and volume. Novel empirical predictions are derived: i) return continuation should be stronger when biased traders' beliefs are more extreme, and ii) return continuation should be stronger after an increase in trading volume. The implications of our model for short-term quantitative investments are twofold: i) optimal trading strategies involve riding bubbles, and that ii) contrarian trading can be optimal in some market circumstances.
Random p and implications for genomic relationship matrices

Many models have been proposed to estimate stratification within populations, of which some treat allele frequency either explicitly or implicitly as a random variable. Through comparison of the implied genotype distributions, we demonstrate random allele frequency is inconsistent with the theory justifying genomic relationship matrix construction. In particular, random allele frequency introduces over-dispersion, which in the context of relationship estimation implies inbreeding, and also will lead to a highly constrained range of allowable relationships between animals. Using a model that assumes random allele frequency, we will show these differences lead to bias in estimates of close relationships and inbreeding coefficients.
EFFECT OF PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION ON THE PERFORMANCE OF A CATALYTIC FLUIDIZED BED REACTOR

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been used to model ozone decomposition in a two-dimensional fluidized bed of 2.0 meters height and 0.1 m width. Simulations were carried out with mono-size, bimodal, and wide catalyst particle size distributions with the same mean diameter to model the effect of fines on the reaction. CFD predictions fall within 20% of the experimental data.
Detailed theoretical model for adjustable gain clamped semiconductor optical amplifier (AGC-SOA)

The adjustable gain-clamped semiconductor optical amplifier (AGC-SOA) uses two SOAs in a ring-cavity topology: one to amplify the signal and the other to control the gain. The device was designed to maximize the output saturated power while adjusting gain to regulate power differences between packets without loss of linearity. This type of subsystem can be used for power equalisation and linear amplification in packet-based dynamic systems such as passive optical networks (PONs). A detailed theoretical model is presented in this paper to simulate the operation of the AGC-SOA, which gives a better understanding of the underlying gain clamping mechanics. Simulations and comparisons with steady-state and dynamic gain modulation experimental performance are given which validate the model.
Experimental Determination of Effect of Total Solid (TS) and Volatile Solid (VS) on Biogas Yield

In this research work, eight different samples of substrates with varying percentage total solid (TS) and volatile solid (VS) were used. The samples which comprises mainly of water hyacinth, waste water (i.e., from ice fish cold room, septic tanks, and abattoir), pig dung, cow dung, corn cobs, potato peels, pineapple peels, rice left over, yam peels, cassava peels, orange peels, sweet potato peels, garri left over, plantain peels, beans waste, banana peels and vegetables, etc., were co-digested. In each of the samples, 10kg of substrates were used and the experiment was conducted within mesophilic temperature range of 36°C-37°C, pH range of 6.9-7.4 and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of thirty-three (33) days. It was observed that the quantity of biogas yield from these substrates increase with increasing percentage volatile solid and decrease with decreasing percentage volatile solid concentration below and above the optimum value of 91.1% (2.88kg) volatile solids which gave the maximum amount of biogas yield for the samples of substrates to be 1.01kg (23.6%), 2.01kg (60.75%), 2.55kg (84.72%), 2.41kg (68.0%), 2.35kg (67.67%), 1.85kg (59.23%), 1.45kg (25.39%). Furthermore, the results obtained reveal that bio-digesters should be run at 10.16% total solids, since optimum cumulative biogas generation is achieved at this %TS concentration.
Prevalence of ADRs and Associated Factors of Antiretroviral Treatment on HIV Positive Adults at Jush

A cross sectional study is designed to assess the prevalence of adverse drug reactions and its associated factors on who are already under Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy. Considerable progress has been made to access the therapy since the decades, even though; currently five million people do not have an access to HIV therapy, it just represents 35% only. The objective of present research is to assess the prevalence of ADRs and its associated factors on HAART at Jimma University Specialized Hospital. The data was pooled by reviewing the previous clinical records of HIV positive adults, who admitted from January 2010 to December 2013. The total sample size is found to be 233. The results showed from the total of 233 patients, 70.8% were developed ADRs and the most of them are nausea, vomiting and diarrhea at 18.9%, 15% and 7.7% respectively, and the least one is hepatotoxicity at 0.43% only. The prevalence of ADRs of HAART was high at JUSH. Low CD 4 cell count was identified at initial stages and concomitant use of cotrimoxazole with ARVs is the major risk factor for ADRs. Thus, health care providers working in the JUSH ART clinic need to monitor the CD 4 count of patients, particularly those treated with combination of antibiotics and ARVs.
Ownership Concentration and Firm Performance: The Case of Kuwait*

Using Kuwaiti data, this study examined the relationship between the concentration and composition of ownership and the performance of firms. In the study, we estimated and examined this relationship using ordinary least squares (OLS) for a sample of 130 Kuwaiti firms listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) from 2009 to 2012. The overall concentration of ownership by large shareholders showed no impact on firms’ performance. However, when the type of large shareholders was introduced, only the concentrations of government ownership and families’ (individuals) ownership influenced firms’ performance. Therefore, not all concentrations of ownership among large shareholders are useful to listed Kuwaiti firms.
LIFE COURSE CRIME THEORIES AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE CRIMINOLOGY FIELD

Early studies revealed that a relatively few “chronic” individuals are responsible for the majority of all reported violent and property offenses. Further research on individual career criminals gave birth to “life course criminology”, which try to explain why certain individuals continue on or desist from deviant behavior. In this context, this study aims to give brief introduction about the life course theories, their presumptions and their enduring value for the field of criminology.