Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
X-ray source population study of the starburst galaxy M 83 with XMM-Newton

Aims. We present the results obtained from the analysis of three XMM-Newton observations of M 83. The aims of the paper are studying the X-ray source populations in M 83 and calculating the X-ray luminosity functions of X-ray binaries for different regions of the galaxy. Methods. We detected 189 sources in the XMM-Newton field of view in the energy range of 0.2–12 keV. We constrained their nature by means of spectral analysis, hardness ratios, studies of the X-ray variability, and cross-correlations with catalogues in X-ray, optical, infrared, and radio wavelengths. Results. We identified and classified 12 background objects, five foreground stars, two X-ray binaries, one supernova remnant candidate, one super-soft source candidate and one ultra-luminous X-ray source. Among these sources, we classified for the first time three active galactic nuclei (AGN) candidates. We derived X-ray luminosity functions of the X-ray sources in M 83 in the 2–10 keV energy range, within and outside the D25 ellipse, correcting the total X-ray luminosity function for incompleteness and subtracting the AGN contribution. The X-ray luminosity function inside the D25 ellipse is consistent with that previously observed by Chandra. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test shows that the X-ray luminosity function of the outer disc and the AGN luminosity distribution are uncorrelated with a probability of ∼99.3%. We also found that the X-ray sources detected outside the D25 ellipse and the uniform spatial distribution of AGNs are spatially uncorrelated with a significance of 99.5%. We interpret these results as an indication that part of the observed X-ray sources are X-ray binaries in the outer disc of M 83.
Consolidation Properties of Compacted Lateritic Soil Treated with Rice Husk Ash

One dimensional laboratory consolidation test was conducted on compacted lateritic soils treated with up to 16% rice husk ash (RHA), to assess its consolidation properties. Specimens were prepared at three different moulding water contents (2% dry of optimum, optimum moisture content and 2% wet of optimum) and compacted using the British Standard Light compactive effort. Preliminary tests on soils showed improved index properties with an increase in liquid limit (LL), an increase in plastic limits (PL) with a resulting decrease in plasticity index (PI). Preconsolidation pressure increased with RHA content, it also decreased before increasing with increased moulding water content. Reductions in compression index (Cc) and Swell Index (Cs) with increased RHA content were recorded. Cc and Cs generally decreased before increasing with increased moulding water content. The coefficient of volume compressibility (Mv) decreased and increased with higher RHA content; they were also affected by the soil particle state with increasing pressure. The coefficient of consolidation (Cv) showed no observable trend with increased RHA content but generally increased with higher consolidation pressure on the dry and wet side of optimum compacted states.
Mixing for the time-changes of Heisenberg nilflows

We consider reparametrizations of Heisenberg nilflows. We show that if a Heisenberg nilflow is uniquely ergodic, all non-trivial time-changes within a dense subspace of smooth time-changes are mixing. Equivalently, in the language of special flows, we consider special flows over linear skew-shifts over an irrational rotation of the circle. Without assuming any Diophantine condition on the frequency, we define a dense class of smooth roof functions for which the corresponding special flows are mixing. Mixing is produced by a mechanism known as stretching of Birkhoff sums. The set of mixing timechanges (or equivalently roof functions) has countable codimension and can be explicitely described (in terms of invariant distributions for the nilflow), allowing to produce concrete examples of mixing time-changes.
The countercyclical capital buffer in Spain: an exploratory analysis of key guiding indicators .

This paper analyses a group of potential guiding indicators for the Basel III countercyclical capital buffer (CCB) in Spain. Based on an empirical exploratory analysis of three stress events identified, we describe a number of practical and conceptual issues that may arise with the Basel benchmark buffer guide – the credit-to-GDP gap – and study alternative specifications and a number of complementary indicators. We also explore possible improvements on the analysis of indicators showing structural changes over time, on the basis of theoretically-based estimates. A broad but manageable set of indicators is found to be a useful complement to the Basel gap in taking decisions on the CCB. This includes indicators of credit developments (where we propose a ‘credit intensity’ measure defined as the ratio of changes in credit to cumulated GDP), of real estate property prices, external imbalances and private sector debt sustainability.
Changes in the phytoplankton community and microbial food web of Blanes Bay (Catalan Sea, NW Mediterranean) under prolonged grazing pressure by doliolids (Tunicata), cladocerans or copepods (Crustacea)

We report how different zooplankton groups (doliolids, cladocerans and copepods) are able to influence the coastal pelagic food web, including the microbial food web, in waters of the NW Mediterranean. We studied the effect of grazing and of grazing-induced nutrient recycling mediated by different types of zooplankton grazing on a natural phytoplankton community. Experiments were conducted in semicontinuous 2-stage chemostats. The 1st stage vessels contained seawater from Blanes Bay, Spain (NW Mediterranean) including its natural phytoplankton community; the 2nd stage vessels contained the same seawater and copepods, cladocerans or doliolids. At daily intervals we transferred part of the medium from the 2nd to the 1st stage flasks, which contained ungrazed algae and excreted nutrients. In this way, the zooplankton could influence phytoplankton dynamics both by selective grazing and by differential excretion of limiting nutrients. In the 2nd stage flasks grazing changed the algal community composition. Doliolids and cladocerans promoted the growth of large algae and copepods shifted the size spectrum towards small sizes. This effect was transferred to the 1st stage flasks. Doliolids, cladocerans and copepods also affected the microbial food web in different ways. Size-selective grazing led to differences in the nanoplankton concentrations. These in turn affected bacterial concentrations in a trophic cascade. The potential to modify a given algal population increased with increasing selectivity of the grazer.
Effects of amendment of different biochars on soil carbon mineralisation and sequestration

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of addition of different biochars on soil carbon mineralisation and sequestration. Different biochars were produced from two types of feedstock, fresh dairy manure and pine tree woodchip, each of which was pyrolysed at 300, 500, and 700°C. Each biochar was mixed at 5% (w/w) with a forest loamy soil and the mixture was incubated at 25°C for 180 days, during which soil physicochemical properties and soil carbon mineralisation were measured. Results showed that the biochar addition increased soil carbon mineralisation at the early stage (within the first 15 days) because biochar brought available organic carbon to the soil and changed associated soil properties, such increasing soil pH and microbial activity. The largest increase in soil carbon mineralisation at the beginning of incubation was induced by the dairy manure biochar pyrolysed at 300°C. Soil carbon mineralisation was enhanced more significantly by the dairy manure biochars than by the woodchip biochars, and the enhancement effect decreased with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Although the biochar addition induced increased soil carbon mineralisation at the beginning of the incubation, soil carbon mineralisation rates decreased sharply within a short time (within 15 days) and then remained very low afterwards. Carbon mineralisation kinetic modelling indicated that the stable organic matter in biochars could be sequestrated in soil for a long time and resulted in high levels of carbon sequestration, especially for the woodchip biochars pyrolysed from higher temperatures.
Questioning Academic Success through Self-regulation, Self-esteem and Attitude in Foreign Language Learning (A Case Study)

The present study investigates the relationship between self-regulation, self-esteem, attitude and foreign language achievement (FLA). The research was conducted with 383 students from Gaziantep University Higher School of Foreign Languages. The data were collected through a modified questionnaire adapted from three different questionnaires. The statistical results showed that there was a positive relationship between self-regulation and foreign language achievement (r= .319 p >.01), self-esteem and foreign language achievement (r= .404 p >.01), and attitude and foreign language achievement (r=.425 p >.01). Moreover, when self-regulation, self-esteem and attitude came together, a statistically significant positive relationship with foreign language success was observed (r= .540 p >.01). Self-regulation, self-esteem and attitude in relation to academic success have been analyzed together for the first time in this study.
MIXED CONVECTION INSIDE NANOFLUID FILLED RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURES WITH MOVING BOTTOM WALL

The mixed convection fluid flow and heat transfer in lid-driven rectangular enclosures filled with the Al2O3-water nanofluid is investigated numerically. The left and the right vertical walls as well as the top horizontal wall of the enclosure are maintained at a constant cold temperature Tc. The bottom horizontal wall of the enclosure, which moves from left to right, is kept at a constant hot temperature Th, with Th > Tc. The governing equations written in terms of the primitive variables are solved using the finite volume method and the SIMPLER algorithm. Using the developed code, a parametric study is performed and the effects of the Richardson number, the aspect ratio of the enclosure, the volume fraction of the nanoparticles on the fluid flow, and heat transfer inside the enclosure are investigated. The results show that at low Richardson numbers, a primary counterclockwise vortex is formed inside the enclosure. More over it is found that for the range of the Richardson number considered, 10 –1 -10, the average Nusselt number of the hot wall, increases with increasing the volume fraction of the nanoparticles. Also it is observed that the average Nusselt number of the hot wall of tall enclosures is more that to that of the shallow enclosures.
Diffusion of E-Learning Technologies among Medical Students in Ghana: An Empirical Analysis

The ultimate objective of the Ghana ICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) is to: ‘accelerate Ghana’s socio-economic development process towards the realization of the vision to transform Ghana into a high income economy and society that is predominately information-rich and knowledge-based within the next two to three decades or less. A proposed unified information technology acceptance research model called Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was used. The model integrates significant elements across eight prominent user acceptance models and formulates a unique measure with core determinants of user behavioural intention and usage. This paper presents findings of a study that validates the UTAUT model in the subject of the user acceptance towards an educational technology. In this study, a total of 262 respondents from two medical schools in Ghana were surveyed for their acceptance of e-learning technologies. The results of the study provide an exploratory factor analysis of the model, demonstrate satisfactory reliable and valid scales of the model constructs, and suggest further analysis to confirm the model as a valuable tool to evaluate the user acceptance of an information technology.
Feature Extraction in JPEG domain along with SVM for Content Based Image Retrieval

Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) applies computer vision methods for image retreival purposes from the databases. It is majorly based on the user query, which is in visual form rather than the traditional text form. CBIR is applied in different fields extending from surveillance to remote sensing, E-purchase, medical image processing, security systems to historical research and many others. JPEG, a very commonly used method of lossy compression is used to reduce the size of the image before being stored or transmitted. Almost every digital camera in the market are storing the captured images in jpeg format. The storage industry has seen many major transformations in the past decades while the retrieval technologies are still developing. Though there are some breakthroughs happened in text retrieval, the same is not true for the image and other multimedia retrieval. Specifically image retreival has witnessed many algorithms in the spatial or the raw domain but since majority of the images are stored in the JPEG format, it takes time to decode the compressed image before extracting features and retrieving. Hence, in this research work, we focus on extracting the features from the compressed domain itself and then utilize support vector machines (SVM) for improving the retrieval results. Our proof of concept shows us that the features extracted in compressed domain helps retrieve the images 43% faster than the same set of images in the spatial domain and the accuracy is improved to 93.4% through SVM based feedback mechanism
Ten Theses on Politics

1. To identify politics with the exercise of, and struggle to possess, power is to do away with politics. But we also reduce the scope of politics as a mode of thinking if we conceive of it merely as a theory of power or as an investigation into the grounds of its legitimacy. If there is something specific about politics that makes it something other than a more capacious mode of grouping or a form of power characterized by its mode of legitimation, it is that it involves a distinctive kind of subject considered, and it involves this subject in the form of a mode of relation that is its own. This is what Aristotle means when, in Book I of the Politics, he distinguishes between political rule (as the ruling of equals) from all other kinds of rule; or when, in Book III, he defines the citizen as 'he who partakes in the fact of ruling and the fact of being ruled. ' Everything about politics is contained in this specific relationship, this 'part-taking' [avoirpart],[3] which should be interrogated as to its meaning and as to its conditions of possibility.
Open for innovation: the role of openness in explaining innovation performance among U.K. manufacturing firms

A central part of the innovation process concerns the way firms go about organizing search for new ideas that have commercial potential. New models of innovation have suggested that many innovative firms have changed the way they search for new ideas, adopting open search strategies that involve the use of a wide range of external actors and sources to help them achieve and sustain innovation. Using a large-scale sample of industrial firms, this paper links search strategy to innovative performance, finding that searching widely and deeply is curvilinearly (taking an inverted U-shape) related to performance. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Biological Treatment of Leather-Tanning Industrial Wastewater Using Free Living Bacteria

The present study aimed to investigate decontamination of tannery wastewater in terms of removal capacity and efficiency using indigenous and/or exogenous bacteria. Wastewater samples were collected from leather tanning factory. Three out of 17 indigenous tannery wastewater plus 3 exogenous bacterial isolates were identified and used in a batch mode remediation process as individual or mixed free living cultures. The tested tannery effluents had extremely high levels of all the tested parameters indicating high pollution potential, dangerous effects on the receiving environments and creating many treatment difficulties. Treatment of the tannery effluent was a function of time and bacterial species. Pseudomonas stutzeri (PS) considered the most while Bacillus sp . (RE12) considered the least efficient in removing all the tested parameters. Removal efficiencies (REs) were significantly and proportionally correlated with time regardless of bacterial species or parameters. However, bulk changes in all parameters were achieved within the first 24 h. The highest removals recorded were 86.7, 94.14%, 79.16, 95.64, 36.33, 93.66 and 44.91% for total suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), fat, oil and grease (FOG), ammonia (NH 3), chromium (Cr) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S), respectively after only 24 h. On the other hand, total dissolved solids (TDS) and nitrates (NO 3) recorded the highest increase (97.68 and 45.87%) after one and 7 days, respectively. Despite the highly efficient removals achieved for the tested parameters, their residual levels were slightly higher than the maximum permissible limits (MPL) for the safe discharge. Therefore, it is highly recommended to use the most promising bacteria in a fixed form to bring the effluent to the safe limits for the environment.
A SUBSTANTIAL MASS OF COOL, METAL-ENRICHED GAS SURROUNDING THE PROGENITORS OF MODERN-DAY ELLIPTICALS

The hosts of luminous z ∼ 2 quasars evolve into today's massive elliptical galaxies. Current theories predict that the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of these massive, dark matter halos (MDM ∼ 1012.5 M☉) should be dominated by a T ∼ 107 K virialized plasma. We test this hypothesis with observations of 74 close-projected quasar pairs, using spectra of the background QSO to characterize the CGM of the foreground one. Surprisingly, our measurements reveal a cool (T ≈ 104 K), massive (MCGM > 1010 M☉), and metal-enriched (Z ≳ 0.1 Z☉) medium extending to at least the expected virial radius (rvir = 160 kpc). The average equivalent widths of H i Lyα ( Å for impact parameters R⊥ < 200 kpc) and C ii 1334 () exceed the corresponding CGM measurements of these transitions from all galaxy populations studied previously. Furthermore, we conservatively estimate that the quasar CGM has a 64+6−7% covering fraction of optically thick gas (NH i > 1017.2 cm−2) within rvir; this covering factor is twice that of the contemporaneous Lyman break galaxy population. This unexpected reservoir of cool gas is rarely detected “down-the-barrel” to quasars, and hence it is likely that our background sight lines intercept gas that is shadowed from the quasar ionizing radiation by the same obscuring medium often invoked in models of active galactic nucleus unification. Because the high-z halos inhabited by quasars predate modern groups and clusters, these observations are also relevant to the formation and enrichment history of the intragroup/intracluster medium.
Effect of ejaculation frequency on spermatozoa survival in diluted semen from Pleven Blackhead rams

The effect of ejaculation frequency on spermatozoa survival in diluted Pleven Blackhead ram semen was investigated. Thirty-two ejaculates were examined. From each ram 4 ejaculates were collected at 10-min intervals in the morning and in the afternoon. Semen parameters, namely, color, density, transparency, volume, concentration, motility, and abnormal sperm, for each ejaculate were determined. The sperm motility was assessed from the moment of dilution up to 60 min at 10-min intervals, then again at 90 min and 120 min. The semen characteristics were determined by means of "Motic Image Plus" equipment and the data were processed statistically. Sperm volume and concentration in semen samples decreased gradually with increase in ejaculation frequency. The values were significantly lower for the 4th ejaculate compared to preceding ones (P < 0.05). The highest survival rate (P < 0.05) of sperm was found in the 2nd ejaculate, and this trend was preserved up to the second hour. Up to 50 min after dilution, the sperm motility did not change considerably, after which it was found to be reduced (P < 0.05). The frequency of ejaculation and the period of semen collection had an impact on sperm motility in extended and short-time stored semen from Pleven Blackhead rams. The spermatozoa in a 2nd ejaculate showed higher survival rates and could be recommended for additional processing.
Recent dynamics (1995-1999) of the phytoplankton assemblages in Lago Maggiore as a basic tool for defining association patterns in the Italian deep lakes

The main goal of the study presented here is to identify a repeatable pattern in the seasonal succession of phytoplankton assemblages in Lago Maggiore. In order to fulfil this objective we analysed the phytoplaktonic succession during a five years period (1995-1999), through the calculation of the Bray-Curtis similarity index applied to biovolume data. A cluster analysis has been then applied to the distance matrix, allowing the identification of sample clusters possessing a similar species composition. The comparison, through the whole period considered, of the phytoplankton assemblages characterising each cluster allowed to recognise six seasonal periods (Winter, Early Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Late Summer, Autumn), each of them characterised by a peculiar and repeatable species assemblage. Among the most interesting findings we would mention the existence of a Late Spring/Early Summer association, dominated by Planktothrix rubescens and Fragilaria crotonensis, probably peculiar of the deep subalpine lakes, where these species can better take advantage of the physical and chemical environment of the metalimnetic niche. The identification of a pool of dominant and sub-dominant species common to other southern subalpine lakes and the existence of a similar time periodicity in the development and decline of most of them across this lake district seem to be promising in order to give our results a wider application.
The Role of Traditional Taboos and Custom as Complementary Tools in Wildlife Conservation Within Mount Cameroon National Park Buea

This study was carried out to examine the use of traditional taboos and custom in wildlife conservation in the Mount Cameroon National Park. A purposive sampling technique was used in selecting 13 villages from the 41 villages surrounding the park. A total number of 130 respondents were randomly selected for the study and data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics. From the results, majorities (76.67%) of the respondents were male and, fall within the age range of 50–59 years (62.5%), attained secondary education and 80.83% were Christians. As the results reveal, a good percentage of the respondents were conversant with cultural practices and its impact in wild animal conservation as 70.83% and 20.83% of the respondents strongly agree and agree respectively that cultural practices are used for conserving wildlife species. Religion, migration and westernization were found to be responsible for the decline of cultural practices in wildlife conservation within the study area. One animal, the African forest elephant is reverenced as a deity throughout the study area, although there were taboos forbidding indigenes/residents from killing or eating some particular wildlife species (Chimpanzee, Western bush pig, African python, Preuss monkey, Blue duiker, Drill, African civet, African wild dog, Black kite, White-face owl and snail spp). Illegal communal hunting is still practiced in the area. It is recommended that new and holistic wildlife conservation policies that will blend traditional systems of regulation, myths, rituals, and perceptions with existing wildlife legislation in the country be implemented to enhance conservation in this area.