Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Family Planning Policy Matter? Dynamic Evidence from China

This paper estimates dynamic effects of China’s family planning policies on fertility using an individual-level panel sample from the China Health and Nutrition Survey. This paper applies a multiple-spell mixed-proportional hazard model where the unobserved individual heterogeneity is non-parametrically estimated, as suggested by Heckman and Singer (1984). Simulations from the model estimates find that the one-child policy, the harshest and ongoing family planning policy of China, reduced probabilities of having exactly 2 and 3 births by 31.1% and 35.3%, and correspondingly raised probabilities of childlessness and having exactly 1 birth by 54.9% and 67.0%. Policies prior to the one-child policy have shown similar but smaller effects. However, simulations further show that, had there been no family planning policies, fertility levels would still have declined greatly over cohorts. Lastly, better-educated women are less likely to have a large number of births; women whose first birth is a son tend to have smaller families than those whose first child is a daughter.
Factors That Affect Consumption Patterns and Market Demands for Honey in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Despite the significant annual consumption of honey in Saudi Arabia, information gaps remain with regard to the marketing and market structure of honey along the value chain. This study analyzed the major factors that influenced the consumption, expenditure patterns, and demand of honey in Saudi Arabia. This study forecasted the near-future expected market demands for honey in Saudi Arabia by collecting and analyzing the primary data using questionnaires. A total of 331 respondents from representative regions and large cities were randomly selected and interviewed. The data were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods as well as appropriate econometric models. Respondents characterized honey quality using organoleptic words, and these characterizations varied based on the relative significance of perception parameters. Taste, aroma, physical state, and color had aggregated average scores of 4.58, 4.44, 3.54, and 3.28, respectively. In addition to the above parameters, honey source, brand name, and confidence in the producers influenced its perceived quality. The major outlets for honey in Saudi Arabia included producers, specialized honey stores, and auction markets in major cities during the harvesting seasons. Medication, food, and sweetening were the major motivations for buying honey in the Saudi market, with aggregate scores of 4.52, 3.71, and 1.52, respectively. Significant honey price variations were observed within and among different honeys and packaging volumes; this finding might be due to factors such as botanical and geographical origins, package volume size economics (i.e., bulk purchases), honey variety blending, brand names, and producer policies. The average price of locally produced honey was approximately $73 per kg, which is 10 times more than the average price of honey in the US and the EU. The estimated consumption/income elasticity was 0.27. These results suggest that honey is a basic commodity in Saudi Arabia. Based on econometric model forecasts, the Saudi market demand for honey is expected to reach approximately 29,784 tons in 2025.
A Lightweight Tool for Random Testing of Stream Processing Systems ( Extended Version ) ∗

With the rise of Big Data technologies, distributed stream processing systems have gained popularity in the last years. These are used to continuously process streams of data from various sources, like customer activity or sensors measurements, to obtain an always up to date view of the data that allows the system to react on time to events. Stream processing systems, like any other system dealing with time and events, are hard to test. But we can find several proposals in the literature for dealing with those problems. In particular we focus on Pnueli’s approach based on the use of temporal logic for testing reactive systems. Our final goal is facilitating the adoption of temporal logic as an every day tool for the development of stream processing programs. To do that, we consider property-based testing (PBT), a random testing technique that has gained popularity in the software development industry, as a bridge between formal logic and software development practices like test driven development. As PBT only handles finite test cases, we propose a novel discrete time linear temporal logic for finite words. In order to increase its expressiveness for formulating stricter properties, in this logic we associate a timeout to each temporal connective, that determines the maximum time at which the corresponding sub-formulas should be solved to true for the whole formula to hold. We implement our logic as a library extending ScalaCheck for testing Spark Streaming programs.
Changes in soil organic carbon in the upper Heihe river basin, China

The Heihe River Basin is a globally significant carbonpool, but its soil organic carbon dynamics is poorly understood. Soilsamples taken between 2500 m and 4100 m revealed that the majority(>75%) of soil organic carbon was from 0-40 cm. It showed anegative relationship with pH and soil bulk density, and a positiverelationship with altitude and soil water content, respectively. From2005 to 2011, soil carbon content in the upper catchment decreasedfrom 93 g/kg to 53 g/kg. These results suggest that policies shouldaim to reduce carbon loss by transferring it from the top- to thesub-soil.
Structure of heavy-metal sorbed birnessite: Part 2. Results from electron diffraction

Abstract Selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) and energy-dispersive analysis were used to study the structure of synthetic heavy-metal sorbed birnessites (MeBi). Samples were prepared by equilibrating a suspension of Na-rich buserite (NaBu) at pH 4 in the presence of various heavy metal cations (Me), including Pb, Cd, Zn, and Cu. Five main types of SAED patterns were observed. Types I and II were observed only for ZnBi micro-crystals, and they both consist of two super-cell reflection networks related by a mirror plane parallel to the a*-c* plane. In direct space, these twinned networks correspond to hexagonal supercells with AH = BH = √7b/√3, and AH = BH = √7b, for ZnBi type I and II, respectively. The supercells in the two varieties result from an ordered distribution of vacant layer octahedra capped by interlayer Zn in ZnBi layers. This distribution is described by a hexagonal cell with AH = √7b. In ZnBi micro-crystals of type I, interstratified twinned right- and left-handed fragments are similar to chalcophanite (ZnMn3O7·3H2O; Wadsley 1955; Post and Appleman 1988), and distributions of vacant layer octahedra from adjacent layers are regularly shifted with respect to each other by 1/3 of the long diagonal of the hexagonal layer unit cell. In ZnBi micro-crystals of type II, distributions of vacant layer octahedra are not regularly shifted from one layer to the adjacent one. SAED patterns of types III and IV occur for PbBi, ZnBi, and CdBi micro-crystals and contain super-cell reflections distributed parallel to [100]* with a periodicity that is not commensurate with that of the MeBi sub-structure (a*/2.15 and a*/5.25, respectively). The super-cell reflections result from the ordered distribution within MeBi layers of vacant layer sites capped by Me as pairs along the a axis. Within each pair, vacant sites are separated by 2a for type III, and by 5a for type IV. In one-layer monoclinic structures, the apparent incommensurability arises from the +a/ 3 shift between adjacent layers having a similar one-dimensional periodic distribution of interlayer Me located above and below vacant octahedra sharing three corners with Mnlayer octahedra (TC sites). Tetrahedral coordination of these Me cations in TC sites, as in ZnBi, leads to the formation of strong H-bonds between adjacent layers. A similar incommensurate effect occurs in one-layer hexagonal MeBi if octahedrally coordinated Me cations periodically distributed along the a axis are located above and/or below empty tridentate cavities sharing three edges with Mnlayer octahedra (VITE sites, PbBi). SAED patterns of type V contain only sub-cell reflections and were observed mostly for PbBi and CuBi micro-crystals. Three different conditions can lead to the absence of super-cell reflections: (1) a low amount of sorbed Me (PbBi); (2) the presence of Me having a scattering power similar to that of Mn on a single side of vacant layer sites (CuBi); or (3) a random distribution of interlayer species.
A spectral lower bound for the divisorial gonality of metric graphs

Let $\Gamma$ be a compact metric graph, and denote by $\Delta$ the Laplace operator on $\Gamma$ with the first non-trivial eigenvalue $\lambda_1$. We prove the following Yang-Li-Yau type inequality on divisorial gonality $\gamma_{div}$ of $\Gamma$. There is a universal constant $C$ such that \[\gamma_{div}(\Gamma) \geq C \frac{\mu(\Gamma) . \ell_{\min}^{\mathrm{geo}}(\Gamma). \lambda_1(\Gamma)}{d_{\max}},\] where the volume $\mu(\Gamma)$ is the total length of the edges in $\Gamma$, $\ell_{\min}^{\mathrm{geo}}$ is the minimum length of all the geodesic paths between points of $\Gamma$ of valence different from two, and $d_{\max}$ is the largest valence of points of $\Gamma$. Along the way, we also establish discrete versions of the above inequality concerning finite simple graph models of $\Gamma$ and their spectral gaps.
Verbal and non-verbal working memory in aphasia: What three n-back tasks reveal

Background: Researchers have found that many individuals with aphasia (IWA) present with cognitive deficits that may impact their communication, and perhaps underlie their language-processing deficits (e.g., Erickson et al., 1996; Murray et al., 1997; Wright et al., 2003). However, many investigations of cognitive ability in aphasia have included measures that may be considered “language heavy”; they require overt lexical, semantic, and/or phonological processing to follow the task instructions and/or formulate a response. Few have considered the amount of linguistic processing required to perform the task. Subsequently, it is not clear if poorer performance by IWA on cognitive tasks compared to neurologically intact (NI) participants is due to a deficit in the respective cognitive domain or due to the inability of IWA to perform the task because of their language difficulties. Aims: The purpose of the current study was to explore the effect of varying linguistic processing demands in the context of a dynamic working memory task—an n-back task for participants with and without aphasia. Method & Procedures: This study compared differences on three different n-back tasks within and across groups for individuals with aphasia and NI matched peers. Participants completed three different n-back tasks; stimuli for the tasks varied in “linguistic load”. For each n-back task participants completed two levels of difficulty: 1-back and 2-back. Outcomes & Results: The aphasia group performed significantly worse than the NI participants across the n-back tasks. All participants performed significantly better with the stimuli that carried a higher linguistic load (i.e., the fruit), than with the fribbles (semi-linguistic) and blocks (non-linguistic). All participants performed significantly better on the 1-back than the 2-back working memory task. Unlike the NI participants, IWA performed equally poorly with the fribbles and the blocks in the 2-back task. Conclusions: Overall, the performance of individuals with aphasia on working memory tasks that varied in their linguistic load was similar to the control group but reduced. However, unlike the NI participants, IWA were less skilled at rapidly utilising linguistic knowledge to increase performance on the fribbles, demonstrating the further decrement in working memory that results from a decreased ability to utilise a linguistic strategy to increase performance on verbal working memory tasks. The results of this study indicate that language ability has a significant influence on performance on working memory tasks and should be considered when discussing cognitive deficits in aphasia.
Evolutionary ecology at the extremes of species' ranges.

The nature of species at the extremes of their ranges impinges fundamentally on diverse biological issues, including species’ range dynamics, population variability, speciation and conservation biology. We review the literature concerning genetic and ecological variation at species’ range edges, and discuss historical and contemporary forces that may generate observed trends, as well as their current and future implications. We discuss literature which shows how environmental, ecological and evolutionary factors act to limit species’ ranges, and how these factors impose selection for adaptation or dispersal in peripheral populations exposed to extreme and stochastic biotic and abiotic stressors. When conditions are sufficiently harsh such that local extinction is certain, peripheral populations may represent temporary offshoots from stable core populations. However, in cases where peripheral populations persist at the range edge under divergent or extreme conditions, biologically significant differences c.
Simulated watershed responses to land cover changes using the Regional Hydro‐Ecological Simulation System

In this work, we used the Regional Hydro‐Ecological Simulation System (RHESSys) model to examine runoff sensitivity to land cover changes in a mountain environment. Two independent experiments were evaluated where we conducted simulations with multiple vegetation cover changes that include conversion to grass, no vegetation cover and deciduous/coniferous cover scenarios. The model experiments were performed at two hillslopes within the Weber River near Oakley, Utah watershed (USGS gauge # 10128500). Daily precipitation, air temperature and wind speed data as well as spatial data that include a digital elevation model with 30 m grid resolution, soil texture map and vegetation and land use maps were processed to drive RHESSys simulations. Observed runoff data at the watershed outlet were used for calibration and verification. Our runoff sensitivity results suggest that during winter, reduced leaf area index (LAI) decreases canopy interception resulting in increased snow accumulations and hence snow available for runoff during the early spring melt season. Increased LAI during the spring melt season tends to delay the snow melting process. This delay in snow melting process is due to reduced radiation beneath high LAI surfaces relative to low LAI surfaces. The model results suggest that annual runoff yield after removing deciduous vegetation is on average about 7% higher than with deciduous vegetation cover, while annual runoff yield after removing coniferous vegetation is on average as about 2% higher than that produced with coniferous vegetation cover. These simulations thus help quantify the sensitivity of water yield to vegetation change. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relativistic spin-orbit interactions of photons and electrons

Laboratory optics, typically dealing with monochromatic light beams in a single reference frame, exhibits numerous spin-orbit interaction phenomena due to the coupling between the spin and orbital degrees of freedom of light. Similar phenomena appear for electrons and other spinning particles. Here we examine transformations of paraxial photon and relativistic-electron states carrying the spin and orbital angular momenta (AM) under the Lorentz boosts between different reference frames. We show that transverse boosts inevitably produce a rather nontrivial conversion from spin to orbital AM. The converted part is then separated between the intrinsic (vortex) and extrinsic (transverse shift or Hall effect) contributions. Although the spin, intrinsic-orbital, and extrinsic-orbital parts all point in different directions, such complex behavior is necessary for the proper Lorentz transformation of the total AM of the particle. Relativistic spin-orbit interactions can be important in scattering processes involving photons, electrons, and other relativistic spinning particles, as well as when studying light emitted by fast-moving bodies.
Generic Circumscription in Menyanthaceae: A Phylogenetic Evaluation

Abstract Menyanthaceae consist of five genera of aquatic and wetland plants distributed worldwide. The three monotypic genera (Liparophyllum, Menyanthes, and Nephrophyllidium) are clearly differentiated morphologically, but the two larger genera (Nymphoides and Villarsia) contain several taxa of uncertain affinity. We undertook a phylogenetic analysis, using a combination of morphological and molecular data, to resolve relationships among species and to evaluate the current circumscription of genera. DNA sequence data for nuclear (ITS) and chloroplast (rbcL and trnK/matK) gene regions were largely congruent (by partition-homogeneity test), and a combined data phylogeny revealed several strongly supported relationships. Analyses using asterid outgroup taxa supported the monophyly of Menyanthaceae. Menyanthes trifoliata and Nephrophyllidium crista-galli comprised a clade sister to the remainder of the family. Species of Nymphoides, except N. exigua, resolved to a single, deeply-nested clade, indicating that the floating-leaved habit is derived evolutionarily within the family. The genus Villarsia comprised a paraphyletic grade toward Nymphoides, wherein the species resolved to three assemblages: (1) a shallowly nested clade containing V. albiflora, V. calthifolia, V. marchantii, V. parnassifolia, V. reniformis, and V. umbricola; (2) an isolated South African clade including V. manningiana and the type species, V. capensis; and (3) a heterogeneous clade of taxa from three genera, including V. exaltata, V. lasiosperma, and V. latifolia, plus the anomalous species V. capitata, V. congestiflora, Liparophyllum gunnii, and Nymphoides exigua. Our results indicate that the genera Menyanthes, Nephrophyllidium, and Nymphoides should be retained as circumscribed, with the exception that Nymphoides exigua should be restored to Villarsia. The genus Villarsia, however, eventually should be subdivided among monophyletic lineages, whereby in the strict sense Villarsia would contain only South African taxa.
The Markov-switching Granger Causality of Asia-Pacific Exchange Rates

This paper examines the Granger causality relationships of the Asia-Pacific exchange rates. We employ Markov-switching vector autoregressive model to capture the dynamic linkages between them. Empirical examination processes use the nominal and real exchange rates of Chinese Yuan, Japanese yen, New Taiwan dollar and South Korean Won. The results of Markov-switching Granger causalities differ remarkably from the conventional linear model and provide more accurate measurement. We find the Markov-switching Granger causalities between exchange rates, and they vary with respect to the sample lag period. The mutual relationships between Asia-Pacific exchange rates are profound and lasting. This is suggested that we should use the nonlinear model to recheck the Granger causalities of exchange rates, and capture the fluctuations of Asia-Pacific exchange rates.
A Remarkable New Glass Frog (Centrolenidae: Vitreorana) from the Northeast Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Abstract: We describe a new species of glass frog (Vitreorana) from Fazenda Novo Pau Brasil, in the Atlantic Forest habitat of northeastern Brazil. Previous to this work, Vitreorana baliomma sp. nov. was misidentified as V. eurygnatha, from which it can be distinguished by the iris pattern flecked with star-shape melanophores; rudimentary nuptial excrescences formed by glands on the dorsomedial surface of Finger I, with some accessorial glands along its periphery; parietal, urinary bladder, kidneys, and testes peritonea translucent; visceral peritoneum with iridophores covering the pericardium, liver, and gastrointestinal tract. We also provide a brief discussion on its morphological similarities with other Vitreorana species.
Metaplastic thymoma with CD 56 and S-100 expression in spindle cells : report of a case indicating the utility of CD 56 and S-100 for discriminating spindle tumors

Metaplastic thymoma is a subtype of thymoma with a biphasic structure comprising polygonal cells and spindle cells, and is extremely rare. Although expression of the neural marker S-100 has previously been observed in only two patients, we encountered a valuable case in which both CD56 and S-100 were expressed in spindle cells. We report our findings here. A 33-year old man visited our hospital with cough and bloody phlegm. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed a microlobulated mass measuring 5.4×4.4 cm in the anterior mediastinum. The patient underwent thymectomy with median sternotomy. Pathological examination revealed a biphasic pattern of epithelial and spindle cells. On immunohistochemistry, spindle cells were negative for AE1/AE3, but positive for EMA and vimentin. The most interesting immunohistochemical finding was that the spindle cells were diffusely positive for both CD56 and S-100. Numerous spindle cell-containing tumors exhibit a biphasic pattern, and differential diagnosis can be difficult with morphological diagnostic methods or immunostaining using existing markers. No reports to date have conducted a detailed investigation of expression levels of CD56 and S-100 in metaplastic thymoma, and accumulation of data in additional patients is therefore necessary. Nonetheless, the present findings suggest that immunohistochemical findings in which CD56 is expressed in spindle cells, S-100 shows markedly greater expression in spindle cells, and CD20 is absent from both components may be useful in differentiating between metaplastic thymoma and other tumors containing spindle cells.