Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A New Population of Radio Quasars

We present a new population of radio quasars whose X-ray band, unlike previously known sources which have (flat) inverse Compton radiation, is characterized by (steep) synchrotron emission, with a broad-band spectral energy distribution similar to that of BL Lacs with high energy synchrotron peaks. We discuss how this new class was discovered, the class properties, and the implications of its existence for our understanding of jets and active galactic nuclei in general.
Improving the dynamics of northern vegetation in the ORCHIDEE ecosystem model

Improving the dynamics of northern vegetation in the ORCHIDEE ecosystem model D. Zhu, S. S. Peng, P. Ciais, N. Viovy, A. Druel, M. Kageyama, G. Krinner, P. Peylin, C. Ottlé, S. L. Piao, B. Poulter, D. Schepaschenko, and A. Shvidenko Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, LSCE CEA CNRS UVSQ, 91191 Gif Sur Yvette, France UJF Grenoble 1, Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement (LGGE, UMR5183), Grenoble, France Department of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China Institute on Ecosystems and Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Solar wind proton reflection and injection to the ACR regime at the parallel termination shock

Our recent kinetic model for the parallel solar wind termination shock describes the ion shock transit under the influence of a decelerating electrostatic potential and the turbulent wave-particle interaction with electrostatic plasma waves. Due to this diffusive interaction, a certain number of ions are reflected at the shock. These ions propagate with a bulk velocity comparable to the bulk velocity of the incoming solar wind backwards into the inner heliosphere. They undergo strong pitch-angle diffusion as they interact with the interplanetary Alfvturbulence similar to freshly ionized pick-up ions (PUIs). Their distribution function is hence isotropized to a shell in velocity space. Since their velocity magnitude in the wind frame is higher (about two times) than the estimated PUI velocity, part of the reflected and isotropized ions can directly enter an acceleration pro- cess (diffusive or stochastic, respectively) without the neces- sity of a pre-acceleration. This means that an additional self- initialized seed population for the injection into the anoma- lous cosmic ray (ACR) acceleration is shown to appear due to shock reflected solar wind ions.
Reward Systems as Determinant Of Talent Management in Public Universities in Kenya

The aim of this study was to determine whether reward systems influence talent management in public universities in Kenya. Literature has revealed that on one hand talent management has taken a slow pace or has lacked in institutions of higher education compared to the private sector on the other hand studies have established that reward systems in public institutions do not match the private sector. The sample was n=249 from public universities in Kenya. Factor analysis revealed a determinant of 0.144; Bartlett’s test was significant p<0.05 with KMO value of 0.759. Factor analysis revealed one item with a loading value below 0.4 as recommended by Pallant, (2005); hence this item was eliminated in the analysis; all other remaining components were retained for analysis. The data had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.764; hence the 8 items extracted were determined to be reliable. Data analysis revealed a strong positive relationship (r (249) = 0.529, p-value < 0.05) indicating a significant linear relationship between reward systems and talent management.
Different characteristics of new particle formation between urban and deciduous forest sites in Northern Japan during the summers of 2010-2011

To investigate new particle formation (NPF) events in urban and forest environments, number size distri- butions of ultrafine particles were measured at an urban site and a deciduous forest site in Sapporo, Northern Japan, dur- ing the summers of 2011 and 2010, respectively. The burst of nucleation mode particles at the urban site typically started in the morning (07:00-11:30 local time, LT) with simultane- ous increases in SO2 and O3 concentrations and the UV in- dex under clear (sunny) weather conditions. The growth rates of nucleated particles at the urban site ranged from 5.0 to 7.8 nm h 1 with an average of 6.3± 1.1 nm h 1 . NPF events at the urban site were separated into events with or without subsequent particle growth after the burst of nucleation mode particles. This division was found to relate to prevailing wind direction because the subsequent growth of freshly nucle- ated particles typically occurred when wind direction shifted to northwesterly (from residential and public park areas), whereas it did not occur under southeasterly winds (from the downtown area). During the periods with NPF events, ele- vated concentrations of non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) were obtained under conditions of northwesterly winds when compared to southeasterly winds, whereas no difference in SO2 levels was recorded. These results suggest that varia- tions in NMHC concentration may play an important role in the growth of freshly nucleated particles at the urban site. The burst of nucleation mode particles at the forest site typically started around noon (10:30-14:30 LT), which was 3-4 h later than that at the urban site. Interestingly, at the forest site the burst of nucleation mode particles usually started when air masses originating from urban Sapporo arrived at the forest site. The present study indicates that the inflow of these ur- ban air masses acted as a trigger for the initiation of the burst of nucleation mode particles in the deciduous forest.
THE INFLUENCE OF WALKING SPEED ON SYMMETRY FOR TEMPORAL-SPATIAL AND GRF PARAMETERS IN BACKWARD WALKING

In general, changes in walking speed are known to influence many biomechanical characteristics of human locomotion. Backward walking (BW) is one of the unique strategies of human locomotion, but there is a little information in BW. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not walking speed influences on symmetry for temporal-spatial parameters and GRF in BW. Ten healthy subjects were asked to walk on a walk-way with force platform at three times on three speed conditions. The influence of walking speed on temporal-spatial parameters and GRF parameters were founded, and some gait parameters showed asymmetry. And also . the calculated SI were showing asymmetry, so the characteristics of backward walking would be influenced walking speed and have possibility of exist some asymmetrical movements in lower leg.
Leadership and Job Satisfaction: Adjunct Faculty at a For-Profit University

There is a lack of research in the for-profit sector of higher education in the United States. Likewise, there is a lack of research on the factors that affect the job satisfaction of adjunct faculty. To address these gaps in knowledge, a quantitative correlational study was performed to investigate the effect of administrative leadership on the job satisfaction of adjunct faculty who teach online classes at a for-profit university in the United States. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, which measures perceived leadership behaviors, and Spector’s Job Satisfaction Survey, which measures job satisfaction, were used to anonymously collect data from a sample of 77 adjunct faculty. The Full-Range Leadership, which is composed of transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership behaviors, was the theoretical model for leadership. Pearson’s product moment correlational analyses were performed to investigate the bi-variate relationships between the variables. The dependent variable of total satisfaction had a statistically significant, direct and strong correlation with the independent variable of transformational leadership (r = .536, p < .0005). The strength and direction of the relationship indicated that increases in the scores of total satisfaction are associated with increases in scores in transformational leadership. Total satisfaction had a statistically significant, indirect and moderate correlation with the independent variable of laissez-faire leadership (r = -.372, p = .001). The strength and direction of the relationship indicated that lower total satisfaction scores are associated with higher laissez-faire leadership scores. There was no statistically significant relationship between transactional leadership and overall job satisfaction.
Socio-Demographic and Economic Correlates of Climate Change Coping and Adaptation Strategies: A Study on the Farmer Communities in Barisal District, Bangladesh

The major objective of the study is to apply Conservation of Resource (COR) theory for examining the influence of farmers’ socio-demographic and economic correlates upon their adoption of agricultural, economic and emotion-focused coping and adaptation strategies of climate change. An interview schedule developed from the COR theory was utilized for data collection. Using multistage cluster sampling technique, a total of 384 farmers were chosen from Agailjhara Upazila of Barisal District and interviewed through a predesigned structured questionnaire. For triangulation of the quantitative findings, the study employed case study technique to collect qualitative data from the respondents. The findings of the study demonstrate that the most common emotion- focused, agricultural and economic coping and adaptation strategies of climate change were social support seeking (79.69%), planting trees (71.35%), homestead gardening (52.08%), hydroponic farming/floating garden (46.88%), duck rearing (30.73%), saving (20.83%), self-insurance (18.75%), etc. Bivariate results indicate that age, ownership of land, income and ownership of television or mobile phone were found significantly correlated with the three variables, including economic, agricultural and emotion-focused coping and adaptation strategies of COR theory. Again, access to microcredit has relationship with economic and agricultural adaptation strategies. Furthermore, education has significant relationship with agricultural adaptation strategies. The study suggests that continuous researches by policy makers, researchers, GOs and NGOs are very essential to exploring and enhancing farmers’ coping and adaptation strategies which may relegate the adverse impacts and vulnerabilities of climate change in the study area.
Noise Induces Oxidative Stress In Rat

Aim: Noise is described as disturbing and unwanted sound. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of noise on oxidative stress parameters in rat. Methods: Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in the study. Noise group (n=10) was exposed to noise for 20 days / 4 hour 100 dB. Control group (n=10) that was not exposed to any noise and was kept from any stress source, was hold in the same conditions. Baseline and after 20th day of the experiment, blood samples of rats were collected and their sera were separated. Malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) levels and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity were analyzed in rat sera. Results: MDA and NO levels and GSH-Px activities were found to be increased significantly at the end of experiment in the group exposed to noise. No parameters were significantly differed between at baseline and at the end of experiment in the control group. Conclusion: The present study showing an elevation in MDA level, an indicator of lipid peroxidation, as well as NO level and GSH-Px activity by noise exposure suggests the presence of oxidative stress which may lead to various degrees of damages in the cells, mainly via lipid peroxidation pathway.in the noise group. Therefore, these results appear to support the fact that noise might cause damage not only in the ears but also in whole body leading to oxidative stress.
Long term outcome after cryoballoon ablation of atrial fibrillation in a single center: results from a prospective study in 1002 patients

Aims: Catheter ablation of AF is an efficient and recommended treatment in drug-refractory AF, especially concerning paroxysmal or “short-standing” persistent AF. The purpose of this study was to investigate long-term outcomes of freedom from AF after pulmonary vein isolation using cryoballoon ablation. Methods: Drug-resistant patients with documented symptomatic paroxysmal (n=746) or persistent (n=256) AF underwent one or several cryoballoon ablation procedures. Recurrence was defined as a symptomatic or documented arrhythmia episode of >30 seconds excluding a 3-month blanking period. Results: Among a cohort of 1002 patients, 783 (79.7%) were free from AF at 3 months. End follow-up data was available for 894 (89.3%) patients. Over a median period of 2.9 ± 1.3 years, 599 (61.0%) patients had no recurrence of AF after a single procedure (success rate of 66% if paroxysmal AF, 47% if persistent AF). The cumulative success rates after 2 and 3 repeat procedures were 76% and 78.2% respectively. Three statistically significant predictors of recurrence were identified: persistent AF (p<0.001), dilated left atrium (p=0.01) and lack of regular physical activity (p=0.01). Complications were observed in 190 (16.2%) procedures, including 2.8% major complications and 14.5% minor complications. Phrenic nerve palsy was the most frequent complication, persistent over 6 months after discharge in 5 patients. Conclusion: The pulmonary vein isolation using a cryoballoon catheter was completed with a high rate of long-term success and a low rate of major complications. Patients with dilated left atrium, persistent AF or lack of regular physical activity had lower AF-free survival rates.
Catalytic Thermal Decomposition of Polyethylene Determined by Thermogravimetric Treatment

Summary: In this study low density polyethylene (LDPE) has been studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) using commercially available oxides as catalysts. TGA experiments were used to evaluate the activity of different catalysts on low density polyethylene (LDPE) degradation and to study the effect in terms of type and amount of catalyst used. All the catalysts used improved the pyrolysis of LDPE. The reaction rates were found to increase with increase in amount of catalyst. Among the catalysts used, alumina acidic active catalyst performed better at all four fractions. Moreover, alumina acidic active reduced weight loss temperature better than others tested catalysts. The effect of alumina neutral catalyst on the pyrolysis of LDPE is less pronounced due to its small surface area and pore size. The effect of these catalysts showed that surface area, number of acidic sites and pore size were found as the key factors for the energy efficient degradation of polymers.
Geostrophy via potential vorticity inversion in the Yucatan Channel

It has become common practice to measure ocean current velocities together with the hydrography by lowering an ADCP on typical CTD casts. The velocities and densities thus observed are considered to consist mostly of a background contribution in geostrophic balance, plus internal waves and tides. A method to infer the geostrophic component by inverting the linearized potential vorticity (PV) provides plausible geostrophic density and velocity distributions. The method extracts the geostrophic balance closest to the measurements by minimizing the energy involved in the difference, supposed to consist of PV-free anomalies. The boundary conditions and the retention of PV by the geostrophic estimates follow directly from the optimization, which is based on simple linear dynamics and avoids both the use of the thermal wind equation on the measured density, and the classical problem of a reference velocity. By construction, the transport in geostrophic balance equals the measured one. Tides are the largest source of error in the calculation. The method is applied to six ADCP/CTD surveys made across the Yucatan Channel in the springs of 1997 and 1998 and in the winter of 1998 –1999. Although the time interval between sections is sometimes close to one inertial period, large variations on the order of 10 percent are found from one section to the next. Transports range from 20 to 31 Sv with a net average close to 25 Sv, consisting of 33 Sv of inflow into the Gulf of Mexico and 8 Sv of outflow into the Caribbean Sea. The highest velocities are 2.0 m sec 1 into the Gulf of Mexico near the surface on the western side of the channel, decreasing to 0.1 m sec 1 by 400 to 500 m depth. Beneath the core of the Yucatan Current a countercurrent, with speeds close to 0.2 m sec 1 and an average transport of 2 Sv, hugs the slopes of the channel from 500 to 1500 m depth. Our data show an additional 6 Sv of return flow within the same depth range over the abrupt slope near Cuba, which is likely to be the recirculating fraction of the Yucatan Current deep extention, unable to outflow through the Florida Straits. The most significant southerly flows do not occur in the deepest portion of the channel, but at depths around 1000 m.
Predictors of Pain and Function Following Total Joint Replacement

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most disabling diseases in developed countries and is re‐ sponsible for significant disability in over 43 million people worldwide, 27 million of whom are 60 years of age or older [1]. Age is the strongest predictor of the development and pro‐ gression of osteoarthritis, as such the number of people suffering with OA is expected to continue to increase over the coming years due to the ageing population [2]. Other predic‐ tors associated with OA include; gender, obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, excess alco‐ hol and injuries [2].
Micropropagation of Melothria maderaspatana (Linn.) Cogn. through apical buds derived from mature plants

An effective micropropagation system was developed through an enriched culture system for Melothria maderaspatana, a traditional medicinal plant. Prolific shoots were achieved on an enriched MS medium containing 20% (v/v) watermelon juice, 15 g l –1 sucrose, 8 g l –1 agar and supplemented with 2.0 IM benzyladenine (BA), coconut water (CW) and casein hydrolysate (CH). A higher number of shoots (mean value = 32.7) were observed on an enriched MS medium supplemented with 2.0 IM BA, 5% (v/v) CW and 100 mg l –1 CH. The regenerated shoots of 40-50 mm length were dipped in 50 IM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) for 15 min and then transplanted into plastic pots containing a mixture of vermiculite and sand (80:20, v/v) to induce rooting. As a result, a mean of 10.4 roots per shoot with a length of 60-75 mm were produced. The in vitro raised plantlets with well-developed shoots and roots were established successfully in a greenhouse with 85% survival. Our study provides the first report on in vitro plant regeneration in M. maderaspatana. This system can be applied for mass propagation and germplasm conservation of M. maderaspatana.
Family Firms, Expropriation and Firm Value: Evidence from Related Party Transactions in Malaysia

We examine the relationship between related party transactions (RPTs) and firm value and how this relationship is moderated by ownership concentration using a sample of 379 listed family and 151 non-family firms for the period 2007 to 2009. Ordinary Least Square Pooled Model as well as Fixed Effects Model panel data regressions are used in the data analysis. For family firms, we find that RPTs reduce firm value (proxied by Tobin’s Q and market-to-book value). Further, controlling shareholders’ ownership has a significant positive moderating effect on this relationship. However, for non-family firms, there is no significant evidence of firm value reduction and positive moderating effect respectively. We conclude that expropriation via RPTs is stronger in family firms compared to non-family firms. Additionally, an increase in controlling shareholders’ ownership helps mitigate this expropriation and this mitigating effect is stronger in family firms compared to non-family firms. The implications for the capital market regulator are discussed in this paper.
Artificial neural network as an alternative to multiple regression analysis for estimating the parameters of econometric models

In recent years, neural networks have been used for a wide variety of applications where statistical methods are traditionally employed. Neural nets offer the opportunity to create a model by using technology similar to the learning patterns of the human brain. The structure of artificial neural networks (ANN) is based on the human brain's biological neural processes. Artificial neural networks provide a new approach to the problem of parameter estimation of nonlinear econometric models. This paper presents a comparison between neural networks and econometric approaches for estimation of parameters of an econometric model of grain yield. The aim of this study is to show that neural nets are a convenient econometric tool. The parameters were estimated on the basis of alternative variants of models. The analysis shows that artificial neural network models may be used for parameter estimation of the econometric models.
Discourse-Oriented Tense-Aspect Research in SLA

This paper critically reviews those studies which have approached the phenomenon of second language acquisition of tense and aspect from a discourse perspective, in hopes of diagnosing the current state of the field and helping to take further steps in the future. First, early discourse-oriented research in the 1980s is reviewed, followed by the assessment of concept-oriented research in Europe. Further developments of discourse-oriented research in the 1990s are discussed in detail, with special reference to Bardovi-Harlig and Andersen’s studies. Examination of non-narrative discourse as well as more varied narratives is suggested for future research in order to discover the role of discourse type in second language tense-aspect distribution and analyze more varied tense-aspect use by the learners.
The prevalence and associated risk factors for Isolated Systolic Hypertension in Mongolia: Results from a Nationwide Population Based Survey

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalenc e of Isolated systolic hypertension and associated risk factors among people aged 15-64 yea rs in Mongolia. We examined the prevalence and risk factors of Isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) using the data from the “Mongolian STEPS Survey on the Prevalence of Non-communicable Diseas e and Injury Risk Factors-2009”. ISH was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure<90 mmHg. From a total of 5,456 people in the STEPS study, we select ed those who had ISH for our population sample (n=377). The prevalence of ISH was classified in ur ban and rural areas. Using the approach of the World Health Organisation (WHO) “STEPS” Survey, cons umption of alcohol, fruit and vegetables, tobacco smoking and salt intake were assessed by qu estionnaire. The study revealed that 6.9 % (n=377) of the 5456 individuals involved in the stu dy had ISH. ISH occured more in males (2.7 fold) compared to females. It was statistically significa nt that the prevalence of ISH increased with age (p=0.001). There was a significant difference in th e prevalence of ISH between urban (6.03%) and rural (7.6%) respondents. The prevalence of ISH is high in the Western and Khangai regions of Mongolia among people aged 15-64 years. On logistic regression analysis, age OR:1.060 (95%CI:1.050-1.069); male gender OR:2.726 (95%CI:2. 193-3.389); duration of smoking OR:1.033 (95%CI:1.016-1.050); alcohol consumption OR:1.026 ( 95%CI:1.011-1.041) and salt intake OR:1.036 (95%CI:1.015-1.057) were independently associated w ith higher risks of ISH among the population. On age and gender adjusted logistic regression, sal t intake was found to be a significant independent risk factor for ISH (p=0.015).