Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Autocorrelation function for a noisy fractional oscillator

The temporal behavior of the autocorrelation function for the output signal of a fractional oscillator with fluctuating eigenfrequency subjected to a periodic force is considered. The influence of a fluctuating environment is modeled by a multiplicative white noise and by an additive noise with a zero mean. The viscoelastic type friction kernel with memory is assumed as a power-law function of time. On the basis of exact formulas it is demonstrated that the temporal behavior of the normalized autocorrelation function is qualitatively different for the cases of internal and external additive noise. This provides a simple criterion enabling one to analyse the output signal for alternative information about the physical nature of the additive noise.
Time-clustering analysis of the 1978–2008 sub-crustal seismicity of Vrancea region

Abstract. The analysis of time-clustering behaviour of the sub-crustal seismicity (depth larger than 60 km) of the Vrancea region has been performed. The time span of the analyzed catalogue is from 1978 to 2008, and only the events with a magnitude of Mw ≥ 3 have been considered. The analysis, carried out on the full and aftershock-depleted catalogues, was performed using the Allan Factor (AF) that allows the identificatiion and quantification of correlated temporal structures in temporal point processes. Our results, whose significance was analysed by means of two methods of generation of surrogate series, reveal the presence of time-clustering behaviour in the temporal distribution of seismicity data of the full catalogue. The analysis performed on the aftershock-depleted catalogue indicates that the time-clustering is associated mainly to the aftershocks generated by the two largest events occurred on 30 August 1986 (Mw = 7.1) and 30 May 1990 (Mw = 6.9).
Leaf senescence of Quercus myrtifolia as affected by long‐term CO2 enrichment in its native environment

The long‐term effects of elevated (ambient plus 350 μmol mol−1) atmospheric CO2 concentration (Ca) on the leaf senescence of Quercus myrtifolia Willd was studied in a scrub‐oak community during the transition from autumn (December 1997) to spring (April 1998). Plants were grown in large open‐top chambers at the Smithsonian CO2 Research Site, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Chlorophyll (a + b) concentration, Rubisco activity and N concentration decreased by 75%, 82%, and 52%, respectively, from December (1997) to April (1998) in the leaves grown at ambient Ca. In contrast, the leaves of plants grown at elevated Ca showed no significant decrease in chlorophyll (a + b) concentration or Rubisco activity, and only a 25% reduction in nitrogen. These results indicate that leaf senescence was delayed during this period at elevated Ca. Delayed leaf senescence in elevated Ca had important consequences for leaf photosynthesis. In elevated Ca the net photosynthetic rate of leaves that flushed in Spring 1997 (last year's leaves) and were 13 months old was not different from fully‐expanded leaves that flushed in 1998, and were approximately 1 month old (current year's leaves). In ambient Ca the net photosynthetic rate of last year's leaves was 54% lower than for current year's leaves. When leaves were fully senesced, nitrogen concentration decreased to about 40% of the concentration in non‐senesced leaves, in both CO2 treatments. In April, net photosynthesis was 97% greater in leaves grown in elevated Ca than in those grown at ambient. During the period when elevated Ca delayed leaf senescence, more leaves operating at higher photosynthetic rate would allow the ecosystem dominated by Q. myrtifolia to gain more carbon at elevated Ca than at ambient Ca.
The Political Economy of Rule of Law in Middle-Income Countries: A Comparison of Eastern Europe and China

There has been an explosion of interest in rule of law in recent decades and growing interest in middle-income countries (MICs) among economists and development specialists, including the World Bank. However, there has been relatively less work done on rule of law in MICs and the special issues MICs face in developing a functional legal system. This is preliminary attempt to understand some of issues facing MICs as they seek to establish rule of law. To keep the scope manageable given the wide diversity of MICs, I compare Eastern European MICs and China. Part I provides a brief introduction to MICs and general issues they face. Part II provides a broad empirical comparison of Eastern European countries, the Baltics and former soviet republics, and China. Parts III to V discuss rule of law issues in Eastern Europe, with comparisons to China, focusing on lustration issues, implementation gaps, and the very different performance of constitutional and regular courts. Part VI turns to recent debates about the role of courts in China, and the controversial crackdown on social and political cause lawyering. Part VII concludes.
Red Misfits in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Properties of Star-Forming Red Galaxies

We study Red Misfits, a population of red, star-forming galaxies in the local Universe. We classify galaxies based on inclination-corrected optical colours and specific star formation rates derived from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7. Although the majority of blue galaxies are star-forming and most red galaxies exhibit little to no ongoing star formation, a small but significant population of galaxies ($\sim$11 per cent at all stellar masses) are classified as red in colour yet actively star-forming. We explore a number of properties of these galaxies and demonstrate that Red Misfits are not simply dusty or highly-inclined blue cloud galaxies or quiescent red galaxies with poorly-constrained star formation. The proportion of Red Misfits is nearly independent of environment and this population exhibits both intermediate morphologies and an enhanced likelihood of hosting an AGN. We conclude that Red Misfits are a transition population, gradually quenching on their way to the red sequence and this quenching is dominated by internal processes rather than environmentally-driven processes. We discuss the connection between Red Misfits and other transition galaxy populations, namely S0's, red spirals and green valley galaxies.
Analysis of the Impact of Community Based Poverty Reduction Project on Farming Communities in Kogi State, Nigeria

The study analyzed the impacts of community based poverty reduction project on farming communities in Kogi State, Nigeria. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select 180 farmers, consisting of 90 farmers for each project intervention and non-project intervention communities. Descriptive statistics, FGT model and multiple regression models were used to analyze the data collected. Results showed that most of the farmers were males and married. The average Per Capita Expenditure (PCE) was N 85.21($0.54) and N 62.28 ($0.4). The poverty line of the farmers was N 56.81 and N 41.52 for farmers in the communities with and without project intervention respectively. The multiple regression result showed that age, gender, secondary occupation storage system, electricity, household income, farming experience and educational level were the factors affecting the poverty level of farmers. FGT index of poverty incidence showed that majority of the farmers fell below the poverty line. It was recommended that farmers and non-governmental organizations should initiate poverty alleviation programmes to reduce poverty trend in the rural areas. Keywords : Poverty, community, project, rural farmers, infrastructure.
Effect of the proportionality degree of electoral systems on corruption

This work makes two major innovations within the empirical literature on the effect of electoral systems on corruption. First, in order to distinguish electoral systems, we propose to measure their degree of proportionality, instead of using dummy variables. A measure of the proportionality degree seems the appropriate way to identify electoral systems in an empirical setting because it allows all their variants to be considered. Second, alongside a parametric panel data approach, we provide a new (in this field) semi-parametric technique to estimate a non-linear relationship between the proportionality degree of electoral systems and corruption. Our results show that, when we increase plurality elements into proportional, both voters’ and opponents’ monitoring power induce politicians to avoid corrupt behaviour. But it is beneficial only up to certain proportionality degrees, after which this effect stops. Moreover, data show that the ‘best’ range of proportionality degrees is most likely found under mixed electoral rules. For governors the choice of the proportionality degree therefore becomes fundamental.
A Snapshot of Treatment of Inpatients with A Mood Disorder Episode: Does Theory Match Everyday Clinical Practice?

Mood disorders represent a major cause of hospitalization in psychiatric ward. We focused on sex differences, therapies and rehospitalization rates/length of stay in inpatients with mood disorders. Rehospitalization is often observed in patients with mental disorders, with rates up to 80%. Socio-demographic features, clinical features and treatment type influence the length of stay. The objective of this study was to assess how the literature findings match everyday clinical practice in an acute psychiatric ward. We performed a retrospective observational study extracting data from our medical records from 1st July 2012 to 1st July 2014. 85 patients were eligible for the study; the overall number of admittances to the ward was 103. We have not found any difference in the rates of Bipolar Disorder between males and females, we failed to find an higher frequency of Depressive disorders in females. In our sample the rates of early readmission is 17.5%. Patients with an involuntary admission included exclusively those with a manic or hypomanic episode; patients with depressive episodes were more likely to have committed a suicide attempt.
Planktonic availability, molt stage and settlement of blue crab postlarvae

We quantified (1) spatio-temporal variation in molt stage (developmental state) of blue crab Callinectes sapidus megalopae (postlarvae), and (2) the relationship between planktonic availability, molt stage and settlement of megalopae during peak settlement in Chesapeake Bay, USA. Settlement was significantly correlated with the planktonic availability of megalopae. Developmental state of megalopae also appeared influential in settlement because (1) blue crab megalopae displayed quantifiable changes in molt stage; (2) molt stage of megalopae varied on a temporal scale of days to 1 mo or more, and a spatial scale of kilometers, apparently reflecting the physiological progression through the molt cycle by megalopae pulsing through settlement habitats; and (3) molt stage of megalopae advanced in collections from the plankton, on artificial settlement habitats, and in the benthos, indicating the approach to settlement, metamorphosis and a benthic existence. In addition, settlement was not necessarily obligatory untd sometime in late premolt, as many megalopae collected in the plankton were in late premolt. Hence, megalopae have the time in which to exercise some degree of habitat selection. Our findings show that settlement of a benthic invertebrate is regulated partly by the planktonic availability of postlarvae, and that these postlarvae progress through a predictable series of changes in developmental state as they invade settlement habitats. Thus, a quantitative measure of postlarval developmental state appears useful in relating planktonic availability of postlarvae to natural settlement patterns. Similar alterations in developmental state occur in the larval and postlarval stages of marine fish and a wide range of invertebrate taxa, indicating the potentially broad applicability of quantitative measures of developmental state in studies of settlement.
New data on the braincase of the aetosaurian archosaur (Reptilia: Diapsida) Stagonolepis robertsoni Agassiz

New data on the braincase of the aetosaurian archosaur Stagonolepis robertsoni Agassiz are presented, based on new preparation, synthetic casting, and interpretation of fossil material from the Triassic Elgin Sandstones, Scot- land. The metotic fissure is not divided by bone. The perilymphatic foramen is completely bound by bone, and faces away from the otic capsule in a posterolateral direction. A prominent subvertical ridge on the anterolateral edge of the exoccipital and upper part of the basioccipital cannot be directly associated with the subcapsular process of the chondrocranium of extant crocodilians. This ridge projects laterally beyond the ventral ramus of the opisthotic, and lies anterior to the external foramina for the hypoglossal nerve. The overall structure of the braincases (especially the otic region) of S. robertsoni and other aetosaurians, where known, is more similar (in terms of derived archo- saurian characters) to those of crocodylomorphs than are the braincases of other major suchian groups. This pro- vides evidence for the currently unorthodox hypothesis that, among major suchian clades, Aetosauria and Crocodylomorpha are each others' closest relatives. Support for this hypothesis is found in features of the palatine and prefrontal that have not been considered in recent studies of suchian phylogeny. This alternative phylogenetic hypothesis demands further investigation but, combined with the new morphological data that it explains, it pro- vides a framework for the understanding of the evolution of the derived and distinctive braincase structure of extant crocodilians. © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2002, 136 , 7 − 23. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: - Suchia - Crocodylomorpha - morphology - phylogeny - character evolution.
A Novel Algorithm for Human Fall Detection using Height, Velocity and Position of the Subject from Depth Maps

Human fall detection systems play an important role in our daily life, because falls are the main obstacle for elderly people to live independently and it is also a major health concern due to aging population. Different approaches are used to develop human fall detection systems for elderly and people with special needs. The three basic approaches include some sort of wearable devices, ambient based devices or non-invasive vision-based devices using live cameras. Most of such systems are either based on wearable or ambient sensor which is very often rejected by users due to the high false alarm and difficulties in carrying them during their daily life activities. This paper proposes a fall detection system based on the height, velocity and position of the subject using depth information from Microsoft Kinect sensor. Classification of human fall from other activities of daily life is accomplished using height and velocity of the subject extracted from the depth information. Finally position of the subject is identified for fall confirmation. From the experimental results, the proposed system was able to achieve an average accuracy of 94.81% with sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 93.33%.
Examining the Relationship of Organizational Intelligence with Innovation Management and Career Advancement in an Organization

The present study aimed to examine the relationship of organizational intelligence with innovation management and career advancement in an organization. Considering its objective, this was a descriptive-correlational study. The statistical population included all high school managers in Zahedan at the year 2015. The sample contained 52 male managers and 51 female managers whom were selected through applying stratified random sampling method. To collect data, Organizational Intelligence Questionnaire, Innovation Management Inventory and Questionnaire of Career Advancement were used, the validity of which was assessed through applying the standpoint of a number of university professors and their reliability was obtained 0.74, 0.76, 0.84, respectively, using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Results indicated that considering managers’ perspectives, the status of organizational intelligence and career advancement were desirable; however, the status of innovation management was moderate. Moreover, organizational intelligence and its components were significantly and positively correlated with innovation management (r = 0.512, P < 0.01), and there was a significant and positive relationship between organizational intelligence and career advancement (r = 0.334, P < 0.01). Findings demonstrated that components of desire to change, spirit, unity and agreement, application of knowledge, performance pressure were significantly correlated to career advancement. However, components of strategic perspective and common fate were not significantly correlated with career advancement. Additionally, among the components of organizational intelligence, in the first step, application of knowledge and in the second step, desire to change were the best predicators of innovation management (which together could predict 28%). Application of knowledge was the only variable which entered the predictive model and predicted 16% of career advancement. Results of independent t-test indicated that no significant difference was found between male and female managers, considering their organizational intelligence, innovation management and career advancement.
KEY FACTORS OF PROCESS MATURITY IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING CARIBBEAN FIRMS

The information system (IS) community has been struggling with the delivery of low quality systems. Software process improvement (SPI) has been accepted as one of the remedies to overcome this problem, with process maturity being a key element. However, most studies on process maturity and the determinants of IS quality have been conducted in large firms in developed countries. This study assessed the key determinants of process maturity in small software development firms in the English-speaking Caribbean (ESC). Using the established practices in the capability maturity model integration (CMMI) as the baseline for the analysis, it was found that project monitoring & control, and verification & validation are key determinants of process maturity in the ESC. These findings can assist IS professionals in their quest to produce higher quality software products, as well as provide a platform for further refinement of the proposed research model by IS researchers.
A TOTAL MOLECULAR GAS MASS CENSUS IN Z ∼ 2–3 STAR-FORMING GALAXIES: LOW-J CO EXCITATION PROBES OF GALAXIES’ EVOLUTIONARY STATES

We present CO(1–0) observations obtained at the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array for 14 galaxies with existing CO(3–2) measurements, including 11 galaxies that contain active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and three submillimeter galaxies (SMGs). We combine this sample with an additional 15 galaxies from the literature that have both CO(1–0) and CO(3–2) measurements in order to evaluate differences in CO excitation between SMGs and AGN host galaxies, to measure the effects of CO excitation on the derived molecular gas properties of these populations, and to look for correlations between the molecular gas excitation and other physical parameters. With our expanded sample of CO(3–2)/CO(1–0) line ratio measurements, we do not find a statistically significant difference in the mean line ratio between SMGs and AGN host galaxies as can be found in the literature; we instead find for AGN host galaxies and for SMGs (or for both populations combined). We also do not measure a statistically significant difference between the distributions of the line ratios for these populations at the p = 0.05 level, although this result is less robust. We find no excitation dependence on the index or offset of the integrated Schmidt–Kennicutt relation for the two CO lines, and we obtain indices consistent with N = 1 for the various subpopulations. However, including low-z “normal” galaxies increases our best-fit Schmidt–Kennicutt index to . While we do not reproduce correlations between the CO line width and luminosity, we do reproduce correlations between CO excitation and star-formation efficiency.
MORPHOLOGICAL AND GENOME SIZE VARIATIONS WITHIN POPULATIONS OF EDRAIANTHUS GRAMINIFOLIUS "JUGOSLAVICUS" (CAMPANULACEAE) FROM THE CENTRAL BALKAN PENINSULA

The E. graminifolius complex is widely distributed in the continental part of the central and western Balkan Peninsula and is characterized by pronounced morphological variability. Plants grow on different geological substrates, span a wide altitudinal range and inhabit heterogeneous microclimatic conditions. The aim of this study was to com- pare morpho-anatomical and genome size variations among 31 populations of E. graminifolius, and to correlate morpho- anatomical characteristics of plants with the geomorphologic and bioclimatic characteristics of their habitats. For these purposes, multivariate statistical analyses were performed. Results showed that most of morphological variability could be explained as the adaptive responses of plants to diverse environmental conditions that accompany life at different altitudes. Populations from SE Serbia had larger genome size in respect to other investigated populations. Genome size was bigger in sympatric populations of Edraianthus then in allopatric ones. Apart from the general morphological variability, plants from the Ovcar-Kablar Gorge are particularly morphologically specific.
Some moderating effects on the service quality‐customer retention link

This paper presents a holistic model of customer retention incorporating service quality perceptions, price perceptions, customer indifference and inertia. Data from a large‐scale postal survey of telephone users in England showed that perceptions of service quality have a direct linear relationship with customer retention even in mass services with low customer contact. Price perceptions and customer indifference too were found to have a direct linear effect on retention. Furthermore, it was also seen how both price perceptions and customer indifference moderated the relationship between service quality perceptions and customer retention. A linear relationship between inertia and customer retention was not found. Furthermore, there was evidence to indicate that inertia was a relatively unstable condition and that reliance by service providers on inertia to retain customers could indeed be a risky strategy.