Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Eötvös experiment, GTR, and differing gravitational and inertial masses Proposition for a crucial test of metric theories

The Eötvös experiment has been taken as basis for metric theories of gravity and particularly for the general theory of relativity (GTR), which assumes that gravitational and inertial masses are identical. We highlight the fact that, unlike the long lasting and reigning belief, the setup by Eötvös experiments and its follow-ups serve to demonstrate no more than a mere linear proportionality between said masses, and not ineludibly their exclusive equality. So much so that, as one distinct framework, Yarman–Arik–Kholmetskii (YARK) gravitation theory, where a purely metric approach is not aimed, makes the identity between inertial and gravitational masses no longer imperative while still remaining in full conformance with the result of the Eötvös experiment, as well as that of free fall experiments. It is further shown that Eötvös experiment deprives us of any knowledge concerning the determination of the proportionality coefficient coming into play. Henceforward, the Eötvös experiment and its follow-ups cannot be taken as a rigorous foundation for GTR. In this respect, we suggest a crucial test of the equality of gravitational and inertial masses via the comparison of the oscillation periods of two pendulums with different arm lengths, where the deviation of the predictions by GTR and by YARK theory represents a measurable value.
5 Hybridisation , Introgression and Phylogeography of Icelandic Birch

Birch woodland is an integral component of the tundra biome, which covers expansive areas of the Arctic and amounts to 20% of Earth’s land surface. Arctic tundra is located in the northern hemisphere, encircling the North Pole and extending south to the coniferous forests of the taiga. In geographical Europe, this includes, from east to west, northern Russia, Fennoscandia (northern Scandinavia and Finland), the Svalbard archipelago and Iceland, which is the main focus of the present paper. Tundra is the coldest of all of the terrestrial biomes and is noted for its frost-moulded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients and short growing seasons with long days (Reece et al. 2011). The low temperatures in the Arctic are, however, highly variable from one area to another, due to the influence of different oceanic currents. For example, the Irminger Current, which branches from the North Atlantic Current at about 26°W (Bersch et al. 1999), transports warm (4–6 °C) water around the coast of Iceland, making the climate in Iceland more temperate than its far north location would suggest.
Corporate governance and voluntary disclosure: evidence from Jordan

The main objectives of this study are to measure the voluntary disclosure level in the annual reports of Jordanian companies listed on Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) and to examine the relationship between a number of corporate governance mosaic and the level of voluntary disclosure. Unweighted disclosure index consisting of 54 voluntary items was developed to assess the level of voluntary disclosure in the annual reports of 111 listed companies on ASE for the year 2012. Univariate and Multivariate analysis were applied to explore the relationship between each explanatory variables and the level of voluntary disclosure and a number of sensitivity tests were taken to further analysis. The findings of the study reveal that the level of voluntary disclosure in Jordanian corporate annual reports is low (its average is 32.4% for the year 2012). Univariate and multivariate analysis reveals that board size and audit committee size have a significant positive relationship with the level of voluntary disclosure while independent directors and ownership structure have a significant negative relationship with the level of voluntary disclosure. The findings of this study have important implications for authority regulators, policy makers, shareholders and other users of reports who have an interest in best practices of corporate governance.
Characteristics of short period secondary microseisms (SPSM) in Taiwan: The influence of shallow ocean strait on SPSM

Taking advantage of a unique opportunity provided by a dense array of coastal short‐period seismic stations and the diverse bathymetry around Taiwan, we examine how the long‐range coherent ambient noises are influenced by surrounding ocean settings using the cross‐correlation functions (CCFs) between pairs of stations. The effective energy of the CCFs derived from three components of short‐period seismometer data falls within the frequency range of the short period secondary microseism (SPSM). The spatial variations mapped from the amplitude asymmetry of CCFs and source migration images evidently demonstrate that the SPSM strengths are closely linked to the drastic changes in offshore ocean characteristics and result in much stronger SPSM in the shallow and narrow Taiwan Strait than in deep open seas of eastern Taiwan. The temporal variations of the CCF strengths exhibit very good correlations with the wind speeds and wave heights, explicitly indicating the observed SPSM is dominated by local sources generated from wind‐driven ocean waves around offshore Taiwan.
Local knowledge and practices can help in drought prediction and extreme weather management

*Md. Shafiqul Islam, Mahbuba Nasreen & Hamidul Huq Doctoral Researcher, Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies, University of Dhaka and Assistant Professor, Center for Sustainable Development, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh; Professor and Director, Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies, University of Dhaka; Professor, Department of Economics, United International University E-mail: shafiqul.islam@ulab.edu. bd
Monetary Policy and Financial (In)Stability: An Integrated Micro-Macro Approach

Central banks focus on two objectives today: monetary and financial stability. Empirical evidence on this twin objective is scarce. We aim to contribute on the issue with an integrated micro-macro approach with two core virtues. First, we measure financial stability at the bank level for Europe's largest economy: Germany. Second, we specify a VAR model with feedback between the micro- and macroeconomic model components. This enables us to assess second round effects. Our results confirm the existence of a trade-off between monetary and financial stability. An unexpected tightening of monetary policy increases the mean probability of distress. This effect disappears when neglecting feedback effects, underlining the crucial importance of the former. Distress responses differ across banking groups and the severity of distress events. Hence, a more detailed account of heterogenous transmission dynamics beyond aggregate measures of financial stability is corroborated. An important policy implication is that the separation of financial supervision and monetary policy requires close collaboration among members in the European System of Central Banks and other national supervision authorities.
Cover systems for landfills and brownfields

Some 25 to 30 years after Western nations, the emerging economies in Asia and South America, as well as the countries of the former Soviet Union now have to address the environmental problems of waste management, and to establish long-term safe landfills as a first step towards a waste management regime governed by recycling and waste-stream reduction. A cover system as part of the landfill design should permanently prevent the uncontrolled release of landfill gas (primarily methane gas (CH4)) and pollutants, as well as the infiltration of precipitation water into the body of the landfill. Active degassing of municipal landfills takes on particular significance in the light of current climateprotection objectives, and can also provide energy by utilizing the captured gases. This paper describes current problems with classic compacted clay liners (CCLs) and their still unquestioned use in landfill legislation and landfill construction around the world. This paper focuses on dehydration/desiccation and deformation cracking when CCLs are used in landfill-capping applications. As alternative solutions, it is shown that modern capping design using geosynthetics such as certified geomembranes and certified geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) are more than ‘equivalent’, and have proven to give better long-term, reliable solutions. The authors recommend the replacement of CCLs by certified geosynthetic components such as geomembranes and GCLs.
Off-balance: the integration of physical education content learning and Irish language learning in English-medium primary schools in Ireland

ABSTRACT Increased attention to integrated approaches has resulted from demands to prioritise literacy learning while maintaining a balanced curriculum in primary schools. Limited empirical evidence to support integrated approaches to teaching physical education (PE) exists. This study explored the integration of PE content learning and the learning of Irish as a second language with eight English-medium primary school classes (ages 8–10). Data sources included direct observation, teacher interviews and written reflections, alongside focus groups with children. Careful implementation to balance language and content learning is recommended to ensure the promise of complimentary learning emerges within the spirit of an integrated curriculum.
Sustainable Infrastructure Upgrade in Slum Settlements of Lagos, Nigeria: The Role of the Architect

Global attention was drawn to the severe and pervasive effects of urban slums when the United Nations included it in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) a few years ago. Urban slums are areas or neighbourhoods that suffer infrastructure deprivation. Infrastructure refers to the physical framework of facilities through which goods and services are delivered to neighbourhood dwellers by the government. A fundamental issue in slum upgrading projects is the provision of adequate infrastructure. In a developing nation like Nigeria, there is a need to examine urban slum upgrading in a wider conceptual and technical context that will be more sustainable than what currently exists in large cities like Lagos. Nigerian architects and other professionals in the built-environment have been trying to grasp key concepts required to comprehend the phenomenon of slum upgrading and therefore be able to address it by sustainable design. The wider conceptual and technical perspectives constitute the main problem addressed in this study. The techniques employed include the review of the literature and review of interviews on slums and slum upgrading in some parts the globe. Observation technique and visits to nine large slum settlements in Lagos were also employed to validate the general information obtained from the literature. This paper discusses a wide range of urban slum characteristics and slum upgrading issues that are applicable to the study area. The paper examines specific aspects where the architect can contribute substantially to infrastructural upgrading of the built-form and spaces in Lagos’ slums. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.erem. 68.2. 4794
Composite Hydrogel Beads Based on Chitosan and Laponite: Preparation, Swelling, and Drug Release Behaviour

Biopolymer/layered silicate composites have shown unique advantages and potentials for the passive targeting of drugs because they can overcome the burst drawbacks of organic carrier, increase the drug utilization and enhance the controllable capability of drug release. Furthermore, the biocompatibility and nontoxicity of biopolymers is retained, and therefore it is promising and applicable in pharmaceutical fields. The main research aim of this work was to develop a series of biopolymer/layered silicate composite beads based on chitosan (CTS) and Laponite (LA) by a simple ionic cross-linking reaction using sodium tripolyphosphate as the cross-linker. The resultant beads were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscope and X-ray diffraction analysis. The swelling behaviour in physiological pH solutions (7.4 and 1.2), drug encapsulation efficiency and controlled release behaviour were also investigated by using Ofloxacin as the model drug to reveal the effects of introduced LA. The results indicate that the incorporation of LA remarkably improved the swelling behaviour, enhanced the drug entrapment efficiency, and slowed down the drug release behaviour in contrast to the pure organic CTS beads. The exfoliated LA clay could act as a physical cross-linker to facilitate the formation of network structure between the CTS and LA. It is suggested that LA may be developed as an effective additive for fabricating a sustained drug delivery system.
The Shape of Things to Come: Frontiers in Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing technologies—machines that can automatically fabricate arbitrarily shaped parts, pixel by pixel, layer by layer, from almost any material—have evolved over the past three decades from limited and expensive prototyping equipment in the hands of few, to small-scale commodity production tools available to almost anyone. It has been broadly recognized that this burgeoning second industrial revolution will transform every aspect of our lives. Clearly, we will see the usual improvements we have come to expect of any burgeoning technology: more material options, better resolution, faster printing, easier and more reliable operation, and lower costs. But where will this technology go next? 3D printing is only the tip of a much larger phenomenon. We can look at the evolution of additive manufacturing technologies’ past, present, and future as a series of milestones in humans’ increasing control over physical matter.
Retention forestry and intensified biomass harvest: epiphytic lichen assemblages under opposing ecological effects in pine-dominated boreal forests.

Intensive forestry has led to changes in the structure and function of boreal forests and to the endangerment of forest-dwelling species. Different management methods, such as retention forestry, have been developed to counter the negative biodiversity impacts, although forest use has intensified at the same time: for example, stumps and logging residues are commonly harvested for biofuel. This thesis examines the potential impacts of biofuel harvest, retention forestry and prescribed burning on epiphytic lichen assemblages in pine-dominated boreal forests. In addition, post-harvest dynamics of retention trees were studied to assess their capacity to support species diversity in the early successional forests. The study is based on a large, empirical dataset collected in eastern Finland from 24 study sites that were treated experimentally with a combination of retention harvest and prescribed burning, and, additionally, from 13 sites that represent different stages of forest succession. The results show that retention forestry has the potential to maintain pre-harvest legacies and support high lichen diversity on harvested sites: 85 lichen species, including Red-Listed species and dead wood specialists, were recorded on retained Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) or their dead wood legacies 11 years post-harvest. However, the outcome of retention forestry is affected by post-harvest mortality rates and the fall patterns of the retained trees, which in turn differ depending on the retention tree volume, possible application of prescribed burning, and tree-level factors. Prescribed burning of harvested sites increased retention tree mortality rates and decreased epiphytic lichen richness 11–12 years post-fire. However, in combination with high retention volumes, burning created more diverse dead wood habitats than retention forestry alone. Thus, despite the initial negative effect, the application of prescribed burning on part of the harvested sites could eventually increase lichen diversity at the landscape scale. Scots pine stumps on harvested sites hosted 83 lichen species, and may be a valuable habitat resource for wood-dwelling lichens if dead wood volumes in the landscape are otherwise low. Therefore, large-scale stump harvest may decrease lichen diversity. Instead, fine woody debris was found to be a less valuable substrate for epiphytic lichens and could be harvested for biofuel without notable effects on lichen populations. This study shows that retention forestry can be used to enhance lichen species richness in managed forests, while stump harvest has the opposite effect by reducing lichens’ habitats. Prescribed burning decreases lichen species richness at the stand scale but may enhance it at the landscape scale, provided that burning is avoided on the most valuable, lichen-rich stands.
Placental Apoptosis in Small for Gestational Age Babies: A Comparison between Swedish and Pakistani Populations

Background : Foeto-placental growth is regulated by a complex balance of growth promoting and growth inhibiting factors and hormones, namely the insulin-like growth factors (IGF) and the intracellular caspase proteins. Changes in the IGF-axis appear to affect this balance, with deficiencies possibly triggering apoptosis . Aim : To ascertain levels of apoptosis in the placenta of infants born small for gestational age (SGA) and appropriate for gestational age (AGA), comparing samples from two population groups, Pakistani and Swedish, in an attempt to better understand the mechanism behind foetal-placental growth restriction. Methods : Placental samples were taken immediately following delivery in both Karachi and Stockholm. In total 36 samples were included for further analysis (Pakistani: SGA n = 12, AGA n = 12; Swedish: SGA n = 7, AGA n = 5). Protein extraction was conducted for cell-death ELISA, and the remaining tissue samples were then paraffin embedded for further immunohistochemical and immunoflourescent analysis, looking at the apoptotic proteins, p53, caspase 8, and caspase 3. Furthermore, we compared maternal and newborn anthropometry between populations. Results : A higher apoptotic index, for caspase 8 and caspase 3, was seen in the Pakistani samples, as compared to the Swedish samples ( p<0.01 ). TUNEL assays showed higher levels of apoptosis in the Pakistani population as compared to the Swedish population ( p<0.01 ). Cell death ELISA analysis showed greater apoptotic activity in placenta from the Pakistani population as compared to the Swedish groups (p<0.05) as well as increased apoptotic activity in the SGA groups as compared to the AGA groups within each population (ELISA, p<0.05 ). No differences were seen in p53 levels as assessed by immunohistochemistry. Pakistani mothers were, on average, shorter than their Swedish counterparts (p<0.01). Conclusion : Increased apoptotic activity in placenta of the Pakistani population, as compared to their Swedish counterparts, may be associated with decreased foetal-placental growth seen in this population, particularly in babies born SGA. These findings, along with previously published results of the IGF-axis, and birth weight outcomes, suggests that lower IGF levels may be involved in the extracellular triggering of apoptosis, through caspase 8. This may further suggest a possible mechanism of foetal-placental growth restriction.
Effects of soil management systems on soil microbial activity, bulk density and chemical properties

(3) , Ana Maria Rodrigues Cassiolato(4) and Marlene Cristina Alves(3) Abstract†n†The objective of this experiment was to study the effects of soil management systems on the bulk density, chemical soil properties, and on the soil microbial activity on a Latossolo Vermelho distrUfico (Oxisol). Soil samples were collected from plots under the following management condi- tions: a)†natural dense icerradoi vegetation (savanna); b)†degraded Brachiaria decumbens pasture, 20†years old; c)†no-tillage treatment with annual crop sequence (bean, corn, soybean and dark-oat in continuous rotation), 8†years old; d)†conventional tillage treatment with crop residues added to the soil, and annual crop sequence, 10†years old. The continuous use of no-tillage system resulted in an increase in microbial biomass and decrease in soil basal respiration, therefore displaying evident long- term effects on the increase of soil C†content. The no-tillage system also provided an improvement in bulk density and chemical properties of the soil. Hence, the no-tillage management system could be an alternative for the conservation and maintenance of physical and chemical conditions and the produc- tive potential of icerradoi soils.
A study of Besov-Lipschitz and Triebel-Lizorkin spaces using non-smooth kernels

We consider the problem of characterising Besov-Lipshitz and Triebel-Lizorkin spaces using kernels with limited smoothness and decay. This extends the work of H. -Q. Bui et al in [4] and [5] from kernels in S to more general kernels, including the Poisson kernel. We overcome the difficulty of defining the convolution of a general kernel with a distribution by using the concept of a bounded distribution introduced by E. Stein [12]. The characterisations we obtain are valid for the full range of indices 0 < p, q 6 ∞ and α ∈ R.
The Role of Psychosocial Factors in Children with Recurrent Abdominal Pain

Background: Chronic, recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) is common in children and adolescents where it impacts on everyday life, causes absence from school, and leads to frequent medical consultations. Aims: to establish to what extent psychosocial factors and negative life events can be identified in children with RAP. Methods: we investigated 78 children with functional abdominal pain (age 5-14 y). One hundred thirty-one healthy school children acted as controls. Questionnaires were used for to assess psychological symptoms, negative life events and socioeconomic factors. The psychological assessment comprised 3 clinical scales (Depression, Anxiety and Behavior) totaling 35 items and was answered by the parents. Scores were calculated (separately and totally) and correlated with those of controls. Results: Family movement, economic difficulties and low socioeconomic status correlated significantly with RAP (p<0.05). Children manifested, more frequent anxiety, depression indicative factors (dysthymic depression, attitude derangement) and behavior derangement (p<0.05). Conclusions: Psychological factors, low socioeconomic status, family movement and severe economic difficulties were found significantly more frequently in children with functional abdominal pain and may well influence symptoms expression in childhood.