Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VLBI Monitoring of 3C 84 (NGC 1275) in Early Phase of the 2005 Outburst

Multi-epoch Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) study of a sub-pc scale jet of 3C 84 is presented. We carried out 14-epoch VLBI observations during 2006–2009 with the Japanese VLBI Network and the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry, immediately following a radio outburst that began in 2005. We confirmed that the outburst was associated with the central � 1 pc core, accompanying the emergence of a new component. This is striking evidence of the recurrence of jet activity. The new component became brighter during 2008, in contrast to constant � -ray emission that was observed with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope during the same time. We found that the projected speed of the new component was 0.23 c from 2007/297 (2007 October 24) to 2009/114 (2009 April 24). The direction of movement of this component differs from that of the pre-existing component by
ON THE USE OF CONTINUOUS DISTRIBUTION MODELS FOR CHARACTERIZATION OF CRUDE OILS

Crude oil characterization plays a key role in upstream as well downstream operations of petroleum supply chain It is usually carried out by a batch distillation process known as true boiling point (TBP) distillation, which represents a "footprint" of the crude oil composition profile, once its shape de- pends on the amount and volatility of components in a given crude oil. In the last decades, crude oil cha- racterization methods by continuous distribution models have been proposed, as an option to the clas- sic (discrete) pseudo component approach. The com- parative performance of five continuous distribution models - Beta, Gamma, Riazi, Weibull and Weibull extreme - in characterizing the TBP crude oil distil- lation curve is presented in this work. A large TBP database of different types of Brazilian crude oil is used to identify the optimal characterization para- meters of these models by a least-squares statistical criterion. The modeling performance of each conti- nuous distribution model was measured using statis- tical estimators. The Weibull extreme model pre- sented the most adequate performance in terms of the root mean squared error (RMSE) for all crude oils. In general, the model parameters uncertainties increase with the crude oil API density, despite the reversed behavior shown by Gamma model.
Physiology of Original and Regenerated Tails in Aegean Wall Lizard (Podarcis erhardii)

Abstract Caudal autotomy is a widespread antipredator mechanism among lizards. Thrashing the tail distracts the predator's attention, facilitating the lizard's escape. Regeneration occurs rapidly, but the regenerated tail differs from the original in many ways. In the present study, we examine probable physiological differences between, and the performance of, regenerated and original tails in Aegean Wall Lizard from Aegean islets. Autotomy was induced artificially. There was no difference in duration of tail movement. Moreover, we failed to detect any differences in lactate and glycogen concentrations. Differences in LDH activity and protein levels were not significant. However, lipid levels were higher in regenerated tails. Finally, regenerated tails show higher autotomy percentages when predation was simulated. We failed to detect large-scale physiological differences in regenerated tails (with the exception of lipids) in these particular populations.
An Investigation of the Relationship between Big Five and Narrow Personality Traits and Life Satisfaction in College Student and Adult Samples

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between broad and narrow personality traits and life satisfaction for college-aged and adult populations. Hypotheses were several-fold: first, that personality measures would be predictive of life satisfaction; second, that there would be differences in the correlations of Big Five personality traits and life satisfaction for both age groups; and third, that there would be differences between both age groups in the amount of variance in life satisfaction accounted for by three narrow personality traits, i.e., Optimism, Tough-Mindedness, and Work Drive. Archival data were used to compare an undergraduate sample at a Southeastern U.S. university (n=4844), and an adult sample from a database representing working adults (n=7633). Correlation and multiple regression analyses were used for each age group in examining the validity of Big Five and narrow traits and life satisfaction. A Fischer‘s z score was used to determine significant differences in the correlations by age. The Big Five and narrow traits were found to be predictive of life satisfaction for both groups, with Emotional Stability and Optimism showing the highest correlation for both age groups. There were significant differences in correlations between the age groups on measures of Extraversion (z=4.64, p<.001), Agreeableness (z=1.92, p=.05), Conscientiousness (z=8.18, p<.001), Openness (z=2.44, p=.01), Work Drive (z=12.82, p<.001), and Tough-Mindedness (z=-2.87, p<.005). Results were discussed in terms of comparing the predictive validity of personality traits and life satisfaction between the two age groups. Study limitations and directions for future research were noted.
Exploring Undergraduate Students’ Understanding of Shari’ah Based Audit: Implications for the Future of Shari’ah Auditing Labor Market in Brunei

800x600 The worldwide Islamic finance industry had grown remarkably in the past decades, primarily propelled by the strong demand for shari’ah (Islamic Law) compliant banking products by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Behind the facade of such outstanding industry’s development, there remain unresolved critical governance issues warranting for immediate attention by industry stakeholders. Besides the presence of significant variations with regards to the scope and framework for shari’ah audit in the currently available shari’ah governance policy standards, another imperative issue surrounds the relatively small pool of knowledgeable and competent shari’ah auditors ( vis-a-vis conventional auditors) to perform shari’ah auditing of Islamic financial transactions and hence, the institutions. Arguably, these pose a significant threat to the coordinated development of this religiously rooted industry. The study’s conjecture is that education holds the key to resolve the issue. Accordingly, it undertakes a preliminary survey on Bruneian undergraduate students in the field of accounting, business and shari'ah related, majority of whom are expected to be part of Brunei’s future shari’ah auditing labor market. The study finds that students’ understanding of shari’ah auditing is arguably " rudimentary " in nature. While the characteristics and knowledge expected of shari’ah auditor are well understood, the students are however unsure of the primary objective for shari’ah auditing. These highlight the practical imperative for the Brunei government to consider a holistic revamp of its education strategies in meeting future market demands for qualified and well trained shari’ah auditors. Normal 0 21 false false false MS-BN X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:. 0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
The Level of Internet Financial Reporting of Malaysian Companies

This research analyses the issue of the level of Internet financial reporting (IFR) by companies listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia. The discussion in this paper will be based on the inconsistencies of the dimensions used in representing IFR by previous researchers who had carried out studies on IFR. The inconsistencies resulted in differences in their findings. Based on a comprehensive review, the level of IFR for this research will be divided into two main dimensions, namely, content dimension and presentation dimension. The findings showed that the level of IFR of Bursa Malaysia listed companies started from 48.27 per cent to 78.16 per cent with a min of 65.10. The findings also showed that the overall level of IFR listed companies on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia was considered good. The implication of the research findings and future research will also be discussed.
A test of the argument engagement model in Romania

Hample, Paglieri, and Na’s (2010) model of argument engagement proposes that people engage in arguments when they perceive the benefits of arguing to be greater than the costs of doing so. This paper tests the model in Romania, a different culture than the one in which the model was developed, by using a 2 (other arguer: friend or romantic partner) x 2 (topic of argument: private or public issue) design.
Aeroacoustic and aerodynamic performances of an aerofoil subjected to sinusoidal leading edges

This paper presents the preliminary results on the aeroacoustic and aerodynamic performances of a NACA65-(12)10 aerofoil subjected to 12 sinusoidal leading edges. The serration patterns of these leading edges are formed by cutting into the main body of the aerofoil, instead of extending the leading edges. Any of the leading edges, when attached to the main body of the aerofoil, will always result in the same overall chord length. The experiment was mainly performed in an aeroacoustic wind tunnel facility, although a separate aerodynamic type wind tunnel was also used for the force measurements. These sinusoidal leading edges were investigated for their effectiveness in suppressing the laminar instability tonal noise (trailing edge self-noise) and turbulence–leading edge interaction noise. The largest reduction in aerofoil noise tends to associate with the sinusoidal leading edge of the largest amplitude, and smallest wavelength. However, noticeable noise increase at high frequency is also observed for this combination of serration. In terms of the aerodynamic performance, increasing the serration wavelength tends to improve the stall angles, but the lift coefficient at the pre-stall regime is generally lower than that produced by the baseline leading edge. For a sinusoidal leading edge with large serration amplitude, the effect of the reduction in “lift-generating” surface is manifested in the significant reduction of the lift coefficients and lift curve slope. The sinusoidal leading edge that produces the best performance in the post-stall regime belongs to the largest wavelength and smallest amplitude, where the lift coefficients are shown to be better than the baseline leading edge. In conclusion, large amplitude and small wavelength is beneficial for noise reduction, whilst to maintain the aerodynamic lift a small amplitude and large wavelength is preferred.
Elongatocystis ecballocystiformis gen. et comb. nov., and some reflections on systematics of Oocystaceae (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta)

Three new strains of members of the family Oocystaceae collected in inland waters of Africa were studied microscopically and by molecular phylogeny. The new genus Elongatocystis was decribed, and the new combination Elongatocystis ecballocystiformis was proposed. The phylogenetic position of Oocystidium sp. , and Quadricoccus ellipticus within the family was shown. The SSU rRNA phylogeny of Oocystaceae recovered a need for further studies to display the generic and species concept in this monophyletic group of green algae. The essential research steps were discussed.
Protective effect of cinnamon against cadmium-induced hepatorenal oxidative damage in rats

Background: Cadmium (Cd) is a well-known hazardous environmental contaminant. It exerts its toxicity through induction of lipid peroxidation and reduction of cellular antioxidant. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether cinnamon could protect against Cd toxicity in liver and kidney. Materials and methods: Forty male Wister rats (130-135 gm) were divided randomly into 4 groups/ 10 rats each. Control, cinnamon, cadmium, and Cinn+Cd groups received distilled water, cinnamon extract (200 mg/kg b.wt. orally), cadmium chloride (5 mg/kg b.wt. orally), and Cd plus cinnamon, respectively. Blood, liver, and kidney samples were collected after 8 weeks of treatment. Erythrogram, leukogram, liver and kidney functions, and oxidative status (MDA, CAT, and TAC) were determined. Results and discussion: Cd-treated animals showed significant increases in serum ALT, AST, creatinine, and urea indicating hepatic and renal damage. Cd-induced oxidative stress was observed by marked decease TAC accompanied by increase in MDA which contributed in liver and kidney dysfunction. Co-treatment of Cd with cinnamon has improved the oxidation profile by increasing the TAC and decreasing the lipid peroxidation. Cinnamon ameliorated the toxic effect of Cd, which observed by improvement of liver and kidney functions. Conclusion: High antioxidants content of cinnamon could protect the liver and kidney from Cd toxicity.
High-Frequency Data, Frequency Domain Inference, and Volatility Forecasting

Although it is clear that the volatility of asset returns is serially correlated, there is no general agreement as to the most appropriate parametric model for characterizing this temporal dependence. In this paper, we propose a simple way of modeling financial market volatility using high-frequency data. The method avoids using a tight parametric model by instead simply fitting a long autoregression to log-squared, squared, or absolute high-frequency returns. This can either be estimated by the usual time domain method, or alternatively the autoregressive coefficients can be backed out from the smoothed periodogram estimate of the spectrum of log-squared, squared, or absolute returns. We show how this approach can be used to construct volatility forecasts, which compare favorably with some leading alternatives in an out-of-sample forecasting exercise.
The Evolution of Social Mobility: Norway Over the 20th Century

This paper documents trends in social mobility in Norway starting from fathers born at the turn of the 20th century and ending with sons born in the 1970s. We measure social mobility with intergenerational income elasticities, associations between fathers' and sons' income percentiles, and brother correlations. All approaches suggest that social mobility increased substantially between cohorts born in the early 1930s and the early 1940s. Father-son associations remained stable for cohorts born after WWII, while brother correlations continued to decline. The relationship between fathers' and sons' income percentile ranks is highly nonlinear for the early cohorts, but approaches linearity over time. We discuss increasing educational attainment among low- and middle-income families as a possible mechanism behind these trends.
Assessment of Genetic Diversity of Argania spinosa L. Growing in Arid and Semi-arid Areas of Morocco as Revealed by Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats

Argania spinosa L. (Sapotaceae family), endemic to Morocco, is a multipurpose tree with an important ecological and socio-economical interest. Nevertheless, the sustainability of the agro-forestry system is now threatened by overgrazing and over-exploitation leading to an alarming decline in the number of trees. In the present study, inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers were used to evaluate the genetic variation and to assess the genetic diversity distribution within and among 17 argan populations growing naturally under semi-arid and arid climate. Thus, a total of seven primers generated 260 well-defined bands, with an average of 37.14 bands per primer. Studied populations showed a relatively high level of genetic diversity at species level and low level of genetic diversity at population level. The percentage of polymorphic bands, Nei's gene diversity and Shannon's information index at population and species level were 30.15%, 0.164, 0.217 and 98.8%, 0.172, 0.293, respectively. A relative low level of genetic differentiation (Gst = 0.39) was in agreement with the results obtained from the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). Estimated gene flow was Nm = 0.781 among populations. Mantel test revealed a non-significant correlation between genetic and geographic distance (r = 0.065, P < 0.05), suggesting that the geographic distribution is not the major factor that shaped the present population genetic structure. The results can help preserve A. spinosa L. tree as an endangered species, however, refining these finding using co-dominant markers is recommended in order to establish conservation strategies.
Credit Shocks in an Economy with Heterogeneous Firms and Default

We consider business cycles driven by exogenous changes in total factor productivity and by credit shocks. The latter are financial shocks that worsen borrowers cash on hand and reduce the fraction of collateral lenders can seize in the event of default. Our nonlinear loan rate schedules drive countercyclical default risk and exit. Because a negative productivity shock raises default probabilities, it leads to a modest reduction in the number of firms and a deterioration in the allocation of capital that amplifies the effect of the shock. The recession following a negative credit shock is qualitatively different from that following a productivity shock. A rise in default alongside a substantial fall in entry causes a large decline in the number of firms. Measured TFP falls for several periods, as does employment, investment and GDP. The recovery following a credit shock is gradual given slow recoveries in TFP, aggregate capital, and the measure of firms.
Long-term effects of croppin the earthworm populations in

Six cropping systems, ranging from conventional arable without liv farming dominated by ley, have been compared in 1990 and 2004 rotation increased density and biomass of earthworms and channe conventional systems. A ley proportion higher than 25 % only incr Among the arable systems, the organic system had a higher densit as compared to the conventional systems. Among the fodder syste the highest density of earthworms in 2004, but there were no diff systems in earthworm biomass or density of earthworm channels.
Adivasi and Dalit political pathways in India

: Does the dominant, statist conception of citizenship off er a satisfying framework to study the politicization of subaltern classes? Th is dialectical explora-tion of the political movements that emerge from the suppressed margins of Indian society questions their relationship to the state and its outcomes from the point of view of emancipation. As this special section shows, political ethnographers of “insurgent citizenship” among Dalits and Adivasis off er a view from below. Th e ar-ticles illustrate the way political subjectivities are being produced on the ground by confronting, negotiating, but also exceeding the state and its policed frameworks.
The Provision of (Two Way) Converters in the Transition Process to a New Incompatible Technology

This paper analyzes the dynamic provision of converters in the transition process between two incompatible technologies. The author derives the equilibrium behavior in the provision of converters and compares it to the socially optimal outcome. He finds that there can be two types of market inefficiency in the provision of converters. First, converters can be supplied by the 'wrong' group. Second, the timing of provision may be too late since the providers of converters ignore the positive externality that their provision would confer on the users of the rival technology. Copyright 1997 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Performance of two new empirical equations compared to polynomial, exponential, power and logarithmic function for modelling low flow and high flow discharges

Empirical equations to describe flow duration curve (FDC) are mostly in the form of exponential, logarithmic, power or even polynomial functions but none of these fit the dataset of the study site of this research. This paper proposed two new empirical functions, modified from soil water retention equations. The efficiency and prediction accuracy of our new empirical equations were evaluated against each mentioned common function at the study site. Polynomial function was discarded as it failed to fit the dataset. Power function over-predicted nearly every quantile and induced un-acceptable huge difference especially at high flow end of the FDC. Logarithmic was the only function that yields negative predicted low flow and under predicted peak flow by 85%. On the other hand, exponential function almost under predicted peak flows by 100%. New empirical equations have highest Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency with lowest overall RMSE, quantile cumulative RMSE at high flow range and percentage error at the highest peak flow points. A parsimonious form of the new empirical equation was also presented and discussed in this paper.
Range relationships of feral horses with wild ungulates and cattle in western Alberta.

Spatial and foraging relationships between feral horses and coexisting ungulates were studied in the foothills of western Alberta. Distribution patterns of horses were compared to those of cattle, elk (Cervus elaphus), deer (Odocoileus hemionus and 0. virginianus), and moose (Afces alces) using indices of spatial and habitat use overlap. Horses were more ubiquitous in their distribution than any other ungulate and utilized sites also used by other species. Lack of behavioural interactions and dietary differences suggested ecological separation of horses from deer and moose. Although horses and elk both used dry grasslands during winter and spring, competition for forage was minimal due to the low number of elk present. During spring horses occupied some areas later preferred by cattle but range use was not excessive prior to the turn-out of cattle. There was little contemporaneous spatial overlap of horses and cattle even though their summer diets showed 66% overlap. Potential for competition appeared highest between horses and cattle but grazing relationships were complex. The growing body of knowledge concerning the ecology of feral horses includes several comparative studies on diets of horses, domestic stock and native ungulates (Hubbard and Hansen 1976; Hansen and Clark 1977; Hansen et al. 1977; Olsen and Hansen 1977). A commonly expressed rationale is the need to determine carrying capacities for various combinations of herbivores. However, dietary overlap is important only if accompanied by spatial overlap, Authors are graduate student and associate professor, Dept. of Animal Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E3. Financial support was through the Forest Development Research Trust Fund, Alberta Forest Service. The authors thank G. Erickson for field assistance during the initial phases of the study. Manuscript received January IO, 1979. 266 JOURNAL OF RANGE MANAGEMENT 33(4), July 1980 if shared foods are in short supply, or if one herbivore limits access of another to a preferred food source. We report here results of a study to determine the extent of spatial, habitat use and dietary overlap between feral horses and other ungulates in western Alberta, and to determine levels of range utilization.
Scaled oscillation frequencies and echelle diagrams as a tool for comparative asteroseismology

We describe a method for comparing the frequency spectra of oscillating stars. We focus on solar-like oscillations, in which mode frequencies generally follow a regular pattern. On the basis that oscillation frequencies of similar stars scale homologously, we show how to display two stars on a single echelle diagram. The result can be used to infer the ratio of their mean densities very precisely, without reference to theoretical models. In addition, data from the star with the better signal-to-noise ratio can be used to confirm weaker modes and reject sidelobes in data from the second star. Finally, we show that scaled echelle diagrams provide a solution to the problem of ridge identification in F-type stars, such as those observed by the CoRoT space mission.