Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A remote rangeland analysis system.

Highlight: This paper describes a "now" capability whereby satellite imagery could provide range managers with maps and tables giving standing crop biomass for selected species groups or range types (swales, uplands, etc.). This capability is provided by a remote rangeland analysis system which can monitor the effects of weather, grazing intensity, and land-management actions on primary production. The system concepts resulted from a project designed to assess the usefulness of ERTS and other remote sensing systems as sources of information for rangeland management. A field measurement program supported and verified the successful use of ERTS imagery for computer classification of vegetation type and quantity of standing crop biomass. Biomass classification was accomplished on three successive ER TS images, withou t changing the classification parameters, indicating that biomass classification may be less critical than expected. Extensive statistical analysis of ERTS data has shown that the MSS (multispectral scanner) Channel 5 and the ratio of Channel 7 to Channel S provide the most significant variables for vegetation type and biomass classifications. Cross-classification results of vegetation type and biomass provide tables summarizing biomass availability by species groups and in total acres. Frequent monitoring of range and crop conditions is a prerequisite to effective management and planning decisions. Remote sensing can help improve such decisions by providing efficient monitoring of the quantity of standing crop biomass. This paper reports on initial efforts to develop a system to provide useful information for rangeland managers on a timely and economic basis. The remote rangeland analysis system (RRAS) described in this paper will be of benefit to government agenicies cliarged with management of public lands and to ranch managers. Application to the grasslands of the entire world may be possible. A conceptual description of the
Diurnal and day-to-day characteristics of ambient particle mass size distributions from HR-ToF-AMS measurements at an urban site and a suburban site in Hong Kong

Abstract. Mass-concentration-based particle size distributions measured by a high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer were systematically analyzed to assess long and short-term temporal characteristics of ambient particle size distributions sampled at a typical urban environment close to emission sources and a suburban coastal site representing a regional and local pollution receptor location in Hong Kong. Measured distributions were bimodal and deconvoluted into submodes, which were analyzed for day-to-day variations and diurnal variations. Traffic and cooking emissions at the urban site contributed substantially to particle mass in both modes, while notable decreases in mass median diameters were limited to the morning rush hour. Inorganic particle components displayed varying diurnal behavior, including nocturnal nitrate formation and daytime photochemical formation evident in both modes. Suburban particle size distributions exhibited notable seasonal disparities with differing influence of local formation, particularly in spring and summer, and transport which dominated in the fall season leading to notably higher sulfate and organic accumulation-mode particle concentrations. Variations in particle mixing state were evaluated by comparison of interspecies mass median diameter trends at both measurement sites. Internal mixing was prevalent in the accumulation mode in spring at the urban site, while greater frequency of time periods with external mixing of particle populations comprising different fractions of organic constituents was observed in summer. At the suburban site, sulfate and nitrate in the accumulation mode more frequently exhibited differing particle size distributions in all seasons, signifying a greater extent of external mixing. At the urban site, periods of greater submicron inorganic mass concentrations were more likely to be caused by increases in both Aitken- and accumulation-mode particle mass in summer, while at the suburban receptor location, organic and nitrate Aitken-mode particle mass contributed more regularly to higher total submicron species mass concentrations in most seasons (spring, summer, and winter).
Volume-Synchronised Probability of Informed Trading on Chinese Index Futures : A Comparative Approach 1 Zhongzhi ( Lawrence )

In light of the controversial debate over the measure of Volume-Synchronised Probability of Informed Trading (VPIN), this paper investigates the effectiveness of VPIN as a risk warning signal in the Chinese market. Using intraday transaction data on Chinese stock index futures from 2012 to 2013, we conduct a comparative analysis of VPIN metrics using three trade classification methods: the tick rule (TR), the Lee-Ready (LR) algorithm, and bulk volume (BV). We assess the predictive ability of VPIN metrics for two highly volatile market events in China: the Money Shortage Event in June 2013 and the Fat Finger Event on 16 August 2013. Our results suggest that BV-VPIN has the best risk warning effect in signalling the occurrence of volatile events. Our work suggests that BV-VPIN can be used in the prevalent high-frequency trading (HFT) mechanism of the current financial world.
Factors affecting community pharmacists’ intention to provide medication management program and disease screening in Bangkok

Objectives: To determine factors affecting community pharmacists’ intention to provide medication management program (MMP) and disease screening (DS) based on diffusion of innovations theory. Methods: A cross-sectional study using self-administered mail survey was conducted in Bangkok. The study assessed knowledge, intention to provide each service and indentified factors affecting community pharmacists’ intention to provide MMP and DS. Community pharmacists were requested to complete the questionnaire. The four point Likert’s scale was applied to measure agreement level. Key findings: The respondents reported knowing DS (59.48%) more than MMP (19.17%) and had intention to provide DS (27.60%) and MMP (24.10%) within one year. Multivariate analysis indicated that compatibility with pharmacy profession framework, compatibility with routine work procedures, observability and pharmacy readiness had positive effects on intention to provide MMP while complexity had a negative effect on intention to provide MMP. Only compatibility with pharmacy profession framework had statistically significant effect on intention to provide MMP (OR=2.995, 95% CI=1.034-8.671). Compatibility with pharmacy profession framework, compatibility with routine work procedures and observability had positive effects on intention to provide DS while complexity and pharmacy readiness had negative effects on intention to provide DS. Only complexity had statistically significant effect on intention to provide DS (OR=0.328, 95% CI=0.111-0.968). Conclusions: In this study, compatibility with pharmacy profession framework was key characteristic of MMP and complexity was key characteristic of DS which affected community pharmacists’ intention to provide services. Strategies designed to influence community pharmacists’ intention to provide MMP and DS by include these dominant characteristics of MMP and DS should be implemented. The service model for MMP must be most compatible with professional pharmacy act and not redundant with other healthcare professional roles. The service model for DS must be less complex particularly knowledge and skills requirement, and must be designed to simplify documentation process. NHSO should provide supporting tools such as IT infrastructure and building the capacity of pharmacy readiness. The formal business model of both services and the remunerated roles of community pharmacists must be developed as tools for sustainable practice of community pharmacy profession.
Nine-year monitoring of cambial seasonality and cell production in Norway spruce

Abstract: We analyzed the relationship between weather conditions and year-to-year (1981-1989) variation in the seasonal dynamics of cambial cell production (CCP) in Norway spruce in a monoculture forest area in the Czech Republic. We found that the timing of CCP greatly varied among the studied years. The onset of CCP occurred at the beginning of May and was strongly correlated with the April mean temperature. CCP ceased by the end of August. The timing of the cessation of CCP was more variable among trees and among years than its onset. The amount of precipitation positively influenced the duration of CCP and the average rate of cell production positively correlated to the minimum temperature in January-April, as well as the maximum temperature during the growing period. Our results show that the timing and the rate of CCP of xylem cells are influenced by temperature and precipitation. However, weather-xylem growth relations of spruce from temperate forests under climatic conditions are complex, since trees are known to respond less strongly to climatic average variation than influences of extreme conditions.
Serotyping and molecular typing of Salmonella species isolated from wastewater in Nsukka, Nigeria

The objective of this investigation was to isolate and identify Salmonella serovars present in wastewater from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) wastewater treatment plant and to evaluate the sensitivity and precision of different microbial typing methods (conventional and molecular), in identifying and characterizing Salmonella species. A total of 100 suspected Salmonella colonies on selective media (Salmonella-Shigella agar and MacConkey Agar) were subjected to biochemical testing. A total of 12 biochemically typical Salmonella isolates were identified and further characterized. Serotyping analysis further identified 3 (25%) of the isolates as Salmonella enterica serovar Limete. Salmonella specific (16S) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay validated the result obtained by serotyping, although 2 of the isolates could not be serotyped and were identified as rough strains. PCR assay produced positive amplifications of 574 bp of the 16S rRNA gene specific for Salmonella, while non-Salmonella serovars were negative (100%). Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR) analysis revealed the genetic relatedness of Salmonella serovars isolated from wastewater. Primers 787 and RAPD2 identified 4 RAPD-binding patterns, while primer 1254 did not give any discriminatory pattern. Molecular analyses (16S PCR and RAPD) showed discriminatory power, reproducibility, easy interpretation and performance. It is therefore a promising alternative method for typing Salmonella species. Key words: Wastewater, Salmonella, serovars, serotyping, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), 16S rRNA, random amplified polymorphic DNA.
Effect of probiotic supplementation on the carcass traits and sensory qualities of swill fed pork.

A study was conducted in a commercial pig farm to document the effect of probiotic supplementation on the carcass traits and sensory qualities of Large White Yorkshire pigs by selecting thirty two weaned piglets at random and divided two treatment groups comprising of sixteen in each group which was subjected to two feeding regimens viz., swill feed alone (control group) and swill feed supplemented with probiotics (treatment group). In the latter group, a commercial probiotic “Biobloom” was fed @ 5g/pig/day. The trial was conducted from 56 to 180 days of age, it was observed that there was a highly significant difference (P<0.01) in carcass weight, dressing percentage, back fat thickness and meat percentage of pigs between swill feed supplemented with probiotics and swill feed fed groups. There was no significant difference in loin eye area and carcass length between the two experimental groups. There was no significant difference in fat and bone percentage between the two experimental groups. Tenderness and juiciness score did not significantly differ among the experimental groups, but the flavour score was better in pig fed with probiotic supplementation (8.67 ± 0.21) than swill feed fed group (7.33 ± 0.21). It was concluded that the probiotic feeding could play an important role in the carcass traits and sensory quality of pork in large scale swine industry.
Ralstonia solanacearum - a New Threat to Potato Production in Serbia

SuMMARY A survey of ware potatoes (a total of 1127 samples) from localities in Serbia during two consecutive years resulted in detection and identification of R. solanacearum in 17 tuber samples. The monitoring detected the causal agent of bacterial wilt and brown rot of potato in three districts of Vojvodina province. In 2011, the infection by R. solanacearum was confirmed in 7 samples of ware potato tubers (varieties – Saturna, Pirol, Hermes, Panda) in West Backa and South Backa Districts. In 2012, the infection by R. solanacearum was confirmed in 10 potato tuber samples (Lady Claire, Desiree, Panda, Red Fantasy and Vineta varieties) from two districts: South Backa and Central Banat. Bacterial strains obtained from positive samples were identified as R. solanacearum biovar 2 using PCR/RFLP analysis, pathogenicity test on tomato transplants, and nutritional, enzymatic and biovar determination tests. To our best knowledge, these are the only findings of R. solanacearum infection in ware potatoes in Serbia. R. solanacearum was not detected in tomato or any other host plant tested in this study. Furthermore, the bacterium was not found in any of the water samples tested, including those originating from areas in which the bacterium was found in ware potato samples.
Gaming in a benchmarking environment. A non-parametric analysis of benchmarking in the water sector

This paper discusses the use of benchmarking in general and its application to the drinking water sector. It systematizes the various classifications on performance measurement, discusses some of the pitfalls of benchmark studies and provides some examples of benchmarking in the water sector. After presenting in detail the institutional framework of the water sector of the Belgian region of Flanders (without benchmarking experiences), Wallonia (recently started a public benchmark) and the Netherlands (introduced already in 1997 a public benchmark), we non-parametrically measure the productivity gains by the use of a dynamic Malmquist index. The three regions, each at a different stage of the benchmarking circle, exhibit different performance trends. The ‘carrot’ and the ‘stick’ of benchmarking seem to offer an effective incentive to trigger performance. In addition, the Malmquist decompositions provide some evidence on the ‘gaming’ of the stakeholders by the
Characterization of a heterogeneous landfill using seismic and electrical resistivity data

Understanding the processes occurring inside a landfill is important for improving the treatment of landfills. Irrigation and recirculation of leachate are widely used in landfill treatments. Increasing the efficiency of such treatments requires a detailed understanding of the flow inside the landfill. The flow depends largely on the heterogeneous distribution of density. It is, therefore, of great practical interest to determine the density distribution affecting the flow paths inside a landfill. Studies in the past have characterized landfill sites but have not led to high-resolution, detailed quantitative results. We performed an S-wave reflection survey, multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW), and electrical resistivity survey to investigate the possibility of delineating the heterogeneity distribution in the body of a landfill. We found that the high-resolution S-wave reflection method offers the desired resolution. However, in the case of a very heterogeneous landfill and a high noise level, the processing of high-resolution, shallow reflection data required special care. In comparison, MASW gave the general trend of the changes inside the landfill, whereas the electrical resistivity (ER) survey provides useful clues for interpretation of seismic reflection data. We found that it is possible to localize fine-scale heterogeneities in the landfill using the S-wave reflection method using a high-frequency vibratory source. Using empirical relations specific to landfill sites, we then estimated the density distribution inside the landfill, along with the associated uncertainty considering different methods. The final interpretation was guided by supplementary information provided by MASW and ER tomography.
The future shape of Hong Kong's economy: why low technology manufacturing in China will remain a sustainable strategy

Hong Kong s economy has shown impressive improvements in productivity arising from technical progress. This is despite the fact that Hong Kong has spent very little on R&D and that its industry has been concentrated in labour-intensive sectors with limited technological opportunity. Businessmen and government have been critized for decades over their supposed short-sightedness and lack of support for technology. The characteristics of Hong Kong s economy are short-termism, flexibility, tight control of unskilled labour, use of general assets only, little spendings on training, family business. What the record of productivity performance shows is that this combination of „high IQ and low technology“ can deliver improvements in efficiency which have not been achieved in more „technophile“ Asian economies. This suggests that the need for high technology industry in East Asia has been exaggerated and that policies and business strategies built on the perception of that need are misguided.
An Investigation of Teachers Values and Job Satisfaction

The aim of this research is to analyze the effect of teachers’ values to their job satisfaction in Konya. In this research, 121 male and 182 female teachers, 303 in total, working on different branches at were examined. The data were collected by using Schwartz’s list of values and job satisfaction scale developed by Hackman and Oldham. The study indicated a meaningful relationship between job satisfaction and humanitarian value and power, success, hedonism, excitation, self-control, universality, charitableness, traditionality and safety sub magnitudes. Another result of the research is to regress the teachers’ humanitarian values of job satisfaction meaningfully.
Audit Firm Size, Audit Fee, Audit Reputation and Audit Quality: The Case of Listed Companies in Vietnam

Audit quality is considered as an essential factor affecting the reliability of financial information. The aim of this study is to assess the effects of audit firm characteristics, including audit reputation, audit fees and audit firm size, on audit quality. A sample of 192 companies listed on Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange for the period of 2006-2014 was selected. Multiple regression was used to analyze the data. The findings show that Big 4 auditors in Vietnam provide high audit quality than non-Big 4 auditors. Interestingly, in Vietnam context, except for the audit firms in the Big 4 group, the findings suggest that smaller audit firms provide better audit quality. Additionally, the results reveal that the more audit fees the auditors receive, the lower audit quality they provide. The critical role of audit quality has attracted significantly scholarly attention, however, prior studies have mainly focused on firms in developed countries. Little is known about audit quality in an emerging economy context such as Vietnam. This study adds to the limited number of studies on audit quality of listed companies in emerging economies.
IT TAKES MORE THAN LARGE CANINES TO BE A SABRETOOTH PREDATOR

Monodelphis dimidiata is a small marsupial from southern South America. It is a true semelparous species that develops an extreme sexual dimorphism associated to the attaining of sexual maturity, both on the size, weight and skull morphology, including the development of sabre-like canines in males. A recent paper considered M. dimidiata males to be pigmy sabretooth predators, based mainly on morphometric analyses. Here we study the skull morphometry (including canine size) of M. dimidiata in comparison with other marsupials, living felids and extinct sabretooth predators, looking for convergences with the latter. We also put the hypoth - esis of M. dimidiata as a sabretooth predator in the context of its life history, reinterpreting the origin of its sabre-like canine and its suitability as a living analogue of primitive sabretooth predators. We found that the skull pattern of M. dimidiata is not different from other didelphid marsupials, and even Didelphis albiventris has canines of the same relative length. We consider that the large canines of M. dimidiata are a byproduct of the exacerbated growth of males, caused by their delayed eruption, as well as by their late apexification. Large canines are related to the particular reproductive cycle of this species instead of being an adaptation to hunt large preys, as was proposed for sabretooth cats. RESUMEN. Se precisa mas que caninos grandes para ser un predador dientes de sable. Monodelphis dimidiata es un pequeno marsupial del sur de America del Sur. Es una especie con semelparia verdadera, que desarrolla un dimorfismo sexual extremo asociado a la madurez sexual, tanto en el tamano, el peso y la morfologia craneana, incluyendo el desarrollo de caninos tipo sable en los machos. Un trabajo reciente considera a los machos de M. dimidiata como depredadores dientes de sable pigmeos, sobre la base de analisis morfometricos. Aqui se estudia la morfometria del craneo (incluyendo el tamano de los caninos) de M. dimidiata en comparacion con otros marsupiales, felidos vivientes y especies extintas de depredadores dientes de sable, en busca de convergencias con el ultimo grupo. Tambien se pone a prueba la hipotesis de M. dimidiata como depredador dientes de sable en el contexto de su historia de vida, reinterpretando el origen de su canino tipo sable y si es apropiado como un analogo viviente de los depredadores dientes de sable primitivos. Se encontro que la morfologia general del craneo de M. dimidiata no es diferente de otros marsupiales didelfidos, e incluso Didelphis albiventris tiene caninos del mismo largo relativo. Consideramos que los grandes caninos de M. dimidiata son un subproducto del crecimiento exacerbado de los machos, causado por su erupcion retrasada, asi como por su apexificacion tardia. Los caninos grandes parecen estar relacionados con el ciclo reproductivo particular de esta especie en lugar de ser una adaptacion a cazar presas grandes, como se propuso para los tigres dientes de sable.
The response of expenditures to anticipated income changes : panel data estimates

Standard models of intertemporal allocation predict that the time path of expenditures should beindependent of the time path of income. Recently two papers, Parker (1999) and Souleles (1999)have suggested that U.S. households have a high marginal propensity to spend within yearanticipated income changes. We use an expenditure survey panel from Spain to re-examine thisissue. We exploit two important features of the Spanish data. First, we have quarterly panel datathat follows households for more than four quarters. Second, we use the fact that workers areexogenously sorted into one of two payment schemes: some receive the same amount eachmonth of the year and others receive an extra payment in June and December. The extra paymentis large and predictable. We examine the detailed pattern of expenditures over the year to seewhether they differ between the two groups. We fail to find even weak differences. Wecomplement this with a conventional Euler equation analysis of excess sensitivity. Our predictingequation for (quarterly) earnings growth is much better than usual and is likely to give a powerfultest of the hypothesis that predictable changes in income do not lead to changes in expenditurepatterns. The results of this analysis confirm the graphical analysis: we find no evidence ofexcess sensitivity. We conclude that households in normal times do smooth consumption overthe year. We suggest a reconciliation of our results with those of Parker and Souleles.