Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surface photometry of spiral galaxies in NIR: Structural parameters of disks and bulges

A sample of 40 bright spiral galaxies (BT < 12) with low inclination and without bar was observed with JHK lters. For this purpose the MAGIC NICMOS3 camera at the 2.2 m telescope of the Calar Alto observatory, Spain was used. With a newly developed 2-dimensional algorithm the distribution of the surface brightness was tted simultaneously by corresponding functions for the disk- and bulge-structure. While the disk was tted with an exponential function, the bulge prole was tted with a generalized de Vaucouleurs R law, with the concentration parameter =1 =n as a further t variable. The correlation of the resulting structural parameters of disks and bulges lead to some interesting relations: 1. The use of a variable exponent is necessary for a realistic description of the bulge structure; 2. Disks and bulges show similar correlations between eective radius, eective surface brightness and luminosity; 3. They populate a common strip in the fundamental plane; 4. From the correlations between and Hubble type some conclusions about the formation and evolution of spiral galaxies can be drawn.
Impact of auditor tenure on audit quality: European Evidence

This study examines the relationship of auditor tenure and audit quality in four European countries, namely Germany, France, Italy and Spain, with the innovative GMM (Generalized Methods of Moments) model during the period from 2005 to 2013. Two GMM methods are used with two alternative definitions of crisis – the main and the robustness method. The results agree regardless of the fact that some of the control variables are excluded in the robustness test. The results support the finding that in Spain, there is an impact of auditors’ long-term tenure on discretionary accruals, affecting auditors’ quality and independence in- directly. In addition, the crisis affected Germany and France as far as the change in negative and positive values of GDP is concerned. In this respect, the crisis affected the above two countries when the years before and after the crisis are considered as a robustness check. The results contain important implications for accountant regulators and policy makers. is a welfare indicator of the recession. Rose and Spiegel (2011) explore the causes of the crisis using GDP change as an indicator for the crisis taking other variables into account as well. Frankel and Saravelos (2012) use GDP change to explain the 2008–2009 financial crises among various countries. The abovementioned authors support the evidence that financial crisis is associated with a GDP decline. In the present study, two different pieces of evidence of the presence of a financial crisis are used. One is the positive and negative change in the gross domestic product (GDP) characterizing the pre-crisis and in-crisis periods, respectively, and
New inequalities for some generalized Mathieu type series and the Riemann zeta function

Our aim in this paper is to derive several new inequalities for the Mathieu type series and the Riemann zeta function. In particular, we prove Turán type inequalities and some monotonicity and log-convexity results for these special functions. New Laplace type integral representations for the Mathieu type series and the Riemann zeta function are also presented. Mathematics subject classification (2010): Primary 33B15, 33E20, secondary 11M35, 60E10.
Sero-prevalence status of foot and mouth disease in the North Western Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional survey was conducted on serum samples collected from North and South Gondar zones of North Western Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia to determine the sero-prevalence of foot and mouth diseases in bovine species. The samples were processed with the nonstructural protein (NSP) enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that can able to differentiate foot and mouth disease (FMD) naturally infected vaccinated animals. From the total sera tested, the overall sero-prevalence of foot and mouth disease in cattle at the North and South Gondar zones was 14.9% (86/578). The prevalence rate was high in North Gondar, 17.8% (66/370), as compared to 9.6% (20/208) in South Gondar and the difference was statistically significant (χ² =7.108, p=0.008). Highest sero-prevalence was observed at Metema (62.5%), Quara (46.7%) and Alefa Takusa (34.9%) districts of North Gondar zone, which are bordering with Sudan. The difference among the districts is also statistically significant (χ²=141.115, p=0.0001). There was also a significant association between seropositivity and age groups (χ²=9.483, P=0.009) but there was no significant association between the seropositivity and sex (χ²=0.623, p=0.430). This information on sero surveillance of foot and mouth disease in cattle is important for further epidemiological studies towards developing effective foot and mouth disease control strategies, particularly in these areas where animal movement is not restricted. Keywords : Cattle, Seroprevalence, FMD, North West Amhara Region, 3ABC ELISA
Numerical modeling of hydraulic fracturing in carbonate rocks of Bangestan reservoir

Hydraulic fracturing is used in the oil industry in order to increase the index of production and processing in the wells whose efficiencies have been dropped due to a long-term harvest or the rocks around the wells are of low permeability. Since the hydraulic fracturing operation is costly, it is of special importance to the project managers to determine the pressure required for hydraulic fracturing and the suitable pump for this operation. The numerical modelings used in this work are aimed to investigate the fracture pressure in the carbonate rocks of Bangestan reservoir in Ahvaz, Iran, and to determine a relationship between the pressure required for fracturing and the confining pressure. In this work, unlike the other ones in this field, the developed numerical models had no initial crack or fracture, and the path of the crack and how the crack grows were studied without any pre-determination and presumption. The results obtained show that, in most cases, the crack starts from the central part of the sample, and is extended to its two ends. The crack extension direction was along the borehole axis inside the sample and perpendicular to the lateral stress. The numerical modeling results were well-consistent with the experimental ones, indicating that the pump capacity constraints in the laboratory could be overcome through numerical modelings.
Dual Atmosphere Corrosion of Ferritic Stainless Steel used for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Applications

Ferritic stainless steel used for SOFC interconnects was exposed to a simulated fuel cell atmosphere. The samples investigated were pre-oxidized for 11 minutes or 3 hours at 800 ◦C. Subsequently, the thereby grown protective oxide layers were removed from one side, prior to the exposure. The exposure was conducted at 600 ◦C in dual atmosphere (hydrogen on one side, air on the other side). The experiment was interrupted after certain time intervals to check for corrosion. The total exposure lasted up to 1000 hours. Afterwards, the samples were investigated with electron microscopy in order to determine the severeness of the subsequent breakaway corrosion.
Dynamic instability analysis of U-shaped electromechanical nano-sensor operated in vdW regime

U-shape nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) are potential for developing miniature sensors. While the electro-mechanical performance of conventional beam-type NEMS has been exclusively addressed in the literature, few works have considered this phenomenon in U-shaped systems. Herein, the static and dynamic pull-in instability of the U-shaped NEMS is investigated under the presence of vdW force. Based on the recently developed consistent couple stress theory (CCST), the size-dependent constitutive equation is derived. Two types of the beam cross-sections including rectangular and circular geometries are considered. The nonlinear equations are solved by employing Ray-leigh-Ritz solution method. The developed model is validated by comparison with the results presented in literature. The effect of various parameters on the static and dynamic pull-in parameters, phase plans and stability threshold of the system is discussed. The obtained results reveal that the vdW attraction decreases the pull-in voltage while the size dependency enhances the instability voltage. On the other hand, the presented model demonstrates that characteristics of the tip-plate can change the pull-in parameters significantly.
Initial physic nut nutrition and potassium balance in the soil-plant system

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the mineral nutrition and the response of physic nut to potassium fertilization as well as to assess whether the species can absorb K from the non-exchangeable soil fraction. The study was conducted in a greenhouse, in randomized blocks, and with four repetitions. Physic nut plants were cultivated in plastic recipients filled with 50 dm3 of a Dark Red Latosol fertilized with rates of 0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 mg K dm-3 of soil. One hundred and fifty days after planting, the height, stem diameter and leaf area of the plants were measured, and the dry mass, concentration in leaf and total accumulation of macro and micronutrients were determined, as well as the soil contents of exchangeable and non-exchangeable K. The K balance in the soil-plant system was also calculated. The increase of potassium fertilization resulted in a greater uptake of K, Ca and Mn but did not alter the total dry mass production of physic nut. The species can release and absorb K from the non-exchangeable soil fraction.
Prevalence of carriage of community-acquired Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among children attending the pediatric OPD at a tertiary care hospital

Background: Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections are commonly recognized in persons without traditional risk factors. Nasal carriage of MRSA is an important risk factor for subsequent MRSA infection and transmission of this pathogen. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of carriage of community acquired MRSA and to describe its antibiotic susceptibility pattern among the pediatric population.Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted in our hospital for a period of 6 months. All pediatric patients age less than 15 years attending the pediatric OPD were included in the study. A total of 325 children were included in the study based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Nasal smear was collected by tilting back the child’s head and gently inserting a sterile cotton swabs pre-wetted with sterile saline and slowly rotating against the turbinate of both anterior nares. The following antibiotics were tested for sensitivity pattern: penicillin, pipercillin, erythromycin, clindamycin, cotrimoxazole, vancomycin, linezolid, rifampin, ciprofloxacin and daptomycin. Any S. aureus that is resistant to Cefoxitin was defined as MRSA.Results: The prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus was found to be 26.7% of the entire microorganism detected and 6.4% (n = 21) of the entire study subjects had methicillin resisitant Staphylococcus aureus. Of testing the susceptibility of the various antibiotics vancomycin was the only drug found to be 100% sensitive followed by linezolid and pipericillin (90%). 50% sensitivity was seen with erythromycin and very poor sensitivity was seen in cefuroxime and ciprofloxacin (<50%). Conclusions: CA-MRSA strains tend to replace HA-MRSA in health-care settings, making infection control measures less effective. Hospital based antibiotic policy has to be created and strictly followed to minimize the burden of antibiotic resistance.
Flipping the Classroom in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language.

Through an in-depth analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, this article offers a case study of the advantages and challenges in the application of the flipped learning approach in the instruction of Chinese as a foreign language at the beginning level. Data were collected from two first-year Chinese classes (one in traditional and the other in flipped format) to investigate whether there were statistically significant differences in learning outcomes and students’ levels of satisfaction between the two classes. Final exam and oral test scores showed that students in the flipped class performed better in speaking, since more time was devoted to meaningful interactions in class. As indicated in the results of the end-ofthe-semester questionnaire, these students also gave higher average ratings on three aspects of their learning experience: level of required self-directedness, amount of practice in class, and stimulation of interest in the subject.
Extent of Nontimber Resource Extraction in Tropical Forests: Accessibility to Game Vertebrates by Hunters in the Amazon Basin

Abstract: Extractive activities targeting a wide range of nontimber forest products ( NTFPs ) are ubiquitous in tropical forests, yet the extent of structurally intact forests in a given region affected by this form of cryptic disturbance is poorly documented. We conducted a basin‐wide geographic information system analysis of the nonmotorized accessibility of Amazonian NTFP extraction and estimated the proportion of the Amazon drainage basin within Brazil ( 3.74 million km 2 ) that can be accessed on foot from the nearest navigable river or functional road. We use a long‐term series of standardized line‐transect vertebrate censuses conducted throughout the region to illustrate the effects of physical accessibility on wildlife densities in terms of hunting pressure as a function of distance from the nearest point of access. Population abundance in large‐bodied, prime‐target species preferred by game hunters tended to increase at greater distances from the access matrix, whereas small‐bodied species ignored by hunters usually showed the reverse trend. In addition, we estimated the proportion of presumably inviolate core areas within nature, extractive, and indigenous reserves of Brazilian Amazonia that are prohibitively remote and unlikely to be overhunted; for instance, only 1.16% of the basin‐wide area is strictly protected on paper and is reasonably safe from extractive activities targeted to game vertebrates and other valuable NTFPs. Finally, we discuss the concept of truly undisturbed wildlands in the last major tropical forest regions by distinguishing potentially overharvested areas from those that remain largely or entirely pristine and that maintain viable populations of a full complement of harvest‐sensitive species.
ETIOLOGY AND ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERN OF COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED URINARY TRACT INFECTION IN JOS METROPOLIS

Community-acquired urinary tract infections occur in individuals not admitted in hospital prior to development of the symptoms of the infection. It occurs mostly in women and caused by Escherichia coli . The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of urinary tract infection among individuals residing within Jos metropolis. A single voided aseptically collected mid-stream urine (MSU) was obtained from 276 patients at the outpatient unit of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). These samples were processed immediately using standard wire loop method in medical microbiology laboratory in JUTH. Demographic data were collected by administering a structured questionnaire to the study participants. Data collected were analyzed by EPI info statistical package version 3.5. 1. Out of the 276 individuals who participated in the study 52 (18.8%) were positive for urinary tract infection. The study revealed that female participants had the highest occurrence 40 (21.3%) of infection, while male participants had 12 (13.6%). Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated uropathogen with a prevalence of 20 (38.5%). Married individuals 35 (27.3%) had a higher occurrence of infection compared to singles 17 (11.5%), there was no significant difference in occurrence of infection between married and singles p=0.101 (P>0.05) in the study. The present study revealed a prevalence of 18.8%, with female participants having the highest occurrence of infection. Streptomycin showed the highest susceptibility to bacteria isolates while the least susceptibility was observed with augmentin. Rational use of antibiotics with regular antibiotics susceptibility surveillance studies is recommended to maintain high antibiotic therapeutic profile. Keywords : Community-acquired urinary tract infections, Escherichia coli , Significant isolates
Simulating open quantum dynamics with time-dependent variational matrix product states: Towards microscopic correlation of environment dynamics and reduced system evolution

We report the development of an efficient many-body algorithm for simulating open quantum system dynamics that utilizes a time-dependent variational principle for matrix product states to evolve large system-environment states. Capturing all system-environment correlations, we reproduce the nonperturbative, quantum-critical dynamics of the zero-temperature spin-boson model, and then exploit the many-body information to visualize the complete time-frequency spectrum of the environmental excitations. Our ``environmental spectra'' reveal correlated vibrational motion in polaronic modes which preserve their vibrational coherence during incoherent spin relaxation, demonstrating how environment information could yield valuable insights into complex quantum dissipative processes.
Implementing urine patches in a dynamic process- based simulation model

Grazing ruminants harvest N from pasture in the entire paddock and then deposit between 40 and 80% of the ingested N into urine patches that cover only 2-4% of the paddock area during a typical rotational grazing event. While previous work has shown the importance of explicitly modelling these patches of very high N deposition, most process-based simulation models assume uniform return of N to the soil. The very few models that explicitly model urine patches within the paddock do so at significant, perhaps prohibitive, computational cost. We sought a solution that would preserve the most important biophysical effects but that would be tractable within a dynamic simulation model. We term the proposed solution “pseudo-patches” in that they explicitly preserve the soil carbon and nitrogen heterogeneity but do not require complete independent simulation of the computationally-expensive soil water and plant processes. Our objective in this study was to implement pseudo-patches in the simulation model APSIM and to test the simulation accuracy and execution time. Three simulation types were run: fully-explicit patches (EP), gridded pseudo-patches (GP) and a uniform paddock (UP) which is the current norm for most process-based models and which ignore patches completely. This initial testing was favourable. The GP under-estimated leaching, giving about 90% of the EP leaching, but this was much improved compared to UP which gave about 40% of the EP leaching. Simulation time for GP was 180% of the UP simulation time but was only 19% of the matching EP simulation. While the GP simulations are much closer to the EP simulations than is possible with UP, it is clear that there is some additional work to be done. These results suggest that this work should focus on the simulation of N uptake in the GP simulations. The relatively modest underestimation of leaching by the GP structure further suggests that if a better representation of net herbage accumulation can be obtained, then the GP method of simulating the effect of urine patches in simulations under grazed conditions is likely to estimate all the key outputs needed with sufficient accuracy.
Structure, validity and reliability of the Children´s Attitudes Towards Integrated Physical Education-Spanish version (CAIPE-SP)

The main aims of the present study is to translate, carry out and test the validity and reliability of a transculturaladaptation of the Children Attitudes towards Integrated Physical Education - Revised CAIPE-R (Block, 1995) intothe Spanish language in order to be used in Spain. Participants were 791 primary school students without disabilities(393 males and 398 females, aged between 9 to 13 years old, mean age 10.80 ± 0.739). The CAIPE-R measuresthe attitudes that children without disabilities have towards the inclusion of children with disabilities in theirgeneral physical education (GPE) lessons. Results confirm a structure of three components of the scale CAIPE-SPaccounting for 35.982% of the variance. The estimation of reliability for the subscales was . 812, . 470 and . 374, respectively.Taking into account the obtained results, the transcultural adaptation of the scale CAIPE-R into Spanishsupposes a valuable contribution to the research about the perception of disabilities in physical education.
PREDICTING BENDING STIFFNESS OF RANDOMLY ORIENTED HYBRID PANELS

This study was conducted to develop a simple model to predict the bending modulus of elasticity (MOE) of randomly oriented hybrid panels. The modeling process involved three modules: the behavior of a single layer was computed by applying micromechanics equations, layer properties were adjusted for densification effects, and the entire panel was modeled as a three-layer symmetric composite using laminate theory. The model accounts for panel vertical density distribution and the inclusion of two fiber reinforcements. Model inputs were experimentally determined from physical and mechanical tests on hot-pressed resinated strands and bark. Experimental verification was conducted using laboratory panels of wood strands and bark from fire-impacted trees at an 80:20 wood:bark weight ratio. Compari­ sons with experimental data showed that MOE of hybrid panels was adequately predicted with deviations of 13-23% compared with observed MOE. Results validated application of micromechanic equations and laminate theory to predict the MOE of randomly oriented hybrid oriented strandboard of wood strands and bark. This study also contributes to the knowledge of predicting and tuning stiffness properties of hybrid panel-based composites, thereby promoting utilization and sustainable use of plant-based raw materials.