Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response to Referee 1 ( Alexei Rozanov

Measurements of limb scattered sunlight from the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite Limb Profiler (OMPS-LP) can be used to obtain vertical profiles of ozone in the stratosphere. In this paper we describe a two-dimensional, or tomographic, retrieval algorithm for OMPS-LP where variations are retrieved simultaneously in altitude and the along orbital track dimension. The algorithm has been applied to measurements from the center slit for the full OMPS-LP mission to create the publicly available USask OMPS-LP 2D v1.0. 2 dataset. Tropical ozone anomalies are compared with measurements from the 5 Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) where differences are less than 5% of the mean ozone value for the majority of the stratosphere. Examples of near coincident measurements with MLS are also shown, and agreement at the 5% level is observed for the majority of the stratosphere. Both simulated retrievals and coincident comparisons with MLS are shown at the edge of the polar vortex, comparing the results to a traditional one-dimensional retrieval. The one-dimensional retrieval is shown to consistently overestimate the amount of ozone in areas of large horizontal gradients relative to both MLS and the two-dimensional 10 retrieval.
Bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity and mineral composition of fruits of raspberry cultivars grown in subtropical areas in Brazil

Introduction . Raspberry is an economically important berry crop; its fruit contains numerous phenolic compounds with potential health benefits. It is known that the chemical content of the fruit is affected by processing factors, but limited information is available on the influence of production factors or impact of genotypes. Materials and methods . The raspberry cultivars tested in our study were Autumn Bliss, Batum, Heritage, Polana (red fruits) and Golden Bliss (yellow fruits); a hybrid boysenberry and a black raspberry (black fruits). The plants were grown in two subtropical areas in Brazil. Harvested fruits were used to determine the contents of bioactive compounds (anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, β-carotene, lycopene and total phenols), antioxidant activity and mineral composition (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, boron, copper, manganese, zinc and iron). Results . Our results revealed a strong influence of the site on the parameters evaluated and indicated the existence of variation among the cultivars. In general, colored raspberries are a rich source of nutrients, especially nitrogen, potassium, iron and manganese, and contain significant amounts of bioactive compounds.
Seismic Hazard Epistemic Uncertainty in the San Francisco Bay Area and Its Role in Performance-Based Assessment

This paper investigates epistemic uncertainty in the results of seismic hazard analyses for the San Francisco Bay Area and their role in the broader picture of seismic performance assessment. Using the 2002 Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities earthquake rupture forecast, epistemic uncertainty in the seismic hazard for several different intensity measures and sites in the San Francisco Bay Area is investigated. Normalization of the epistemic uncertainty for various sites and intensity measures illustrates that the uncertainty magnitude can be approximately estimated as a function of the mean exceedance probability. The distribution of the epistemic uncertainty is found to be dependent on the set of alternative ground-motion prediction equations used but is frequently well approximated by the lognormal distribution. The correlation in the hazard uncertainty is observed to be a function of the separation between the two different intensity levels, and a simple predictive equation is proposed based on the data analyzed. Three methods for the propagation of seismic hazard epistemic uncertainty are compared and contrasted using an example of the 30-year collapse probability of a structure. It is observed that, for this example, epistemic uncertainty in the collapse capacity is more influential than that in the seismic hazard.
Effect of Different Drying Conditions on Proximate Compositions of Red- and Yellow-Fleshed Watermelon Rind Powders

This study aimed to investigate the effect of different drying conditions (hot-air oven drying at 40 ⁰C and 60 ⁰C, and freeze drying) on nutritional quality of red- and yellow-fleshed watermelon rinds. The proximate compositions, carbohydrate content, and energy value of watermelon rind powders were determined. Freeze drying method preserved more nutrients followed by hot-air oven drying at 40 ⁰C and 60 ⁰C for red-fleshed watermelon rind powder. The freeze dried powder contains 18.86% moisture, 19.13% ash, 11.82% crude protein, 22.02% crude fiber, 2.21% crude fat, 47.77% carbohydrate, and 259.13 kcal of energy. Hot-air oven drying at 40 ⁰C was the most effective method to preserve the nutrient of yellow-fleshed watermelon rind powder with chemical compositions of 15.12% moisture, 20.57% ash, 13.37% crude protein, 14.34% crude fiber, 0.70% crude fat, 50.31% carbohydrate, and 260.72 kcal of energy. Results suggest that freeze drying and hot-air oven drying (40 ⁰C) methods had the highest potential to be applied in processing of red- and yellow-fleshed watermelon rind powders, respectively. Keywords: Freeze drying, hot-air oven drying, proximate composition, watermelon rind powder ABSTRAK Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji kesan daripada keadaan pengeringan yang berbeza (pengeringan oven udara panas pada suhu 40 ⁰C dan 60 ⁰C dan pengeringan sejuk beku) terhadap kualiti nutrien kulit buah tembikai berisi merah dan berisi kuning. Komposisi proksimat, kandungan karbohidrat, dan nilai tenaga kulit buah tembikai telah dikenalpasti. Pengeringan sejuk beku didapati mengekalkan lebih banyak nutrien diikuti dengan pengeringan oven udara panas pada suhu 40 ⁰C dan 60 ⁰C untuk kulit buah tembikai berisi merah. Tepung pengeringan sejuk beku mengandungi 18.86% kelembapan, 19.13% abu, 11.82% protein mentah, 22.02% serat mentah, 2.21% lemak mentah, 47.77% karbohidrat dan 259.13 kcal tenaga. Pengeringan oven udara panas pada suhu 40 ⁰C adalah kaedah yang paling berkesan bagi mengekalkan nutrien kulit buah tembikai berisi kuning dengan komposisi kimia 15.12% kelembapan, 20.57% abu, 13.37% protein mentah, 14.34% serat mentah, 0.70% lemak mentah, 50.31% karbohidrat dan 260.72 kcal tenaga. Hasil kajian menunjukkan kaedah pengeringan sejuk beku dan pengeringan oven udara panas (40 ⁰C) adalah memiliki potensi terbesar untuk digunakan dalam pemprosesan tepung kulit buah tembikai berisi merah dan berisi kuning, secara berurutan. Kata kunci : Pengeringan sejuk beku, pengeringan oven udara panas, komposisi proksimat, tepung kulit buah tembikai
Assessment of Livestock Feed Resource and Effect of Supplementing Sweet Potato Vine Hay on Growth Performance and Feed Intake of Grazing Local Goats in Aleta Chuko District, Sidama Zone SNNPRS, Ethiopia

Through a diagnostic survey and feeding trials (Aleta Chuko Woreda, SNNPRS), availability of common feed resources and effect of sweet potato vine hay (SPVH) and concentrate (50%wheat bran +50% noug cake) supplementation to local bucks on growth performance were assessed at farmers’ management levels. Out of 150 households (HHs) interviewed it was found that natural pasture, crop residues, fodder tree and industrial by products are main feed resources; livestock are mainly kept for milk production and income but small ruminants only for income and average livestock holding per HH was 6.69 TLU. Yearling bucks (16.9 ± 3.21 kg) were assigned into four treatment diets in a RCBD design. One animal from each of four treatment diets were given to each of four farmers selected. Bucks were grazing natural pasture from 8:00 to 17:00h and supplemented with 88g concentrate (T1), 88g concentrate + 171.2 g SPVH (T2), 88g concentrate +316.9 g SPVH (T3) and 88g concentrate + 461.3 g SPVH (T4) on DM basis. Goats under T2, T3 and T4 consumed higher (p < 0.001) total DM than those of T1. The DM (88, 259, 405 and 549), OM (75, 217, 335 and 455), CP (23, 49, 72 and 91), NDF (37, 97, 148 and 199) and ADF (20, 58, 90 and 122) intakes and daily weight gain (32, 48, 58 and 69g/head/d) increased (P < 0.05) with increasing level of supplementation of SPVH (T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively). It can be concluded that supplementing bucks up to 461gDM/head/d SPVH gave highest growth rate.
PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF THE LACEWINGS (NEUROPTERA: CHRYSOPIDAE, HEMEROBIIDAE) IN AGROECOSYTEMS IN NORTHERN FRANCE, WITH PHENOLOGICAL NOTES

A survey of lacewings was undertaken in an agricultural zone of northern France. Adults were investigated in four cultures: strawberry, potato, witloof and kidney bean, and in apple orchards. A fixed suction trap gave an overview of the lacewing assemblage present. Yellow trap together with portable suction-device collections showed the hemerobiids and chrysopids currently harboured. Stalked eggs, larvae and cocoons of chrysopids were sampled in strawberry, potato, cabbage and carrot, and in apple-tree orchards. Rearing in the laboratory of all preimaginal instars of the green lacewings collected bore witness to the actual establishment of any species in the field. Seven green lacewings species were identified, but the lacewing diversity is low. In all cases, the eurytopic generalist predator Chrysoperla kolthoffi was the dominant species. Adults flied from May (wintering generation) to autumn, showing a peak in July. The occurrence of preimaginal instars suggests three generations. Four brown lacewing species were recorded, among them Micromus variegatus was the most abundant. They flew mainly in July and August.
Equating Scores from Adaptive to Linear Tests

Two local methods for observed-score equating are applied to the problem of equating an adaptive test to a linear test. In an empirical study, the methods were evaluated against a method based on the test characteristic function (TCF) of the linear test and traditional equipercentile equating applied to the ability estimates on the adaptive test for a population of test takers. The two local methods were generally best. Surprisingly, the TCF method performed slightly worse than the equipercentile method. Both methods showed strong bias and uniformly large inaccuracy, but the TCF method suffered from extra error due to the lower asymptote of the test characteristic function. It is argued that the worse performances of the two methods are a consequence of the fact that they use a single equating transformation for an entire population of test takers and therefore have to compromise between the individual score distributions.
The effect of experimental ecosystem warming on CO2 fluxes in a montane meadow

Climatic change is predicted to alter rates of soil respiration and assimilation of carbon by plants. Net loss of carbon from ecosystems would form a positive feedback enhancing anthropogenic global warming. We tested the effect of increased heat input, one of the most certain impacts of global warming, on net ecosystem carbon exchange in a Rocky Mountain montane meadow. Overhead heaters were used to increase the radiative heat flux into plots spanning a moisture and vegetation gradient. We measured net whole‐ecosystem CO2 fluxes using a closed‐path chamber system, relatively nondisturbing bases, and a simple model to compensate for both slow chamber leaks and the CO2 concentration‐dependence of photosynthetic uptake, in 1993 and 1994. In 1994, we also measured soil respiration separately. The heating treatment altered the timing and magnitude of net carbon fluxes into the dry zone of the plots in 1993 (reducing uptake by ≈100 g carbon m–2), but had an undetectable effect on carbon fluxes into the moist zone. During a strong drought year (1994), heating altered the timing, but did not significantly alter the cumulative magnitude, of net carbon uptake in the dry zone. Soil respiration measurements showed that when differences were detected in dry zone carbon fluxes, they were caused by changes in carbon input from photosynthesis, not by temperature‐driven changes in carbon output from soil respiration. When differences were detected in dry‐zone carbon fluxes, they were caused by changes in carbon input from photosynthesis, not by a temperature‐driven changes in carbon output from soil respiration. Regression analysis suggested that the reduction in carbon inputs from plants was due to a combination of two soil moisture effects: a direct physiological response to decreased soil moisture, and a shift in plant community composition from high‐productivity species to low‐productivity species that are more drought tolerant. These results partially support predictions that warming may cause net carbon losses from some terrestrial ecosystems. They also suggest, however, that changes in soil moisture caused by global warming may be as important in driving ecosystem response as the direct effects of increased soil temperature.
RADIAL BASIS FUNCTION NEURAL NETWORK FOR WORK ZONE CAPACITY AND QUEUE ESTIMATION

An adaptive computational model is presented for estimating the work zone capacity and queue length and delay, taking into account the following factors: number of lanes, number of open lanes, work zone layout, length, lane width, percentage trucks, grade, speed, work intensity, darkness factor, and proximity of ramps. The model integrates judiciously the mathematical rigor of traffic flow theory with the adaptability of neural network analysis. A radial-basis function neural network model is developed to learn the mapping from quantifiable and nonquantifiable factors describing the work zone traffic control problem to the associated work zone capacity. This model exhibits good generalization properties from a small set of training data, a specially attractive feature for estimating the work zone capacity where only limited data is available. Queue delays and lengths are computed using a deterministic traffic flow model based on the estimated work zone capacity. The result of this research is being used to develop an intelligent decision support system to help work zone engineers perform scenario analysis and create traffic management plans consistently, reliably, and efficiently.
The Effects of Reminiscence Therapy on the Elderly Client's Satisfaction with Nursing Care

THE EFFECTS OF REMINISCENCE THERAPY ON THE ELDERLY CLIENT'S SATISFACTION WITH NURSING CARE by Nancy Strong This study tested if reminiscence therapy would improve client satisfaction with nursing care. An experimental post test only design was used on 39 clients in a moderate sized home care agency in the Midwest. Ages ranged from 65 to 98. A single, one-on-one reminiscence session was done with 22 subjects in their homes after a routine nursing visit. The control group subjects did not receive the reminiscence intervention. The groups were homogeneous except for the number of hospitalizations experienced in the past year. The control group had a significantly higher number. The Forbes Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire, modified for the home setting, was used to test client satisfaction. A t-test for independent sample did not support the hypo­ thesis (t = 1.95; df = 26; p = .06) . Mean scores on the questionnaire showed the experimental group tended to score higher (M = 75.41) on satisfaction than the control group (M = 71.06). Continued study on the use of reminiscence therapy as a valid intervention to affect client satisfaction
Determining the number of parallel RC branches in polarization/depolarization current modeling for XLPE cable insulation

An important element in the electric power distribution system is the underground cable. However continuous applications of high voltages unto the cable, may lead to insulation degradations and subsequent cable failure. Since any disruption to the electricity supply may lead to economic losses as well as lowering customer satisfaction, the maintenance of cables is very important to an electrical utility company. Thus, a reliable diagnostic technique that is able to accurately assess the condition of cable insulation operating is critical, in order for cable replacement exercise to be done. One such diagnostic technique to assess the level of degradation within the cable insulation is the Polarization / Depolarization Current (PDC) analysis. This research work attempts to investigate PDC behaviour for medium voltage (MV) cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated cables, via baseline PDC measurements and utilizing the measured data to simulate for PDC analysis. Once PDC simulations have been achieved, the values of conductivity of XLPE cable insulations can be approximated. Cable conductivity serves as an indicator to the level of degradation within XLPE cable insulation. It was found that for new and unused XLPE cables, the polarization and depolarization currents have almost overlapping trendlines, as the cable insulation’s conduction current is negligible. Using a linear dielectric circuit equivalence model as the XLPE cable insulation and its corresponding governing equations, it is possible to optimize the number of parallel RC branches to simulate PDC analysis, with a very high degree of accuracy. The PDC simulation model has been validated against the baseline PDC measurements.
A Medium-N Approach to Macroeconomic Forecasting

This paper considers methods for forecasting macroeconomic time series in a framework where the number of predictors, N, is too large to apply traditional regression models but not sufficiently large to resort to statistical inference based on double asymptotics. Our interest is motivated by a body of empirical research suggesting that popular data-rich prediction methods perform best when N ranges from 20 to 40. In order to accomplish our goal, we resort to partial least squares and principal component regression to consistently estimate a stable dynamic regression model with many predictors as only the number of observations, T, diverges. We show both by simulations and empirical applications that the considered methods, especially partial least squares, compare well to models that are widely used in macroeconomic forecasting.
Further Evidence on the Impact of Economic News on Interest Rates

US interest rates'overnight reaction to macroeconomic announcements is of tremendous importance trading fixed income securities. Most of the empirical studies achieved so far either assumed that the interest rates' reaction to announcements is linear or independent to the state of the economy. We investigate the shape of the tern structure reaction of the swap rates to announcements using several linear and non-linear time series models. The empirical results yield several not-so-well-known stylized facts about the bond market. First, and although we used a daily dataset, we find that the introduction of non linear models leads to the finding of a significant number of macroeconomic figures that actually produce an effect over the yield curve. Most of the studies using daily datasets did not corroborate so far this conclusion. Second, we find that the term structure response to announcements can be much more complicated that what is generally found : we noticed at least four types of patterns in the term structure reaction of interest rates across maturities, including the hump-shaped one that is generally considered. Third, by comparing the shapes of the rates' term structure reaction to announcements with the first four factors obtained when performing a principal component analysis of the daily changes in the swap rates, we propose a first interpretation and classification of these different shapes. Fourth, we find that the existence of some outliers in the one-day changes in interest rates usually leads to a strong underestimation of the reaction of interest rates to announcements, explaining the different results obtained between high-frequency and daily datasets : the first type of study seems to lead to the finding of fewer market mover announcements.
Geochronology of Hemphillian‐Blancan Aged Strata, Guanajuato, Mexico, and Implications for Timing of the Great American Biotic Interchange

We present new geochronologic (magnetostratigraphy, fission‐track and 40Ar/39Ar radioisotopic dates, biostratigraphy) data constraining the age of three separate sequences and a composite section from Guanajuato, Mexico. Those data make this one of the most complete and precisely age‐calibrated sequences in North America spanning the Hemphillian/Blancan North American Land Mammal “Age” (NALMA) boundary interval, and the data further constrain the timing and pattern of the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI). In total, 196 samples (77 sites) were used to construct the magnetic polarity stratigraphies, with eight fission‐track analyses and four new 40Ar/39Ar radioisotopic dates. The sections sampled are possibly latest Miocene to Late Pliocene in age, spanning about 2.7 m.yr. (∼5.5–2.7 Ma), from Chrons C3n.4n or C3r to C2An.1n. The radioisotopic dates and magnetostratigraphic correlations indicate the Hemphillian/Blancan NALMA boundary at Guanajuato in central Mexico is ∼4.7–4.8 Ma, and it probably lies within Chron C3n.2r, consistent with most prior age estimates and correlations. Our analyses indicate that a variety of “invaders” (taxa with South American ancestry, including Megalonyx, Glossotherium, and Plaina) clearly were present by at least 4.7–4.8 Ma and therefore much earlier in lower latitude Middle America than in more temperate parts of North America. Others (e.g., Neochoerus, Glyptotherium) were present shortly thereafter but still much earlier than in higher latitudes. Thus, the first appearances of these five immigrant taxa can no longer be used to define the beginning of the late Blancan. This timing significantly predates the earliest documented major influxes of North American forms into South America, is at least 1.5–2 m.yr. earlier than the beginning of the GABI previously recorded in North America (beginning of the Blancan [Bl 2], ∼2.7 Ma), and suggests faunal provinciality and more staggered arrival and dispersal of South American immigrants than indicated in temperate sequences.
INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ON CREDIT RATINGS IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

Investment in hospitality firms is perceived to be riskier than investments in other types of industries. Based on literature linking good corporate governance to lower default risks and higher credit ratings, this quantitative study is designed to identify the effects of corporate governance on credit ratings in the hospitality industry. After exploring the various factors influencing the characteristics of corporate governance, as well as the specific risks for capital financing in hospitality firms, this research provides empirical evidence to show that hospitality firms with stronger shareholder influence tend to have higher credit ratings. In a related finding, this investigation confirms that hospitality stakeholders are able to evaluate their potential risks by determining a firm’s credit ratings and can protect their long-term interest by increasing their power versus management in the corporate governance of the firm.