Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
LMI-Based Stability Criterion of Impulsive T-S Fuzzy Dynamic Equations via Fixed Point Theory

By formulating a contraction mapping and the matrix exponential function, the authors apply linear matrix inequality (LMI) technique to investigate and obtain the LMI-based stability criterion of a class of time-delay Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy differential equations. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time to obtain the LMI-based stability criterion derived by a fixed point theory. It is worth mentioning that LMI methods have high efficiency and other advantages in largescale engineering calculations. And the feasibility of LMI-based stability criterion can efficiently be computed and confirmed by computer Matlab LMI toolbox. At the end of this paper, a numerical example is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Radiation in fog: quantification of the impact on fog liquid water based on ground-based remote sensing

Abstract. Radiative cooling and heating impact the liquid water balance of fog and therefore play an important role in determining their persistence or dissipation. We demonstrate that a quantitative analysis of the radiation-driven condensation and evaporation is possible in real time using ground-based remote sensing observations (cloud radar, ceilometer, microwave radiometer). Seven continental fog events in midlatitude winter are studied, and the radiative processes are further explored through sensitivity studies. The longwave (LW) radiative cooling of the fog is able to produce 40–70 g m−2 h−1 of liquid water by condensation when the fog liquid water path exceeds 30 g m−2 and there are no clouds above the fog, which corresponds to renewing the fog water in 0.5–2 h. The variability is related to fog temperature and atmospheric humidity, with warmer fog below a drier atmosphere producing more liquid water. The appearance of a cloud layer above the fog strongly reduces the LW cooling relative to a situation with no cloud above; the effect is strongest for a low cloud, when the reduction can reach 100 %. Consequently, the appearance of clouds above will perturb the liquid water balance in the fog and may therefore induce fog dissipation. Shortwave (SW) radiative heating by absorption by fog droplets is smaller than the LW cooling, but it can contribute significantly, inducing 10–15 g m−2 h−1 of evaporation in thick fog at (winter) midday. The absorption of SW radiation by unactivated aerosols inside the fog is likely less than 30 % of the SW absorption by the water droplets, in most cases. However, the aerosols may contribute more significantly if the air mass contains a high concentration of absorbing aerosols. The absorbed radiation at the surface can reach 40–120 W m−2 during the daytime depending on the fog thickness. As in situ measurements indicate that 20–40 % of this energy is transferred to the fog as sensible heat, this surface absorption can contribute significantly to heating and evaporation of the fog, up to 30 g m−2 h−1 for thin fog, even without correcting for the typical underestimation of turbulent heat fluxes by the eddy covariance method. Since the radiative processes depend mainly on the profiles of temperature, humidity and clouds, the results of this paper are not site specific and can be generalised to fog under different dynamic conditions and formation mechanisms, and the methodology should be applicable to warmer and moister climates as well. The retrieval of approximate emissivity of clouds above fog from cloud radar should be further developed.
Crude Protein in Rumen Contents and in Forage.

of squirreltail, which could possibly result in a positive relationship. Summary Selective phenoxy sprays applied to broom snakeweed and Cooper actinea reduced the weight of these half-shrubs on study plots about 90 and 60%, respectively. As a result of reductions in half-shrubs, blue grama on the treated plots increased 14 to 38% over the untreated check plots. Bottlebrush squirreltail and forbs also increased on the sprayed plots. Squirreltail production was positively related to production of blue grama and forbs, but not directly related to the amount of half-shrubs. Blue grama production was inversely related to the amount of half-shrubs and forbs.
A : An Exploratory Study

A substantial body of accounting and finance literature has been devoted to the study of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As) dominated by discussions relating to the gains and losses that accrue from transactions involving large public companies. This paper makes a unique contribution to the literature by investigating the M&A experience of microcap businesses. Transactions involving microcap M&A are substantially different to those involving large companies on a number of dimensions. This paper explores the determinants of microcap M&A success and pitfalls and problems from an integration perspective. Due to the paucity of research in the area an exploratory research design is employed, conducting interviews with five CEOs of companies that had each managed multiple transactions. We find microcap M&As are successful when measured against identified goals but generally take longer and cost more than expected. Further, culture and communication are key issues in determining success/failure. We also find the in-house management of integration aspects is problematic for these businesses and suggest this warrants further study.
VEGETATION DYNAMICS IN THE WESTERN HIMALAYAS, DIVERSITY INDICES AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Vegetation provides the first tropic trophic level in mountain ecosystems and hence requires proper documentation and quantification in relation to abiotic environmental variables both at individual and aggregate levels. The complex and dynamic Himalayas with their varying climate and topography exhibit diverse vegetation that provides a range of ecosystem services. The biodiversity of these mountains is also under the influence of diverse human cultures and land uses. The present paper is not only first of its kind but also quite unique because of the use of modern statistical techniques for the quantification of Diversity Indices of plant species and communities. The vegetation was sampled in three categories, i.e., trees, shrubs and herbs, as follows: a height of ≥ 5m were classified in the tree layer, shrubs were all woody species of height 1m and 5m and, finally, the herb layer comprised all herbaceous species less than 1m in height. The presence/absence of all vascular plants was recorded on preprepared data sheets (1, 0 data). For the tree layer, the diameter of trees at breast height was measured using diameter tape. Coverage of herbaceous vegetation was visually estimated according to Daubenmire and Braun Blanquet methods. It gives overall abundance of vascular plants on one hand and composition of these species on the other. Data was analysed in Canonical Community Coordination Package (CANOCO) to measure diversity indices of plant communities and habitat types. Results for five plant communities/habitat types indicated that plant biodiversity decreased along the altitude. Shannon Diversity Index values range between 3.3 and 4. N2 index and Index of Sample Variance were also designed. All of these Diversity Indices showed the highest values for the communities/habitats of north facing slopes at middle altitudes. Higher plant diversity at these slopes and altitudes can be associated to the period of snow cover which is longer and a relatively denser tree cover as compared to the southern slopes and hence the soil has high moisture which supports high biodiversity in return. Global warming causes desertification in number of fragile mountain ecosystem around the globe. These findings suggest that species diversity decreases along the measured ecological gradient under the influence of deforestation coupled with global climatic change.
Stabilization of Continuous Fluidized Bed Spray Granulation - a Lyapunov Approach

Abstract This article deals with the stabilization of continuous fluidized bed spray granulation with external product classification. Using Lyapunov stability theory a control law is derived guaranteeing exponential convergence of the error particle size distribution in a norm associated to the second moment. In contrast to other approaches popular for particle process control no model reduction is used.
Study of NWP parameterizations on extreme precipitation events over Basque Country

Abstract. The Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF), like other numerical models, can make use of several parameterization schemes. The purpose of this study is to determine how available cumulus parameterization (CP) and microphysics (MP) schemes in the WRF model simulate extreme precipitation events in the Basque Country. Possible combinations among two CP schemes (Kain–Fritsch and Betts–Miller–Janjic) and five MP (WSM3, Lin, WSM6, new Thompson and WDM6) schemes were tested. A set of simulations, corresponding to 21st century extreme precipitation events that have caused significant flood episodes have been compared with point observational data coming from the Basque Country Automatic Weather Station Mesonetwork. Configurations with Kain–Fritsch CP scheme produce better quantity of precipitation forecast (QPF) than BMJ scheme configurations. Depending on the severity level and the river basin analysed different MP schemes show the best behaviours, demonstrating that there is not a unique configuration that solve exactly all the studied events.
V-Y Plasty and Plantaris Tendon Augmentation Repair in Treatment of Chronic Ruptured Achilles Tendon

Background: Treatment of chronic Achilles tendon rupture is still a challenge for most orthopedic surgeons. It is different from the acute Achilles tendon rupture as there are large gaps that will be bridged by scar tissue and muscle becomes infiltrated with fat, so ankle will be weak affecting the gait. Several techniques for reconstruction of Achilles tendon have been described, including tendon graft, turndown flap, and flexor hallucis longus augmentation and augmentation with synthetic materials. The superiority of one technique over another has not been demonstrated.
The Rocky Road to Legacy: Lessons from the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Stadium Program

This article describes how the management and organization of the South African 2010 FIFA World Cup stadium program shaped the current legacy of an oversupply of overdesigned and underutilized stadiums. The article identifies seven key factors that explain the differences between expected benefits and the actual legacy. Identification of these factors contributes to the increasing academic interest in explaining the poor legacy outcomes of mega-events. In conclusion, we recommend that future host country governments defragment their stadium programs by establishing a World Cup Delivery Authority (WCDA), with responsibility for the leadership and coordination of the stadium program.
Effect of IBA and age of cuttings on rooting behaviour of Jatropha curcas L. in different seasons in western Himalaya, India.

Present study deals with the effect of different concentrations of IBA on rooting behaviour of Jatropha curcas L. stem cuttings in different seasons. The study was carried out in Western Himalayan region in Uttarakhand, India during 2005-2006 in spring, monsoon and winter season. The juvenile and mature cuttings of J. curcaswere treated with different concentration of IBA (0, 500, 1000, 1500, 2000 and 2500 ppm) for 12 h and rooting behaviour was observed 60 days after planting. Juvenile and mature cuttings treated with IBA at1500 and 2000 ppm respectively showed highest rooting response. The sprouting in juvenile cuttings varied from 34.2% in winter to 100.0% in monsoon season while the mature cutting varied from 24.6% in winter to 64.3% in monsoon season. The rooting % in juvenile cuttings varied from 24.1% in winter to 90.5% in monsoon and the mature cutting from 21.7% in winter to 60.8% in monsoon. The IBA treated juvenile cuttings showed the rooting behaviour in the order: 1500ppm > 2000 ppm > 1000 ppm > 500 ppm > 2500 ppm > control and the IBA treated mature cuttings showed the order: 2000 ppm > 1500 ppm > 1000 ppm> 2500 ppm > 500 ppm >control. Key words: Juvenile cutting, mature cutting, indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), sprouting percentage, rooting percentage, number of roots, root length.
Observer bias and its causes in botanical records on summits

Long-term monitoring in protected areas or areas with limited access, such as the Alps, serve as a versatile tool to assess changes in plant communities. In this study, we want to enhance knowledge about factors influencing observer bias in botanical records in the Alps. We repeated historical surveys of vascular plants, with a subset of 48 summits collected by two independent observers. Rates of pseudo-turnover between observers were compared to turnover between historical and recent surveys. Observer-dependent and -independent variables were tested for influence on pseudo-turnover and the number of species missed by one of the observer. Furthermore, the effect of plant characteristics on species detectability was tested. With an average of 13.6%, pseudo-turnover between observers was almost three times smaller than species turnover over one century. Pseudo-turnover and the number of species missed increased with difference in botanizing time between observers and with a longer ascent to the summit, with more species missed in combination with a high species richness on the summit. Species were difficult to detect if they occurred on many summits but with a low abundance, if small in stature and if they belonged to certain taxonomic plant groups. The results of this study confirm that the floristic changes over time found on alpine summits represent an ecological pattern. Comparison to previous studies shows that these factors and their importance change with conditions and environment a study is conducted in. In remote and mountainous terrain, special attend ance should be paid to factors closely dependent on observer. To minimize observer bias in floristic studies in general, its possible causes should be specified in advance according to the particular environmental and survey conditions.
Hierarchical formation of bulgeless galaxies – II. Redistribution of angular momentum via galactic fountains

Within a fully cosmological hydrodynamical simulation, we form a galaxy which rotates at 140 km s −1 , and it is characterized by two loose spiral arms and a bar, indicative of a Hubble-type SBc/d galaxy. We show that our simulated galaxy has no classical bulge, with a pure disc profile at z = 1, well after the major merging activity has ended. A long-lived bar subsequently forms, resulting in the formation of a secularly formed ‘pseudo-’bulge, with the final bulge-to-total light ratio of 0.21. We show that the majority of gas which loses angular momentum and falls to the central region of the galaxy during the merging epoch is blown back into the hot halo, with much of it returning later to form stars in the disc. We propose that this mechanism of redistribution of angular momentum via a galactic fountain, when coupled with the results from our previous study which showed why gas outflows are biased to have low angular momentum, can solve the angular momentum/bulgeless disc problem of the cold dark matter paradigm.
The Relationship Between “ Feeling Fat ” and Weight-Gain Feedback in a Non-Eating-Disordered Female Sample : Clinical Perfectionism As a Related Variable

This study investigated the relationship between feeling fat and weight-gain feedback in a sample of 111 non-eating-disordered women between the ages of 18 to 45 years. Specifically, this study examined feeling fat with regard to feedback type (i.e., weight reading or clothing size) and social context (i.e., alone or with peers present). Additionally, perfectionism was examined as a related variable within this relationship. Hypotheses related to social context and perfectionism were supported, whereas hypotheses related to feedback type were not supported. Results indicated a significant main effect for social context on feeling fat scores and an insignificant interaction effect for feedback type. Additionally, correlational data showed a positive correlation between perfectionism and feeling fat experiences across feedback type and social context. This correlation also showed positive correlations between actual reported body weight and feeling fat in addition to BMI and feeling fat, but only in the context of a medical setting. Despite this study’s limitations, the findings offered suggestions for future research in addition to implications for clinical applications. Results are discussed in consideration of body image dissatisfaction and eating disorder prevention.
VStops: A thinking strategy and visual representation approach in mathematical word problem solving toward enhancing STEM literacy

This study aimed to determine the impact of strategic thinking and visual representation approaches (VStops) on the achievement, conceptual knowledge, metacognitive awareness, awareness of problem-solving strategies, and student attitudes toward mathematical word problem solving among primary school students. The experimental group (N=96) received the VStops approach in teaching and learning of mathematical word problem solving, while the control group (N=97) received the conventional approach. Five instruments were used to collect the data: the achievement test, conceptual knowledge test, metacognitive awareness questionnaire, problem-solving strategies awareness questionnaire, and attitudes toward mathematical word problem-solving questionnaire. Pre and posttest data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) followed by univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA). Overall, the study found that the VStops approach had a positive impact on achievement, conceptual knowledge, metacognitive awareness, awareness of problem-solving strategies, and student attitudes toward mathematical word problem solving.
Per Un Pugno Di Dollari: A First Look at the Price Elasticity of Patents

This paper analyzes the role of patent filing fees requested by the member states of the European Patent Convention (EPC). We provide a first empirical evidence showing that the fee elasticity of the demand for priority applications is negative and significant. Given the strong variation in absolute fees and in fees per capita across countries, this result witnesses a suboptimal treatment of inventors across European countries and suggests that fees should be considered as an integral part of an IP policy, especially in the current context of worrying backlogs. In addition, we show that the transfer rate of domestic priority filings to the EPO increases with the duration of membership to the EPO and the GDP per capita of a country, suggesting that member states experience a learning curve within the EPC. The high heterogeneity in the transfer rates casts some doubts on the practice that consists in relying on filings at the EPO or at the USPTO to assess innovative performance of countries.
Thickness of glass electrodes

A nondest ru ctive magneti c m eth od has been de veloped for t he meas ure men t o f t he t hickness of glass e leel rode bulbs. It inv olves the use of t~e Brenner :\1agne-Gage as t he measunng lI1 strument a nd ca rbon y lll"on powd er as the bacloll g material. Each of t he fo ur g;lasses inves.tigated was found to have a charact erist ic "d~parture t hickn ess, " ran gin g from ()4 to 130 mI crons. A g lass elect rode whose mlllllnUm thIckness was equal to or less than this departure thickness was found to give the full 59 millivolts p er pH uni t e lec trode response. Bulbs of in creas in gl y greater thickness showed in creasing departures from t his theo retical response. The deparllll"e thicknesses of the glasses investigated were fo und to be a fun ction of their hygroscopic i t i e~.
Do financial investors affect commodity prices? The case of Hard Red Winter Wheat

The aim of this paper is to assess empirically whether speculative financial investments have affected wheat price dynamics in recent years. To address this issue we will (1) analyze recent agricultural price dynamics and their drivers (2) outline the process of ‘financialization’ of agricultural commodity markets, identifying the macroeconomic, monetary and legislative factors which favored it and (3) present an econometric analysis using Hard Red Winter (HRW) wheat as a case study. Since 2007 HRW wheat price fluctuations have been positively related to US stock market returns and oil price movements. These correlations appear to be determined by commodity index traders, a category of financial investors, since both these relationships proved to be spurious, with the most tracked commodity index as the confounding variable.
Integration of macroscopic and submicroscopic levels for understanding fundamental chemical concepts using web-based learning material

This research is, in its first part, addressed to identifying the misconceptions regarding the underlying scientific concepts at primary school level. Many researches deal with misconceptions in chemistry and the teaching techniques aimed to overcome them. Misconceptions are influential to students’ learning, making it more demanding and hindering the conceptual understanding, which results in learning difficulties if not addressed accordingly. The second part examines the effectiveness of web-based learning material (WBLM) on acquiring scientifically approved conceptions regarding particulate nature of matter (PNM), using e-learning strategy with WBLM. E-learning has been reported to be a promising strategy in various school subjects. Herein, it was applied in chemistry instruction. Teaching strategies that link macroscopic observations with their interpretation at the submicro level were constructed. The aim was to facilitate more appropriate understanding of the concepts whose misunderstandings were identified in the first part of the study. The following variables were analyzed: previous knowledge on the subject matter, reasoning ability, acquired verbal knowledge, attitudes towards chemistry, learning preferences, motivation to learn, and socio-demographic status. The results were interpreted in the light of these findings. Participants in the research were 8th grade students (13–14 years old) attending primary school. The study included the following topics from 8th grade primary school chemistry curriculum: structure of matter, states of matter, pure substances, and mixtures. The study design included the pilot and the main study. The aim of the pilot study was to test the adequacy of the instruments for collecting data, to assess the feasibility of the main study, and to detect potential difficulties in conducting research. The pilot study was conducted with total 108 participants while the main study included 191 participants. The teaching strategy with WBLM was applied in the experimental groups in the chemistry classroom (EG2) and as homework, in addition to the usual teacher-centered approach (EG1). The control group (CG) was taught in the usual way (teacher-centered approach). The results reflect the impact of the chosen strategy with WBLM. This strategy showed potential when applied in the classroom since EG2 students scored higher on the tests of knowledge than the students in EG1 and CG and possessed lower number of misconceptions. Scientific contribution of the doctoral dissertation in the field of didactics of chemistry teaching is in determining the potential contributions of e-learning for a more proper understanding of chemical concepts.